Immigrants Participation in Australian Politics

Abstract

Immigration is a thought-provoking and important topic in all western democratic societies. However, immigrant political participation levels in host countries varies vastly from country to country. Australia is one of the widely diverse multicultural countries in the world. This research project investigates the reasons why its diversity is not fairly represented in electoral politics with a focus on parliamentary representation. It identifies the reasons underlying immigrant participation or non-participation in formal politics in Australia through a detailed analysis of the barriers and enablers for political participation in two Sydney migrant communities. This research also considers why Australia remains behind other comparative settler nations such as the United States and Canada in the visible inclusion of ethnic and migrant representation. Today’s modern world is a global village where globalisation has made it easy for people to move from one place to another. As a result, it is important to study immigrants and the role they play in host countries as active office bearers, voters, or as passive supporters of the political approach taking part in voluntary activities. This research studies immigrants from ‘non-white’ and ‘non-European’ backgrounds to identify barriers and enablers to political participation in the Australian national parliament. The study finds that the generational difference of migration plays a vital role in political participation in host countries. Pre-migration background, initial settlement and language are some of the factors in deciding the reasons for participation or non-participation in the national political process in Australia. Key words: Australian politics, participation, immigrants, ethnic minorities, discrimination, inclusion, challenges, resettlement, community activities, multicultural country