Image: Stephen O’Neill: People will be surprised at how they get it wrong.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood”. That is a salient quote from legendary physicist and skeptic, Marie Curie.

It is sage advice right now as heated debates rage around the world about migration, where misinformation and the fear factor fuel people’s attitudes and behaviour, including many Australians who fear new arrivals will take our jobs, worsen the housing crisis, commit crime, and perform terrorist attacks.

Armidale’s Stephen O’Neill is well qualified to explain to us why those fears are often not consistent with the facts, and why we really do not need not be so anxious or angry.
Stephen will be guest speaker at Armidale’s Skeptics In The Pub on Tuesday September 24 at The Railway Hotel in Rusden St.

His presentation, The Migration Paradox – The Five Key Myths of Migration, will examine the narrative that Australia’s migration system is broken.

Stephen is a retired Chief Operations Officer for Settlement Services International, (SSI), an influential and effective not-for-profit agency which, last year, via 59 specialised programs, helped 56,000 people across Australia, including in Armidale.

Stephen, who has worked with people and programs at the coalface of immigration and has hands-on experience and knowledge at the real-world operational level, said: “I will not be speaking from the perspective of academia, politics, or the media. I will be speaking from my own experience and observations, and I think people will be quite surprised by the difference between fact and perceptions regarding the five myths.”

Skeptics In the Pub is a free event, open to everyone. Arrive at 6pm. Buy dinner and drinks and sit back to hear Stephen’s presentation, followed by a lively discussion session.