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AbstractImmigration 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.

This paper provides the text of a Blake Dawson Waldron Public Lecture delivered in Canberra on May 2, 2006. In the paper a stock-take is provided of Australia's current policies on immigration and population, and suggestions are offered as to how these should change in future. It is argued that Australian immigration has developed to become a major national policy achievement, welltailored for the national interest and Australian values. Its principles and mechanisms, especially its points system, are now being emulated in other countries such as the UK. Incorporation of expanded and skilled immigration within wider population policies has been a further step forward in Australia in recent times. But the paper also argues that there are still significant flaws that are not being dealt with adequately, and pressures are present which could change policy to the nation's detriment. These problems range from the inhumane treatment of refugees through to the excessive growth of temporary entry for skilled guest workers. The paper opposes any major low skill guest-worker program and strongly advocates growing regional and global engagement with management of international people movements. ; This item was commisioned by Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government, ANU

Australia's population is likely to undergo dramatic change in the second and third decades of next century. Instead of being a young country by OECD standards, significant population ageing is now predicted for Australia. This will reduce labour force participation and flexibility, reduce savings and investment, and raise social expenditure while reducing public revenues. Intergenerational politics will sharpen severely. Immigration has helped keep Australia younger in the past. But some demographers assert it cannot do so in the future, a view accepted by Government and used as a justification for lower immigration. This paper argues that the Government view and its demographic underpinnings are wrong. Once deficiencies in conventional demographic methodology are allowed for, a much more significant impact of immigration is describable. These corrections involve migrant composition, projecting migration rates not levels, properly calculating dependency ratios and incorporating budget costs. The result is to show the potential to halve the public costs of population ageing. This makes immigration an important complement to other policies for addressing demographic change.

Collection of three papers: * Immigration: the Australian Way. Keynote Address to the National Conference of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, Brisbane, 20 November, 1998. Higher levels of immigration will increasingly be recognised as good politics and as in the national interest. * Malthus and Australia: the Malthus Sermon. Keynote address to the National Academies' Forum Malthus and his legacy. National Library of Australia Canberra, 17 September 1998. The problems of population and poverty are those of institutions and distribution, not of resources and technology. * A global Sydney needs migration. Background paper prepared for the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit Brisbane, 28 February-3 March 1999. Sydney is primary port of entry for new arrivals to Australia. It also has significant expansion costs and environmental constraints. For this reason, NSW Premier Carr, alone among State leaders, has supported low immigration for Australia. Mr Carr is mistaken.

This paper will characterise the major economic dimensions of Australian research into economic aspects of immigration. This will cover macro-economics (labour markets, current account, government budgets), long-run growth (productivity, real income) and social economics (distribution of income and wealth, discrimination) and discuss the major gaps remaining for informing Australian policy (ageing, environment, regional distribution). It will speculate on the likely influence of research on future policy and may even bravely speculate on lessons from Australia for Europe and vice versa

A larger population results in a larger economy. A greater number of people generate more demand for goods and services and provide an increase in the number of workers available to meet that demand. Since immigration has contributed a major part of Australia's population growth over the two centuries since European settlement, it follows that it has also contributed substantially to creating the Australian economy as it is today. A summary measure of the economy is gross domestic product (GDP). Australia's GDP at the end of the 20th Century is approaching $600billion. Migrants and the children of migrants have provided almost 60 percent of post-war growth in the Australian workforce. Without migration it is likely that the economy might have been as small as one half of its current size, a much reduced presence in the world economy. Of course while GDP is relevant, and is seen by many as a measure of the contribution of migration to 'development', there is much more that is of interest in the linkage even from immigration to the economy, let alone to broader issues. In the long-run a crucial question is whether immigration also increases per capita income and not just aggregate national income. There is also the question of how income growth is distributed, including between existing residents and newcomers, and effects on broader social considerations, including demographic ageing. In the shorter-term there are basic economic issues such as the implications of immigration for unemployment, training, public outlays, the balance of payments, wages and inflation. There are also some interesting questions concerning the linkages from the economy to immigration itself, both through the motivation for migration and through the influence the economy has on government and its migration policies. These are the issues that are looked at in this article.

Broadcasting is a key sector in modern society, not only economically but, more than most industries, culturally, socially and politically. Correspondingly it is a sector that is more than most subject to government regulation. It is also a sector that is more than most linked to the digital revolution in technology at the core of the "new global knowledge economy". It is therefore an area of great interest. The economics of broadcasting focuses on the nature of broadcasting markets and the nature government involvement in those markets. The markets are primarily based on demand for broadcasting programs and are heavily influenced by the technology of program delivery. They are also profoundly influenced by y government intervention in these markets, including involvement for non-economic reasons.