East Timorese in Australia
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Migration History
The island of Timor is approximately 700km northwest of Darwin, making Timor-Leste one of Australia’s closest neighbours.1 This proximity has played an important role in the close links and shared history between the two countries. The first intake of about 600 migrants from then-Portuguese Timor arrived in Australia after being evacuated during World War II. Almost all but 35 were repatriated in late 1945. In 1975, Portugal’s withdrawal from East Timor and the country’s subsequent invasion by Indonesia caused civil and political unrest. This led thousands of East Timorese to flee, including Hakka-speaking ethnic Chinese traders. Approximately 2,580 people arrived in Australia, mainly from the educated elite and middle classes, officials from the colonial administration, and Chinese business owners.2
The next decade saw the Timor-Leste-born community grow further. Between 1979 and 1986, nearly 5,000 East Timorese arrived under the Special Humanitarian Program, which reunited many with their families already settled in Australia.2 Many of the migrants during this period were refugees, with about one-third having first fled to West Timor, then evacuating to Portugal and subsequently arriving in Australia.2 3 Between 1990 and 1997, another 1,004 Timor-Leste-born arrived in Australia under the Special Assistance Category. A number of these migrants had also come from Portugal and were sponsored by their family members in Australia. Meanwhile, another 1,360 arrived under tourist visas and later applied for permanent residency, largely due to family reunification and to escape from occupying Indonesian forces.3
The 1999 referendum in Timor-Leste sparked widespread violence after the majority (78.5%) of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia (see Major Historical and Political Transitions in Core Concepts). Many sought refuge in Australia and more than 4,000 were granted temporary protection, though many returned to Timor-Leste in the following year.2 Since then, small numbers of Timor-Leste-born continue to migrate to Australia, with most arriving under the Family Migration Steam.
Australia’s Timor-Leste Community
As of 2016, there are 9,238 Timor-Leste-born in Australia, an increase of 0.1% from the 2011 census.2 Over half reside in Victoria (4,982 people), and just over a fifth in New South Wales (2,119), followed by a small number in the Northern Territory (1,024) and Queensland (529). Various local council areas, towns and cities in Australia have a partnership with a town or region in Timor-Leste, facilitated through the Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network. These relationships provide opportunities for Timorese communities to share their experiences and their lives with their Australian friends, and also facilitate exchanges.4 There are 32 Friendship Groups across Australia, primarily in Victoria and New South Wales.5
The Timor-Leste community in Australia comprises three distinguishable ethnic groupings: indigenous Timorese, European or mestizo, and ethnic Chinese. Indigenous East Timorese are those who descend from ethnic groups local to Timor-Leste, while European or mestizo are usually descendants of Portuguese settlers (many of whom have mixed indigenous heritage). The ethnic Chinese are descendants of Chinese migrants to East Timor population. Indigenous and European or mestizo generally speak (or are multilingual in) English, Portuguese or another language, while ethnic Chinese usually speak Hakka or Mandarin.
The distinction can be seen through various aspects of the community, such as ancestry and languages spoken at home. For example, the Timor-Leste-born selected a range of responses on the topic of ancestry, with Chinese (48.6%), Timorese (37.4%) and Portuguese (9.3%) as the top responses recorded.2 Similarly, the main languages spoken at home are Hakka (44.7%), English (12.1%), Portuguese (12.0%), Mandarin (10.4%) and Other Languages (20.4%).2
A number of Australia’s Timor-Leste-born population participate in the Seasonal Worker Programme, making it the third largest national participant in the programme.1 The programme seeks to address labour shortages in rural and regional Australia while providing opportunities for workers to develop skills and earn income. The transitory nature of seasonal employment means that many workers may not be captured in the census data. Many workers send remittances back home to Timor-Leste, which has seen remittances become an increasingly significant contributor to the country’s economy.1