Position:Home>History> Greek Australians?

Some 93% of Greeks who live in Australia state that they have Greek Orthodox affiliation!. Australian citizenship has been taken out by 95% of Greek-Australians with residence of 20 years and over, 87!.3% with residence between 10-19 years, and 61!.6% with residence between 3-9 years!.
In 1996 there were 14 elected members of Parliament of Greek descent in both the Federal and State Parliaments of Australia!. The Greeks in Australia are recognised as having contributed to Australia's multicultural society, taking a keen interest and involvement in the affairs of the country in which they live!. The majority of Greek-born living in Australia today speak Greek even in the workplace, especially the older Greek-born who seem to have limited competence in the use of English!.

The modern Greek language is one factor that has served to unite and define the Greek community in Australia!. The Greek language print media in Australia number today 53 publications, 30 of which are printed in Melbourne, 16 in Sydney, 5 in Adelaide and 2 in Canberra!. (The first Greek newspaper was printed in Melbourne in 1913!.) The language used in the media is 38% Greek and 62% a combination of Greek and English!. There is no publication by the Greek community printed entirely in English!. There are 29 Greek language radio programs; of these 86% of the program content is broadcast in Greek and 14% in English!. There are also two television programs in Greek, one by the Special Broadcasting Service (part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and one by a community channel!. Two television programs are also received directly from Greece, totalling 2 1/2 hours of daily broadcasting from Greece!.

The modern Greek language in Australia is taught through a range of programs at all levels of eduaction, from primary to tertiary!. It is taught at government schools and colleges, ethnic schools, including the Greek Orthodox schools and colleges, correspondence schools, Saturday schools of languages, Catholic and independent schools, private language centres and private tuition classes!. In the higher education system, Modern Greek courses have been available in the Tertiary and Further Education sector, and for the past 25 years, in Australia universities at undergraduate and postgraduate levels!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

The first Greek migrants to Australia were seven convict sailors convicted of piracy by a British naval court in 1829 and sent to serve out their terms in New South Wales!. Though eventually pardoned, two of the seven settled in the country!. Groups of Greeks first settled in significant numbers during the gold rushes of the 1850s!. The 1901 census recorded 878 Greek-born, but this must surely omit a few hundred other ethnic Greek migrants from the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere!. The expulsion of Greeks from Asia Minor in 1922-23 led to further Greek migration to Australia, primarily to New South Wales!. These Greeks are difficult to trace but the number of Greeks from Greece proper had risen to 12,291 by the time of the 1947 census!.

Greeks – alongside Italians – were one of the main groups targeted by Australian Government migration schemes in the 1950s and 1960s!. By 1971 there were 160,200 Greek-born persons in Australia, and smaller numbers from Cyprus and Egypt!. Today, just under half of the Greek-born (49!.6%) live in Victoria, with a further third in New South Wales (31!.7%)!. In comparison, only 24!.7% of Australians as a whole live in Victoria, underlining the density of the Greek presence there!.

Greek Australians have an exceptionally high rate of return migration to Greece!. In December 2001, the Department of Foreign Affairs estimated that there were 135,000 Australian citizens resident in Greece!. These must mostly be returned Greek emigrants with Australian citizenship, and their Greek Australian children!.

According to census data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2004, Greek Australians are mainly Greek Orthodox (Eastern Orthodox Church) by religion!. Smaller minorities include 5!.2% Catholic, 2!.9% Anglican, 1!.3% Other Religions, and 7!.1% No Religion!.

In 2001, the Greek language was spoken at home by 263,717 persons in Australia!. Greek is the fourth most widely spoken language in the country after English, the Chinese languages, and Italian!. 50!.9% of Greek speakers in Australia were born there, tWww@QuestionHome@Com

---

---