How Immigration Shapes Australia’s Identity, from Slang to Remittances

Australia, the fabled land Down Under. The place you visit and end up leaving with more questions than answers thanks to its vastly different flora and fauna and stunning, otherworldly landscape.

But today, we’re here to talk about its people and the bespoke language and culture they’ve nurtured, which makes this huge country such a unique place for anyone to live in and emigrate to.

Australian Culture and Immigration: Perspectives from Migrants and Foreigners

Language and culture barriers are often the biggest hurdles a person will face when starting a brand-new life in an unfamiliar country. Despite the challenges most of them have to overcome, they still make the effort to take part in shaping a country’s identity with their own perspectives.

The case is especially true for those making the move to Australia thanks to their migration system. In recent decades it’s hard to not associate the country with immigration, and according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics over a quarter of the country’s population was born overseas.

Data collected by Australia’s Department of Home Affairs showed that aside from the United Kingdom or China, citizens from India, the Philippines, Vietnam or Nepal also make up a large chunk of the migrant population. It’s a testament to the diversity of people that can be found there.

The variety of ingredients in this particular melting pot have led to a clear cultural exchange taking place in Australia. Even though immigrants still maintain heavy links to their home nations, that hasn’t stopped them from adapting to the local lingo.

Decoding Aussie Slang: Insights and Misconceptions

Australian slang culture takes the crown for the most diverse in the English-speaking world. For starters, Aussie English speakers use the highest number of diminutives in the English language – over 5,000 of them!

The sheer variety in ways to say different words will be overwhelming for a newly arrived migrant, so getting up to speed is a challenge.

However, with time people will eventually learn the ropes around the tricky Aussie slang. According to a study by Ria, over 90% of expats who have lived in Australia for over 10 years know an average of 5-6 slang words.

The same study discovered that people who settle down in the state of Queensland picked up Aussie slang more effectively, while those hailing from the African continent assimilated the words quicker than their Asian and South American counterparts.

But Aussie slang is no easy thing to wrap your head around. In fact, many of the turns of phrase often lead to misconceptions about what is being said. There are several well-used sayings that mean something unrelated to the original phrase.

For example, if someone has “kangaroos loose in the top paddock”, it doesn’t mean that person has free-roaming kangaroos in their back garden– it refers to that person having strange or crazy ideas.

It only adds another layer of difficulty for people trying to learn the language and its nuances.

Australia’s Remittances

But despite all these cultural surprises, more recent migrants in Australia have mentioned how cost of living has been a greater shock to them than the slang and the language itself.

According to the Ria study, two thirds of respondents cite the cost of living crisis as having impacted their ability to send money back home. This is significant because close to 50% of remittances sent from Australia are to support families with living expenses.

But that hasn’t stopped younger people from contributing financially. Some 14% of Gen Z immigrants still send over half their wages to family overseas, despite the ongoing and escalating financial pressures.

Even with these financial difficulties, the contributions migrants make to the Australian economy should not be overlooked. They currently add an impressive $330 billion to the country’s GDP, a figure that is only going to go up in the next few decades.

It’s estimated that their contribution will grow exponentially to $1.6 trillion by 2050, according to this report by the Australia Migration Council. Moreover, each individual migrant will, on average, add some 10% more to the Australian economy than an already established resident.

The same report also highlights the positive impact migration will continue to have. Not only will it drive population growth, helping Australia hit 38 million residents by 2050, but it will also impact labor participation, employment, wages, income, national skills base and net productivity.

The data shows that despite cultural and financial difficulties, migrants play a key role in many countries. Their resilience allows them to overcome so many obstacles, as they continue sending money home and providing for their families.

Looking to send money to relatives in other countries? Make sure to use Ria Money Transfer for an accessible, efficient, and cost-effective way to remit money worldwide.