The political perspective of diversity maintains that it's important to think about representation of and justice toward traditionally underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized groups. It replaced the initial policy approach of assimilation that was adopted towards mass immigration from Europe in the immediate post-Second World War years. Australias multiculturalism is based on a compact of citizenship. (a) Out of 50 largest non-English languages in Australia. It is the suite of cultural diversityquestions in the Census such as ancestry, country of birth, English proficiency, language spoken, Indigenous status and religious affiliation, which allow us to better understand the increasing complexity and growing ethnic diversity in Australia. To address this gap, an important starting point is to define, measure, monitor and report on cultural diversity. Thats the challenge of extremism. 62.7% of people who used Mandarin at home were first generation Australians, born in China. Of the 3.3 million migrants who came to Australia between 2006 and 2021, over one quarter (27.1%) were born in China or India. It is important that we have civil debates about matters of race, culture and identity. But, as I said at the outset, civil debate about multiculturalism is always to be welcomed. Only 2 per cent of people strongly disagreed that people of different backgrounds get on well together in their local area. Australia's Indigenous peoples are two distinct cultural groups made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Associate Professor Dimitria Groutsis from the Business School and a leading scholar in cultural diversity in the business context: After almost five decades of multiculturalism we still dont have clarity around what cultural diversity is. For example, although gay and lesbian people are still underrepresented in politics, a general sea change within culture in terms of gay rights has moved straight politicians to be more likely to embrace human rights for gay and lesbian people, leading to equal civil rights. An error occurred trying to load this video. 2109.0 - Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1947, Volume III - Statistician's Report. Many of those in senior leadership positions have not come to grips with the significant demographic shift of the past two decades. Across the English-speaking world, there are senior leaders in national politics who have Asian heritage: US Vice President Kamala Harris, British Chancellor Rishi Sunak (spoken of as the next leader of the Conservative Party), and the national leader of Canadas New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, are prime examples. The number of people born in these countries and living in Australia have increased substantially since 2016. The top 5 languages were: Nepali 95.5%, English 3.2%, Hindi 0.4%, Gujarati 0.1%, Tibetan 0.1%. Ethical & Legal Responsibilities of Healthcare Workers, Growth of International Organizations: History, Events, and Trends. Culture can impact our perspectives, behaviour, how we interact in the world and our personal identities. Among 46 percent of the population, one parent was born outside the country. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you In 2021, the states with the highest proportions of overseas-born were Western Australia (32.2%), Victoria (29.9%) and New South Wales (29.3%). 5.7%had an Australian-born father and an Indian-born mother, 5.0% had a father born elsewhere overseas and an Indian-born mother, 9.0%had an Indian-born father and an Australian-born mother. [5] Its not a case of immigrants remaining foreigners. For many self-declared friends of multiculturalism, this can sometimes be a source of concern. For more information see Statistical Area Level 3. For more information on measuring cultural and ethnic diversity see Standards for Statistics on Cultural and Language Diversity and Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG). Create your account, 12 chapters | (a) SA3s are functional areas of regional towns and cities with a population of more than 20,000 or clusters of related suburbs around urban commercial and transport hubs within major urban areas. We are home to the world's oldest continuous cultures, as well as Australians who identify with more than 270 ancestries. It shouldnt be. In 1971, the number of the Italian-born population peaked at 290,000 but had declined to 163,000 in 2021. Developing willingness to speak up on behalf of others is an important part of the political perspective on diversity. Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Approach | What is Top-Down Approach? The reason for this may be to settle with other migrant communities, or to access support services, employment or education. Such commentary is misguided. It means a national community accepts that its common identity may evolve to reflect its composition. Available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2012-en (last accessed 8 March 2016). Australia: the most successful multicultural nation in the world. For example, in 2014-15, the Australian Human Rights Commission finalised 405 complaints about racial discrimination. The French approach, for example, is better described as a republican or assimilationist one. Only 3 per cent strongly disagreed that the mix of different backgrounds improved life in their local area. Some on the progressive side of political debate see only rights, but not responsibilities. As Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Craig Laundy has recently said, our success as one of the most culturally diverse and socially cohesive nations in the world is firmly grounded in our adherence to the values which underpin Australian society.[8]. The number of Australians reporting an Italian ancestry also increased from 1 million in 2016 to over 1.1 million in 2021, making Italian the seventh largest ancestry in Australia. The University of Sydney today announced Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM has been appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Services and will commence the position on 15 October 2018. [15] This is corroborated by research from Western Sydney University, which found that Muslims experience a level of discrimination three times higher than the national average.[16]. But I was born in Australia." It is akin to finding a design flaw in an Audi or Peugeot and concluding that a Holden will have the same flaw. Yet, in one respect, Australian multiculturalism has an emphatic conservative spirit. Almost half (47.9%) of the population of 218,000 was born overseas and came from 183 different countries. Third-plus generation Australians are Australian-born people whose parents were both born in Australia. "I'm Aboriginal and Croatian." "I'm Anglo Saxon and Australian." "My mum is Chinese and Indian and my dad is Scottish, Sri Lankan, Portuguese and Indian. As a public ideal, multiculturalism includes a bundle of rights, but also a set of obligations. While respondents can report up to two ancestries, in 2021 almost half (49.6%) of all people who chose Australian ancestry, did not choose a second. She identifies as culturally diverse even though the statistics dont capture her as such. This was an increase from 6.1 million, or 26.3%, in 2016. Less than one in twenty (4.3%) were aged 15 to 64 years. Social diversity is a global issue - and it has contributed to major geopolitical events such as Brexit and the fractious nature of the European refugee crisis. The 2018 Leading for Change report from the Australian Human Rights Commission showed that only 4% of federal MPs had non-European ancestry, compared to 19% of the Australian population. During the past two years, for example, we have seen numerous instances of vile anti-Semitic bigotry, which appear to be linked with far-right organised groups. This level of agreement has been constant for the past three years. I highly recommend you use this site! Professor Tim Soutphommasane - Strong leadership on race and multiculturalism needed. First generation Australians are people living in Australia who were born overseas. In 2021, 5.8 million people (22.8%) reported using a language other than English at home. The Census collects a range of information that allows us to measure Australias cultural and ethnic diversity. One example, noted by the authors of the paper, is a study which found left-wing managers hire and promote women more frequently and pay them more fairly than do right-wing managers. In 2021, the language with the highest number of speakers was Mandarin. Tanya believes firmly that one of the only ways to end this tremendous inequity is to involve more African-Americans in lawmaking and the judicial system. Critics of multiculturalism often suggest that its somehow at odds with our liberal values. This isnt about celebrating diversity for diversitys sake. Tanya explains to her friends that within the political perspective, diversity is important as a way of ensuring that traditionally underrepresented and disadvantaged groups get representation on a political scale. Some commentators have argued a similar retreat should occur here. In 2011, China surpassed the UK as Australias primary source of permanent migrants[5]. For more information see our case studies onIndia and Nepal. Cultural background is as much about how a census data point defines you as it is about the way someone else defines you, and as such how you identify. Punjabi was the main language other than English used by people reporting an Indian-related ancestry (23.3%). Roughly a third of people in the UK (34%) and around a quarter in Australia (26%) define democracy as giving people a voice in government. Again, we see in Australian multiculturalism and the Racial Discrimination Act, a spirit that could be described as conservative. This warrants our attention. Nepalese-born Australians reported 52 ancestries and30 languages used at home, with most reporting they were proficient in English (96.9%). It has always been robust and muscular; it has always been committed to liberal democracy. The Success of Australias Multiculturalism, Copyright Australian Human Rights Commission, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, http://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/research/citizenship-in-australia-2011.pdf. For example, if one were to review the current composition of the Australian Parliament to which the Prime Minister belongs to, an overwhelming 79 per cent of the total 226 elected politicians are people of Anglo-Celtic background. From 2016 to 2021, the countries of birth with the largest decreases in number were European countries, mainly relating to those countries where high numbers migrated to Australia as part of Australias post-war migration program, including Italy, Malta and Greece. More information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples including changes to the ancestry question is found in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Census, 2021. Migration continued throughout the second half of the 20th century directed at population growth and economic development, and in response to humanitarian events in eastern Europe and Asia[3]. There remains a need to combat hate speech and racist extremism. (a) Out of 50 largest non-English languages in Australia. The process guarantees its owners to participating in the decision making process in policies that affect their political, social, and economical life. The top 5 ancestries were: Indian 64.5%, Australian 14.0%, English 11.2%, Punjabi 10.9%, Sikh 5.9%. On civic integration, an estimated 80 percent of immigrants with more than 10 years of residence have chosen to take up Australian citizenship. The top 5 languages used at home were: English 41.8%, Punjabi 21.1%, Hindi 8.7%, Gujarati 6.5%, Malayalam 5.3%. We must take care, however, not to judge entire communities by the actions of an extremist few; we must not allow stereotypes and prejudices to take hold. Most of Australias population are descendants of migrants and as a result, our most common ancestries align with the most common countries of birth of the population over time. Proportionally, there were more (85.3%) Nepal-born (first generation) Australians aged 20 to 39 years than the total Australian population (27.7%). For example, political rhetoric around diversity has been encapsulated in phrases such as "diversity with growth," or as "global talent management." . For example, more diversity can result in increased employee engagement and reduced turnover, as employees who feel included, accepted, and valued are happier and more engaged. Click to reveal For example, almost one third (32.1%) of Australias Zimbabwean-born population lived in WA. Having more diverse representation in politics has also altered the legal landscape since women politicians are more likely to argue for family leave and for pro-choice policies. Australias multicultural success has been predicated on Australian society accepting immigration as a nation-building project. And unlike the German approach, Australia has extended the hand of civic friendship to immigrants. Note: sum of components may be greater than 100% as people could provide two ancestry responses and be double counted. If anything, it would likely be regarded as fundamentally threatening to the civic order. Infographic displaying the following information: Search for courses, people, events and everything else What is needed to improve diversity and inclusion in Australia, Combatting racism and making Australia a more inclusive country. I thank the Sydney Institute for facilitating such a debate this evening. Three quarters (75.2%) of Nepalese-born Australians arrived in Australia between 2012 and 2021, and around half (50.6%) from 2017 to 2021. The 2015 Mapping Social Cohesion survey, for example, found that 86 per cent of Australians agree that multiculturalism has been good for the country. Second generation Australians are Australian-born people, living in Australia, with at least one overseas-born parent. Italian was also the seventh largest non-English language used at home in Australia with 228,000 speakers. The underrepresentation of cultural and linguistic diversity in Australian politics is apparent across communities, but particularly stark for Asian Australians. There were 673,352 first generation Indian-born Australians. Among many critics of the Act, and among those calling for its review, there is a puzzling ignorance of this section of the legislation. Speakers of languages with high English proficiency include those spoken in countries where English is widely spoken and taught (South Africa, the Netherlands and Philippines). Internationally, multiculturalism in Australia is seen as a success story, and stands as a good example on how to build a cohesive and inclusive society. This more complex way of viewing cultural diversity includes your physical appearance, accent, dress, languages spoken, name and ethno-religious affiliation or, a combination of these factors. Multiculturalism is a reality of Australian society. Too often, politicians flirt with dog-whistling and xenophobia, because they believe theres an electoral advantage to be gained. Since the end of World War II, the proportion of overseas-born and second generation migrants in Australia has steadily increased. The Census undercount for Indian-born Australians dropped from 5.0% in 2016 to 4.8% in 2021, and was lower than Australian-born (6.2%) . Until we take up the challenge to count culture in a meaningful and respectful way, we will remain in the dark about how and whether or not we are capitalising on cultural diversity; which groups are excluded from access to opportunities;and how we can address the lack of cultural diversity in the senior leadership suite of our government, non-government and corporate institutions. In the first Census in 1911, the proportion of people living in Australia who were born overseas was 17.7%. That is, we dont know the landscape of our society and what our organisations look like. In 2021, 872,000 people spoke English not well or not at all. Consider the case of Bropho v HREOC, where cartoons lampooning the return of the head of Yagan. 5.2%had a Nepalese-born father and a mother born elsewhere overseas. For example, only 17% of Italians ages 50 and older are supportive of increasing diversity, compared with 44% of 18- to 29-year-olds. Recent events in Christchurch remind us that there's a connection between hate speech and violence. These reflect legitimate concerns. Australian ancestry was the second most common ancestry overall, and the most common ancestry for third-plus generation Australians. Fifty years ago, Italy was the second highest country of birth after England. The status quo reinforces a historical perception that Australia is a white settler colonial outpost, and it makes it harder to navigate an increasingly fraught regional geopolitical environment. Diversity is an issue with multiple interpretations across the political spectrum. Analyzing politics and political issues with a political perspective of diversity as the theoretical underpinning helps researchers ask and answer questions that will allow them to lobby for the needs of those who have historically been marginalized. Note: sum of components may be greater than 100% as people could provide two ancestry responses and be double counted. During this time it has sailed through the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, the 'dot com bubble' of the early 2000s, and the global financial crisis . Australia has been a stand-out economic performer for more than two decades, having enjoyed uninterrupted economic growth since 1991. Three quarters of second-generation Australians with at least one Nepalese-born parent reported their religious affiliation with Hinduism (75.0%). As illustrated by a number of examples during the past two years, there are elements present in our society intent on pursuing violent extremism, using religious justifications. When the constitution was created in 1901, it was framed around white Australia and disregarded Aboriginal people, anyone of colour and women. As most migrants from Italy arrived in the post-war migration wave, in 2021 the median age of the Italian-born population was 72 years and more than two thirds (69.4%) arrived in Australia more than 50 years ago. In the 1970s, the Chinese-born population in Australia increased after the Vietnam war by the arrival of asylum seekers who were Chinese-born residents of countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia[3]. Despite the racial offence taken by Noongar Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, the cartoons in the West Australian newspaper were found by the Federal Court to have enjoyed the protection of section 18D, being deemed to constitute fair comment.[13]. [9] I have offered a more detailed treatment of this in T Soutphommasane (2015), Im Not Racist But 40 Years of the Racial Discrimination Act, NewSouth Publishing, Sydney. This, in turn, plays into the geopolitical weaponisation of narratives around racism in Australia. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 There is a cognitive dissonance in championing a diverse, multicultural population and at the same time maintaining extremely unrepresentative corridors of power. It is a reminder that while it has been a success, we cannot be complacent. This reflects the increase in migrants from India over the same period. Most Indian-born Australians lived in Victoria (38.3%), followed by New South Wales (31.0%) and Queensland (10.7%). Having more diverse faces and voices in politics and media would make an enormous difference. This represented 15.1% of the 5.8 million people who used another language at home. (c) Excludes people who did not state English language proficiency. On all these counts social cohesion, educational attainment, economic participation, civic integration Australias multicultural society has been a success. Finally, Tanya explains to her friends that political perspectives on diversity sometimes interact interestingly with cultural shifts. This website helped me pass! The top three countries for birth for people reporting Indian-related ancestry were India (60.3%), Australia (25.6%) and Fiji (4.2%). 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