This report is about measuring temporary populations, in contrast to the permanent population measured by the Census undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) every five years.

The long term and permanent migration of people out of Australia has increased substantially in recent years. At present little is known about the scale, composition and significance of that movement. Graeme Hugo, Dianne Rudd and Kevin Harris seek to fill this gap through analysis of secondary data and surveys of the individuals involved. The...