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Filipinos In Australia
Large scale migration of Filipinos to Australia commenced in the 1970s after the end of the infamous “White Australia Policy” with the majority of Filipinos arriving in the 1980s peaking between 1987-1988. In the 1990s, settler arrivals began to decline and the growth in the Philippines-born population slowed. The 1991 Census recorded 73,673 living in Australia.
The last Census in 2001 recorded 103,990 Philippines-born persons in Australia, an increase of 12% from the 1996 Census.
History of Filipino Migration
There were approximately 700 Philippines-born persons in Australia at the turn of the century, mainly in Western Australia and Queensland. The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 led to the introduction of policies excluding non-Europeans from entry to Australia (colloquially known as the 'White Australia Policy'). This resulted in a significant decrease in the number of Philippines-born settlers in Australia.
The number of Filipinos was down to 141 at the time of the 1947 Australian Census, and it was not until the 1950s that the population began to increase. Significant numbers of Filipino students were allowed entry to Australia under the Colombo Plan and many chose to stay after graduation.
The immigration policy reform of 1966 allowed well-qualified non-Europeans to immigrate to Australia. In 1972 there were two events that led to a rapid growth in the Philippines-born population in the following two decades.
The first was the end of the so called “White Australia Policy” which finally allowed normal Filipino migration to Australia. The declaration of Martial law in the Philippines in the same year resulted in an exodus of Filipinos.
Some Interesting Census Facts
During the 1970s and early 1980s , many Filipino women migrated as spouses of Australian residents resulting in a disproportionate number of Filipino females to males. This imbalance is still seen in the Philippine-born demography which in the 2001 census recorded 35,840 males (34.5%) and 68,150 females (65.5%). The sex ratio being 52.6 males per 100 females.
The Filipino population approximately doubled every Census (every 5 years) between 1966 and 1991, making it one of the fastest growing overseas-born populations in Australia.
The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed New South Wales had the largest number with 52,240 followed by Victoria (22,500), Queensland (15,450) and Western Australia (5,400).
In the 2001 census 75,160 Philippines-born residents spoke a language other than English at home. 95.3% of these spoke English very well or well and 3.4% spoke English not well or not at all. The main languages spoken at home by Philippines-born people in Australia were Tagalog (Filipino) (66.7%), English (27.4%), and Spanish (0.8%).
The 2001 Census reported the major religions amongst Philippines-born were Western Catholic (84,260 persons), Baptist (2,410 persons) and Churches Of Christ (1,550 persons). Of the Philippines-born, 1.4% stated 'No Religion'.
The 2001 Census reported the median age of the Philippines-born in 2001 was 38.2 years.
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