Australia is often described as a 'settlement country' and, in 2009, around one in four Australians were born overseas (ABS 2010b). According to the 2006 Census, 44% of Australians were either born overseas, or had a parent who was.
Over the past century, each wave of immigration has been characterised by a different predominant region of origin, often related to world events of the period (see Population section). Thus, Australian society is made up of a wide range of cultural and linguistic groups, and groups with different religious affiliations.
As well as forming networks with people similar to them, for social cohesion to flourish individuals need to form relationships with people from different backgrounds. However, the ability to participate in Australian society, and form the beneficial social networks discussed elsewhere in this section, is highly dependent on English proficiency.
In 2006, three million people spoke a language other than English as the main language spoken at home. Of these people, nearly three-quarters (74%) were born overseas, and an additional 21% had at least one parent born overseas. In 2006, 1% of the population could not speak English at all.
People born overseas and who were not proficient in English reported in 2006 that they were less likely to be able to get support in a time of crisis from people living outside their household than people born in Australia (76% compared with 95%). They were also more likely to report feeling unsafe or very unsafe at home alone after dark (18% compared with 6% of people born in Australia) and had difficulty getting transport to places they needed to go (11% compared with around 4% of the those born in Australia ). They were also less likely to have participated in sport (38% compared with 64%).
Some migrants might be disadvantaged because of the circumstances under which they came to Australia. The humanitarian program brings migrants to Australia on a quota basis and this quota has remained roughly the same between 2003-04 and 2008-09 (around 13,000-14,000 people per year) (DIAC 2010a). Between 2005-06 and 2008-09, the proportion of skilled migrants remained steady at around two-thirds of all settlers. The family stream made up the remaining third over this period (DIAC 2010b). Migrants coming through the humanitarian program tend to have low levels of income, larger families, low levels of education and low levels of English proficiency, while skilled migrants tend to experience better health, education and employment than the general Australian population.
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MIGRANTS
Australia is often described as a 'settlement country' and, in 2009, around one in four Australians were born overseas (ABS 2010b). According to the 2006 Census, 44% of Australians were either born overseas, or had a parent who was.
Over the past century, each wave of immigration has been characterised by a different predominant region of origin, often related to world events of the period (see Population section). Thus, Australian society is made up of a wide range of cultural and linguistic groups, and groups with different religious affiliations.
As well as forming networks with people similar to them, for social cohesion to flourish individuals need to form relationships with people from different backgrounds. However, the ability to participate in Australian society, and form the beneficial social networks discussed elsewhere in this section, is highly dependent on English proficiency.
In 2006, three million people spoke a language other than English as the main language spoken at home. Of these people, nearly three-quarters (74%) were born overseas, and an additional 21% had at least one parent born overseas. In 2006, 1% of the population could not speak English at all.
People born overseas and who were not proficient in English reported in 2006 that they were less likely to be able to get support in a time of crisis from people living outside their household than people born in Australia (76% compared with 95%). They were also more likely to report feeling unsafe or very unsafe at home alone after dark (18% compared with 6% of people born in Australia) and had difficulty getting transport to places they needed to go (11% compared with around 4% of the those born in Australia ). They were also less likely to have participated in sport (38% compared with 64%).
Some migrants might be disadvantaged because of the circumstances under which they came to Australia. The humanitarian program brings migrants to Australia on a quota basis and this quota has remained roughly the same between 2003-04 and 2008-09 (around 13,000-14,000 people per year) (DIAC 2010a). Between 2005-06 and 2008-09, the proportion of skilled migrants remained steady at around two-thirds of all settlers. The family stream made up the remaining third over this period (DIAC 2010b). Migrants coming through the humanitarian program tend to have low levels of income, larger families, low levels of education and low levels of English proficiency, while skilled migrants tend to experience better health, education and employment than the general Australian population.