Chilean Australian
Encyclopedia
Chilean Australians are Australia
ns of Chile
an descent or Chileans who have obtained Australian citizenship. In Australia, Chilean Australians are the biggest group of Latin America
n origin 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.
, while others nominated a Croatian
(19%), German
(8%), Italian (6%) or English
(4%) ancestry.
The largest Chilean Australian communities are in Sydney
(10,909 residents, 2006 Census result) and Melbourne
(6,530).
A Chilean government study conducted by the Chilean National Institute of Statistics in 2003-04 and published in 2005 found that 33,626 first and second generation Chileans were living in Australia. This figure was gathered by combining the population reported in the 2001 Australian Census and the National Registry for Chileans living abroad. One 2006 estimate of Chilean-Australians, including third-generation, is as high as 45,000.
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 Labour Party Prime Minister of Australia
, Chris Watson
, was born in Valparaíso
, Chile the son of a Chilean citizen of German descent. Chilean people first arrived in great numbers in late 1970s and 1980s, mostly in exile as a result of the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973 - 1989). 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. By 1971, 3,760 Chilean-born people were registered in Australia. In this group arrived laser physicist and author F. J. Duarte
who became the first South American to graduate with a Ph.D. from an Australian university, and leader of the Macquarie science reform movement
.
The third distinguishable wave of immigration to Australia was the greatest in number by far, and was characterised in large part by those Chileans fleeing their homeland as a consequence of political events following the 1973 military coup and subsequent military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
This wave of Chilean migrants was quite homogeneous, 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
. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet
briefly lived in Australia with family already present in the country after the coup of 1973 later moving to East Germany.
Augusto Pinochet
's dictatorship
over Chile lasted until 1990. During his regime more than 500,000 Chileans fled the country, 21,029 of whom sought sanctuary in Australia. However, several thousand have and are still returning to Chile from all over the world as the economy boom of the country has prospered, granting a quality of life often superior to the countries that once received them as exiles.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an descent or Chileans who have obtained Australian citizenship. In Australia, Chilean Australians are the biggest group of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n origin residing in the nation. The biggest Chilean Australian communities are primarily found in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. With one out of three Chileans living in the western suburbs of Sydney.
Demography
According to the 2006 Australian Census, 23,305 Australians were born in Chile while 25,439 claimed Chilean ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry. However the ancestry figure may not accurately represent the Chilean-Australian population, since persons of Chilean descent often chose to identify with other, sometimes older ancestries. The Australian 2001 Census reports that 63% of Chilean-born respondents nominated their leading ancestry as SpaniardSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, while others nominated a Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
(19%), German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
(8%), Italian (6%) or English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
(4%) ancestry.
The largest Chilean Australian communities are in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(10,909 residents, 2006 Census result) and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(6,530).
A Chilean government study conducted by the Chilean National Institute of Statistics in 2003-04 and published in 2005 found that 33,626 first and second generation Chileans were living in Australia. This figure was gathered by combining the population reported in the 2001 Australian Census and the National Registry for Chileans living abroad. One 2006 estimate of Chilean-Australians, including third-generation, is as high as 45,000.
History
In 1837 two Chileans arrived in Sydney, the first on record in Australia. One was former Chilean presidentPresident of Chile
The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...
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 Labour Party Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, Chris Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
, was born in Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile the son of a Chilean citizen of German descent. Chilean people first arrived in great numbers in late 1970s and 1980s, mostly in exile as a result of the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973 - 1989). 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
Eduardo Frei Montalva
Eduardo Frei Montalva was a Chilean political leader of world stature. In his long political career, he was Minister of Public Works, president of his Christian Democratic Party, senator, President of the Senate, and president of Chile from 1964 to 1970...
, 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
Chilean presidential election, 1970
A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. A narrow plurality was secured by Salvador Allende, the candidate of the Popular Unity coalition of leftist parties...
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. By 1971, 3,760 Chilean-born people were registered in Australia. In this group arrived laser physicist and author F. J. Duarte
F. J. Duarte
F. J. Duarte is a laser physicist and author/editor of several well-known books on tunable lasers. He introduced the generalized multiple-prism dispersion theory and has discovered various multiple-prism grating oscillator laser configurations...
who became the first South American to graduate with a Ph.D. from an Australian university, and leader of the Macquarie science reform movement
Macquarie science reform movement
Macquarie science reform movement refers to the successfultransformation of the degree system at Macquarie University in 1979which followed an academic and political campaign initiated in 1977.Macquarie University, founded in 1964, adopted a degree structure...
.
The third distinguishable wave of immigration to Australia was the greatest in number by far, and was characterised in large part by those Chileans fleeing their homeland as a consequence of political events following the 1973 military coup and subsequent military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
This wave of Chilean migrants was quite homogeneous, 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
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and socialist nations in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
briefly lived in Australia with family already present in the country after the coup of 1973 later moving to East Germany.
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
's dictatorship
Chile under Pinochet
Chile was ruled by a military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 when Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d'etat until 1990 when the Chilean transition to democracy began. The authoritarian military government was characterized by systematic suppression of political parties and...
over Chile lasted until 1990. During his regime more than 500,000 Chileans fled the country, 21,029 of whom sought sanctuary in Australia. However, several thousand have and are still returning to Chile from all over the world as the economy boom of the country has prospered, granting a quality of life often superior to the countries that once received them as exiles.
List of notable Chilean Australians
| name | Born - Died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with Chile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peggy Antonio Peggy Antonio Peggy Antonio was an Australian women's Test cricketer, known as the "Girl Grimmett".... |
1917–2002 | Australian women's Test cricketer | born, lived and died in Australia | father was a Chilean of French and Spanish descent |
| Nick Carle Nick Carle Nicholas Alberto "Nick" Carle is an Australian football player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Sydney FC.- Club career :... |
1981 - | Australian football (soccer) player | born Australia | of Chilean descent |
| Jose Romero | 1971- | Australian rules footballer | lived in Australia | born in Chile |
| Patrick Torres | 1992- | Australian football (soccer) player | born in Australia | of Chilean descent |
| Rodrigo Vargas Rodrigo Vargas Rodrigo Alejandro "Roddy" Vargas is a Australian football player. He currently plays as a central defender for the Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory.-Club career:... |
1978- | Australian football (soccer) player | born in Australia | of Chilean descent |
| Chris Watson Chris Watson John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia... |
1867–1941 | 3rd Prime Minister of Australia | moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1886, i.e. at age 19 (from New Zealand) | Watson's father was a Chilean citizen of German descent and Watson was born in Valparaíso Valparaíso Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region... , Chile |