A diverse people Australia is a
society of people from a rich variety of cultural, ethnic,
linguistic and religious backgrounds. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people have inhabited Australia for tens of
thousands of years. Most Australians are immigrants or the
descendants of immigrants who arrived during the past two
centuries from more than 200 countries. Cultural and
linguistic diversity was a feature of Australian life before
European settlement and remains a defining feature of our
modern society. Immigration began with European settlement in
1788. It continued at a steady pace – reaching 50 000 a year
during the gold rush period of the 1850s – until the
population reached seven million in the 1940s. Most settlers
were from a British background. Since the Second World War the
Australian Government’s immigration program has brought more
than 6.6 million migrants to Australia, including more than
690 000 through refugee or humanitarian programs. Australia’s
immigration policy is global and does not discriminate on
racial, cultural or religious grounds. Each year, Australia
welcomes more than 120 000 migrants and resettles around 13
000 people under its humanitarian program. In 2006-07, nearly
192 000 migrants permanently settled in Australia and
just over 14 000 were resettled under the humanitarian
program. Today, almost one in four of Australia’s estimated
resident population of 21 million was born overseas. The last
40 years have seen a significant shift in the source countries
of people who choose to come here. In the 1960s, 45 per cent
of all new settler arrivals were born in the United Kingdom
and Ireland. By 2006-07, this had fallen to 17 per cent with
settlers and long-term visitors increasing from countries in
the Asia Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East. More than
10 per cent of permanent migrants in 2006-07 came from China,
and since 1995, more than 200 000 people have come from
Africa and the Middle East.
Culture and CustomsThe culture and
customs consists of a rich tapestry of nationalities including
traditions, legends, myths and folklore. The indigenous 'Dream
time' forms the base of tens of thousands of years of
spiritual aboriginal art and culture.
Language In Australia over
200 different languages and dialects are spoken, including 45
indigenous languages. The most commonly spoken languages
(other than English) are Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic,
Vietnamese and Mandarin.
Australia’s immigration policyAustralia administers
separate migration and humanitarian programs. The programs
provide a balance between Australia’s international
humanitarian obligations and the Australian Government’s
economic, social and environmental objectives. The migration
program has two main streams: a skill stream that targets
skills and skill shortages which contribute to Australia’s
economy, and a family stream which recognises the value and
importance of family migration.
Criteria for migration are set down in the Migration
Act 1958 and in
migration regulations. An applicant’s nationality, ethnic
origin, sex, race or religion plays no part in determining
eligibility.
Largest cities in Australia
(2007
Australian Bureau of
Statistics estimate)[68] |
| Rank |
City Name |
State |
Pop. |
Rank |
City Name |
State |
Pop. |
|
| 1 |
Sydney |
NSW |
4,336,374 |
11 |
Hobart |
TAS |
207,467 |
| 2 |
Melbourne |
VIC |
3,806,092 |
12 |
Geelong |
VIC |
169,544 |
| 3 |
Brisbane |
QLD |
1,867,594 |
13 |
Townsville |
QLD |
157,174 |
| 4 |
Perth |
WA |
1,554,769 |
14 |
Cairns |
QLD |
135,856 |
| 5 |
Adelaide |
SA |
1,158,259 |
15 |
Toowoomba |
QLD |
123,406 |
| 6 |
Gold Coast-Tweed |
QLD / NSW |
583,657 |
16 |
Darwin |
NT |
120,900 |
| 7 |
Newcastle |
NSW |
523,662 |
17 |
Launceston |
TAS |
104,071 |
| 8 |
Canberra-Queanbeyan |
ACT / NSW |
388,072 |
18 |
Albury-Wodonga |
NSW / VIC |
101,842 |
| 9 |
Wollongong |
NSW |
280,159 |
19 |
Ballarat |
VIC |
89,665 |
| 10 |
Sunshine Coast |
QLD |
230,429 |
20 |
Bendigo |
VIC |
86,510 |
- arvo: afternoon
- as happy as Larry: content, satisfied
- Aussie battler: a hard-working Australian
- back of Bourke: far away
- barbie: barbecue
- barrack for: support a particular sports team
- cold one: beer
- digger: an Australian soldier
- esky: portable ice chest
- fair dinkum: true, genuine
- g’day: hello
- go for your life: yes, you can / …no problem
- hard yakka: hard work, usually physical
- kiwi: someone from New Zealand
- mate: friend; also, form of address usually
between males
- prawn: shrimp
- she’ll be right: everything will be okay
- thongs: flip-flops
- tinny: beer in a can OR outboard motorboat
- true blue Aussie: really Australian
- tucker: food
|
|
About Australia 
