From Asia

The story of migration to Australia begins with the Aboriginal people who arrived many thousands of years ago, and extends through the first European settlement, to the more than 100,000 newcomers who now arrive each year from all over the world. Some migrants hope to improve their economic position through better work opportunities, some are fleeing persecution and war, others are joining family members. Whatever the reason for their move, migrants go on to become an integral part of their new culture, changing and shaping it just as those who came before them did. Immigration to Australia from countries in its neighbouring region began with the rush to gold in the 1850s, and after stalling upon the passing of the Immigration Restriction Act in 1901, continued with the introduction of the Colombo Plan in 1950, and with the acceptance of refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and East Timor from 1975. Civil war in Sri Lanka brought people from that country from 1983, and after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, thousands of Chinese students studying Australia were permitted to stay. More recently, many Indians have moved to Australia both to study and help fill the demand for skilled labour.