Australia’s Indian diaspora is booming — and growing deeply fractured, says report

India has overtaken the
United Kingdom as the top country of origin of those living in
Australia. The change is considered significant since this was the first time in the country’s history that a non-British-origin migrant group has become the largest diaspora. The figures were released by The Interpreter, reflecting Australia’s multicultural fabric’s evolution.

However, the report highlighted that this change in demographics has brought challenges. The rise of Anti-immigration movements in Australia, with demonstrations such as “March for Australia”, reflects the fact that the
Indian diaspora continues to face real barriers to full acceptance within the country.

The report highlighted that analysing the Indian diaspora’s participation and level of trust in public life remains unexplored. For the longest time, people focused on how much the multicultural diaspora earned and how well they integrated. But limited research has been done on their thought process or on how they engage.

2 problems in looking at the Indian diaspora

The analysts pointed out two problems in having a bird’s-eye view of the Indian diaspora:

1. The Indian diaspora is framed as an economically successful model minority

2. The other end of the view is that Indian Australians are viewed as surplus actors slipping through the cracks in the immigration system.

Neither of these two perspectives reflects the full story or fully captures the demography. Instead of this, the Interpreter reports suggested that the Indian diaspora must be understood as a diverse cohort “whose internal stratifications – stemming from class, caste, language, religion, residency pathways, and generational identities – shape its members’ experience in distinct ways.”

For instance, the experience of a temporary visa-holder navigating cost-of-living pressures is not the same as that of a permanent resident or even that of an Australian-born Indian origin person. Interestingly, this diversion also extends to their political views, media consumption habits and the processes through which they cultivate and maintain trust in Australian institutions.

In recent years, the Indian diaspora has been facing the challenge of anti-immigration sentiments, reflecting how the same community once celebrated for its economic contributions has been recast as a perpetual cultural outsider.

The reports emphasised that the thorough study of the diaspora is also instrumental for the betterment of the India-Australia relationship.