Does Australia's long term prosperity depend on immigration?

Updated April 14, 2013 19:59:25

Video: Does Australia's Future Prosperity Depend On Immigration? (ABC News)

Is Australia’s immigration policy in need of reform?

Since British settlement, Australia has been a nation of immigrants. Our national history is rich with stories of immigrant struggle and achievement – each tale shaping in part our sense of national identity. Today around half of all living Australians have at least one immigrant parent or are an immigrant themselves. In no small way, the nation’s prosperity has been built on the aspirations of those from foreign lands.

Current projections are that by 2050, the rate of Australian births will no longer exceed the death rate, and home population growth will grind towards zero. In this case, what will become of Australia’s growth and national identity? Is Australia’s immigration policy adequate for this future shock? Does Australia's future prosperity depend on immigration?

Future Forum was broadcast on ABC News 24 on Sunday 14th April at 6pm AEST. Join the discussion on Twitter using the #FutureForum hashtag.

External Link: Future Forum Storify

Host: John Barron

The Future Forum is presented by ABC News 24 in partnership with the HC Coombs Policy Forum at the Australian National University

Panellists
Dr Tim Soutphommasane Political philosopher and postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights in the University of Sydney Dr Tim Soutphommasane is a political philosopher and a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights in the University of Sydney. Tim is also an opinion columnist with The Age . He is a board member of the National Australia Day Council, a member of the Australian Multicultural Council and a fellow of Per Capita and St James Ethics Centre. More
Amanda Vanstone Former Federal Senator, former Ambassador to Italy Amanda entered the Australian Parliament in 1984 and was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007. She was the only female member of the Howard Cabinet following the 1996 election that brought the coalition to power. More
Bernard Salt KPMG Partner Bernard Salt is a KPMG Partner based in Melbourne Australia. He has established a reputation as a trend forecaster for business and government. Bernard has directed and authored a number of global studies for KPMG International including Beyond the Baby Boomers (2007) and The Global Skills Convergence (2008), both of which attracted global media coverage. More
Juliet Pietsch Academic Juliet Pietsch is a senior lecturer in political science at the Australian National University. She began her university studies in Asian Studies (Chinese). In her PhD she combined her research interests in Asia and political science. More
Dick Smith Entrepreneur Dick Smith is one of Australia's most recognised individuals. After a successful business career in retailing and publishing, Dick has become well known as a restless adventurer, making many pioneering and record breaking flights by helicopter, aeroplane and balloon. More
Talal Yassine Academic, lawyer and businessman Talal Yassine is an experienced lawyer, banker and Non Executive Director. After 10 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Director and strategist, Talal joined investment firm Babcock & Brown Ltd in the Corporate Finance Group and later in the Technical Real Estate Division. Later Talal held leadership positions in Better Place Australia and is currently the Managing Director of Crescent Wealth. More
Dr Robert Costanza Professor Dr. Robert Costanza is Professor and Chair in Public Policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University. Prior to this, he was Distinguished University Professor of Sustainability, in the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University (2010-2012), Gund Professor of Ecological Economics and founding director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont (2002-2010), Professor at the University of Maryland (1988-2002) and at Louisiana State University (1980-1988), and a visiting scientist at the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics in Sweden (1996), and at the Illinois Natural History Survey (1982). More
Dr John Hewson Economist and politician Dr John Hewson is an experienced economic, business and finance specialist and former leader of the Liberal Party. John is a highly regarded economic strategist, and has significant networks across business, government and financial services. John has worked as an economist for the Australian Treasury (Census and Statistics), the Reserve Bank of Australia, the International Monetary Fund, the UN, and as an advisor to two successive Federal Treasurers and the Prime Minister. More