What attracts so many Indians to Australia?

Rohit Singh speaks with a distinctly different accent from his mother.

He is a second-generation Indian immigrant living on the Mornington Peninsula, a seaside cape about an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

For the past two years, he has helped his parents run Avani, a winery they founded after emigrating to Australia in the 1990s.

Mr Singh says over the past decade Melbourne’s South Asian community has grown, which is why Avani began hosting wine pairing events highlighting Indian dishes: the meen pollichathu (a south Indian baked fish recipe) is served with pinot gris; The dal makhani (a creamy, slow-cooked black lentil dish) is accompanied by a pinot noir.

The chefs and restaurateurs behind these experiences are among the more than 710,000 Indians who live in Australia, one of the largest “immigration nations” in the world. Their numbers have increased rapidly in recent years – according to the last census of the country, Indians now constitute the second largest migrant group in Australia, after the Chinese and just behind the English. The new wave of Indian immigrants has been largely driven by the technology sector, as the country has a high demand for skilled workers.

Aarti Betigeri, a journalist who is currently editing an anthology on the experiences of Indians growing up in Australia, says that when her parents moved there in the 1960s, Indians were virtually not part of public life. “It was rare to find another Indian on the street,” she says.

Today things are different. “They hold jobs in every sector, run their own businesses and even go into politics,” she says.

The newly elected New South Wales government has four politicians of Indian originincluding Daniel Mookhey, who in March became the first politician of Indian origin to become treasurer of an Australian state. However, there is still a long way to go: Indian-Australians, as well as other people of non-European origin, are still under-represented in politics, particularly at the federal level.

Betigeri says soft power exports have played a powerful role in unifying the two countries. At a recent rally in Sydney attended by thousands of people from the Indian diaspora, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about how the TV show MasterChef Australia, cricket and movies bring people together.

Experts say his government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in power in India since 2014, has played a key role in strengthening bilateral relations. Mr Modi’s visit to Australia in November 2014 was the first by an Indian prime minister in almost three decades.

During his recent visit to Sydney in May, the two countries announced an agreement on migration facilitate travel and work for students, academics and professionals in India and Australia. They also reiterated their commitment to conclude a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement – which should be based on the results of an agreement signed last April.

In March, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made his first official visit to India since taking office, and the two prime ministers discussed defense and security, economic cooperation, education and bilateral trade.

“Frequent meetings of prime ministers and ministers have deepened bilateral ties like never before,” says Pradeep S Mehta, who works at CUTS International, a global public policy research and advocacy group.

Observers say the partnership is seen as beneficial for both countries, which are also part of the four-member Quad grouping aimed at limiting China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

While the connection between India and Australia dates back millions of years – a supercontinent called Gondwana once physically linked the two present-day nations – the history of Indian migration to the country is far more checkered. The first immigrants arrived in Australia in the 1800s as laborers or servants of British subjects from India.

In the 1900s, more Indians began to migrate, and their numbers increased significantly after the abolition of the White Australia Policy – ​​a racist law that restricted non-white immigration – in 1973 .

“Even then, Australia remained choosy about the type of migrants it welcomed; only skilled migrants, such as technology workers, doctors, nurses and academics, were welcomed, and that too at very high rates. small scale,” says Jayant Bapat, a researcher who collaborated on the study. -wrote a book on the Indian diaspora in Australia.

The real game changer happened in 2006, when the government led by John Howard opened Australia’s doors to Indian students and introduced policy measures that made it easier for them to obtain permanent residency.

“Indian students still make up a very large proportion of temporary migrants. Once they have obtained their diplomas, many of them are authorized to settle in Australia,” explains Mr. Bapat.

But there were also tensions. In the late 2000s, several violent attacks on Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne made headlines around the world.

Many Indian immigrants took to the streets to protest, India reacted strongly and the Australian government took steps to remedy the situation. Stray incidents violence is still occasionally reported.

Supporters say immigrants from Asian and South Asian countries bring much-needed multiculturalism to Australian society and have helped the economy grow. But some opposition politicians have criticized Australia’s migration policy, saying lower-wage immigrants eliminate jobs and drain resources.

Some members of the Indian community say they are trying to make Australia more inclusive by educating people about their culture and heritage.

Divya Saxena, 24, who grew up in Sydney, wants to popularize classical Indian dances like Kathak and Bharatnatyam in Australia.

She says Sydney has a thriving community of Indian-Australian creatives like herself who strive to “break stereotypes” within the South Asian community and support each other in their businesses.

Ms Saxena recently choreographed a dance routine for Rowi Singh, an Indian-Australian makeup influencer who creates vibrant looks inspired by her South Asian heritage.

“Our parents’ generation started from scratch here; their goal was to maintain stable jobs so they could give their children a better life. So they put their heads down and tried to blend in. But people of my generation do not have to shoulder such a burden,” says Ms. Saxena.

“We are free to pursue our passions and many of us are trying to make Australia an even more welcoming place for future generations.”

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