Overview Australia is considered to be one of the world’s major ‘immigration nations‘(together with New Zealand, Canada and the USA). Since 1945, when the first federal immigration portfolio was created, over 7.5 million people have settled here and Australia’s overseas-born resident population—estimated to be 28.2 per cent of the population in June 2015—is considered high...

With around 470 staff, the JBS Meatworks is Bordertown’s biggest employer. Almost two-thirds of its workforce are migrants. But unlike the Filipinos who come as skilled employees on temporary 457 visas, many of the newer members of the company’s labour force are asylum seekers and refugees who mostly arrived in Australia by boat. Plant manager...

Over the last seventy years, immigration has added seven million people to Australia’s population and will, if current policy settings continue, add a further thirteen million by 2060. The current focus of the migration program on skilled migration, while maintaining opportunities for family and humanitarian immigration, is perceived to have served Australia well. However, key...

Overview This Analysis assesses the benefits and challenges of contemporary economic immigration in Australia. It argues that Australian governments have managed significant recent changes to immigration policy successfully. The authors recommend various reforms to maintain public confidence in expansive economic immigration arrangements that are important for sustaining national prosperity. Key findings Australia’s immigration policies have...

Introduction One of the most significant changes to Australia’s immigration flows over the last two decades has been the growth of long-term (12 months or more) temporary migration. While some of this growth can be attributed to increases in arrivals of overseas students and working holiday makers, a large proportion of it is also due...