The government's openness to wealthy foreigners from China and elsewhere is in contrast to its approach more generally to immigration, a polarizing topic in Australia particularly ahead of an election only four months away.

WSJ: Australia Attracts More Than $1 Billion in Potential Investment Under Visa Program

The government's openness to wealthy foreigners contrasts with its approach more generally to immigration, a polarizing topic in Australia, particularly ahead of an election only four months away.

WSJ: Australia Offers Visa for Millionaires

That's how immigration still works in Canada and Australia.

CNN: What's the value of immigration?

Most of the foreign press corps in Australia covers the immigration issue not as a numbers story - for, globally speaking, the tally of unauthorised arrivals is fairly insignificant - but as a reaction story: why does such a comparably small issue generate such a big and angry national debate.

BBC: Reality TV tackles immigration

Chris Bowen becomes minister for immigration, a key portfolio in a country where asylum seekers arriving off Australia's vast coastline by boat have become a major political issue.

BBC: Australia PM Julia Gillard announces cabinet?

Australia has transferred the first group of asylum seekers to a processing centre in Papua New Guinea, immigration officials say.

BBC: Australia sends first group to PNG asylum camp