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Immigration to Australia
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== Immigration history of Australia == {{Main|Immigration history of Australia}} The first [[Human migration|migration]] of humans to the continent took place around 65,000 years ago<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-11-17/when-did-australias-human-history-begin-conversation/9158202 A story of rupture and resilience: When did Australia's human history begin?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413184828/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-11-17/when-did-australias-human-history-begin-conversation/9158202 |date=13 April 2020 }} ''ABC News'', 17 November 2017, Retrieved 17 November 2017.</ref> via the islands of [[Maritime Southeast Asia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]] as part of the early [[history of human migration]] out of Africa.<ref name="genographic.nationalgeographic.com">{{Cite web|url=https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114080014/https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 January 2013|title=Map of Human Migration}}</ref> === Penal transportation === {{Main|Convicts in Australia}} [[File:Black-eyed Sue and Sweet Poll of Plymouth taking leave of their lovers who are going to Botany Bay.jpeg|thumb|right|Women in England mourning their loved ones who are to be transported to the penal colony at [[Botany Bay]], 1792]] European migration to Australia began with the British [[penal colony|convict settlement]] of [[Sydney Cove]] on 26 January 1788. The [[First Fleet]] comprised 11 ships carrying 775 convicts and 645 officials, members of the crew, marines, and their families and children. The settlers consisted of petty criminals, second-rate soldiers and a crew of sailors. There were few with skills needed to start a self-sufficient settlement, such as farmers and builders, and the colony experienced hunger and hardships. Male settlers far outnumbered female settlers. The [[Second Fleet (Australia)|Second Fleet]] arrived in 1790 bringing more convicts. The conditions of the transportation was described as horrific and worse than slave transports. Of the 1,026 convicts who embarked, 267 (256 men and 11 women) died during the voyage (26%); a further 486 were sick when they arrived of which 124 died soon after. The fleet was more of a drain on the struggling settlement than of any benefit. Conditions on the [[Third Fleet (Australia)|Third Fleet]], which followed on the heels of the Second Fleet in 1791, were a bit better. The fleet comprised 11 ships. Of the more than 2000 convicts brought onto the ships, 173 male convicts and 9 female convicts died during the voyage. Other transport fleets bringing further convicts as well as freemen to the colony would follow. By the end of the [[penal transportation]] in 1868, approximately 165,000 people had entered Australia as convicts. === Bounty Immigration === The colonies promoted migration by a variety of schemes. The Bounty Immigration Scheme (1835-1841) boosted emigration from the United Kingdom to New South Wales.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/al/aslc/immigration.html|title=Australia's Early Immigration Schemes|website=[[Angelfire]]|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-date=2 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402195742/http://www.angelfire.com/al/aslc/immigration.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[South Australia Company]] was established to encourage settlement in South Australia by labourers and skilled migrants. === Gold rush and population growth === {{Main|Australian gold rush}} [[File:StateLibQld 1 110096 Drawing of migrants disembarking from a ship, ca. 1885.jpg|thumb|Migrants disembarking from a ship, {{Circa|1885}}]] [[File:Southern Cross - call to British.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Immigration poster|[[Australian Government]] poster issued by the Overseas Settlement Office to attract immigrants (1928).]] The [[Australian gold rushes|Gold Rush era]], beginning in 1851, led to an enormous expansion in population, including large numbers of British and Irish settlers, followed by smaller numbers of Germans, other Europeans, and [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]]. This latter group was subject to increasing restrictions and discrimination, making it impossible for many to remain in the country. With the federation of the Australian colonies into a single nation, one of the first acts of the new Commonwealth Government was the [[Immigration Restriction Act 1901]], otherwise known as the [[White Australia policy]], which was a strengthening and unification of disparate colonial policies designed to restrict non-White settlement. Because of opposition from the British government, an explicit racial policy was avoided in the legislation, with the control mechanism being a dictation test in a European language selected by the immigration officer. This was selected to be one the immigrant did not know; the last time an immigrant passed a test was in 1909. Perhaps the most celebrated case was [[Egon Erwin Kisch]], a left-wing Czechoslovak journalist who could speak five languages, who was failed in a test in Scottish Gaelic and deported as illiterate. The government also found that if it wanted immigrants, it had to subsidise migration. The great distance from Europe made Australia a more expensive and less attractive destination than Canada and the United States. The number of immigrants needed during different stages of the economic cycle could be controlled by varying the subsidy. Before [[Federation of Australia|Federation in 1901]], assisted migrants received passage assistance from colonial government funds. The British government paid for the passage of convicts, paupers, the military, and civil servants. Few immigrants received colonial government assistance before 1831.<ref name="Price">{{cite book |last=Price |first=Charles |title=Australians: Historical Statistics |publisher=Fairfax, Syme & Weldon Associates |year=1987 |isbn=0-949288-29-2 |editor=Wray Vamplew |location=Broadway, New South Wales, Australia |pages=2β22 |chapter=Chapter 1: Immigration and Ethnic Origin}}</ref> However, young women were receiving assisted passages from state governments to migrate to Australia in the early years of Federation.<ref>{{Cite Q|Q118696098}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !Period!!Annual average assisted immigrants<ref name = Price/> |- | 1831β1860 || 18,268 |- | 1861β1900 || 10,087 |- | 1901β1940 || 10,662 |- | 1941β1980 || 52,960 |} With the onset of the [[Great Depression]], the Governor-General proclaimed the cessation of immigration until further notice. The next group to arrive were 5,000 Jewish refugee families from Germany in 1938. Approved groups such as these were assured of entry by being issued a Certificate of Exemption from the Dictation Test. === Post-war immigration to Australia === {{Main|Post-war immigration to Australia|New Australians}} [[File:Dutch Migrant 1954 MariaScholte=50000thToAustraliaPostWW2.jpg|thumb|In 1954 the 50,000th [[Dutch Australian|Dutch migrant]] arrived in Australia.]] After [[World War II]], Australia launched a massive [[Post war immigration to Australia|immigration program]], believing that having narrowly avoided a Japanese invasion, Australia must "populate or perish". Hundreds of thousands of displaced Europeans migrated to Australia and over 1,000,000 British subjects immigrated under the [[Assisted Passage Migration Scheme]], colloquially becoming known as [[Ten Pound Poms]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200711/programs/ZY8804A001D1112007T203000.htm|title=Ten Pound Poms|date=1 November 2007|work=[[ABC Television (Australia)]]|access-date=14 June 2009|archive-date=2 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402195744/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200711/programs/ZY8804A001D1112007T203000.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The scheme initially targeted citizens of all Commonwealth countries; after the war it gradually extended to other countries such as the Netherlands and Italy. The qualifications were straightforward: migrants needed to be in sound health and under the age of 45 years. There were initially no skill restrictions, although under the [[White Australia Policy]], people from mixed-race backgrounds found it very difficult to take advantage of the scheme.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/discoverycentre/your-questions/ten-pound-poms/|title=Ten Pound Poms|date=10 May 2009|work=[[Museum Victoria]]|access-date=14 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117183339/http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/discoverycentre/your-questions/ten-pound-poms/|archive-date=17 January 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1973, [[Multiculturalism in Australia|multiculturalism]] largely displaced cultural selectivity in [[immigration policy]]. Net overseas migration reached a record level of 536,000 in 2022β23,<ref name="news.com.au-migration"/> up from 170,900 in 2021β22.<ref>{{cite news |title=Overseas Migration |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/overseas-migration/2021-22-financial-year |work=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] |date=16 December 2022}}</ref> Overall migration was 739,000 in 2022-23.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chung |first1=Frank |title=Australia adds 446,000 net overseas migrants in 2023β24 |url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/australia-adds-446000-net-overseas-migrants-in-202324/news-story/78467999ae09bd21b58ab1721ccfd7e8 |work=News.com.au |date=13 December 2024}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !Period!!Migration programme<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.border.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/02key |title=Fact sheet - Key facts about immigration |access-date=18 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912192513/http://www.border.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/02key |archive-date=12 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/1011/AustMigration|title=Australia's Migration Program|publisher=Parliament of Australia|website=www.aph.gov.au|access-date=13 June 2018|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613134026/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/1011/AustMigration|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 1998β99 || 68 000 |- | 1999β00 || 70 000 {{increase}} |- | 2000β01 || 76 000 {{increase}} |- | 2001β02 || 85 000 {{increase}} |- | 2002β03 || 108,070 {{increase}} |- | 2003β2004 || 114,360 {{increase}} |- | 2004β2005 || 120,060 {{increase}} |- | 2005 || 142,933 {{increase}} |- | 2006 || 148,200 {{increase}} |- | 2007 || 158,630 {{increase}} |- | 2008 || 171,318 {{increase}} |- | 2011 || 185,000 {{increase}} |- | 2012 || 190,000 {{increase}} |- | 2013 || 190,000<ref>https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-migration-programme-2013-14.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref>https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/visa-statistics/live/migration-program {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> |- | 2015-2016 || 190,000<ref>https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/2015-16-migration-programme-report.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> |- | 2016-2017 || 190,000<ref>https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-on-migration-program-2016-17.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> |- | 2017-2018 || 190,000<ref>https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-migration-program-2017-18.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> |- | 2018-2019 || 190,000<ref>https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-migration-program-2018-19.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> |- | 2023-2024 || 190,000<ref>https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels#:~:text=In%20the%202024%E2%80%9325%20Migration,21%20and%202021%E2%80%9322%20respectively. {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> |} === Overview === {| class="wikitable" |+Foreign-born Australian residents by country of birth<ref>{{Cite web|last=Commonwealth Parliament|first=Canberra|title=Population and migration statistics in Australia|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1819/Quick_Guides/PopulationStatistics|access-date=2020-07-22|website=www.aph.gov.au|language=en-AU|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803154740/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1819/Quick_Guides/PopulationStatistics/|url-status=live}}</ref> !'''#''' ! colspan="2" |1901 ! colspan="2" |1954 ! colspan="2" |2016 |- |1. |{{flagicon|UK}} [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] |495 504 |{{flagicon|UK}} [[United Kingdom]] |616 532 |{{flagicon|UK}} [[United Kingdom]] |1 087 756 |- |2. |{{flagicon|UK}} [[History of Ireland (1801β1923)|Ireland]] |184 085 |{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]] |119 897 |{{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[New Zealand]] |518 462 |- |3. |{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[German Empire]] |38 352 |{{flagicon|Germany}} [[West Germany|Germany]] |65 422 |{{flagicon|China}} [[China]] |509 558 |- |4. |{{flagicon|Qing Empire}} [[Qing Empire|China]] |29 907 |{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]] |56 594 |{{flagicon|India}} [[India]] |455 385 |- |5. |{{flagicon|UK}} [[Colony of New Zealand|New Zealand]] |25 788 |{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]] |52 035 |{{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Philippines]] |232 391 |- |6. |{{flagicon|Sweden|1844}}{{flagicon|Norway|1901}} [[Sweden-Norway]] |9 863 |{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] |47 673 |{{flagicon|Vietnam}} [[Vietnam]] |219 351 |- |7. |{{flagicon|UK}} [[South Sea Islanders|South Sea Islands]] |9 128 |{{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[New Zealand]] |43 350 |{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]] |174 042 |- |8. |{{flagicon|British Raj}} [[British Raj]] |7 637 |{{flagicon|Greece|old}} [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]] |25 862 |{{flagicon|South Africa}} [[South Africa]] |162 450 |- |9. |{{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]] |7 448 |{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] |22 856 |{{flagicon|Malaysia}} [[Malaysia]] |138 363 |- |10. |{{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Denmark]] |6 281 |{{flagicon|Malta|colonial}} [[Crown Colony of Malta|Malta]] |19 988 |{{flagicon|Sri Lanka}} [[Sri Lanka]] |109 850 |- | - |Other |47 463 |Other |215 589 |Other |2 542 443 |}
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