Mauritian Australians

Mauritian Australians
Total population
Mauritian
23,280 (by birth, 2011 Census)[1]
28,045 (by ancestry, 2011 Census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Mauritius-born people by state or territory
Victoria 11,600
New South Wales 5,752
Western Australia 3,932
Queensland 1,476
Languages
French · English · Mauritian
Religion
Christianity · Hinduism · Islam · Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
African Australians

Mauritian Australians are Australians of Mauritian descent, or who were born on Mauritius. According to the 2011 Census, there were 28,045 people of Mauritian descent in Australia and 23,280 Mauritius-born people residing in the country at the moment of the census, having an increase of 28.1 per cent compared to the 2006 Census. The largest Mauritius-born community in Australia is in the state of Victoria, with 11,600 people.[1]

Mauritians are a rapidly growing migrant group having increased steadily over the past 30 years.

History

Migrants from Mauritius have a very long history in Australia. They have been arriving in Australia since before federation in 1901. They came as prospectors to Victoria's goldfields, convicts, or skilled sugar workers who significantly helped to develop Queensland's sugar industry.[2]

Cultural background

As Mauritius is a country with a multicultural and multiethnic society, Mauritians have different and diverse ethnic backgrounds. However, in the 2011 Census most Mauritius-born people living in Australia reported being of Mauritian descent (13,651), followed by those of French (4,536) and Chinese descent (2,057).

Mauritian Australians have a small presence in Australian popular culture, including in television.[3] Aisha in The Slap is a notable example, identified in the TV series adaptation as 'Mauritian-Australian'.[4] Havana Brown is a significant Australian musician of Mauritian background.

Language

The main languages spoken by Mauritius-born people in Australia were French (12,545), English (5,665) and Mauritian (2,654).[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Australian Government - Department of Immigration and Border Protection. "Mauritian Australians". Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  2. ↑ http://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/02_2014/mauritius.pdf
  3. ↑ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/a-real-actor/story-e6frg8n6-1226134318402
  4. ↑ http://meanjin.com.au/blog/post/q-a-with-christos-tsiolkas-about-the-the-slap-television-series/
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