Australian Embassy and Mission to the European Communities
Belgium-Luxembourg
Embassy address: Rue Guimardstraat 6-8, 1040 Brussels - Telephone: +32 (0) 2 286 0500 - Fax: +32 (0) 2 231 07 88

 News - January 2007

Understanding of Islam in Australia: New $8 million Islamic Centre - 24 January


A new $ 8 Million Australian National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies is to be established in Australia to advance knowledge and understanding of Islam and promote Australia’s strengths in the field of Islamic studies.

Announcing the initiative, the Australian Minister for Education, Ms Julie Bishop, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, Mr. Andrew Robb, said that the new National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies would also play a leadership role in public debates on contemporary Islam.

In order to establish a world-class centre, the Australian Government has committed $8 million. The centre is a significant new initiative under the Government’s program - National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony and Security.

The centre would advance knowledge and understanding of Islam and present Australia’s strengths in the field of Islamic studies. It will also play a leadership role in public debates on contemporary Islam. Courses including subjects as diverse as architecture, art and commerce will be open to students with an interest in aspects of the Islamic world. It would provide tertiary accredited undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications.

“The courses would provide many subjects relevant to aspiring Muslim religious and community leaders. Courses at the Centre would also provide an important vehicle for the teaching of Islam in an Australian context, applying the usual academic rigour of the Australian university system,” Mr. Robb said.

The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies would deliver courses on campuses in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and eventually across Australia via distance education programs. The three member universities will work in partnership on developing a range of new Islamic studies programs for Australia at the new Centre.

The consortium member institutions would establish strict governance arrangements for the centre, including: a management board comprising academic and professional staff from the consortium universities; an academic advisory board overseeing the development and quality of the undergraduate teaching program; and a national community advisory board.

The community advisory board would include Australian Government representation, and the centre will need to adhere to all requirements applying to Australian universities.

 

Australia Day – Celebrates what's great about Australia


Australia Day, January 26, is the biggest day of celebration in Australia and is the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation.

There are many great things about Australia:

The people - The life savers on the beach and the farmers in the bush; the larrikins; our sporting heroes; artists and visionaries; the volunteers who dedicate their lives to others; the spirit of pulling together in hard times and achieving beyond expectation; the eminent Australians from all walks of life; and the battlers and ordinary Australians who are anything but ordinary.

Our land - A continent like no other; fragile yet enduring; harsh and extreme; lush and bountiful. Our ancient land offers boundless opportunity, sustains us and makes us who we are.

Our diversity - A nation of difference and unity. People from the city, the country, different nations and backgrounds; we are one people, living together. Through our diverse beliefs and experiences we learn from each other and grow together.

The indigenous cultures - The rich and resilient spirituality; the knowledge; art and history.

Our freedom and democracy - A society built on fundamental rights and responsibilities. Freedom of thought and expression. Participation in government and respect for and equality under the law.

A fair go for all - An enduring spirit of mateship and fairness. A compassionate society. Australia is a land of opportunity where you can do anything.


To find more about Australia:

Australia: A diverse people (see below)
Australia: An attractive destination for international students
Australian Science
National Anthem


Australia: A diverse people

Australians are a unique and culturally diverse mix of people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have inhabited Australia for around 60 000 years. The rest of Australia’s people are settlers, or descendants of settlers, who have arrived during the past two centuries from 200 countries. 

Cultural and linguistic diversity was a feature of Australian life before European settlement. It remains a defining feature of modern Australian society. Today, there are few countries in the world where migrants have achieved the level of economic, political, social and cultural participation that they have in Australia.

 Australia is a tolerant and inclusive society. Its immigration policy is global and non-discriminatory. Each year, Australia welcomes more than 120 000 migrants and resettles around 13 000 people under its humanitarian program. In 2005-06, 143 000 people migrated and another 14 000 arrived as humanitarian entrants.

 At any given time, more than 300 000 international students are studying at Australian educational institutions and another 100 000 are undertaking Australian courses either by correspondence or at off-shore campuses. And each year, more than 5 million international tourists visit Australia.

Australia recognises, accepts and respects its cultural diversity. Foreign languages are taught in all mainstream Australian schools and universities, as well as in community ethnic schools, many of them funded by the Australian Government.


Did you know? :
The languages most commonly spoken in Australia are English, Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin. Collectively, Australians speak over 200 languages, including over 45 Indigenous languages. About 15 per cent of Australians speak a language other than English.

While Australia is a predominantly Christian society, non-Christian religions have shown the biggest proportional increase in recent years, particularly Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. In the 2001 Census, there were 357 800 Buddhists (up by 79 per cent from the previous Census in 1996), 281 600 Muslims (up 40 per cent) and 95 500 Hindus (up 42 per cent).

Immigration to Australia started from the time European of settlement in 1788. It continued at a steady pace—reaching 50 000 a year during the gold rush period of the 1850s—until the population reached over 7 million in the 1940s. Most settlers were from a British or Irish background.

After the Second World War, the Australian Government began a formal immigration program that has brought more than 6.5 million migrants to Australia, including around 660 000 who have come under refugee or humanitarian programs. Since then, people from some 200 different countries have made Australia their home.

Today, almost one in four of Australia’s population of more than 20 million was born overseas and 43 per cent were either born overseas or have one or both parents born overseas.

During the last 40 years there has been a significant change in the source countries for people who choose to settle in Australia. In the 1960s, 46 per cent of all settler arrivals were born in the United Kingdom and Ireland. By the 1990s, this had fallen to 13 per cent, with the countries in Australia’s region and Africa and the Middle East becoming an increasingly important source of settler and long-term visitor arrivals.

Although the two biggest migrant intakes continue to be from the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the third biggest group of migrants in 2005-06 came from China, with more than 10 per cent of the total intake. Since 1995, 200 000 people have come from Africa and the Middle East.

According to the 2001 Census, while the biggest proportion of overseas-born people in Australia were from Europe (52 per cent), there were also significant groups from Asia (24 per cent), Oceania (11 per cent), the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa (9 per cent) and Americas (4 per cent).

Birthplaces that increased significantly between the Census in 1996 and the next one in 2001 Censuses were the Sudan (4911 people, up 105 per cent), Afghanistan (11 264 people, up 93 per cent), Somalia 3726 people, up 82 per cent), Bangladesh (9077 people, up 79 per cent) and Iraq (24 819 people, up 77 per cent).

The five biggest groups by countries of birth were the United Kingdom (25 per cent), New Zealand (9 per cent), Italy (5 per cent), PRC (4 per cent) and Viet Nam (4 per cent).

Australia also has a significant Muslim community, estimated at 360 000. Some of Australia’ earliest Muslim visitors are thought to have been fisherman and traders who travelled from the east Indonesian archipelago to northern Australia as far back as the 16th-17th centuries.

After the Second World War, many European Muslims including Cypriot Turks, Bosnians and Kosovans arrived in Australia. Lebanese migrants, many of whom were Muslims, also started arriving in larger numbers after the outbreak of the civil war in 1975. In the last three decades, increasing numbers of Muslims migrated to Australia, including some who came under refugee or humanitarian programs.

Australia’s diverse Muslim community is concentrated predominantly in Sydney and Melbourne. Since the 1970s the community has established many mosques and Islamic schools and Muslims play an important role in the economic and social life of Australia. 

Disclaimer Privacy An Australian Government website Copyright Commonwealth of Australia