Does Australia's long term prosperity depend on immigration?
Updated
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.
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 | |
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Dr Tim SoutphommasanePolitical 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. | |
Amanda VanstoneFormer 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. | |
Bernard SaltKPMG Partner Bernard Salt is a KPMG Partner based in Melbourne Australia. He has established a reputation as a trend forecaster for business and government. | |
Juliet PietschAcademic 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. | |
Dick SmithEntrepreneur 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. | |
Talal YassineAcademic, 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. | |
Dr Robert CostanzaProfessor 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). | |
Dr John HewsonEconomist 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. |
Topics: economic-trends, globalisation---economy, immigration, social-policy, australia
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