People & Culture

Australians are a unique and culturally diverse mix of people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have inhabited Australia for around 60 000 years. The rest of Australia’s people are migrants, or descendants of migrants, who have arrived during the past two centuries from some 200 countries.

Australia’s cultural and artistic scene reflects the nation’s unique blend of established traditions and new influences. It is the product of an ancient landscape that is home to both the world’s oldest continuous cultural traditions and a rich mix of migrant cultures.

Cultural and linguistic diversity was a feature of Australian life before European settlement. It remains a defining feature of modern Australian society. Immigration to Australia 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 over 7 million in the 1940s. Most settlers were from a British background. After the Second World War, the Australian Government began a formal immigration program that has brought more than 6.5 million migrants to Australia, including more than 660,000 who have come under refugee or humanitarian programs.

Australia recognises, accepts and respects cultural diversity. There are few countries in the world where migrants have achieved the level of economic, political, social and cultural participation that they have in Australia. Foreign languages are taught in most mainstream Australian schools and universities, as well as in community ethnic schools, many of which are funded by the Australian Government.

While Australia is a predominantly Christian society, non-Christian religions have shown the biggest proportional increase in recent years, particularly Buddhism, Islam and Hindu.