Melbourne: Indian migrants will be one of
the largest communities in this country in the next 15 years
when Australia-born families will become a minority group, a
media report said on Sunday citing statistics from a consulting
firm.
Outnumbered by a surging wave of migrants from Europe
and Asia, especially from India and China, Australians will
become a minority group in their own country within 15 years,
Australia-based `Daily Telegraph` reported quoting figures
from demographic consultants Macroplan Australia.
It said most migrants came from Britain (14.2 per
cent), followed by New Zealand (11.4 per cent), India (11.2),
China (10.5) South Africa (5.3) and the Philippines (4.1).
"Figures from Macroplan Australia show record overseas
migration and an ageing population mean migrant families will
overtake the number of locally born residents by 2025 - far
sooner than previously imagined," the newspaper reported.
According to 2006 census data, 40 per cent of
Australia`s population was either born overseas or had at
least one parent who was born abroad. With the current
immigration levels that proportion will jump to over 50 per
cent by 2025.
The newly-appointed first Population Minister Tony
Burke now faces the task of managing the influx of migrants,
which is expected to swell the population from 22 million
today to 36 million by 2050.
In a survey of 3,000 people conducted after Burke was
sworn in, 70 per cent of Australians said they do not want a
bigger population. Fewer than a quarter favoured immigration
as the main contributor.
But experts said a migrant majority will be healthy
for Australian culture and attitudes.
"It all adds to the cosmopolitan nature of modern
Australia," KPMG demographer Bernard Salt said.
"It means our views become less blinkered, and we
become more tolerant, confident, engaged, opportunistic and
optimistic because we are open to new ideas, not obsessed with
keeping things the same."
Macroplan Chief Executive Brian Haratsis said
Australians tended to "stare at our shoes and say we`re the
best in the world".
"While immigration needs to be managed with better
infrastructure, we also need high immigration for sound
economic reasons - if we don`t, we`ll all end up paying higher
taxes."
Bob Birrell, co-director of the Centre for Population
and Urban Research and reader in sociology at Monash
University, said the ratio of foreign-born residents was
already higher in Sydney and Melbourne because they were the
two most popular destinations for new arrivals.
"We`re getting lots more Indian and Chinese immigrants
coming to study, but many of those will end up settling here,"
Birrell said.
The Federal Government estimates that cutting
immigration from 280,000 to its target of 180,000 will result
in a population of 36 million by 2050.
But it also means the number of working taxpayers will
halve in relation to the number of people aged over 65. Salt
said there would be more Iraqi and Afghan migrants.
PTI
