The term Asian Australian was first coined in the 1950s by
racial vilification and discrimination. Today, the term is widely accepted and used to refer to people of Asian descent who are citizens or residents of Australia, although its usage and meaning may vary within the Asian Australian community.[8]
When people use the term Asian in everyday conversation, they are usually referring to two main groups: East Asians (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian) and Southeast Asians (including Filipinos, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Laotians, Indonesians, Thais, and Singaporeans). Additionally, South Asians (including Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, and Pakistanis) may also be included.[8]
Census definition
Information relating to the
racial composition of the population was collected for the first time at the Census of 1911. The following were classified as "Asiatic":[9]
At censuses prior to 1966 the instructions relating to race were insufficient to enable respondents to classify themselves according to the degree of racial mixture. As one report for the 1966 Census of Population and Housing details:[10]
For example, from 1933 to 1961 persons were asked the following question:
"For persons of European race, wherever born, write "European ". For non-Europeans state the race to which they belong, for example, "Aboriginal", "Chinese", "Negro", "Afghan", etc. If the person is half-caste with one parent of European race, write also "H.C.", for example "H.C. Aboriginal", "H. C. Chinese", etc."
At the 1966 Census the instructions were re-designed... in an endeavour to obtain precise data on racial mixture and also to avoid the opprobrium attaching to the term "half-caste"...
— 1966 Census (1971), "Population: Single Characteristics. Part 11", p. 7
The Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Census no longer collect data on race as a standalone category. Instead, they collect information on distinct ancestries, of which census respondents can select up to two. The ABS has classified certain ancestries into categories for the purposes of aggregating data, including:[2]
Ancestry is the primary statistical measure of ethnicity or cultural origins in Australia. The different ancestry groups may have distinct histories, cultures, and geographical origins. Therefore, information on Australians with ancestry from Asia can be found in the respective articles for each separate article (e.g., Chinese Australians, Indian Australians, etc.).
It is important to note that Australians of
Arab, Turkish and Iranian ancestries. However, Armenians, for example, are classified as Central Asian and therefore part of the Asian category.[11]
The Num Pon Soon building in Chinatown, Melbourne. Chinatown was founded by Chinese immigrants who came to Victoria during the Victorian Gold Rush. The Num Pon Soon Society was one of a number of district societies and benevolent associations aimed at supporting Chinese immigrants during the Victorian gold rush.
The
Chinese immigration to Australia. While small numbers of Chinese settlers had arrived as early as 1818, the gold rush triggered a dramatic increase in their presence.[12] However, existing prejudices and cultural misunderstandings led to conflict between Chinese and European communities, culminating in violent riots at Lambing Flat and Buckland.[13][14] These tensions resulted in the enactment of anti-Chinese legislation by various Australian colonies, foreshadowing the implementation of the discriminatory White Australia policy from 1901 to 1973.[15]
During the 1870s and 1880s, the trade union movement in Australia raised concerns about the impact of foreign labour particularly from Asia, on the lives of Australian workers. These concerns, fuelled by anxieties about economic competition and cultural differences, led to calls for restrictions on immigration. While some argued that Asian labourers were essential for development in tropical regions, union pressure ultimately led to the introduction of legislation between 1875 and 1888 aimed at curbing Chinese immigration.[17][18] These policies, though motivated by a mix of economic and social factors, also contributed to the marginalization and exploitation of non-European workers, including Asian and Chinese immigrants, by limiting their access to better wages and working conditions.[15][14][19]
During WWII, Japanese and Taiwanese (the latter due to the fact that Taiwan was then under Japanese colonial rule) from various locations were interned in
After the war, internees were resettled in their country of ethnic origin, with the exception of Japanese Australians. Non-Australian Japanese were repatriated to
Occupied Taiwan. The repatriation caused public outcry due to the poor living conditions on the ship,[25][26] known as the "Yoizuki Hellship scandal".[27][28] The government wanted to expel non-citizen Japanese internees, including most Taiwanese. Many believed the Taiwanese should be seen as citizens of the Republic of China (ROC) and hence allies, not expelled under poor conditions.[29][30] This debate further inflamed outrage at the treatment of Taiwanese internees, and there was a minor controversy regarding the destination of repatriation for some Taiwanese internees. Despite public pressure, the Australian government ultimately still deported the Taiwanese internees.[31][32][33]
The government began to expand access to citizenship for non-Europeans and increase immigration numbers from non-European countries in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1973, the prime minister implemented a more non-discriminatory immigration policy.[34]
In 1957, the government allowed access to citizenship for 15-year residents. In 1958, the Migration Act was reformed to allow skilled and professional non-Europeans to immigrate and temporarily reside in the country. During the Fraser government, the country experienced the largest intake of Asian immigrants since the 1850s and 1860s[citation needed] due to an increase in Vietnameserefugees after the Vietnam War. In 1983, British immigration was lower than Asian immigration for the first time in Australian history. Overall, immigration policy has evolved towards non-discrimination and broadening pathways to citizenship for Asians, following the dismantling of European-only policies.[34][35]
YouTuber, actress, and comedian Natalie Tran, began posting to her YouTube channel in 2006, initially posting responses to other videos she had seen on the site.[45][46] Her content then consisted of observational comedy skits and vlogs, which lampooned everyday situations, in which she played all of the characters and gave monologues throughout.[47][48][49] By 2009, Tran was the most subscribed-to YouTuber in Australia and the 37th most subscribed-to globally.[48][47] In 2010, she became the 18th most subscribed-to YouTuber globally.[50] She became an ambassador for YouTube's Creators for Change initiative in September 2016.[51] In December 2017, as part of the program, she released White Male Asian Female, a 40-minute documentary about negative perceptions of relationships between Asian women and Caucasian men such as her own, on her YouTube channel.[52] She hosted a video guide segment for the 2019 Sydney Film Festival called the Launch Show, released in May 2019.[53] From 2010 to 2011, Tran worked as a Sydney correspondent for The Project's The Whip segment.[54]The Daily Telegraph called her "one of Australia’s original success stories on YouTube".[55]
Asian Australians have made significant contributions to the field of journalism in Australia, bringing new perspectives and challenging mainstream media narratives. Notable journalists of Asian heritage include
BBC World News presenter who has contributed to SBS's Dateline program, Benjamin Law, an accomplished writer and journalist known for his insightful commentary on Australian society, Lee Lin Chin, a prominent Australian journalist and television presenter, Iskhandar Razak, an award-winning investigative journalist who has worked for the ABC and SBS, and Fauziah Ibrahim, a journalist and presenter for ABC News
who has reported on a wide range of stories across Australia and Asia.
The Australian government collects data on distinct ancestries rather than race at each census, and at the 2021 census, approximately 17.4 percent of the population identified as having Asian ancestry.[59][1][2]
At the 2021 census the most commonly nominated Asian ancestries were as set out in the following table.[1] The largest group are Chinese Australians.
Persons nominating Asian Australian Ancestries in 2021[1]
Thirty percent of Asian Australians go to university, 20 percent of all Australian doctors are Asian, and 37 percent of Asian Australians participate in some form of organised sport.[dubious – discuss][60]Chinese and Indian Australians, particularly second and third generation immigrants, are present in large numbers in Sydney and Melbourne, with Chinese Australians constituting Sydney's fourth largest ancestry group.[60][61]
Members of minority groups make up about 6 percent of the federal Parliament.[62] Both Labor and Greens voters were more likely to agree that Asian Australians experience discrimination, but more than three-quarters of those who said they would vote for the Liberal/National Coalition also agreed.[63]
Social and political issues
Discrimination and violence against Asian Australians
There are social and economic disparities among Asian Australians. While Asian Australians are over-represented in high-performing schools and university courses, some
ethnic groups face challenges.[97][84][98][99] For example, Cambodian Australians have lower rates of educational qualifications and higher participation in semi-skilled and unskilled occupations compared to the general Australian population.[100][101][102]Laotian Australians also have lower rates of higher non-school qualifications and higher unemployment rates compared to the total Australian population.[103]
unskilled factory jobs, though this has improved somewhat in recent years.[105] In contrast, Bangladeshi Australians have higher educational levels and a higher participation in skilled managerial, professional, or trade occupations compared to the total Australian population.[106]
^Number of ancestry responses classified within the "North-East Asian", "South-East Asian" and "Southern and Central Asian" groups under the Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups as a proportion of the total population.[2] Excludes North African and Middle Eastern Australians who are separately classified. Ancestry figures do not amount to 100 percent as the Australian Bureau of Statistics allows up to two ancestry responses per person.[3]
Malaysian Indian descent.[5][6] 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.[7]
^Commonwealth Statistician (1911). "Part VIII: Non-European Races"(PDF). Census Taken for the Night Between the 2nd and 3rd April, 1911 (Report). Australian Bureau of Statistics; Commonwealth of Australia. pp. 899–1073.
^Acting Commonwealth Statistician (August 1971). "Population: Single Characteristics. Part 11: Race"(PDF). 1966 Census of Population and Housing (Report). Vol. 1. Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics; Commonwealth of Australia. pp. 1−31. At the 1966 Census the instructions were re-designed as follows in an endeavour to obtain precise data on racial mixture and also to avoid the opprobrium attaching to the term half-caste: 'State each person's race. For persons of European race, wherever born, write "European". Otherwise state whether Aboriginal, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, etc., as the case may be. If of more than one race give particulars, for example, ½ European–½ Aboriginal; ¾ Aboriginal–¼ Chinese; ½ European–½ Chinese'.
^What's Trending (25 April 2015). "Natalie Tran On BUSTING Asian Stereotypes". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2020. I started in '06, back when YouTube was a very, very small community, so the way a lot of people interacted with each other was through video responses, so my first video was a video response.
^Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Fact sheet: Ancestry". www.abs.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
^Leckie, Evelyn (25 May 2022) [Updated 31 May 2022 with new headline: "Racism remains rife towards Chinese-Australians, more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic"]. "Degrading racism continues against Chinese-Australians". ABC News. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
^Biddle, Nicholas; Gray, Matthew; Lo, Jieh-Yung (October 2020). Asian-Australians' experience during COVID-19(PDF) (Report). Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National University.