Lyla Lindsey
Australia's history of colonisation by Europeans and proximity to Asia have resulted in a predominantly Caucasian population, with a significant Asian minority. However, the presence of black people in Australia is a more complex issue. While there is not a large visible population of African descent, the term 'Black' or 'Blak' is often used to refer to Indigenous Australians.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of African Australians in Victoria | 0.5% |
| Percentage of South Sudanese Australians in Victoria | 0.14% |
| Percentage of African Australians in the 2021 census | 1.3% |
| Percentage of African Australians in custody in Victoria | 19% |
| Percentage of crime committed by South Sudanese Australians in Melbourne | 1% |
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What You'll Learn
African Australians make up 1.3% of the population
Australia's population is predominantly Caucasian due to its historical colonisation by Europeans. The country has also traditionally received most of its immigrants from Europe and Asia. However, in recent years, Australia has become an attractive destination for students and workers from all over the world, leading to a slow but steady increase in its population.
African Australians constitute a small but significant minority in the country. According to the 2021 census, 1.3% of Australians reported having Sub-Saharan African ancestry. This includes naturalised Australians who are immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and their descendants. It is important to note that Australian official statistics are based on country of origin rather than race. As a result, African immigrants of European descent (such as White South Africans) and their descendants are also classified as African Australians.
The African Australian community is diverse, with a range of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, educational, and employment backgrounds. While there may have been small populations of African Americans in cities like Sydney and Melbourne in the late 19th century, large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is a recent phenomenon. This is partly because Australia did not have the same involvement in the transatlantic slave trade as countries in North America, so it lacks a long-established population of African descendants.
Despite their small numbers, African Australians, particularly those of South Sudanese descent, have faced issues such as racial profiling and overrepresentation in crime statistics. In 2018, there were concerns about the presence of "South Sudanese gangs" in Melbourne, which led to a racialised debate and fears among the black community of being targeted by law enforcement. However, criminologists and police commissioners have refuted the existence of organised "African gangs", attributing the youth criminality episodes to a "racialised moral panic".
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There is widespread racism against Africans in Australia
Australia has a long history of official and unofficial racism towards Black Africans. In 2018, a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission stated that "the five groups that experienced the highest level of racial discrimination were those born in South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia and those who identified as Indigenous." Large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is a recent phenomenon, and African Australians come from diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, educational, and employment backgrounds. According to 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%.
African Australians suffer a high degree of racial discrimination, with a strong negative association between Africanness and criminality existing in Australian culture. This was reflected in the media's portrayal of events in Melbourne, where a moral panic surrounding the existence of "African gangs" took place between 2016 and 2018. During this period, members of the Coalition government and the right-wing press focused continuous attention on an alleged "African gang problem" in Melbourne, despite repeated denials of the existence of such gangs by senior police officers, members of the Sudanese Australian community, and the Victorian government. The Australian Police Accountability Project found that journalists tend to cover stories involving crimes with a black suspect or perpetrator and a white victim, and these stories are more prominent and use more racialised language than typical crime reporting. For example, black youth are more likely to be described as a 'gang' than a group of white youth.
Racism at work also contributes to social disadvantage and disengagement. A study of the ACT South Sudanese community revealed that 42% of participants had tertiary qualifications, yet 96% were seeking employment. Many were unemployed or underemployed, working in casual and part-time jobs despite their qualifications. The study also revealed that 89% of the participants experienced racism during the job search process, including discrimination based on race, skin colour, accent, and name. This helps explain the higher unemployment rate in the Australian South Sudanese community (28.6%) compared to the national average of 5.7%.
African Australian youth are also over-represented in the criminal justice system. In 2021, it was reported that African Australians, predominantly of South Sudanese descent, comprised 19% of young people in custody in Victoria, despite making up less than 0.5% of the overall population. A 2020 study in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology found that South Sudanese-born individuals were significantly overrepresented in "crimes against the person", such as robbery and assault. However, it is important to note that these statistics are not adjusted for the low average age of the South Sudanese-born population, which can account for their over-representation in crime data. Additionally, the Police Accountability Project states that when suburbs experience a 'baby boom', there tends to be a corresponding increase in youth crime in that area as young people engage in more risk-taking behaviour during their teenage years.
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Aboriginal Australians are referred to as 'Black' or 'Blak'
The percentage of the Australian population that is Black is difficult to determine, as Australian official statistics are based on country of origin, not race. People of African descent began migrating to Australia in large numbers much later than they did to the United States, so African Australians are a relatively new presence in the country. At the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses categorized within Sub-Saharan African ancestral groups as a proportion of the total population amounted to 1.3%. However, this number includes African immigrants of European descent and their descendants.
Aboriginal Australians, on the other hand, are the Indigenous people of Australia, and they have a long history in the country that predates colonization. The term "Black" or "Blak" has been used to refer to Aboriginal Australians, but this usage is complex and carries a history of negative connotations. Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use the term "Blackfella" among themselves, but it is generally considered offensive when used by non-Indigenous Australians.
The word "Blak" has been reclaimed by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and organizations as a positive term of self-identification. This reclamation is part of a broader movement to recognize the unique cultures and sovereignty of Australia's First Peoples. Other terms that are used to respectfully refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples include "First Australians" and "First Nations," which emphasize their status as the original inhabitants of the land.
It is worth noting that the adoption and adaptation of the American notion of "blackness" by Aboriginal civil rights activists have been little understood in the US. The diverse origins and experiences of blackness among peoples in the Global South further complicate this dynamic.
In conclusion, while it is challenging to determine the exact percentage of Australia's population that identifies as Black, the term "Black" or "Blak" when referring to Aboriginal Australians carries a complex history. The reclamation of these terms by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is an important aspect of recognizing their cultures and sovereignty.
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African Australians are overrepresented in crime statistics
According to the 2021 census, 1.3% of the Australian population is of Sub-Saharan African ancestry. This includes naturalised Australians who are immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and their descendants. Large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is a recent phenomenon, with Europe and Asia traditionally being the largest sources of migration to Australia.
There are several factors that may contribute to the overrepresentation of African Australians in crime statistics. One factor may be socio-economic and environmental risk factors that increase the likelihood of young people engaging in crime. Additionally, there is a concern that racial profiling by police may be a factor. In 2012, a group of young African Australians lodged a complaint of racial discrimination against the Victoria Police, alleging that they had been subject to ongoing racial profiling in the Melbourne suburbs of Flemington and North Melbourne between 2005 and 2009. In 2018, Victoria Police settled a separate racial profiling complaint lodged by members of the African community by agreeing to review its procedures. African Australian youth have also reported being targeted and harassed by police in public places because of their race.
Media coverage of crimes involving African Australians has also been criticized for being racially biased and for demonizing the African-Australian community. Studies have shown that when similar crimes are committed by black and white youths, the crimes involving black youths are more likely to be described as 'gang' activity and receive more prominent and sensationalized coverage. This has led to concerns about a ""racialized moral panic" and fears among the African Australian community that they will be targeted by police simply for congregating in public spaces.
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African migration to Australia is a recent phenomenon
Australia is a country that has welcomed millions of migrants from all over the world. The country's colonisation by Europeans is a significant reason why the majority of its population is Caucasian. In addition, Australia's proximity to Asia has resulted in a large Asian population.
African Australians have diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, educational, and employment backgrounds. The majority (72.6%) of African emigrants to Australia are from southern and eastern Africa. In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, some African immigrants arrived via humanitarian programs, mostly from Burundi, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Malawi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Others came through a family reunion migration stream, primarily from Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Uganda. A significant number of African migrants have also come to Australia through a skilled migration stream, mainly from Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In recent years, there has been a growing number of African communities in Australia. African people migrate to Australia for various reasons, including job opportunities and fleeing civil wars caused by race, religion, nationality, and membership in particular social or political groups. In the 2020 census, over 400,000 people living in Australia (1.6% of the population) recorded that they were of African origin. Of these, 58% were white South Africans, and 42% were black Africans from sub-Saharan countries.
African Australians face settlement challenges, with some individuals struggling to adjust to Australia's predominantly Anglo-Saxon culture. Widespread racism against Africans is not uncommon in Australia. There has been a highly racialised debate around so-called ""African gangs"" in Melbourne, with community leaders criticising the media for using "race to win votes and whip up hatred". Despite these challenges, Australia continues to attract migrants from Africa and other parts of the world with its beautiful landscape, work opportunities, and high quality of life.
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Frequently asked questions
According to the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses categorized within Sub-Saharan African ancestral groups as a proportion of the total population amounted to 1.3%.
The country's colonization by Europeans is a significant reason for the majority of its population being Caucasian. Large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is a recent phenomenon, with Europe and Asia traditionally being the largest sources of migration to Australia.
There is not much of a visible population of people of African descent in Australia. The term "Black" or "Blak" is used in reference to Indigenous Australians. However, in the late 19th century, there were small populations of African Americans in cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
Yes, widespread racism against black people is not uncommon in Australia. In 2018, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the supposed presence of South Sudanese gangs in Melbourne as a "real concern". This statement was criticized by community leaders and politicians as using "race to win votes and whip up hatred".
