Australia– People

Multiculturalism

Ancestry Author/Composer

Muhammad Umar ShehzadFaisalabad(Punjab)-Pakistan

Cell:+92-301-7004315e-mail: m.umar.shehzad@gmail.com

OverviewAustralia is a stable, culturally diverse and democratic society with one of the strongest performing economies in the world. With an estimated population of more than 22.5 million, Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent. It is the earth’s biggest island and sixth-largest country in the world in land area, about the size of mainland United States and one and a half times the size of Europe.Australia is home to one of the world’s oldest living cultures. Aboriginal peoples arrived at least 50,000 years, and Torres Strait Islander people 10,000 years, before European settlement.

Capital: CanberraSurface area: 7,692,024 sq. kmPopulation: 22.5 million (2011)Main language: EnglishCurrency: Australian dollar (AUD)National day: 26 JanuaryTime Difference: PST+5 HoursInternational students: 426,748 (2011)International Calling Code: 61Literacy Rate: 99%Overseas visitors: 5,875,000 (2011)Political System : Parliamentary

Multicultural Policy

Multicultural Australia

• One in four Australians was born overseas.

• 45 per cent of all Australians were born overseas or

have at least one parent who was born overseas.

• We speak more than 260 languages.

• We identify with 270 ancestries.

• Nearly 87 per cent of Australians think it is a good

thing for society to be made up of different cultures.

Australia : A diverse People

• Australian society is a melting pot of cultures. While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the traditional inhabitants of the land, immigrants from more than 200 countries also call Australia home. Since World War II, more than seven million migrants have come to Australia. From 1788 to the 1970s, the majority came from Europe. These days, Australia receives many more migrants from Asia, and since 1996 the number of migrants from Africa and the Middle East has almost doubled. Australia's immigration policy welcomes people from all over the world and does not discriminate on racial, cultural or religious grounds. As a nation, we embrace the spectrum of religious beliefs: Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and other places of worship are found in almost every major city.

• “Australia: A Multi-Layered Country” captures the diversity of Australia – from its vast landscape to its mixture of cultures. The Australian people are portrayed by a multitude of faces, each cultural and ethnic group adding flavour and colour to our country. We enjoy foods, sports and traditions that originate from around the globe. The background of the piece is a mosaic of the diverse Australian landscape.

• The focus of this piece is a union of medical researchers and students, placed at the centre of this poster to represent the future of Australia, through discovery. We come from diverse backgrounds from Europeans to Asians and Africans. We hold strong values of tolerance and acceptance of our multi-layered nation, and unite in harmony to “Advance Australia Fairly”.

ANCESTRY

• Ancestry is not necessarily related to a person's place of birth but is an indication of the cultural group that they most closely identify with. It gives insight into the cultural background of both the Australian-born and overseas-born populations when ancestry differs from country of birth. The 2011 Census asked respondents to provide a maximum of two ancestries with which they most closely identify. As an example, they were asked to consider the origins of their parents and grandparents. 

Over 300 ancestries were separately identified in the 2011 Census. The most commonly reported were English (36%) and Australian (35%). A further six of the leading ten ancestries reflected the European heritage in Australia with the two remaining ancestries being Chinese (4%) and Indian (2%).

Just under a third (32%) of people who responded to the ancestry question reported two ancestries. Second generation Australians were the generation most likely to report a second ancestry (46%). This may be due to having a strong connection to Australia and also to a parent's country of birth. Third-plus generation Australians were less likely (36%) to report a second ancestry. As both the respondent and their parents were Australian-born, they may be less likely to have a connection to more than one country. The group least likely to report a second ancestry were first generation Australians (14%).

The vast majority of people who reported an Australian ancestry were born in Australia (98%). For most other ancestries, the majority of people were born either in Australia or the country associated with their ancestry. The European ancestries in the top 10 ancestry groups follow this pattern. For example, 83% of people who reported German ancestry were born in Australia and 10% were born in Germany. Only 7% were born in other countries. This pattern differed for the Asian countries in the top 10 ancestry groups. For example, for those who reported Chinese ancestry, 36% were born in China, 26% in Australia and 38% born in other countries. Of those who reported Indian ancestry, 61% were born in India, 20% in Australia and 19% born in other countries. 

Understanding Australia’s communities

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Australian

English

IrishScottish

Italian

Germ

an

Chinese

Top ancestries in Australia

Australian societal trends

1986 2006 Ancestry % of population Ancestry % of population 1 English 42.3 1 Australian 37.1 2 Australian 21.8 2 English 31.6 3 Irish 5.8 3 Irish 9.1 4 Scottish 4.3 4 Scottish 7.6 5 Italian 4.0 5 Italian 4.3 6 German 3.3 6 German 4.1 7 Greek 2.2 7 Chinese 3.4 8 Dutch 1.5 8 Greek 1.8 9 Chinese 1.3 9 Dutch 1.6 10 Maltese 0.8 10 Indian 1.2 11 Lebanese 0.6 11 Lebanese 0.9 12 Indian 0.5 12 Vietnamese 0.9 13 Vietnamese 0.4 13 Polish 0.8 14 Filipino 0.2 14 New Zealander 0.8 15 Turkish 0.2 15 Filipino 0.8

Comparison of ancestry responses over 20 years

Top 10 religions in Australia

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Catholicism

Anglican

No religion, N

FD

Not stated

Uniting C

hurchP

resbyterianB

uddhism

Greek O

rthodoxIslam

Baptist

Other

Understanding Australia’s communities

Understanding Australia’s communities

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Italian

Greek

Cantonese

Arabic

Mandarin

Vietnamese

Spanish

Top languages (other than English) in Australia

Holidays in Australia

• New Years Day 1st January• National Day 26th January• Anzac Day 25th April• Queens Birthday 2nd Monday of June• Halloweens Day 31st October• Good Friday Variable Date• Easter Monday Variable Date• Christmas Day 25th December • Boxing Day 26th December