National Interest

In the next financial year, 190-thousand permanent migrants will settle in Australia - that's an extra thirty seven thousand people - a rise of almost 25% on the previous year. And the numbers are predicted to keep growing - so by 2011 there will almost one million new Australian residents, and that's not including those on temporary 457 visas or backpackers.

The government says this will help meet the skills shortage in the economy - and of course permanent migrants are now only one component of the labour supply that comes from overseas. But can our infrastructure and natural resources cope?

Guests

Chris Evans
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Leader of the Government in the Senate Senator for WA

Presenter

Peter Mares

Producer

John Standish

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