Omari Gates
Australia has a complex history of race and identity. The term black in Australia is predominantly used to refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are the Indigenous Australians. However, there is also a small but growing population of African Australians, who have diverse backgrounds and experiences. The African Australian community includes immigrants from various regions in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as South Sudan, Ghana, and Mauritius, as well as descendants of convicts transported during the colonial era and the descendants of settlers. While there are some negative reports of racism and prejudice towards both Indigenous Australians and African Australians, others have found Australia to be more progressive and welcoming than their home countries.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of African-Australians | Nearly 380,000 |
| Percentage of African-Australians in the total population | 1.3% |
| Percentage of African-Australians in custody in Victoria | 19% |
| Percentage of African-Australians in the overall population in Victoria | <0.5% |
| Countries of origin | Ghana, South Sudan, Mauritius, South Africa, the UK, the US, etc. |
| Perception of black people in Australia | Aboriginal/Indigenous |
| Racism in Australia | Exists, but not as bad as in America |
| Minimum wage in Australia | $19/hr |
| Healthcare in Australia | Free Medicare |
| Gun violence in Australia | Not as prevalent as in America |
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What You'll Learn
- Black people in Australia face racism and racialised moral panic
- African Australians are a recent phenomenon, with Europe and Asia being traditional sources of migration
- Black Americans in Australia are viewed as exotic
- Aboriginal Australians are often questioned or denied their Aboriginality and blackness
- Australia's history of slavery and colourism
Black people in Australia face racism and racialised moral panic
Australia has a long history of official and unofficial racism towards black people, reflected in the White Australia policy, in effect from 1901 until the 1970s, which prohibited the immigration of black Africans, among other non-white groups. Racism against various ethnic or minority groups has existed in Australia since British colonisation. Throughout Australian history, Indigenous peoples have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms, suffering genocide, forced removals, massacres, and continued discrimination.
The prejudices prevalent against African Australians gave rise to a moral panic between 2016 and 2018. During this period, members of the Coalition government and the right-wing press focused on an alleged "African gang problem" in Melbourne, despite repeated denials that any such gangs existed by senior police officers, members of the Sudanese-Australian community, and the Victorian government. This media attention was immediately focused on people of African origin, despite the participation of people of various ethnicities, due to racism in the Australian media and population. Newspapers amplified any criminal activity committed, or alleged to be committed, by people of African origin, routinely publishing and focusing on the ethnicity of alleged offenders. This generated further comments from politicians, pressure on the police to take harsh action, and led to fear among white Australians, fuelling the moral panic. The participants reported an increase in racial abuse towards them in public spaces and that individuals with racist views were emboldened to express them, as they felt legitimised and normalised by the media's racialised language.
Current academic literature has highlighted frequent experiences of discrimination, criminalisation, and racialisation shaping the interactions of black-African Australians with majority society. A strong negative association between Africanness and criminality exists in Australian culture, reflected in the media's presentation of the events in Melbourne. The 2016 Challenging Racism Project found negative attitudes towards black people were common in Australia. 21% of respondents felt that African refugees increased crime in Australia, and 16.1% stated they felt "very negative or somewhat negative" towards African Australians. International Studies scholar Mandisi Majavu identifies a tendency to identify African Australian men as "towering seven feet 'brutes'" associated with "backwardness, primitiveness, danger and crime".
Life courses of refugee-background African youth are different from those of other economic migrant Africans. Experiences of forcible displacement mean that refugees face unique intersectional disadvantages. The 'crime gangs' narrative positions African youth as a threat to the security and wellbeing of Australian society. This has been accompanied by Islamophobic rhetoric emerging in the war on terror, where Muslims are racialised as others who are dangerous for Australian society, and incidents of criminality are viewed by the media as potential indications of Islamic extremism.
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African Australians are a recent phenomenon, with Europe and Asia being traditional sources of migration
African Australians are Australians descended from peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa, including naturalised Australians who are immigrants from various regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and descendants of such immigrants. At the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses categorised within Sub-Saharan African ancestral groups as a proportion of the total population amounted to 1.3%. However, it is important to note that Australian official statistics are based on country of origin, not race; hence, African immigrants of European descent (e.g. White South Africans) and their descendants are included as African Australians.
Large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is a recent phenomenon, with Europe and Asia traditionally being the largest sources of migration to the country. African Australians come from diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, educational, and employment backgrounds. There were small populations of African Americans in cities like Sydney and Melbourne as early as the late 19th century, with some emigrating around the time of the American Civil War and others arriving as sailors due to Australia's position on major shipping routes between Asia and the West. Additionally, British Africans and African Americans were among those transported as convicts during this period.
While there is no historical connection between the African continent and Australia, and there were virtually no people of black African descent in the country prior to about 30 years ago, there is evidence of earlier African presence in Australia. For example, coins minted by the Tanzanian medieval kingdom of Kilwa Sultanate have been found on the Wessel Islands, and they are the oldest foreign artefacts ever discovered in Australia. Following the 1823 Demerara Slave Rebellion in British Guiana, several hundred enslaved Africans who participated in the rebellion were deported to Queensland, Australia.
The term "Black" in Australia typically refers to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and there is a complex relationship between African Australians and Indigenous Australians. While some sources distinguish between these groups, others highlight the long histories of African/Indigenous relationships both inside and outside Australia. Additionally, in official records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people of African descent and Indigenous Australians were often referred to as "black", leading to some ambiguity in historical designations.
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Black Americans in Australia are viewed as exotic
Black Americans in Australia stand out because of their accent, dress, and mannerisms. One Black American expat in Australia noted that they had to educate people about Afro-Latinos and how Spain forced Africans into slavery, as many people in the Caribbean and South America have similar physical features to them.
Historically, there has been a small population of Black Americans in cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Some emigrated around the time of the American Civil War, while others ended up in Australia after working as sailors due to its convenient port location in major shipping routes between Asia and the West. There were also British Africans and Black Americans among those transported as convicts to Australia.
While Australia has its issues, some Black Americans have reported that it is still lightyears ahead of America in terms of how the country deals with its Indigenous Black population. For example, some Indigenous Australians receive reparations, and there is a minimum wage of $19/hour and free Medicare for all. Additionally, there is less of a fear of being pulled over by the police just for being Black.
However, it is important to note that the term "Black" in Australia usually refers to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, and there is a small number of recent African immigrants. As such, some Black American women in Australia have reported difficulty finding makeup or foundation to match their skin tone.
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Aboriginal Australians are often questioned or denied their Aboriginality and blackness
The term "Black" in Australia is usually used in reference to Aboriginal Australians or Indigenous Australians. There is a small number of recent African immigrants, but there is no historical connection between the African continent and Australia. Thus, prior to about 30 years ago, there were nearly zero people of Black African descent in the country.
Historically, Aboriginal Australians have been subjected to racism and discrimination. From 1910 to the 1940s, white people classified Indigenous people into castes, with "full-blood" being a person who had no white blood. These "one-dimensional models of Aboriginality" were used to categorize Aboriginal people to determine if they were allowed or denied certain benefits. Today, these terms are considered offensive and racist.
Even in the present, Aboriginal Australians continue to face racism and discrimination. A study conducted in the Australian state of Victoria found that racism is a key determinant of the health of Indigenous Australians, explaining the gap in health and socioeconomic outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The study also revealed that 17% of Indigenous Victorians reported experiencing racism in the previous 12 months, although this is believed to be an underestimate of the true prevalence.
Furthermore, Aboriginal Australians are often questioned or denied their Aboriginality and blackness due to their physical appearance. One individual with blonde hair and blue eyes identifies as Aboriginal despite not "looking" Indigenous. They share that they grew up in a rural town where their Aboriginality and blackness were sometimes questioned, denied, or accepted. They note that many non-Indigenous people in large urban areas have never met an Aborigine and are stunned when they identify as Aboriginal or black.
The struggle to define who is Aboriginal stems from the mixing of white people and Aboriginal people. This has resulted in various derogatory terms to describe Aboriginal people based on their level of assimilation into white culture. For example, "coconuts" refer to Aboriginal people who are considered to have become white on the inside, while "flash blacks" refer to well-educated or high-achieving Aboriginal individuals. These terms reflect the complex dynamics surrounding Aboriginal identity and the ongoing challenges faced by Aboriginal Australians in having their Aboriginality and blackness recognized and accepted.
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Australia's history of slavery and colourism
Australia has a long and complex history of slavery and colourism. While the assertion that slavery occurred in Australia during colonial times is often disputed, there is evidence that it existed in various forms from colonisation in 1788 to the present day. European settlement relied heavily on convicts, who were sent to Australia as punishment for crimes and forced into labour, often being leased to private individuals. There were also records of Black convicts in the First Fleet in 1788, including an African Australian who oversaw British convicts, becoming a "black master with white slaves".
Slavery in Australia also took the form of the blackbirding of Indigenous Australians and Pacific Islanders, who were forced to work in the pearling, sugar cane, and cattle industries, as well as in pastoral ventures. This practice continued well after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, with politician and entrepreneur Benjamin Boyd engaging in the illegal blackbirding of 119 Islanders in 1847, over a decade after slavery was abolished. Additionally, Aboriginal labour was often unpaid, with wages being redirected by government bureaucracies, and the workers subjected to slave-like conditions. This system of ""economic slavery"" persisted until the mid-1970s.
The wealth generated from slavery helped finance the colonisation of Australia, particularly in South Australia and Victoria. The beneficiaries of slavery practised overseas also came to the Australian colonies or financed their settlement. This history of slavery and colourism has had lasting impacts on Indigenous Australians and people of colour in the country, with ongoing discrimination, marginalisation, and erasure of Indigenous peoples.
In terms of the modern-day perception of black people in Australia, the term "Black" typically refers to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. There is a small population of African Australians, but there is no significant historical connection between the African continent and Australia. Black Americans in Australia have reported being viewed as exotic due to their accent, dress, and mannerisms, and have faced challenges such as a lack of makeup shades matching their skin tone.
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Frequently asked questions
Black Australians are a diverse group. They can be Aboriginal Australians, African Australians, or Black people who have immigrated from other white-majority countries such as the UK or the US.
There is a long history of Black people in Australia, dating back to the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, which included Black convicts. During the 19th century, there were small populations of African Americans in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, and some African Australians arrived as convicts or prospectors during this period. Large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is, however, a recent phenomenon.
Experiences vary. Black-American expats in Australia have reported being viewed as exotic due to their accent and manner of dress. On the other hand, Black people in Melbourne have reported high levels of targeting by police, and African Australians have faced negative media portrayals and racial profiling.
