|
|
Editor's note
|
In penning an article on immigration for the weekend papers, Labor spokesperson Kristina Keneally may have gone beyond the evidence.
She said although Australia’s high migration intake had played a key role in our economic prosperity, in recent years it had “hurt many Australian workers, contributing to unemployment, underemployment and low wage growth”.
Today Gabriela D'Souza tells us there is little evidence for those propositions. Her research builds on that of Robert Breunig, Nathan Deutscher and Hang Thi To, detailed in The Conversation at the time that used Australian data to identify the effects of immigration on the earnings and employment prospects of Australian workers.
It found it had no significant effects, and that if anything the impacts were slightly positive.
Australians bemoaning what the absence of tourists will do to our economy ought to consider what the absence of immigrants would do. Like tourists, immigrants spend at Australian shops and use Australian services. Unlike tourists, they also provide services. Our skills-based program ensures they are skilled services. Backing away from a program Labor championed while in office is not something it should do lightly.
That said, there are some areas that may be ripe for reform. Alex Reilly argues this morning that Keneally is right to call for a review of the “shape and size” of our intake, although not in the way she was suggesting.
He says Australia needs to find a better balance between its skilled intake and its family intake. Without the ability to bring their loved ones with them, skilled migrants are vulnerable and not as productive.
|
Peter Martin
Section Editor, Business and Economy
|
|
|
Top stories
|
Shutterstock
Gabriela D'Souza, Monash University
Labor's immigration spokesperson Kristina Keneally says immigration has "hurt many Australian workers". The evidence suggests it hasn't.
|
Joel Carrett/AAP
Alex Reilly, University of Adelaide
Australia used to prioritise family migrants over skilled workers. But now, it takes up to 21 months for partner visas to be approved – and 30 years for parents.
|
Trevor Collens/AAP
Clive Phillips, The University of Queensland
Sheep exported live for slaughter in the Middle East are routinely exposed to high temperatures.
|
kudla/ Shutterstock
Nicholas Fuller, University of Sydney
Hormonal changes that occur during menopause can alter the way fat is deposited in the body, but weight gain associated with menopause is more likely to be a by-product of ageing.
|
Science + Technology
|
-
James Martin, Swinburne University of Technology
These online spaces are more regulated than many media reports would have you believe. And the vast majority of dark web traders are steering clear of exploiting the pandemic.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Olivia Murphy, University of Sydney
What would happen if plague destroyed all of humanity? Mary Shelley's 1826 book suggests Earth would be better off.
-
Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney
The Head On Photo Festival showcases documentary photography. Luckily, it's an artform that lends itself well to online display and celebration.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Robyn Johns, University of Technology Sydney
Redundancies can can leave businesses ill-placed placed for revival. The real estate listings firm Domain is trying something more promising.
-
Sabrina Seeler, Nord University; Michael Lueck, Auckland University of Technology
The international tourism crisis offers New Zealand the opportunity to reimagine domestic tourism - if operators and consumers can adapt.
|
|
Cities
|
-
Lisa Bricknell, CQUniversity Australia; Dale Trott, CQUniversity Australia
We've all seen the footage of people in protective suits and vehicles spraying cities to control COVID-19. But because of the way disinfectant and contamination work, it might be mostly for show.
-
Amelia Thorpe, UNSW
COVID-19 has upturned uses of public spaces that we took for granted. Will shifts in the regulation of these spaces lead to a change in thinking about who “owns” the city?
|
|
Education
|
-
Amanda Webster, University of Wollongong
Children on the autism spectrum find it difficult to learn independently and manage their time. Parents can use these 5 strategies to help their child learn from home during the COVID-19 shutdown.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will warn against the danger of a protectionist push in Australia as a result of the virus crisis, in a Tuesday speech that also stresses it is vital to get the country moving…
-
Ben Walker, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Rebecca Bednarek, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Todd Bridgman, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Urs Daellenbach, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Imagine you could only travel if you can prove COVID-19 immunity. The pandemic is already creating new social divides, and it is important we stay alert to their possible ramifications.
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Sanjaya Senanayake, Australian National University
The science is far from certain, but it appears at least a proportion of people who have had COVID-19 will be protected from another infection – at least initially.
|
|
|
Featured jobs
|
|
— Canberra ACT, Australia
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Featured Events & Courses
|
|
Level 21, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
|
|
Level 21, 15 Broadway, Ultimo 2007, Sydney, Australian Capital Territory, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
|
|
Online Live Stream, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia — Monash University
|
|
Online webinar, Perth, Western Australia, 6027, Australia — Edith Cowan University
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|