Australia's shift towards temporary migration

Australia, a nation shaped by permanent migration, appears to be shifting to a new reality which some say is a permanent shift to temporary migration. Peter Mares is the author of All Work, No Stay?, an analysis commissioned by SBS. It looks at the growing numbers of temporary visas and the consequences of that, and asks whether Australia's model of permanent settlement is giving way to a new reality - Australia as a guest worker society. Author Peter Mares is a contributing editor with Inside Story Magazine and has spent many years analysing Australia's immigration trends. He has just completed research commissioned by SBS on the consequences of what he sees as a shift towards temporary migration. While temporary migration has benefits, such as Australia's international education sector worth 27 billion dollars a year, he says there are costs associated with it too, in terms of the exploitation of migrant workers. This feature reveals more details.

Two new Temporary Skill Shortage(TSS) visas to replace 4-5-7 Source: Getty