# The economics of migration

An episode of [ABC Business Daily](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1886002828), 26 Sep 2026, 30 min.

Audio: https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/or/Z/n2.mp3

Australia's migration debate is once again ramping up, with Labor planning to cut backpacker and student visa numbers amid calls from One Nation to slash immigration by 750, 000 places over three years. Beneath the political storm is a complicated history of changing economic and social policy governing who gets to come to — and who gets to stay in — Australia. Mark Cully is a former chief economist for the Department of Immigration, a former chair of the OECD Working Party on Migration, and the author of a new book: Waves of Plenty: Immigration and the Making of Australia. He sits down with Alan Kohler on That's Business to discuss the economics of migration, how we got here, and what we can learn from the immigration policies of the past. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

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