One nation, many cultures

The all-time classic Crocodile Dundee has created an image of Australia as a place inhabited by laid-back bushrangers; a continent so remote that it hardly interferes with the real world. In fact, Australia is a fascinating melting pot of countless societies and nationalities, a place where the diversity of culture is accentuated and celebrated like nowhere else. The wealth of linguistic proficiency and intercultural skills make Australia a favorable business location for international organizations.

Text by Fern Chang Helena Rojas Dieter Runge

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One nation, many cultures

To understand the Australian society you need to take a look at a few facts and figures: In 1945 Australia was inhabited by no more than seven million people, i.e. a smaller population than New York City during the same year. Since then, 6.5 million migrants have settled in Australia, lifting the population to nearly 23 million today. Taking these figures into consideration it is not hard to believe that around 44 percent of Australians today are either born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas. Australia is made up of social and cultural influences of millions of migrants who have settled in Australia since World War II. These migrants have enriched almost every aspect of Australian life, from business to arts, from cooking to comedy, from science to sport.

A brief history of Australia's multicultural policies

Up until the1960s, Australia's approach to immigration ...