Asian Australians
Asian Australians are Australians of Asian ancestry (including naturalised Australians who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants).
Terminology
The Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Census does not collect data based on race. Instead, it collects information on distinct ethnic ancestries, of which census respondents can select up to two. For the purposes of aggregating data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics in its Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) has grouped certain ancestries into certain categories, including:[7]
- East Asian (Chinese Australians, Korean Australian, Japanese Australian etc.);
- Southeast Asian (Vietnamese Australians, Malaysian Australian, Filipino Australian, Indonesian Australians etc.); and
- Southern and Central Asian (Indian Australians, Nepalese Australians, Pakistani Australians, Sri Lankan Australians, Afghan Australians etc.).
Notably, Middle East ancestries are separately classified under Middle Eastern and North African and not as a subset of Asian ancestries.[7] This includes people of Arab, Turkish and Iranian ancestries, but not for example Armenian which are classified as Central Asian and therefore Asian Australian.[8]
In general Australian English parlance (rather than statistical usage), 'Asian' generally refers to persons of East Asian and Southeast Asian ancestry, with persons of South Asian ancestry generally referred to by their specific national ancestral origin, e.g. 'Indian' or 'Pakistani'.[9][failed verification]
Given that ancestry is the primary statistical measure of ethnicity or cultural origins in Australia, and that the distinct ancestry groups may be historically, culturally and geographically far-removed from each other, information on Australians with ancestry from Asia are found at the respective articles for each separate article (e.g. Chinese Australian, Indian Australian, etc.).
At the 2016 census, there were 3,550,882 nominations of ancestries classified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as falling within the ASCCEG geographical categories of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central and Southern Asia.[2] This represents 16.3% of the 21,769,209 persons who nominated their ancestry, and therefore represents the maximum proportion of the population with ancestry from one of the above Asian geographical categories given that some respondents may have nominated two ancestries from the Asian geographical categories.[10] 2,665,814 persons claimed one of the six most commonly nominated Asian ancestries, namely Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Sri Lankan, at the 2016 census.[1] Persons claiming one of these six ancestries alone represented 12.25% of the total population who nominated their ancestry.[1]
History of immigration
Gold rush
Although the Chinese had been arriving in Australia as early as 1818 (e.g. John Shying), Chinese immigration to Australia increased dramatically as a result of the Victorian gold rushes (c. 1850s to 1860s). New Chinese and Australian communities came into conflict due to prejudice and misunderstanding, resulting in several riots at Lambing Flat and Buckland. Earlier anti-Chinese laws enacted by the individual Australian colonies were the background to the White Australia policy (1901-1973).
Immigration restriction
In the 1870s and 1880s, the trade union movement began a series of protests against foreign labour. The union movement was critical of Asians, mainly Chinese, who did not join unions, and who were prepared to work for lower wages and conditions. [dubious – discuss][11] Wealthy land owners in rural areas countered with the argument Asians working on lower wages and conditions were necessary for development in tropical Queensland and the Northern Territory.[11] It was claimed that without Asian workers these regions would be abandoned.[dubious – discuss][12] Under growing pressure from the union movement, each Australian colony enacted legislation between 1875 and 1888 excluding further Chinese immigration.[dubious – discuss][12]
Post-war immigration
The government began to expand access to citizenship for non-Europeans in 1957 by allowing access to 15-year residents, and in 1958 by reforming entry permits via the Migration Act 1958. In March 1966, the immigration ministry began a policy of allowing the immigration of skilled and professional non-Europeans, and of expanding the availability of temporary residency to these groups. These cumulatively had the effect of increasing immigration numbers from non-European countries. In 1973 Whitlam took steps to bring about a more non-discriminatory immigration policy—temporarily bringing down overall immigration numbers. The eventual evolution of immigration policy has been along a trajectory of non-discrimination, dismantling European-only policies, and the broadening of pathways to citizenship for Asians.[13] During the Fraser government, with the increasing intake of Vietnamese refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Australia experienced the largest intake of Asian immigrants since the arrival of the Chinese gold miners during the gold rush of the 1850s and 1860s.[citation needed] In 1983, the level of British immigration was below the level of Asian immigration for the first time in Australian history.[14]
Demographics
Notably, Australia does not collect statistics on the racial origins of its residents, instead collecting data at each five-yearly census on distinct ancestries, of which each census respondent may choose up to two.[10]
At the 2016 census, there were 3,550,882 nominations of ancestries classified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as falling within the ASCCEG geographical categories of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central and Southern Asia.[2] This represents 16.3% of the 21,769,209 persons who nominated their ancestry, and therefore represents the maximum proportion of the population with ancestry from one of the above Asian geographical categories given that some respondents may have nominated two ancestries from the Asian geographical categories.[10]
2,665,814 persons claimed one of the six most commonly nominated Asian ancestries, namely Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Sri Lankan, at the 2016 census.[1] Persons claiming one of these six ancestries alone represented 12.25% of the total population who nominated their ancestry.[1]
30% of Asians in Australia go to university, 20% of all Australian doctors are Asian, and 37% of Asian Australians take part in some form of organised sport.[dubious – discuss][15] Second and third generation Chinese and Indian Australians are already present in large numbers.[15] Sydney and Melbourne have made up a large proportion of Asian immigration, with Chinese Australians constituting Sydney's fourth largest ancestry (after English, Australian and Irish). Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese-Australians are among Sydney's five largest overseas-born communities.[16]
Population
Ancestry | Population |
---|---|
Chinese Australians | 1,213,903 |
Indian Australian | 619,163 |
Filipino Australians | 304,015 |
Vietnamese Australian | 294,798 |
Malaysian Australian | 184,438 |
Korean Australian | 123,017 |
Sri Lankan Australian | 109,853 |
Japanese Australian | 71,013 |
Thai Australian | 70,234 |
Indonesian Australian | 65,881 |
Pakistani Australian | 64,346 |
Nepalese Australian | 62,806 |
Other Indian subcontinent | 56,400 |
Bangladeshi Australian | 50,072 |
Burmese Australian | 49,178 |
Cambodian Australian | 45,720 |
Afghan Australian | 27,444 |
Other Central Asian | 25,166 |
Taiwanese Australian | 18,522 |
Laotian Australian | 15,132 |
Anglo-Indian Australian | 13,220 |
Timorese Australian | 8,961 |
Singaporean Australian | 8,404 |
Other Southeast Asian | 7,023 |
Other North Asian | 5,595 |
Hmong Australian | 3,343 |
Total Asian Australians | 3,517,647 |
Metropolitan area | Asian ancestry responses | Asian ancestry responses (% of population nominating ancestry) |
---|---|---|
Sydney | 1,264,242 | 28.0% |
Melbourne | 1,026,536 | 24.4% |
Perth | 319,302 | 17.6% |
Brisbane | 294,389 | 13.9% |
Adelaide | 169,018 | 13.8% |
Politics
Members of minority groups make up only about 6 percent of the federal Parliament[17]
Support for the view that Asian-Australians experience discrimination is not an overly partisan issue. Labor and Greens voters were more likely to agree that Asian-Australians experience discrimination (87.7 per cent and 88.2 per cent respectively) than other voters. However, more than three-quarters of those who said they would vote for the Liberal/National Coalition (76.2 per cent) concurred.[18]
Social and political issues
Race-based discrimination and violence
Asian Australians have been the targets of discrimination and violence based on their race and or ethnicity.[19][20][21][22][23]
As a result of the September 11 attacks, some Sikh Australians have become subject to discrimination, because of their religious garments they can be mistakenly associated as being Arab or Muslim.[24]
COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, concern has grown due to an increase in anti-Asian[25] sentiment in Australia.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]
Racial stereotypes
There is a widespread perception that Asian Australians are not "Australian" but are instead "perpetual foreigners".[34]
Model minority
Asian Australians are sometimes characterized as a model minority in the Australia.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]
Bamboo ceiling
9.3% of the Australian labour force is Asian born, however Asian Australians are significantly under-represented in leadership roles, with only 4.9% who make it to senior executive level.[43][44]
Social and economic disparities among Asian Australians
Asian Australians are over-represented in high-performing schools, gifted and talented programs and prestigious university courses.[45][46][47][48] However, there are major disparities that exist among Asian Australians when specific ethnic groups are examined.
Cambodian Australians have lower rates of educational qualifications than the general Australian population (13 per cent compared to a national average of 58 per cent), and higher participation in semi-skilled and unskilled occupations (43 per cent are labourers and machinery operators compared to a national average of 8.8 per cent).[49][50][51]
According to the 2016 Census, 35.6 per cent of Laotian Australians aged 15 years and over had some form of higher non-school qualification compared to 60.1 per cent of the Australian population.[52] Laotian Australians participation rate in the labour force was 58.9 per cent (compared to the total Australian population participation rate of 64.6 per cent) and the unemployment rate was 9.3 per cent (compared to the total Australian population unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent).[52]
In 2013, Vietnamese Australian participation rate in the labour force was 61% which is slightly below the national average of around 65% and the unemployment rate was 7.8% which is higher than average and above the national rate of 5.8%.[53]
In 1987, 35 per cent of Hmong Australians in Sydney were unemployed and of those employed, 93 per cent were process workers doing unskilled factory jobs. In 1995, the unemployment rate had come down to 27 per cent (12.5 per cent among females and 33 per cent among males) with a significant proportion of those employed doing semi-skilled or unskilled jobs, compared to 93 per cent in 1987. The number of skilled workers had also increased (30 per cent among females and 19 per cent among males). The few who could obtain formal qualifications seemed to be in more secure and well paid jobs.[54]
The educational levels of Bangladeshi Australians are higher than for total Australian population; 79.0 per cent of the had some form of higher non-school qualification, 8.4 per cent had no qualifications and were still attending an educational institution. The participation rate in the labour force was 74.1 per cent and the unemployment rate was 10.9 per cent. 44.7 per cent were employed in either a skilled managerial, professional or trade occupation.[55]
Notable contributions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Natalie_Tran_at_Australia_Paper_Towns_Premiere.jpg/130px-Natalie_Tran_at_Australia_Paper_Towns_Premiere.jpg)
For principal lists of notable people, see the relevant articles for each relevant ethnicity, for example: Chinese Australians, Indian Australians, Vietnamese Australians, Malaysian Australians, Filipino Australians, Korean Australians and Indonesian Australians.
See also
- Asian Americans
- Asian Argentines
- Asian Canadians
- Asian Brazilians
- Asian New Zealanders
- Asian Peruvians
- Asian South Africans
- Asian French
- Asian people
- British Asian
- East Asians in the United Kingdom
Notes
- ^ Broome and the Torres Strait Islands were historically home to thousands of Asian migrants that settled in northern Australia as part of the pearling industry. These Asian migrants were of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Malay and Sri Lankan (mostly Sinhalese descent). These migrants integrated into local society marrying Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders), which was very common at the time, and European Australians later on. Today, many long time residents in Broome and the Torres Strait Islands have partial Asian ancestry tracing back to these early migrants.[3]
- ^ The population of Christmas Islanders of full or partial Asian descent consists mainly of Australians of Malaysian descent particularly Malaysian Chinese and Malay descent but also some individuals of Malaysian Indian descent.[4][5] The majority of inhabitants on the Cocos Islands are the Cocos Malays, who are the indigenous people of Cocos Island. There are also minority populations of ethnic Chinese and Indian descent.[6]
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