The topic I am researching as part of my capstone subject is immigration and its effect on the Australian labour market. My goal is to establish a relationship between immigration and labour participation/wage levels, and how such relationship effects the native population of Australia (if at all).
I have chosen this topic after studying the Harris-Todaro model of migration in previous university classes. I take interest in the topic of immigration and labour as it is a relevant issue with social, political and economic interest, and I would like to delve deep into an unbiased, factual study of the cost & benefit of immigration in the Australian context. I believe I am well equipped to undertake research in this field as I have previously studied the topic, and as an Economics and Finance student I have the necessary skills to generate a relationship between variables and examine the implications it may have on the native Australian population.
The decision to choose this topic was by no means an easy choice. It required many attempts at firstly deciding a broad area of study, and I am still in the process of refining the specific detailing of the question wording. I think that the biggest challenge in research will be:
- Choosing an appropriate point in time to assess immigration impacts.
- Establishing a link between post-immigration data and native population movement.
These two components of my research topic will require extensive research into the history of Australian immigration and population patterns to first choose the most appropriate timeframe, and then draw conclusions based on a resulting output from the methodology I deem to be best suited toward my data. These components will be challenging, but I am confident that with consistency in my research I will be able to overcome them.
I am excited to utilise my interest in numbers to assist in creating a strong output in my methodology. I can draw upon this as a strength in my research journey. I would however like to develop my communication skills throughout research, particularly concerning the oral presentation aspect and conversing with my peers about my topic. I believe being assigned a small group plus Jack, my partner throughout COMM330, will help me improve my oral communication skills and conveying my ideas as clearly as possible.
Ryan's Blog 
Hey Ryan
I believe this is a very interesting and relevant topic in face of the consistent Political importance, plus it would be insightful for a concise non-agenda analysis. Some points i’d make is to properly explain jargon or topics for example the Haris-todaro model so that your audience can gain a fuller understanding of your approach and maybe be more careful with word choice in such a sensitive topic to not alienate certain audiences. this is in regards to “native” which is viewed quite differently among the many demographics that consists of todays Australia. As for some helpful ideas to consider in your research you could use the 1851 Gold Rush which saw a host a varying ethnic groups migrating to Australia for the first time since colonisation. This may be too far in the past but should probably at least have a mention, otherwise you could focus your research on post war immigration which focuses on the European wave after WW2 (and may in fact offer a non racial discriminated data group which could then be argued for other ethnicities following, if this occurred with them why not others) or the period after the 1973 white Australia policy.
I hope this helps best of luck.
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