Zimbabwean Australians
  | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 65,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Perth; Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane; Western Australia; southeast Queensland | |
| Languages | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| African Australians; South African Australians |
Zimbabwean Australians are Australian citizens who are fully or partially of Zimbabwean descent or Zimbabwe-born people who reside in Australia. They include migrants to Australia of people from Zimbabwe (Rhodesia or Southern Rhodesia until 1980), as well as their descendants. Today, there are over 65,000 Zimbabwean Australians, with significant growth since 2000, coinciding with the sociopolitical crisis there.[1]
Australia's Zimbabwean community is now well established, with some of the highest incomes in the country,[2] as well as with community institutions such as Zimbabwean language schools.[3]
Background[]
Much like South Africans, Zimbabweans began immigrating to Australia in the late 1970s, in modest numbers of mostly white Zimbabweans until the late nineties. Since 2000, the volume of migration has increased and diversified significantly, with a mix of professionals, investors, students and recent graduates choosing to move to Australia. Compared to their contemporaries in South Africa, the Zimbabwean community in Australia is highly educated and firmly within the middle class.[4] The vast majority are skilled and educated, with 74.5% of the Zimbabwe-born aged 15 years and over possessing higher non-school qualifications, compared to 55.9% of the Australian population.[5] Some Zimbabweans had originally moved to South Africa or the UK, but decided to settle in Australia instead.[6]
Population distribution[]
Australia's Zimbabwean population is biggest in Sydney. Historically, Perth was a popular first stop for recent migrants, thanks to its relative proximity to Southern Africa and its already established South African Australian population, but increasingly modern immigrants are increasingly drawn to Sydney and Melbourne[7] although a large proportion of Zimbabweans in Australia still reside in Western Australia.[8] Many white Zimbabweans have settled in Queensland,[9] whereas people of indigenous Shona and Ndebele ethnicities commonly settle in Sydney or Melbourne.[10]
Language[]
New South Wales[]
Australians who speak a language indigenous to Zimbabwe at home are most numerous in Sydney. One in three of Australia's Ndebele-speakers and one in three of Australia's Shona-speakers live in Sydney.[11][12]
Victoria[]
English, Shona and Afrikaans are the main languages Zimbabwean Australians in Victoria speak at home. 53% of Zimbabwean Australians in Victoria speak English, while 36% speak Shona and 1% speak Afrikaans.[13]
Notable Zimbabwean Australians[]
- Rob Adams -architect
- Greg Aplin- former television manager and politician in New South Wales
- Scott Brant
- Hilton Cartwright - cricket player for Western Australia and the Australian national cricket team
- Rick Cosnett - actor
- Chris Ellison- lawyer and former Senator for Western Australia
- Jerome Farah - musician
- Kyle Godwin - rugby player for the Western Force
- Murray Goodwin - cricketer for Zimbabwe and Western Australia
- Elizabeth Haran - novelist
- Tkay Maidza - singer-songwriter
- Audius Mtawarira - singer and record producer
- Andrew Murray - former Senator for the Australian Democrats
- Janine Murray - rhythmic gymnast
- Pacharo Mzembe - actor
- Tendai Mzungu - Australian rules footballer for Fremantle Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants
- Sekai Nzenza-Shand
- Kevin Parker- multi-instrumentalist, producer and lead singer of Tame Impala[14]
- Ian Perrie - former Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Crows
- David Pocock - renowned player for the Australian national rugby union team
- Ian Prior - rugby player for the Western Force
- Clive Puzey - racing driver
- Thando Sikwila - singer, songwriter and actor
- Tando Velaphi - professional football player for Perth Glory
- Alfonso Zvenyika Lambarda
- Carmouflage Rose -stage name of rapper Larry Herrington.
- -singer
- Henry Olonga - opera singer and ex Zimbabwean cricketer. Voice contestant.
- Solomon Mire- big bash player and retired Zimbabwean cricketer
See also[]
- Zimbabwean diaspora
- South African Australian
References[]
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Irish among Australia's best paid workers". Irish Echo.
- ^ "Learning parents' language helps keep culture alive". SBS.
- ^ "The Zimbabwe-born Community". Department of Social Services.
- ^ "The Zimbabwe-born Community". Department of Social Services.
- ^ "Zimbabwe: First Family Has Low Opinion of the People". AllAfrica.
- ^ Ndlovu, Ray (19 Apr 2013). "Rough estimates: Millions of Zimbabweans Abroad". AllAfrica.
- ^ "The Zimbabwe-born Community". Department of Social Services.
- ^ "White Zimbabwean families make their way to country Qld". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "The Zimbabwe-born Community". Department of Social Services.
- ^ "Languages in Sydney". Australian Burea of Statistics.
- ^ Redirect to Census data page
- ^ "History of immigration from Zimbabwe". Museum Victoria.
- ^ The Cosmic Healing of Tame Impala
 Ancestry of Australians | ||
|---|---|---|
Ancestral background of Australian citizens | ||
| Indigenous |  | |
| Africa | ||
| Americas | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe |
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| Pacific Islands | ||
- Ethnic groups in Australia
- Australian people of Zimbabwean descent
- African Australian