Migration Policies in Australia and their Impact on Development in Countries of Origin

Australia is one of the nations most influenced by international migration with 23.1 per cent of its population being foreign-born, 19.8 per cent Australian-born with at least one parent foreign-born and a further 2.5 per cent at any one time being temporarily present. Over the postwar period immigration has been transformed from being dominated by people of European origin to those from the Asia-Pacific and, to a lesser extent, Africa; from predominantly unskilled to skilled and from being almost totally setters to a complex mix of permanent and temporary newcomers. Australia’s immigration has been more explicitly shaped by policy than most nations, not only by deliberate government intervention but also because its island character has made it more possible to control migration than in most countries. As with other immigration countries, Australian migration policy has been developed largely with national interests in mind. However, with the shift in thinking about the linkages between migration and development in recent years there has been increased interest in the effects of Australia’s immigration on countries of origin. The present paper first briefly examines the complexity of the relationship between migration from “South” to “North” nations and their effects on social and economic development in origin countries. The paper then analyses some key features of Australian immigration policy, which impinge on immigration from South countries. It then takes in turn a number of the effects of immigration on origin countries and considers the situation with respect to Australia. Finally some possible future developments in the area are speculated on.