Immigration to Australia
Experts estimate that approximately 50,000 years ago, ancestors of the Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent by means of Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. Europeans followed, arriving in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Britain, needing a new penal colony to alleviate the burden on its overcrowded prisons, set sail for Australia in 1787, 11 ships with approximately 1,350 convicts. On January 26, 1788, the ships landed at Sydney Cove. This date is now celebrated by some as Australia Day, while some Aboriginal people and supporters regard it as “Invasion Day.” The new colony was proclaimed as the Colony of New South Wales on February 7, 1788.
The Colony of New South Wales began to grow rapidly in 1815; as settlers arrived from Britain and Ireland, lands were opened for farming. The voyage by sea was long and perilous, but settlers were drawn by the prospect of a new life on virtually free land. Many settlers, known as squatters, occupied land...
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Suggested Readings
Chappell, L., Chesterman, J., & Hill, L. (2009). The politics of human rights in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
Hugo, G., Rudd, D., & Harris, K. (2001). Emigration from Australia, economic implications. Melbourne, Australia: CEDA.
Madison, S., & Denniss, R. (2009). An introduction to Australian public policy: Theory and practice. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
Suggested Resources
For information from the Australian Government: Department of Health and Aging: http://www.health.gov.au/
For information on Emigration from Australia: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/05emigration.htm
For information on Living in Australia: http://www.immi.gov.au/
For information on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: http://www.aihw.gov.au/
For information on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: http://www.unhcr.org
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Ober, S.K., Sharpton, A.N. (2012). Australia. In: Loue, S., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0_61
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