Australia's Immigration Programme: an Evaluation of its Effectiveness*
| Published date | 01 January 1977 |
| Date | 01 January 1977 |
| Author | MICHAEL T. SKULLEY |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1977.tb00954.x |
Australia’s Immigration Programme:
an Evaluation
of
its Effectiveness*
BY
MICHAEL
T.
SKULLEY
I. INTRODUCTION
The
Australian Federal Government took responsibility for migrant selection as early
as
1920.
However, the establishment of a Department
of
Immigration was not accom-
plished till
1945.
That year under the Federal Labour government Australia’s first na-
tional immigration programme was developed. It was started partly in response to fears
of
invasion in the northern part of the country. The programme had a high degree of
popular support whch is expressed in a speech by the first Minister for Immigration,
A.A.
Caldwell, when he said:
‘All
shades of thought agree that Australia’s security,
economic stability, and destiny as a major Pacific power depends in a large measure
upon the success
of
the Commonwealth immigration programme.’(Z)
The Commonwealth immigration programme does not have such strong support
today, and many people argue Australia loses rather than gains from such a programme.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the actual economics of immigration and the
gods the programme hopes to achieve. Then making the assumption that the majority
of
the goals are worthwhile,
I
hope to offer alternative means to obtain the results.
II. THE ECONOMICS
OF
IMMIGRATION AND ITS OBJECTIVES
The continued existence
of
the planned immigration programme today finds support
for
a number
or
reasons. These include:
1.
improving national security
2.
promoting the development of Australia’s resources
3.
increasing the rate of economic growth
4.
obtaining new human and investment capital
5.
gaining economies
of
scale through a larger consumer market
6.
promoting social and humanitarian goals.
This paper was initially prepared
for
the Committee
for
Ixonomic Development
of
Australia
and published as ‘Immigration: Objectives and Alternatives’ in
Grorcfh,
No.
27,
July,
1974.
It
was
later expanded and revised into a submission to the Australian Population and Inimipation Council
in
Connection with the preparation
of
their
Green
Puper
on
Popubtion and
In?mi~rutron
folicft‘s
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