Austrian Australian

Austrian Australian
Total population
Austrian
17,010 (by birth, 2011)
42,341 (by ancestry, 2011)[1]
Regions with significant populations
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Languages
English (Australian) · Austrian German
Religion
Christianity · Irreligion

An Austrian Australian is an Australian citizen who is of Austrian national origin or ancestry, or a permanent resident of Australia who has migrated from Austria. There are thousands of Austrian Australians, with many tracing their history to ancestors who arrived in the gold rush during the 1850s. Others came in the aftermath of World War I; during the war, non-naturalised Austro-Hungarians in Australia were interned. The 1920 Immigration Act prevented the arrival of more Austrians, and by 1933 just 286 Austria-born people were present in Victoria alone.[2]

In World War II, and following the Nazi take-over of Austria, a sizeable number of Austrian Jews (not to be confused with ethnic Austrians) fled towards Australia. By 1942, there were over 2,000 Austrian Jews throughout the country. The number of Austrians living in the state of Victoria peaked in the 1960s at 8,615, then declined in the decades to come. As of 2006, a total of 4,913 Austrian-born Victorians were recorded.

In terms of religion, most are Roman Catholic, followed by Irreligion.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The People of Australia – Statistics from the 2011 Census" (PDF). Australian Government.
  2. ↑ History of immigration from Austria