Asians in Australia: Patterns of Migration and Settlement.

Abstract

Introduction to the issuesThe issue of Asian immigration has recently been the subject of significantnpublic debate in Australia, following remarks during the 1996 Australian electionnand subsequent comments by the now member for Oxley, Pauline Hanson.nWhile conceived before this debate began, this book aims to provide some ofnthe basic infoimation required for arational discussion about Asian immigration,ninformation which is clearly absent from much of the current public discourse.Large-scale permanent migration to Australia from Asian countries is anrelatively recent phenomenon. Following local opposition to the influx ofnmainly Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush in the second half of thennineteenth century, Australia chose to effectively close its doors on migrantsnfrom Asia for almost three-quarters of a century, through implementation ofnwhat has become known as the 'White Australia' policy. While there arenAustralians of Asian descent reaching back four or five generations, theirnnumbers are relatively small. It was not until Australia's acceptance ofnIndochinese refugees in the late 1970s and early 1980s that large numbers ofnAsians were allowed to settle permanently in Australia, although attitudesntowards Asian immigration have been less clear.The changes to Australia's immigration policies and programs in the laten1960s and early 1970s, intended to move Australia towards a non-raciallyndiscriminatory policy, were brought about with the support of the majority ofnthe Australian people. However, since the early 1980s, public opinion pollsnhave shown increasing opposition to current levels of immigration, believingnthem to be too high, even though they were in fact much lower than in thenimmediate postwar years.Why has this opposition to current immigration levels occurred? An opinionnpoll of over 2000 people, conducted by AGB McNair in June 1996, supportednwhat many commentators have been saying: that people connect immigrationnwith their own vulnerability in the workplace. Of the 65 per cent of respondentsnwho thought immigration levels were too high, almost three-quarters gavenunemployment as their main reason (Betts 1996:12). During the major periodnof high immigration levels, from the late 1940s through to the early 1970s,nAustralia had close to full employment. New migrants were not therefore seen as a threat to people's livelihoods. This has clearly changed.The poll did not show people to be specifically against Asian immigration.nSignificantly, only 7 per cent of respondents in the survey gave 'too manynAsians' as their main reason for opposition to the current level of immigration.nIn response to a further question in the same poll, over three-quarters ofnrespondents (77 per cent) believed that Australia should have a nondiscriminatorynimmigration policy (Betts 1996:12). However, views on talkbacknradio following Pauline Hanson's maiden speech in September appear toncontradict the poll results. Which measure of public opinion is more accuratenis hard to say. There is certainly a level of public unease regarding the 'Asianisation' of Australian society. Nancy Viviani believes one reason fornthis is a deep-seated threat mentality among Australian, a fear that differencesnin 'race' pose a threat to Australian values, and a fear of military invasion fromnAsia (Viviani 1996: 7). Both of these positions have featured in the currentndebate, although the former has been more prominent. n n n n