ABSTRACT
In 1986 the Australian population reached sixteen million; it had more than doubled since World War II. Almost 40 percent of this growth was due to migration. The major source of immigrants to Australia is the United Kingdom and Ireland, but after 1945 large numbers of immigrants arrived from most European countries. In the 1970s nondiscriminatory immigration policies were introduced and by the mid 1980s 43 percent of Australia's immigrants came from Asia, 43 percent from Europe, and 13 percent from Oceania, mostly New Zealand. Presently the Australian population contains ethnic groups representing over 130 cultures and nations, and over 20 percent of the population was born overseas. One eighth of the overseas-born arrived as refugees.
