RAI’s submission to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Migration Intake into Australia
Research by the RAI to date on the settlement of permanent entrants into regional Australia clearly indicates the advantages of settling international migrants into the regions. We have also identified significant gaps in our knowledge when it comes to understanding and targeting the needs of different regions.
The costs and benefits of international migrants settling in Australia vary significantly across the country. These costs and benefits are heavily influenced by the type of migrant (including their occupation, skills and experience), where they settle (for example a community’s capacity to grow its population and the type of workforce shortages there are) and how well these two align.
Targeting migration to the right areas will likely yield higher benefits at potentially lower costs. However many of the identified costs are metropolitan specific. The RAI is not aware of any credible analysis of how costs and benefits vary in different regions. The Productivity Commission Inquiry provides an opportunity to fill this gap.
