Migration to Australia: an overview of the data, from 1860 to 2014-15

Permanent immigration, sponsored and promoted by government, has a long history in Australia. Over the last 200 years and more it has brought in millions of people and at the present time is rapidly changing the size, and thus the social and economic characteristics, of the country. But comprehending what has happened, and what is happening, is not easy. This is because the information needed to understand the situation is dispersed across a number of sources. This paper draws these sources together so as to give the general reader a reasonable idea of the course of events.