Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Andrew Parkin and Leonie Hardcastle
Key terms/names
asylum seekers, border protection, border security, environmental sustainability,
ethnic communities, family immigration, humanitarian immigration, immigration,
international students, multiculturalism, occupational immigration, population
policy, temporary immigration, White Australia policy
Australia has been shaped by immigration. Nearly half of today’s Australian
population consists of immigrants born elsewhere or their first-generation
descendants. As a consequence of its pattern of immigration, Australia is also
a multicultural country. This chapter examines the policy evolution that has
produced this situation. It also examines the distinctive political dynamics of the
policy-making process pertaining to immigration and multiculturalism.
What’s at stake?
Immigration and multicultural policies directly shape Australia’s social composition
and the social relations between and within its constituent communities. At the
national level, the immigration policy settings mould the evolution of Australia’s
overall ethnic character, an impact which can stir deep emotions. Over time,
Parkin, Andrew, and Leonie Hardcastle (2019). Immigration and multiculturalism. In Peter J. Chen,
Nicholas Barry, John R. Butcher, David Clune, Ian Cook, Adele Garnier, Yvonne Haigh, Sara C. Motta
and Marija Taflaga, eds. Australian politics and policy: senior edition. Sydney: Sydney University Press.
DOI: 10.30722/sup.9781743326671
624