THE REAL STORY : THE AUSTRALIAN DIASPORA, ITS

SIZE, NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE

byGraeme Hugo

Federation FellowProfessor of Geography and

Director of the National Centre for Social Applications of GISThe University of Adelaide

Presentation to Advance : Global Australian Professionals, Board Room, Australian Mission to the United Nations, New York

3rd May 2006

Outline of Presentation• Introduction

• What is a Diaspora?

• Measuring Australia’s Diaspora

• The Scale of the Diaspora

• Who are the Diaspora?

• What Linkages do they Maintain with Australia

• The Significance of Diaspora

• Policy

• Conclusion

Traditional concepts of the diaspora

refer to expatriate communities,

often in exile and tightly connected

by tight bonds of a common religion,

ethnicity and/or nationality.

Four Defining Criteria of the Modern Diaspora

Source: Butler 2001, 192

• Scattering of two or more destinations

• Relationship with an actual or imagined homeland

• Common group identity

• Existence across two generations

The New International Migration

• Increasing scale and diversity

• Now involves most nations – globalisation, internationalisation

• Increasing circulation Vs settlement

• Increasing transnationalism

• High degree of selectivity, bifurcation

• The brain drain phenomenon, brain circulation

What is the National Population?

Diagrammatic Representation of a National Population

National Diasporas in Relation to Resident National Populations

Source: US Census Bureau, 2002a and b; Southern Cross, 2002; Bedford, 2001; Ministry of External Affairs, India, http://indiandiaspora.nic.in; Naseem, 1998; Sahoo, 2002; Iguchi, 2004; Gutièrrez, 1999; Dimzon, 2005; Asian Migration

News, 15-31 January 2006; OECD

USA: 7 million – 2.5 percent of national population

Australia: 900,000 – 4.3 percent of national population

New Zealand: 850,000 – 21.9 percent of national population

Philippines: 7.5 million – 9.0 percent of national population

India: 20 million – 1.9 percent of national population

Pakistan: 4 million – 2.8 percent of national population

China: 30 to 40 million – 2.9 percent of national population

Japan: 873,641 – 0.7 percent of national population

Mexico: 19 million* – 19 percent of national population

Singapore 100-150,000 – 3.5 percent of national population

Niue 5,884 – 294.2 percent of national population

Tokelau 2,019 – 138.5 percent of national population

Samoa 78,253 – 44.5 percent of national population

Fiji 128,284 – 15.8 percent of national population * Mexican diaspora in the U.S.

Expatriates as a Percentage of all Native-born, OECD Countries

Source: Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 10

Diaspora and Development

• Reports by World Bank, Asia Development Bank, DIFD, IOM, etc.

• Positive effects of emigration on destination areas especially Less Developed Nations.

• Remittances USBillion $130 (300)

• Return Migration

• Investment

• Beachheads

• Networks

Australia: A Country of Immigration

• 23 percent born overseas

• One fifth Australia-born with an overseas-born parent(s)

• 590,566 persons temporarily present at 30/6/04

• 289,300 with the right to work

• 345,761 given temporary residence in 2002-03

• 111,590 incoming permanent settlers in 2003-04

Measuring Diaspora

• Stocks

• Flows

Measuring the Diaspora : Flows

• Emigration Data

• Not collected by most nations

• Differentiating permanent, long term and short term

Permanent Departures of Australia-Born and Overseas-Born Persons from Australia, 1959-60 to 2004-05

Source: DIMIA, Australian Immigration Consolidated Statistics and Immigration Update, various issues; DIMIA unpublished data

Australian Resident Long Term Departures from Australia, 1959-60 to 2004-05 Source: DIMIA, Australian Immigration Consolidated Statistics and Immigration Update, various issues; DIMIA unpublished data

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

19

59

-60

19

62

-63

19

65

-66

19

68

-69

19

71

-72

19

74

-75

19

77

-78

19

80

-81

19

83

-84

19

86

-87

19

89

-90

19

92

-93

19

95

-96

19

98

-99

20

01

-02

20

04

-05

Year

Nu

mb

er

Overseas-bornAustralia-born

010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,00080,00090,000

100,000

1959

-60

1962

-63

1965

-66

1968

-69

1971

-72

1974

-75

1977

-78

1980

-81

1983

-84

1986

-87

1989

-90

1992

-93

1995

-96

1998

-99

2001

-02

2004

-05

Year

Num

ber

In 2004-05 there were

123,424 permanent settler arrivals

62,606 permanent departures

31,027 Australia-born permanent departures

303,496 long term arrivals

186,342 long term departures

91,635 Australian resident long term departures

Australia: Permanent Departures by Country of Intended Residence, 1993-94 to 2003-04

Source: DIMIA unpublished data

Country of Birth of Recent1 Immigrants to Australia, 2001

Source: ABS 2001 Census of Population and Housing

1. Country of birth of recent immigrants, overseas-born at 2001 census who arrived in Australia 1996 onwards

Country of Birth of Longstanding1 Immigrants to Australia, 2001

Source: ABS 2001 Census of Population and Housing

1. Country of birth of longstanding immigrants, overseas-born at 2001 census that arrived in Australia before 1996

Measuring the Diaspora : Stocks

• Difficult to establish

• Can use censuses of destinations

• Other sources

• Need for consideration of new methods

Limitations of Destination Censuses

• Some nations don’t have censuses

• Some censuses don’t identify migrants

• Some exclude non citizens

• Many migrants avoid censuses

• Excludes second and later generations

Australia-born Population Living in Foreign Nations Around 2001 and Counted in Population Censuses

Country Year Source Number

New Zealand 2001 Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Census 56,259

Japan 2001 OECD 2003 9,200a

Germany 2001 Federal Statistics Office, Germany 8,322

Austria 2001 Statistics Austria 1,686

Finland 2002 Statistics Finland 673

Thailand 2000 National Statistical Office, Thailand 1,400b

Hong Kong 2001 Commissioner for Census and Statistics, Hong Kong 6,251c

USA 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 75,314

Belgium 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 1,136

Canada 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 20,155

Switzerland 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 3,420

Czech Republic 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 230

Denmark 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 1,663

Spain 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 3,913

France 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 4,216

Great Britain 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 107,871

Greece 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 20,449

Hungary 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 258

Ireland 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 6,107

Luxembourg 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 96

Mexico 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 281

Netherlands 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 9,529

Norway 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 1,101

Poland 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 608

Portugal 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 1,192

Slovak Republic 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 52

Sweden 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 2,525

Turkey 2001 Dumont and Lemaitre 2005, 33 2,938

Indonesia 2002 Soeprobo 2004 2,279

Korea 2002 Park 2004 1,623

Total 350,747 a Population with Australian nationality b Australian citizens c Population with Australian/New Zealander ethnicity born outside of Hong Kong

Australian Citizens Living Abroad, 31 December 2001 Source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra

Number of Hits from Foreign Nations on the Australian Football League Website

Source: Australian Football League

Distribution of Australians in the United States, 2000Source: US Bureau of the Census

Characteristics of Diaspora - Demographic

• Young adults dominant

• Highly educated

• Highly skilled

• The “Best of the Best”

• Rite of passage VS Internationalisation of labour market

London: Age-Sex Structure of the Australia-born Population, 2001

Source: UK National Statistics Office

3,000 2,000 1,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000

05

101520253035404550556065707580859095

Age

Persons

Males Females

Australia: Permanent Departures by Occupation, 1997-98 to 2004-2005

Source: DIMIA unpublished data

Percent Percent

Australia

Born Overseas

Born Australia

Born Overseas

Born 1.Manager & Administrators 21,473 18,999 18.3 16.7 2.Professionals 50,860 38,655 43.4 33.9 3.Associate Professionals 10,839 13,901 9.3 12.2 4.Tradespersons 6,351 10,339 5.4 9.1 5.Advanced Clerical & Sales 5,191 3,447 4.4 3.0 6.Intermediate Clerical, Sales & Service 15,788 14,533 13.5 12.8 7.Intermediate Production & Transport 1,451 3,921 1.2 3.4 8.Elementary Clerical, Sales & Service 4,018 6,306 3.4 5.5 9. Labourers 1,091 3,770 0.9 3.3

Total 117,062 113,871 100.0 100.0

Australia: Age Sex Structures of Permanent Departures of the Australia-born, Permanent Arrivals and Australian Resident Long Term Departures, 2002-03

Source: DIMIA Movements Data Base

P e r m a n e n t D e p a r t u r e s o f t h e A u s t r a l i a - B o r n

1 2 1 0 8 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 1 0 1 2

0 - 4

1 0 - 1 4

2 0 - 2 4

3 0 - 3 4

4 0 - 4 4

5 0 - 5 4

6 0 - 6 4

Age g

roup

P e r c e n t a g e

M a l e s F e m a l e s

S e t t l e r A r r i v a l s

1 2 1 0 8 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 1 0 1 2

0 - 4

1 0 - 1 4

2 0 - 2 4

3 0 - 3 4

4 0 - 4 4

5 0 - 5 4

6 0 - 6 4

Age g

roup

P e r c e n t a g e

M a l e s F e m a l es

A u s t r a l i a n R e s i d e n t L o n g T e r m D e p a r t u r e s

1 5 1 0 5 0 5 1 0 1 5

0 - 4

1 0 - 1 4

2 0 - 2 4

3 0 - 3 4

4 0 - 4 4

5 0 - 5 4

6 0 - 6 4

Age g

roup

P e r c e n t a g e

M a l e s F e m a l e s

Survey of Expatriates

• A sample drawn from selected Australian university alumni lists indicating former students residing in foreign nations: 1,327 persons representing a 33.5 percent response rate.

• Responses to an open invitation to participate in the survey issued on the websites of a number of expatriate organisations: 745 persons responded.

Male and Female Respondents by Country of Residence Overseas

Source: Emigration Survey 2002

Selected Characteristics of Respondents by Major Destination Countries

Source: Emigration Survey 2002

Reasons Given for Emigration to USA and Canada (Percentage Indicating ‘Yes’ to a List of Specified

Reasons) Source: Emigration Survey 2002

Reasons Ranked by Popularity of Total Response USA and Canada

(n=819)

Better Employment Opportunities 45.8 Professional Development 38.6 Higher Income 35.4 Promotion/career Advancement 24.1 Lifestyle 16.2 Marriage/partnership 27.0 Overseas Job Transfer 23.4 Education/Study 19.7 Partner’s Employment 11.8 To be Close to Family/Friends 3.2 To Establish Business 2.6

Response to ‘Still Call Australia Home’ - Citizenship of Respondent

USA Source: Emigration Survey 2002

USA Still Call Australia Home

(n=51)

Yes 37.3 No 56.9 Undecided 5.9

Total 100.0

Intentions to Return to Australia to Live by Major Destination Country USA - Canada

Source: Emigration Survey 2002

Intention to Return USA-Canada

(n=819)

Yes 44.8 No 19.3 Undecided 35.9

Total 100.0

Reasons Given by Male and Female Respondents Who Stated That They Intended to Return to

Australia to Live (Percentage Indicating ‘Yes’ to a List of Specified Reasons)

Source: Emigration Survey 2002

Reasons for Intending to Return (Ranked by Popularity of Total Response)

Males (n=576)

Females (n=474)

Persons (n=1050)

Lifestyle 82.6 83.1 82.9 Family 68.4 75.3 71.5 Work 16.8 14.3 15.7 Education 8.9 10.3 9.5

Relationship with Homeland

• Myriad of networks, linkages

• Family, professional and media

• Revolution in information and communication

• Frequency of return

“When I open emails from loved ones, I hear the words read to me in their voices, their unique body gestures.”

“My heart aches because it is pulled and stretched across seas, across lands, to encompass births, deaths, marriages, first homes, losing a job, gaining a job, major successes, major setbacks. When the phone receiver is replaced I smile in a distant land.”

A. Azure 2003, 30

Development in Telecommunication and Information Technology

Persons Most Likely to Return

• Australian spouse

• In late 30s, early 40s

• Have, or intend to have, children

Emigration Survey: Percentage of Visits by Expatriates, Still Living in Country of First Move to

Australia by Time They Had Been Away Source: Emigration Survey 2002

Time away overseas One year or less 2-5 years 6-10 years 10+ years Total

No. of Visits % % % % % None 46.7 38.2 6.7 8.4 100.0 1-4 times 9.5 56.9 17.5 16.2 100.0 5-9 times 0.3 22.0 30.6 47.1 100.0 10-19 times 0.0 10.6 15.6 73.8 100.0 20 + times 0.0 4.3 10.9 84.8 100.0 Total 11.7 38.7 17.8 31.7 100.0 N=172 N=568 N=261 N=465 N=1,466

“It has really been since I have lived overseas that I have been more acutely aware of my sense of being Australian.”

Awareness of Group Identity

Identity as an Expatriate

• Development of formal and informal expatriate groups- originally single country eg Indonesia- also often partly business- increasingly web based and international

• Emergence of an Australian expatriate culture

“Perhaps my husband and I are slipping towards some expatriate no mans land outsiders not only in the country we have chosen to live in but our own country as well. We wonder if we will ever settle contentedly into Australia again, and fear we won’t. Perhaps we have entered, without even realising it, that strange state of exile where a memory of home is all we have left.”

Nikki Gemnell 2003

“Many expatriates are bitterly disappointed how Australians at home, and Australian governments, treat them - perhaps subconsciously – as traitors for having left. At the very least its usually out of sight, out of mind. The “tall poppy” syndrome may play a role, which we will never be able to measure. Expats are also punished – inadvertently perhaps – by the failure of Australian governments to properly consider the impact of laws and policies – in some cases the lack thereof – on Australians living abroad.”

A, McGregor 2003 19-20

“I have my husband and family now here in the USA but all the rest of my immediate family are in Australia – it will always be “home” but I also have a home here. I will never give up my Australian citizenship.”

 

“Being born raised and educated in Australia set the values by which I live today. Had my wife and I had children we would have returned to Australia for their education.”

Identification with Homeland

Development of Multiple Identity

“Dual nationality is important for expatriates as they don’t want to give up their Australian citizenship. Yet for business and other reasons being a citizen in the country they reside in is useful.”

“I have lived in England nearly 40 years but have kept my Australian citizenship.”

“We left Australia because in 1980-81, 2 PhDs in Physics in Adelaide had very little chance of getting reasonably equivalent jobs. We are still here because it is difficult to judge at a distance the costs and benefits of the return… I guess pragmatically we have emigrated but emotionally it feels more like an extended visit.”

Terms of Reference of Senate Inquiry

• the extent of the Australian diaspora;

• the variety of factors driving more Australians to live overseas;

• the costs, benefits and opportunities presented by the phenomenon;

• the needs and concerns of overseas Australians;

• the measures taken by other comparable countries to respond to the needs of their expatriates; and

• way in which Australia could better use its expatriates to promote our economic, social and cultural interests.

Recommendations of Senate Inquiry

1. Establish web portal providing information and services for expatriates.

2. Establish policy unit within DFAT to co-ordinate expatriate policies.

3. ABS, DIMIA and DFAT improve statistical collection in relation to expatriates.

4. Revise consular role for foreign missions to engage expatriate community.

Recommendations of Senate Inquiry (Cont.)

5. Online registration of local expatriates to register professional profiles.

6. Amend citizenship act to allow children of people who renounced or lost their citizenship to become citizens.

7. Conduct a Review of Citizenship Act 1948.

8. Continually review DIMIA website to provide more detailed information to expatriates.

Recommendations of Senate Inquiry(Cont.)

9. Provision of an international citizen information phone line.

10. Amend Commonwealth Electoral Act.

11. Web portal should have links to expatriate network websites.

12. NGOs (like universities) encouraged to pursue philanthropic contributions for expatriates.

Policy Issues

• Concern about “brain drain: - divided opinion

• How can we define Australia’s population?

• Need for recognition of Australians overseas in the mainstream of Australian life

• Measurers to “include” expatriates

• The potential of information technology

The Migration and Development Debate

• Concentrated on less developed countries

• The positive effects of emigration

- remittances- FDI- social remittances- bridgeheads- technology transfer- return migration

• Involvement of World Bank, USAID

A Lack of Evidence for Policy Making

To access on-line survey:

http://www.aisr.com.au/AustraliansinUS.asp