Samoans in Australia
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In the early 19th century, a small number of Samoans migrated to Australia due to perceived commercial and educational opportunities. In the 1850s, Wesleyan Christian missionaries from Australia began to visit Samoa. This led to Samoan pastors travelling to Australia for training and work. In the early 20th century, the White Australia Policy restricted immigration from Samoa. However, Australia was establishing trading companies in Samoa during this time. This resulted in a small number of Samoans migrating to Australia.
In the 1970s, educational programs sponsored by Australia increased the number of Samoans migrating. In contemporary Australia, the size of the Samoan community may be underestimated due to migration via New Zealand. According to the 2021 census, 28,107 people in Australia were born in Samoa,1 while 31,589 of those born in New Zealand and 40,276 of those born in Australia identify as having Samoan ancestry.2 The Samoan community is supported by various religious and Samoan cultural organisations around the country as well as Pacific Island cultural groups.
The majority of Australia’s Samoa-born population identify as Christian, more specifically the the Catholic Church (21.0%), Christianity (not further defined) (20.8%), the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-day Saints (12.8%), Pentecostal (7.0%) and other Protestant traditions (6.9%).2 Approximately 80.9% of Australia’s Samoa-born population speak Samoan at home.2 In this way, a combination of Christian beliefs and Samoan traditions underpin community life in Australia. Many continue to share Samoan music, dance and oral literature with others in the Samoan community as well as broader Australia.