Rupert Murdoch calls on Australia to take in more immigrants

Global press baron Rupert Murdoch has urged Australia to be open to immigrants and engage more deeply with Asia, as he celebrated 50 years of the national newspaper he founded, The Australian.

Murdoch, some of whose British and United States media outlets often take a hard line on migrants, said Australia, with its entrepreneurial spirit and egalitarian way of life, had a comparative advantage in a world where not all were free.

"We should be a beacon, but that means holding ourselves to high standards and not simply finding fault with others," the Australian-born mogul said at a dinner in Sydney on Tuesday night attended by politicians and business leaders.

"We must be open to immigrants, to their desire to improve themselves and to the resulting improvement in our country."

Murdoch, whose operations in Britain have been embroiled in a phone hacking scandal, said stalled immigration reforms in the US were a wasted opportunity.

"It is in the collective self-interest to welcome immigrants, those who cherish the values of the country, and who are sometimes willing to risk all in the quest for a better life," he said.