Go west, young man, go west!

In 1983, Australia and New Zealand signed the Closer Economic Relations Agreement designed to ensure free trade in goods and services. The two countries already permitted the free movement of people. Do these arrangements constitute a modern equivalent of Horace Greeley’s famous advise, ‘Go west, young man, go west’? And are New Zealanders taking this advice? A number are, but a common labour market has not let to a brain drain from New Zealand to Australia. Many of the workers who leave New Zealand have low skill levels and, of those with higher skills, many are older and their skills are often not those which Australia is trying to attract. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s