Another reality of multiculturalism is the cost to the Australian community, not only in social terms, but also in economic terms. Stephen Rimmer, an economist and author, has made a estimate of the monetary effects of multicultural policies as being "more than $7.2 billion a year ... in addition to the $7 billion or $8 billion a year which immigration is estimated to add to the annual deficit on the current account of the balance of payments" and that "The gross cost of multiculturalism amounts to about 2% of Australia's Gross Domestic Product of $369 billion", while stating that these "estimates are conservative ... The real economic cost of multiculturalism is likely to be higher".(59)

The costs involved with multiculturalism are astounding. Some selected quotes from Rimmer's writings give a broad outline:(60)

"Costs associated with multiculturalism are caused primarily by its impact on Australia's substantial immigration program. Costs are increased through the importation of large numbers of migrants who cannot speak English and through the covert use of ethnicity and country of origin as important criteria for choosing migrants".

"According to government reports, the lack of English language skills is costing Australia over $4.8 billion annually. The OMA says additional communication time in the workplace costs $3.2 billion. Lost output due to unemployment, caused by the lack of language skills, costs $1.6 billion. Migrants have more workplace accidents which cost $13 million, while the costs of higher welfare expenditure is at least $25 million".

"The taxpayer pays for multiculturalism in the form of greater expenditure on multicultural programs, welfare and crime prevention. Commerce and industry pays in the form of reduced productivity and output, lost markets, greater industrial disputation and increased expenditure on language training. Migrants lose out themselves, because of their lack of English, in workplace accidents and lower productivity".

"Governments spend about $2 billion dollars each year on multicultural programs, most of these are left unidentified in larger government programs". "Funds go to English language courses; assistance for disadvantaged schools and students; language and multicultural studies; employment education for the disadvantaged; settlement and ethnic affairs; the Office of Multicultural Affairs; the Special Broadcasting Service and the arts". "The Federal Government alone spends more than $200 million annually on English language training".

John Mohajer, an economist and social researcher, has pointed out how multiculturalism created Australia's current problem of a large non-English speaking population:

"During the 1950s and 1960s a modest proportion of migrants arriving in Australia did not have good language skills ... during the late 1970s and early 1980s the multicultural lobby claimed that requirements that migrants speak English were 'discriminatory' ... Consequently, the weight attached to English language skills in immigrant selection was significantly downgraded by the Federal Government in the early 1980s. English language testing was partially reintroduced in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the economic costs imposed by this policy became apparent to governments and policy makers. However, since 1979 large numbers of migrants have entered Australia with little or no language skills ... Thus, in 1991 over 410,000 Australians could not speak English effectively. It is important to note that many workers who could not speak English effectively and who had arrived in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s were leaving the labour force by the 1980s and early 1990s, often due to retirement. Thus, if large numbers of migrants with poor English language skills had not been allowed into Australia in the 1980s, the problem of lack of English language skills could have been stabilised and even diminished over the last decade".(61)

Rimmer has clearly stated the unavoidable facts:

"There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that multiculturalism is the key cause of Australia's relative economic decline. Despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars each year, the multicultural lobby has been unable to show even one economic benefit for Australia. Australia's poorly run immigration program is clearly contrary to the interests of all Australians. While English language training should be retained, the policy of multiculturalism should be abandoned immediately. There should be a public inquiry, possibly a royal commission, into the costs and benefits of multiculturalism."(62)