PEOPLE
PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
At the 1996 Census, 3.9 million people had been born overseas in one of over 200 countries. A further 3.8 million had one or both parents born overseas. There were 2.6 million people who spoke a language other than English at home. The 1996 Census classified 92 religious denominations as well as 282 major languages, including 170 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
CITIZENSHIP
The concept of Australian citizenship is less than 50 years old. Prior
to the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 (since renamed the Australian Citizenship Act
1948) coming into effect on Australia Day 1949, Australians were simply British subjects.
Between that day and June 1998, 3.2 million grants of citizenship were made.
In 1994, the Joint Standing Committee on Migration stated, “Citizenship is the
cornerstone of national identity. It defines an individual’s legal relationship with
Australia, and signals an individual’s membership of the Australian community...
citizenship represents an individual’s commitment to Australia, including the principles
on which Australian society is based.”