Chilean Australians

Chilean Australian
Chileno Australiano

Notable Chilean Australians: from left to right: Chris Watson, Peggy Antonio
Regions with significant populations
Sydney (2006 est.)	10,909
Melbourne (2006 est.)	6,530
Languages
English and Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholic, Christian, Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
Europeans, Amerindians

Chilean Australians are residents of Australia whose ancestry originates in the South American nation of Chile. In Australia, Chileans are the biggest Latin American group residing in the nation. The biggest Chilean Australian communities are primarily found in Sydney and Melbourne. With one out of three Chileans living in the western suburbs of Sydney. The majority of Chileans have both European and Amerindian ancestry and despite the small size of the Chilean community, they are held as examples of successful integration into Australia.

Demography

The 2001 Australian Census recorded 23,370 Chile-born persons in Australia, although in the 2006 reference this number dropped slightly to 23,305. The 2006 distribution of this population by major cities revealed the largest numbers were situated in Sydney with 10,909, followed by Melbourne with 6,530, Perth with 1,172 and Brisbane with 1,087. A 2001 estimate based on the 1996 Australian Census and including second and third generation Chileans living in Australia, estimates the total Chilean-Australian population to be around 40,000 persons. Although a more recent study published in 2006 based on the 2001 Australian Census reveals this number may have increased to 45,000 persons.

History

In 1837 two Chileans arrived in Sydney, the first on record in Australia. One was former Chilean President Ramón Freire, exiled from Chile after attempting to re-take power in a coup. He did not settle in Australia, however, but eventually returned to his homeland. Chilean migration to Australia occurred at different times from the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century. The first Labor Party Prime Minister of Australia, Chris Watson, was born in Valparaiso, Chile the son of a Chilean citizen of German descent. Chilean people first arrived in great numbers in late 1970's and 1980's. Many came seeking work, skills and education after the economic crisis in Chile. The Presidential election of Salvador Allende in 1970, also motivated immigration. By 1971, 3,760 Chilean-born people were registered in Australia. Current Chilean president Michelle Bachelet briefly lived in Australia with family already present in the country after the Chilean coup of 1973 later moving to East Germany. Migration studies demonstrate that late 20th century Chilean migration to Australia occurred in three distinguishable waves.

In the 1960s, especially between the years 1968-70, around 1,500-2,000 Chileans arrived in Australia as a consequence of the economic recession produced during the government of Eduardo Frei Montalva, and the high level of unemployment at the termination of his administration. The majority of these people were middle class and well educated, and their migration can be seen to have an economic basis.

The second significant group to arrive was likely motivated by the presidential election of Salvador Allende in 1970. Allende was the world's first democratically-elected Marxist President of any nation. His ascension to the presidency provoked a high level of uncertainty amongst the wealthy, given his stated platform of nationalisation of mining, industry, and services. The political and economic unrest that followed prompted many Chileans to flee the threat of political and social instability. This group was, again, overwhelmingly middle class, with sufficient resources (education and finance) to establish themselves as small business operators within Australia .

The third distinguishable wave of immigration to Australia was the greatest in number, and was characterised in large part by those Chileans fleeing their homeland as a consequence of political events flowing on from the 1973 military coup.

This wave of Chilean migrants was quite homogenous, comprised in the majority by skilled workers, and at times, their families. The middle class were represented only in the minority here. Political elitists and intellectuals from the left were also small in numbers, due to their preference for Western Europe and socialist nations in Latin America.

President Pinochet’s military stranglehold over Chile was to last until 1990, during which time more than one million Chileans fled the country, 21,029 of whom sought sanctuary in Australia.

List of Notable Chilean Australians

• Peggy Antonio
• Nick Carle
• Rodrigo Vargas
• Chris Watson
• Jose Romero

See also

• Hispanic
• Latino
• Latino Australian