Travel

A diverse people

Australia is a society of people from a rich variety of cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have inhabited Australia for tens of thousands of years. Most Australians are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants who arrived during the past two centuries from more than 200 countries.

Cultural and linguistic diversity was a feature of Australian life before European settlement and remains a defining feature of our modern society. Immigration began with European settlement in 1788. It continued at a steady pace – reaching 50 000 a year during the gold rush period of the 1850s – until the population reached seven million in the 1940s. Most settlers were from a British background. Since the Second World War the Australian Government’s immigration program has brought more than 6.6 million migrants to Australia, including more than 690 000 through refugee or humanitarian programs.

Australia’s immigration policy is global and does not discriminate on racial, cultural or religious grounds. Each year, Australia welcomes more than 120 000 migrants and resettles around 13 000 people under its humanitarian program. In 2006-07, nearly 192 000 migrants permanently settled in Australia and just over 14 000 were resettled under the humanitarian program.

Today, almost one in four of Australia’s estimated resident population of 21 million was born overseas. The last 40 years have seen a significant shift in the source countries of people who choose to come here. In the 1960s, 45 per cent of all new settler arrivals were born in the United Kingdom and Ireland. By 2006-07, this had fallen to 17 per cent with settlers and long-term visitors increasing from countries in the Asia Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East. More than 10 per cent of permanent migrants in 2006-07 came from China, and since 1995, more than 200 000 people have come from Africa and the Middle East.

Did you know?

The most commonly spoken languages in Australia are English, Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

At the 2006 Census, overseas-born people in Australia were from North-West Europe (1.4 million), Southern and Eastern Europe (722 000), South-East Asia (553 000), Oceania (496 000), North-East Asia (389 000), Southern and Central Asia (268 000), North Africa and the Middle East (251 000), Sub-Saharan Africa (192 000) and the Americas (180 000).

The biggest increases in population of overseas-born people between the 2001 and 2006 Censuses were from China (64 000), India (52 000), New Zealand (34 000) and South Africa (25 000). Of the country-of-birth groups that had a population of more than 1000 at the 2006 Census, the fastest growing were people from Liberia (up 1240 per cent from the 2001 Census), Sierra Leone (up 437 per cent) and the Sudan (up 288 per cent).

Australia recognises, accepts and respects cultural diversity. There are few countries in the world where migrants have achieved the level of economic, political, social and cultural participation that they have in Australia. Foreign languages are taught in most mainstream Australian schools and universities, as well as in community ethnic schools, many of which are funded by the Australian Government.

According to the 2006 Census, Christianity remains dominant in Australia (64 per cent) although there was a decline from 12.8 million Christians in 2001 to 12.7 million in 2006. Non-Christian religions have continued to grow. The most popular are Buddhism (2 per cent), Islam (2 percent) and Hinduism (1 per cent). Hinduism experienced the fastest proportional growth of 55 per cent followed by Islam (21 per cent) and Buddhism (17 per cent). In 2006, the number of residents stating they had no religious affiliation continued to grow with an increase of 28 per cent from the previous Census.

At any given time, more than 300 000 international students are studying at Australian educational institutions and another 100 000 are taking Australian courses either by correspondence or at off-shore campuses. And each year, more than five million visitors come to Australia.

Australia’s immigration policy

Australia administers separate migration and humanitarian programs. The programs provide a balance between Australia’s international humanitarian obligations and the Australian Government’s economic, social and environmental objectives.

The migration program has two main streams: a skill stream that targets skills and skill shortages which contribute to Australia’s economy, and a family stream which recognises the value and importance of family migration.

Criteria for migration are set down in the Migration Act 1958 and in migration regulations. An applicant’s nationality, ethnic origin, sex, race or religion plays no part in determining eligibility.

Did you know?

Australia ranks among the top three resettlement countries in the world, along with the United States and Canada. Since the end of the Second World War, we have accepted more than 690 000 people in need of humanitarian assistance into the Australian community.

Migrants under Australia’s offshore humanitarian program are refugees or others in need of humanitarian assistance and for whom resettlement in Australia is the most appropriate solution. Most refugees are identified and referred to Australia by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Other entrants under the humanitarian program include people who have suffered substantial discrimination amounting to gross violation of their human rights in their home countries and who have close links with Australia.

A cohesive and inclusive society

The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that all Australians have the opportunity to be active and equal members of our society, free to maintain their cultural traditions, subject to the law. Recognition of and respect for cultural diversity embraces the cultural heritage of all Australians.

The rights, freedoms and benefits of living in Australia are balanced by responsibilities for each resident. The government is committed to working with business, community and other organisations and individuals to strengthen Australia as a cohesive and inclusive society which:

Australia was one of the first countries in the world to develop a comprehensive, integrated range of settlement services for immigrants. The Australian Government recognises that it is in the interests of new arrivals and the broader community to help immigrants become part of Australian society as quickly as possible.

Many settle in quickly – especially if they speak English well, are familiar with Australian society and are able to find employment. For others, it may take longer. Many refugees arrive with a range of needs that require special assistance. Australian Government settlement services target support to where it is most needed to encourage early self-reliance and full participation. These services help new arrivals to find employment, learn English and integrate into Australian society.

Other programs work with the broader Australian community to provide social and economic opportunities, build understanding and acceptance of shared responsibilities, and enhance respect between all Australians. Initiatives include funding for community organisations as well as partnerships with larger business and government organisations to build social cohesion.

Teaching of foreign languages

Young Australians with skills in languages other than English and an understanding of international cultures are vital to the nation’s future in a global community.

The Australian Government is providing approximately $112 million during the four years from 2005 to 2008 to support the teaching and learning of Asian, European and Indigenous Australian languages and Australian sign language for the deaf (Auslan) in mainstream schools as well as through community language programs.

Most of these funds are distributed each year directly to state and territory education authorities. About $1.3 million a year is allocated for national strategic projects to support the implementation of the National Statement and Plan for Languages Education in Australian Schools 2005-2008, developed jointly by the Australian and state and territory governments.

Foreign languages are taught in both primary and secondary schools. More than 14 per cent of all students in Year 12 (the final year of high school) study tertiary-accredited foreign languages. The most popular languages studied at this level are Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Indonesian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic and Latin.

Around 50 per cent of students study a foreign language at some time during their primary and secondary schooling. Almost 150 languages are taught in mainstream and non-mainstream settings, including 68 Indigenous languages and 69 languages taught outside of school.

The Australian Government will implement the new National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program with effect from 1 January 2009. This program will promote the study of four targeted languages in secondary schools – Japanese, Indonesian, Mandarin and Korean.

The Program aims to increase the number of secondary school students learning these languages, and provide the best opportunity for school students to become proficient at learning and understanding the languages and cultures of Australia’s main trading partners. Australian Government funding of $62.4 million for the period 2009-2011 will provide additional Asian language classes in secondary schools, teacher training and support the development of specialist curriculum for students who display advanced abilities in Asian languages and studies programs.

Media in other languages

Australia has a thriving non-English newspaper and broadcasting sector, which informs and services the needs of Australia’s diverse population, including the Special Broadcasting Service, a multicultural and multilingual television and radio network, which is largely publicly funded.

According to the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council, there are more than 100 metropolitan and regional stations in Australia broadcasting in some 100 languages and producing around 1700 hours of local programming each week.

There are also more than 100 ethnic newspapers, ranging from modest periodicals to major weekly and daily publications in more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese and Korean.

Indigenous Australia

Australia’s Indigenous population consists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are ethnically and culturally different from one another. Historically, Aboriginal people are from mainland Australia and Tasmania. Torres Strait Islanders come from the islands between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea and share many cultural similarities with the people of Papua New Guinea and other Pacific islands.

It is estimated that there were between 300 000 and 750 000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia at the start of European settlement in 1788. This population declined dramatically during the 19th and early 20th centuries due to a number of factors, including conflict on the frontier of European settlement, the impact of new diseases and social problems.

An increasing number of Australians now identify themselves as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. At the time of the 2006 Census, some 455 031 people did so.

More than half of the Indigenous population lives in either New South Wales or Queensland. In 2006, these states were home to 138 507 and 127 580 Indigenous people respectively. Of all the states and territories, the Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Indigenous people. In 2006, Indigenous Territorians made up more than 53 662, or 27.8 per cent of the population.

The most recent census data also shows that just over half the Indigenous population lives in or close to major cities. However, Indigenous people are far more likely to live in rural or remote areas. Nationally, Indigenous people make up 24 per cent of Australians living in remote or very remote areas, and just 1 per cent of those living in major cities.

Indigenous cultures are diverse and form a vital part of Australia’s national identity. Indigenous people contribute significantly across many fields, including the arts, media, academia, sport and business.

The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that opportunities exist for Indigenous people to access and own land with which they have an ongoing traditional association or which assists with their continued social, cultural and economic development. Approximately 16 per cent of Australia is either owned or controlled by Indigenous people.

The Australian Government oversees programs and policies to help the Indigenous community overcome the inequalities that persist in some areas. These initiatives include efforts to improve health, housing, education and employment.

Australia’s Indigenous languages

At the time of European settlement, an estimated 250 languages were spoken by the Indigenous people of Australia, including about 700 dialects. In the past 200 years, this number has dropped to around 145, of which an estimated 110 are considered severely endangered.

Indigenous people value language as a key element of their identity and spiritual grounding. In light of this, there is community and government support to assist the revival and maintenance of Australian Indigenous languages as living systems of knowledge shared by communities and passed down from generation to generation.

Projects to stem the loss of languages and revive languages no longer spoken include: recording the oral histories of elders; supporting Indigenous language programs in schools, universities and at the community level; incorporating Indigenous languages in the arts; and developing digital databases to archive language materials such as dictionaries and songs in language, as well as provide access to this material to the community. The renaming or dual naming of prominent landmarks is another way that Indigenous languages are being recognised—for example, Uluru in the Northern Territory is now the official name for what was formerly called Ayers Rock.

Online