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Spring 1999 cover

National Observer Home > No. 42 - Spring 1999 > Book Review

The Asianisation of Australia?

Some Facts about the Myths

by Laksiri Jayasuriya and Kee Pookong

Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1999, pp. 111 and index.

Emeritus Professor Jayasuriya recently retired from the University of Western Australia, and Professor Kee Pookong is Director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Victoria University of Technology.

This book contains forewords by Mr. Malcolm Fraser and by Mr. Don Dunstan, and it is unashamedly directed to justify Asian immigration. The authors are clearly intent upon presenting a case in favour of such immigration, and they do not by any means present all relevent ranges of opinions.

Nonetheless the authors set out some interesting statistics. Thus as to rates of "in-marriages of second generation" (that is, of second-generation marriage with persons one of whose parents had the same country of origin), the rates recently ranged from 62% (for Lebanese and Greeks), 48% (for Italians), 25% (for Chinese), 18% (for English) to 4% (for Germans) and 2% (for Austrians, South Africans and Indonesians).

These rates are to be treated with caution, since for example many ethnic Chinese may have married children of Chinese born in Australia.

Statistics as to English language proficiency by country of birth are also of interest. At one extreme, many Cambodians (48%), Chinese and Vietnamese (44%) and Koreans (37%) speak little or no English, as against Chileans and Indonesians (19%) and Germans and Dutch (approximately 1.5%). But Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians (99%) and Chinese (96%) have been prompt to acquire Australian citizenship.

Statistics as to religion indicate that amongst immigrants the highest proportion of Muslims is from Indonesia (16%), and of Hindus, from India (27%), and of Buddhists, from Cambodia (63%) and Vietnam (41%).

Unexpectedly, as to health, Asian immigrants have a life expectancy approximately three years greater than that of persons born in Australia. However, the imprisonment rate for Vietnamese is 226 per hundred thousand, as opposed to 98 for persons born in Australia and 55 for those born in other parts of Asia. But in terms of occupation, professionals constitute 22% of Asians but only 17% of those born in Australia. More Chinese (34%) than Italians or Greeks (30%) are in high-status occupations, but fewer Vietnamese (23%). Conversely, the proportion of unemployment is higher for Vietnamese (22%) than for Chinese (13%).

The Asianisation of Australia? adds to the politically-correct literature which attacks as "racist" and reprehensible the making of distinctions between would-be immigrants based on their countries of origin. But what, after all, is undeniable or even inexceptional in taking such matters into account? Questions of race and religion are taken into account in similar circumstances by the great majority of countries, such as the countries of Asia, Europe and America. Indeed, what other countries do not in some way?

Nor is it inappropriate that countries should be allowed to maintain their historical cultures. Each nation has its own traditions and culture, and there seems nothing undesirable in wishing to retain them, instead of being overborne by large immigrations of disparate and perhaps culturally hostile groups. What indeed are the precise motivations of the somewhat vociferous groups in Australia who criticise those Australians who wish to maintain their traditional culture?

For Australia there is also a special question of defence. On the one hand, it is clearly desirable for Australia's security that our population be much increased. But on the other hand, the acceptance of large numbers of ethnic Chinese, for example, may present security difficulties in future decades. China, despite its claimed heritage of civilisation, has proved to be most uncivilised in fact. The Chinese have behaved barbarously in terms of liquidating many millions for real or spurious political reasons and in systematic forced abortions. It is not clear how far Chinese territorial ambitions extend or to what extent the Chinese will come to regard themselves as entitled to prescribe policies for South-East Asian countries. Further, the presence of a large Chinese minority in Australia might be perceived by Communist China or a successor as a reason for interfering in Australian affairs. These are serious matters, and should not be disregarded at the behest of political correctness.

R. M. Pearce


National Observer No. 42 - Spring 1999