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The article presents a debate over the issue of maintaining the current rate of immigration in Australia in 2018. Topics discussed include the population in a global sense, globalisation, and free movement of people willing to relocate around the world. Also being discussed are the topics like Brexit, U.S. presidential election.

This paper examines two key dimensions of the impact of immigration for Australia and related policy aspects. One is sub-national and the other is national. They are, first, the regional location aspects of immigration and, second, the aggregate unemployment implications of immigration. These are chosen so as to focus on two important issues that condition public attitudes towards immigration. In relation to the first, there is a common positive view that channelling migration towards regional areas assists regional development and reduces pressure on metropolitan areas. The paper reviews regional concepts embodied in Australian immigration policy and the ways in which visa arrangements have implemented policies geared towards the regional dispersal of immigrants. Using official data, it discusses the demographic impacts of these policies and, in particular, considers the extent to which immigrants to regional Australia remain there over the longer term. In relation to unemployment, a common concern is that immigrants take jobs from local workers. The paper examines—using statistical regression methodology—the relationship between immigration and national aggregate unemployment in Australia. It evaluates the net consequences of immigration for both existing residents and new arrivals together. The paper concludes that, with good policy design in each case, regional location encouragement can be effective for immigrants and that immigrants need not take more jobs than they create. The analysis demonstrates that mixed-methods approaches to important social science issues can be productive, and helpful also for policy. Evidence, such as that presented in this paper, offers a powerful basis from which to counter negative public and political discourses surrounding immigration in contemporary Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Immigration has conditioned the peopling of Australia. This article examines the evolution of Australia's population as influenced by immigration, what the impacts of population change have been for the economy, society and environment and what options exist to influence this process. The desirable course of policy is examined. A central role for immigration and the enhancement of its management and of complementary policies in building a worthy future for Australians are proposed. The contribution of past economic analysis to understanding of these issues and to informing policy settings is discussed and work still required in analysis and policy is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on several issues concerning immigration economics and policy in Australia. Importance of skilled migration in helping generate real income benefits; Reasons for considering expansive immigration as unwarranted, according to New South Wales Premier Bob Carr; Relationship between population distribution and green house emissions.

This paper looks at facts, issues and debates surrounding the potential impact of immigration on the Australian population. Some of the topics looked at are the orthodox view of aging and immigration, immigration composition, immigration numbers versus rates, dependency measurement, dependency costs, and population policy and research. The paper concludes that immigration has a significant impact on social expenditures in Australia.

Explores the relationship between immigration and local unemployment in Australia. Principal channels through which increased immigration could impair labor's economic position; Effects that immigrants have on the demand; Adoption of a model of Australia's labor market; Key modeling issue; Equations of the disequilibrium model and its econometric results; Counterfactual simulation of modern policy.

The wisdom of maintaining high levels of immigration into Australia has been questioned, particularly on the grounds that migration contributes to aggregate unemployment. This paper uses both statistical causality techniques and conventional structural models to investigate the relationship between immigration and unemployment in the post-war period in Australia. The tests find no evidence of any association from migration to unemployment, though there is strong evidence of a significant effect of Australian unemployment on migration. The results indicate that immigration policy should not be dictated by unfounded fears of immigration causing unemployment, at least over the range of previous Australian experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Australasian immigration, economics, and regional interdependence in traditional countries like North America and New Zealand. This paper focuses on the renewed interest in immigration as currently observed specifically in Australia. The economic issues are being made alternative to the equally significant social topics and a range of non-economic concerns. Immigration issues such as race have become part of the growing debate in economic activities, market trends, and the most important issue of a continent with a small number of population.

Population policy is one of those public policy issues that will not go away. It surfaces regularly, is dealt with unsatisfactorily, disappears briefly and then inevitably reappears. The problems experienced in dealing satisfactorily with population as policy derive from deep human sensitivity over the core population issues of fertility, mortality and migration. When a policy area potentially embraces anything from abortion to euthanasia and regional decline to race composition, it is an area where politicians can all too often either duck for cover or blunder through looking foolish.