ABSTRACT

The media play a complex role in immigration policy in Australia. For the most part, the Australian media have supported Australia’s migration program since the late 1940s. The media share the elite consensus in Australia that the economy benefits from immigrant-driven growth in the Australian labor force, the augmentation of the nation’s skill base, and the economic impetus flowing from more consumers. For its part, the public has been a skeptical but largely disenfranchised observer. Nevertheless, public quiescence has been built on a tacit bargain: the characteristics and numbers of migrants recruited would be controlled so as to reflect the public’s views about the larger national interest.