This presentation focuses on recent efforts to create a complete, consistent and detailed account of population change in Australia for assessing the specific contributions of migration and for studying the dynamic population movements that produced them. With increasing trends in life expectancy and relatively stable patterns of below replacement level fertility occurring between 1981 and 2016, both internal and international migration have clearly played an important role in determining Australia’s subnational population sizes and compositions. The presentation covers two aspects. First, the methodology used to reconcile publically available data on population stocks, fertility, mortality, internal migration and international migration by age, sex, geography and birthplace for the period 1981 to 2016 is introduced. Second, results from sources of growth and counterfactual analyses of these reconciled data are presented. By doing so, we are able to identify and assess the demographic consequences of migration to, from and within Australia for a 35-year period of time that exhibited a considerable amount of social, economic and demographic change.

James Raymer obtained his PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder, United States. In 2013, he joined the Australian National University from the University of Southampton as a Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Appointment in Demography, and soon assumed leadership of the Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute. As Director, he was key to the Institute’s successful transition into a School of Demography. He completed his term as Head of the School of Demography at the end of 2016.

James Raymer’s research focuses on developing innovative methodologies and analytical frameworks to study demographic processes. He is currently leading two projects funded by the Australian Research Council and one project funded by the ACT Government (Education). He has published over 80 works, including three books, 48 peer-reviewed journal articles, 13 book chapters and 17 research reports and other publications. Many of his articles have been published in the top journals of demography, regional science, geography and statistics. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on migration, spatial population data analyses, and population projections.