In 1851, Victoria separated from New South Wales and became a separate state. Just after that the sudden "gold rush era" occurred. The discovery of gold, during the 1 850s, caused a panic and attracted many people from all over the world to migrate to Australia. Migrants had aspirations of becoming rich and gaining an instant fortune. People came from countries such as America, Ireland, England, Europe and China.

In 1945, after World War II, Australia desperately needed to increase its population in order to boost its economy and rebuild its workforce. Therefore, Australia introduced special programs to encourage Europeans to migrate to Australia. Initially they targeted people who had suffered from the war and were reftigees. Later they accepted other Europeans who could satisfy the immigration requirements. European migrants came from countries such as Greece, Italy, Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Turkey, Malta, Poland and many other European countries. People migrated to Australia for various reasons such as employment opportunities, seeking a better lifestyle, to reunite with families and for economic/religious/political/social reasons. The migrants were promised jobs and prosperity.

During the 1970s and 1980s, many people from New Zealand and Asia migrated to Australia. The Asian migrants, including many refugees, came from countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. More recently people from Africa and Latin America have migrated to Australia.

Today, Australia's population is made up of:

96% European decent (British, Irish, Italian, Greek, German, Dutch, Maltese and many others),
3% Asian decent
1% Aborigines.
(Chinese, indochinese, Middle East, Indian, Indonesian),' and
 
 
LANGUAGE

English is the official language spoken in Australia. Australians speak "Australian English" with a distinctive accent. The English language spoken in Australia has expanded and changed considerably over the years. For instance, many new words, phrases and mannerisms have been introduced and some words are spoken in slang. Australian English has also been influenced by Aboriginal and foreign languages. In addition, Australians have picked up many American English words from constantly viewing American films and American television programs.

however, English it is not the only language spoken at home, or in the community. Many people speak more than one language. Today there are people who speak no, or very little, English and they have to rely on their families for communication outside the home. Also there are people who still speak broken English with a foreign accent. Apart from English there are many other languages which are commonly spoken in Australia. Languages include: Italian, Greek, Chinese, German, Maltese, Croatian Polish, Arabic, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Dutch, Spanish, French and many others.

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