Henry R. Greenfield (2021) had been able to address this question does Australia really needs immigrant? He is a resident in Australia and have been able to explain the caption and what it entails. All you have to do is know the Australia Migration Policy and how it’s been operated.
Australia Migration Policy of immigration and how much of population was also explained in Greenfield write up. Well, you can follow him up on Quora.
Does Australia Really Needs Immigrants?
Anyone who says otherwise has no idea of what they are talking about. Let’s look at the numbers 1st:
The answer is yes Australia Really Needs Immigrants by looking at the following;
1. Australians are not reproducing at even replacement rates, that means the population will shrink in an already vast continent.
2. 25 million people compared to our neighbors at 250mil Indonesians, 1.4 billion Chinese, 1.35 billion Indians and everyone else in between like the Philippines at 110mil or Vietnam at 95 mil. Shall I stop there?
3. That said, we do not need 100 mil people or even 50 million. But we need bright, productive, highly skilled immigrants more than ever and we need them from around the world.
Australia needs to go out and start recruiting the best and the brightest. Not just accepting mainland Chinese students because they have money who often unfortunately specifically select disciplines like accounting which will get them PR upon graduation. We have to end that mentality, it is short term and a total abdication of our values to simply sell our universities and precious PR spots to anyone who will pay tuition. And to be fair, Indian students are right behind them in numbers who are disproportionately taking jobs in IT which like in the USA then outsource back to India. I know, I have worked with these companies and it is true, they are not serving the interests of Australia, only corporate interests to get a few skilled migrants who then go back and take jobs away from Australia. This has to end, make a commitment to Australia or drop the PR.
Australia can win this game easily as we don’t need millions of people, we don’t want millions of people, we want maybe up to 300,000 persons per year with serious skills that will contribute in a broad range of fields. Science, animal husbandry, nutrition, agriculture, yes IT and software to make our cities smart!
With a population growing slowly but enriched by strong highly skilled individuals from around the world, Australia can lead the world and contribute to coalitions across many disciplines.
It is time for a targeted smart immigration policy which will lead to a stronger Australia and bring in people who will enrich our society not with money but with their ideas, innovations and technical skills.
Overview of Australia Statistics
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 compared to most other OECD countries.
Permanent migrants enter Australia via one of two distinct programs—the Migration Program for skilled and family migrants or the Humanitarian Program for refugees and those in refugee-like situations. Each year, the Australian Government allocates places, or quotas, for people wanting to migrate permanently to Australia under these two programs.
Until recently, the United Kingdom (UK) had always been the primary source country for permanent migration to Australia. However, for the first time in the history of Australia, China surpassed the UK as Australia’s primary source of permanent migrants in 2010–11. Since then, China and India have continued to provide the highest number of permanent migrants. New Zealand (NZ) citizens also feature highly in the number of settler arrivals, but they are not counted under Australia’s Migration Program unless they apply for (and are granted) a permanent visa.
Over the decades, migration program planning numbers have fluctuated according to the priorities and economic and political considerations of the government of the day. However, it is important to note that the Australian Government’s immigration policy focus has changed markedly since 1945, when attracting general migrants (primarily from the UK) was the priority, to focussing on attracting economic migrants and temporary (predominantly skilled) migrants. Currently the planning figure for the Migration Program is 190,000 places (it has remained at this record high level since 2012–13), with skilled migrants comprising the majority.
One of the most significant developments in the dynamics of migration to Australia since the late 1990s has been the growth in temporary migration. The net migration gain from long-term temporary movement exceeded that from permanent movement in 1999–00 and there were record numbers of temporary entrants in 2000–01. Many of these entrants arrived on either student or Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visas. Unlike the permanent Migration Program, the level of temporary migration to Australia is not determined or subject to quotas or caps by Government, but is demand driven.
The 457 visa also provides a pathway for skilled workers and their dependants to apply for permanent residence and many students are also eligible to apply for permanent visas under the Migration Program at the completion of their courses. The largest contribution to net overseas migration (NOM) in recent years has been from people on temporary visas—mostly comprised of overseas students and temporary skilled migrants and the rate of Australia’s population growth has increased significantly over the few years largely driven by an increase in NOM.
Migration statistics
Annual statistics on Migration and Humanitarian Program ‘outcomes’ (visa grants) provided by the Immigration Department since the 1980s provide accurate data on the number of people who are planning to migrate to Australia. However, other immigration-related data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is also used to measure migration flows or settler arrivals. These statistics are often used interchangeably and/or incorrectly with the result that data used in the public debate to describe migration flows can often be inaccurate or misleading. Changes in government policy and data collection methodology by government agencies have also added to the complexity in interpreting this data, and make it difficult to compare migration-related statistics over time. Some of the more commonly used data sets (and their limitations) include:
Net overseas migration (NOM) data, compiled since 1925 by the ABS, is often used to describe and measure population growth. However, NOM is not a measure of the number of permanent migrants arriving in any given year as it measures departures and arrivals of both permanent and (long-term) temporary entrants and the resulting increase or decrease in the population overall. In addition, the methodology for the calculation of NOM has changed significantly over the years and should be used with caution.
Settler arrival statistics, also compiled by the ABS, are a better indication of permanent migration flows than NOM, but include NZ citizens and some other temporary migrants who have indicated an intention to settle longer term. Other ABS data on overseas arrivals and departures may also include multiple arrivals and departures of individuals and not the total number of individuals.
Migration Program visa grant outcomes recorded by the Immigration Department, provide the most accurate statistics on the number of permanent migrants intending to settle in Australia, however not all migrants granted visas take them up, and accurate data is only available back to the 1980s. Prior to that, it is necessary to resort to settler arrival statistics.
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