Sri Lankan Australian

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Sri Lankan Australian refers to people of Sri Lankan heritage living in Australia. This includes at least three ethnic groups in Australia: Sinhalese, Tamils and Burghers. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, there is no self-identifying "Sri Lankan Australian" group. Persons linked to Sri Lanka self-identify as mainly "Sinhalese Australian", "Tamil Australian" or "Burgher".

Recorded Sri Lankan immigration to Australia started in 1816, with the transportation of Drum Major William O'Dean (a Malay) and his wife Eve (a Sinhalese). Early immigrants from Ceylon were generally - unlike the O'Deans - absorbed into the Aborigine population. Under the 'White Australia' policy, immigration was negligible. It resumed after the Second World War primarily involving migration of Burghers, who fulfilled the then criteria of that they should be of predominantly European Ancestry and that their appearance should be European. Sri Lankan students undertook courses in Australia as part of the Colombo Plan prior to the formal dismantling of the White Australia Policy, and after 1973, Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim migration resumed.

The number of Sri Lankan Australians, including the second-generation, counted in 1996 was 64,068. However, the actual figure is likely to be far higher, (perhaps twice as much) since Burgher Australians generally return themselves as of Dutch ancestry and, as such, cannot be separated out from statistical totals for Dutch Australians. The same applies to Sri Lankan people of other European, Eurasian and Malay origin. A calculation of the make-up of the Sri Lankan Australian population in 1991 estimated that Burghers were 47.9%, Sinhalese 26.2%, Tamils 18.7% and Muslims 7.2%.

The census recorded 53,610 Sri Lanka-born in Australia, of which 36,410 gave their ethnicity as Sinhalese, 4,150 as Tamil, and 1,690 as Dutch (i.e., Burgher).

Sinhalese Australian is the twenty-first largest ethnic group in Australia, numbering 58,602 or 0.3 % of respondents in the 2001 Census. According to census data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2004, Sinhalese Australians are, by religion, 29.7 % Catholic, 8.0 % Anglican, 9.9 Other Christian, 46.9 % Other Religions (mainly Buddhist), and 5.5 % No Religion.

Tamil Australian is a relatively small ethnic group in Australia, numbering 7,706 or less than 0.1 % of respondents in the 2001 Census. (This number also includes Tamils born in India and elsewhere). According to 1994 data, Tamil Australians are, by religion, 10.9 % Catholic, 4.1 % Anglican, 9.6 Other Christian, 73.1 % Other Religions (mainly Hindu), and 2.3 % No Religion.

Sinhalese Australians have an exceptionally low rate of return migration to Sri Lanka. In December 2001, the Department of Foreign Affairs estimated that there were 800 Australian citizens resident in Sri Lanka. It is unclear whether these were returning Sri Lankan emigrants with Australian citizenship, their Sri Lankan Australian children, or other Australians present on business or for some other reason.

The city of Melbourne contains the plurality of Sri Lankan Australians - just under half. Fewer than 20% are estimated to live outside New South Wales and Victoria.

The rate of assimilation among Sri Lankan Australians is fairly high: among second-generation immigrants, the 'in-marriage' rate was extremely low - 5.6% for brides and 3.0% for grooms.

Baddaginnie, Victoria is named for the Sinhala word for 'hungry'.

[edit] List of notable Sri Lankan Australians

Jamie Durie - Seven Network media personality
Hon Siva Pasupathy - Former Attorney General of Sri Lanka
Geoff Jansz - Nine Network TV chef
Yasmine Gooneratne - author
Cowdrey Zacky - IT Guru
Kamahl - singer and actor (born Malaysia)
Daniel Kerr Australian rules footballer
Roshan Mahanama - cricketer
Ernest MacIntyre - playwright
Keith Potger - musician
Dav Whatmore - coach of the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cricket teams
David de Kretzer - governer of Victoria
Michael Bevan - cricketer
Siri Gamage -academic,educator, writer andcommentator
Laksiri Jayasuriya, Emeritus Professor, UWA

[edit] References

[edit] Further Reading

Information about Sri Lankans in Australia can be obtained from following publications;

Gamage,S.'Curtains of culture,ethnicity, and class: changing composition of the Sri Lankan community in Australia, Journal of intercultural studies, vol 19(1),1998,pp.37-56.

Gamage, S.2001. Sinhalese in Australia, in The Australian people - An Encyclopedia of the nation, its people and their origins(ed) James Jupp, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press,Cambridge, pp,684-685.

Gamage, S.2002.Adaptation Experinces of Sri Lankan Immigrants and their Children in Australia in the Context of Multiultralism and Anglo-Conformity, in Annette Richardson and Michael Wyness(eds) Exploring Cultural Perspectives: Integration and Globalization, Inernational Cultural Research Network(ICRN) Press, Edmonton, pp.3-29.

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