Rong Zeng, a teacher who immigrated to Australia from China, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Sydney's Chinatown, Sept. 25. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

SYDNEY — Sydney's Chinatown in the central city suburb of Haymarket bustled with visitors on the Sunday before the Moon Festival (also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival) that started in late September this year, as shoppers came to stock up on mooncakes, Chinese pastries that are enjoyed during the holiday celebrating the harvest. Many of these people are also Chinese nationals who immigrated to Australia and have traveled to Australia's most populous city from other places around the country, during the two-week school holiday period.

Rong Zeng, who immigrated to Australia from China and now lives in Brisbane where she is employed as a teacher, was with her parents, also immigrants, on a five-day visit to Sydney.

"Compared to Brisbane, Sydney's Chinatown is bigger," she said, mentioning that it has an "authentic Chinese atmosphere."

"My parents come from China and they are not really interested or used to eating Western food so I usually just bring them to Chinatown to have dinner."

Zeng, who left China 13 years ago with her Australian husband, is part of Australia's China-born population that makes up the third-largest migrant community in the country after those from the U.K., and India.

As a country of immigrants, Australia's overseas-born population accounts for almost 30 percent of the total population and almost 50 percent of the population has a parent that was born overseas. Australia has seen its population grow over the past decades, driven by the continued influx of migrants. The country's population grew by 2 percent to 26.27 million in 2022 from the previous year.

But amid heightened efforts by developed economies around the world to attract migrants as they see their populations age and a diminishing number of births, Australia is also taking some drastic steps.

Boxes of Chinese mooncakes are stacked up ready for sale ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, at Chinatown in the Sydney suburb of Haymarket, Sept. 24. Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-eun

Competing for skilled migrants

While a migration strategy is set to be released before the end of this year, measures will center on attracting highly skilled professionals and enabling more temporary skilled visa holders to apply for permanent residency.

In addition, as part of efforts to tackle the issue of migrant worker exploitation, the government in July introduced an income threshold of $70,000 AUD ($44,527 USD) that companies must guarantee before the government issues temporary skilled visas. The new Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) was last adjusted in 2013.

While such measures could trigger a backlash from employers as this would raise costs for them, the Australian Department of Home Affairs said recent visa application numbers do not reflect such a scenario.

"While there was an expected peak in applications in the last week of June 2023, before the TSMIT was raised, recent visa nomination application numbers suggest that employers continue to use the Temporary Skill Shortage visa to address labor shortages, by bringing in skilled workers where they can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker," a departmental spokesperson said.

Along with these measures to facilitate entry and settlement of migrants, Australia has taken a landmark step to become a society more embracing of cultural diversity.

In Australia, the Multicultural Framework Review, marking 50 years of multiculturalism, is underway. The review invited the public to submit ideas on how to improve multicultural policy. The review has been promoted in 35 languages other than English, to reach out to those who have limited English proficiency.

"It is timely to consider the existing institutional and policy framework, noting immigration will continue to drive increasing diversity across Australian society. The institutional settings that support Australia's multiculturalism haven't been reviewed in almost a generation," the spokesperson said.

Based on the review, a final report will be published in March next year.

"The report will identify potential areas for reform, action and further exploration," the spokesperson said.

A city street in Sydney reflects the city's culturally diverse population. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Multiculturalism in Australia

In Australia, the term multicultural was first officially used in 1973 under the Gough Whitlam government, to envision a future of equality and inclusion.

Australia became more multiethnic and diverse from the mid-1970s onwards, as the White Australia Policy — a set of discriminatory policies aiming to restrict people of non-European ethnic origin from immigrating to Australia — was abolished.

The Racial Discrimination Act was enacted by the Australian Parliament on June 11, 1975. Australia then ratified the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on Sept. 30 of the same year signifying the major cultural shift that had been occurring in Australian society since the end of World War II.

"Certainly, Australia has better integration of its migrants than many other countries, economically and socially. But there are also some areas of emerging concern," said Anna Boucher, a global migration expert and associate professor at Sydney University.

"I think this review that's being done right now by Home Affairs is indicative of the fact that we need a kind of reappraisal of how successful multicultural policies have been."

Anna Boucher, an associate professor at Sydney University, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in her office in Sydney, Sept. 26. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-won

Tasks ahead

Experts point to the need for legislation and institutions that help execute laws on multiculturalism, as well as better representation of minorities in leadership.

Andrew Jakubowicz, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Technology Sydney, said one problem witnessed over the decades as governments have changed is that the policy of multiculturalism has been inconsistent, given the incumbent Australian Labor Party and the main opposition Liberal Party of Australia have different stances on the matter.

Jakubowicz noted that currently, there is no legislation and there are no laws on multiculturalism on a national level that can prevent such shifts in policy.

Andrew Jakubowicz, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Technology Sydney / Courtesy of Andrew Jakubowicz

"We need to have a new Australian legislation, a multicultural act like the one in Canada," Jakubowicz said.

"We need a national multicultural commission which is created by the act and is put into practice to support multicultural and intercultural development. And we need a research institute to undertake an expansive and continuing research program."

Boucher said increasing diversity in leadership is also a key step.

"Whether that be an organization, the Parliament, the public service, we know that Australia, despite its multiculturalism, is more Anglo-Celtic in those institutions than other comparable countries," she said.

"Once people of visible minority background are in positions of power, they might lead differently, they might raise issues that someone of Anglo-Celtic background wouldn't necessarily."

She added that diversity in leadership is important also in that the public will be able to "equate the visible minority with being powerful, leading the country."