Background
The 2020 budget is one of the most challenging in living memory.
Faced with the global Coronavirus pandemic and its associated
economic impact, the Budget is expected to do the heavy lifting to
get the economy back on track for an eventual return to growth.
Migration has historically played a significant role in
moderating the impact of economic shocks – higher levels of
migration increase aggregate demand across the economy, introduce
capital, and generally provide a form of economic stimulus.
However, managing higher levels of migration while infection rates
remain high overseas and a recession with high levels of
unemployment has health, political and economic challenges.
