Ernest Healy

Globalization, immigration policy, and youth employment in Australia

Elsewhere in this volume, it has been argued that, from the late 1970s, immigration had become central to a concerted effort by Australian political and business elites, and sections of the intelligentsia, to internationalize Australia’s economy, culture, and society. The maintenance of a robust immigration program was promoted as evidence that Australia was transforming itself from an inward, protectionist society to one which was economically and culturally open. Any retreat from high immigration, it was feared, would be interpreted as a loss of commitment to internationalization.