Australia: A culturally diverse society
Australia has a tolerant and inclusive society made up of people from many different backgrounds. Cultural diversity is a central feature of our national identity.
In 1900, the Australian population consisted of a relatively small number of Indigenous people (estimated at 95 000) and an overwhelming majority of Europeans (3.7 million), mostly from Britain. By 2008, Australia’s population had exceeded 21 million, including people from around 200 countries.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are culturally diverse and belong to many language groups. Their lives were changed irrevocably after the British claimed Australia in 1788.
European settlement began with the establishment of British penal colonies, and more than 160 000 convicts were brought here until transportation as punishment ceased in 1868. From the early 1790s, the convicts were joined by free immigrants.
The gold rush era of the 1850s was also influential in bringing people from many parts of the world. The largest non-European group who came during this time was Chinese.
Immigration restriction 1901–1973
The ‘White Australia’ policy—embodied in the Immigration Restriction Act 1901—was focused on ending the employment of Pacific Islanders, who had been brought in as cheap labour on sugar plantations in northern Australia.
The policy was gradually abolished after the Second World War, but the emphasis on European immigration remained until 1966, when the government allowed the migration of ‘distinguished’ non-Europeans. The last vestiges of the policy were discarded in 1973.
From 1901 to the early 1970s, policies towards newcomers were based on assimilation. The preference for British migrants remained, and all others were expected to shed their existing cultural identities, including their native languages, to promote their rapid absorption into the host population.
From the mid-1960s until 1972, it was increasingly recognised that large numbers of people whose first language was not English suffered hardships when settling in Australia. Most were Europeans of non-British origin who had come to Australia after the Second World War.
By 1973, the word ‘multiculturalism’ had been introduced and minority groups were forming local and national associations to promote their languages and cultures within the mainstream.
The post-war years
The two world wars had a profound effect on Australia’s migration program. The resettlement of refugees in the post-war periods, especially after the Second World War, played a significant role in Australian immigration history.
From the Second World War to 2006–07, more than 6.6 million migrants from around 200 countries came to Australia. The mass migrations of the immediate post-war decades subsided in favour of an emphasis on the entry of people with needed skills and expertise.
Since the 1970s, there have been echoes of post-war migration policies in Australia’s responses to people displaced by events in their homelands. These included migration from Indo-China in the 1970s following the fall of Saigon, from East Timor in 1975 following the fall of Dili, and from the Balkans during the Yugoslav Wars of 1991 to 2001. In 1999 Australia responded to people displaced by the conflict in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. At the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Australian Government established temporary havens for 4000 people and granted special visas allowing them to stay until it was safe to return home. Later that year Australia gave similar assistance to people from East Timor who were displaced when violence erupted following the vote for independence from Indonesia.
Migration has contributed to Australia’s emergence as one of the most cosmopolitan and dynamic societies in the world. It has also resulted in the growth of community language schools, ethnic media, businesses, diverse religious and cultural activities, and variety in foods, restaurants, fashion, art and architecture. Immigration supports Australia’s economy, provides the people and skills needed to ensure productivity and growth, and helps with meeting future demographic challenges.
Immigration policy
Australia administers separate migration and humanitarian programs which provide a balance between international humanitarian obligations and the government’s economic, social and environmental objectives.
The migration program has two main streams: a skill stream, which targets skills that contribute to Australia’s economy, and a family stream, which recognises the value and importance of family migration.
The Migration Act 1958 sets out the criteria for migration. An applicant’s nationality, ethnic origin, sex, race and religion play no part in determining their eligibility.
Humanitarian program
Migrants under the humanitarian program are people from overseas who have been designated as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other people who are in humanitarian need. This can include peoples who have suffered persecution or substantial discrimination amounting to gross violations of their human rights in their home country, who are outside their home country, and who have close links to Australia.
Since the end of the Second World War, more than 690 000 refugees and people in humanitarian need have been resettled in Australia. In 2006–07, more than 13 000 visas were granted under the program. In 2007–08, the humanitarian program was maintained at 13 000 places.
Top 10 countries of birth, 1901 and 2006 censuses |
||||||||||
1901 Census |
2006 Census |
|||||||||
Country of birth |
Number |
%* |
Country of birth |
Number |
%* |
|||||
1 |
United Kingdom |
495 074 |
13.1 |
1 |
United Kingdom |
1 038 150 |
5.2 |
|||
2 |
Ireland |
184 085 |
4.9 |
2 |
New Zealand |
389 460 |
2.0 |
|||
3 |
Germany |
38 352 |
1.0 |
3 |
China |
206 590 |
1.0 |
|||
4 |
China |
29 907 |
0.8 |
4 |
Italy |
199 120 |
1.0 |
|||
5 |
New Zealand |
25 788 |
0.7 |
5 |
Vietnam |
159 850 |
0.8 |
|||
6 |
Sweden and Norway |
9 863 |
0.3 |
6 |
India |
147 110 |
0.7 |
|||
7 |
India |
7 637 |
0.2 |
7 |
Philippines |
120 540 |
0.6 |
|||
8 |
United States |
7 448 |
0.2 |
8 |
Greece |
109 990 |
0.6 |
|||
9 |
Denmark |
6 281 |
0.2 |
9 |
Germany |
106 530 |
0.5 |
|||
10 |
Italy |
5 678 |
0.2 |
10 |
South Africa |
104 130 |
0.5 |
|||
Top 10 total |
810 113 |
21.5 |
Top 10 total |
2 581 470 |
13.0 |
|||||
| Other | 47 463 | 1.3 | Other |
1 834 560 |
9.2 |
|||||
| Total overseas born | 857 576 | 22.8 | Total overseas born |
4 416 030 |
22.2 |
|||||
| Total Australian population | 3 773 801 | 100.0 | Total Australian population |
19 855 290 |
100.0 |
|||||
* Percentage of total population
This fact sheet is also available to download ( PDF)
last updated April 2008