Australian Residents by Country of Birth

Australia's Human Rights Commission and New Zealand's Ministry of Justice have created truth and reconciliation inquiries to settle claims and pay reparations to those affected by government assimilation policies. In addition to discriminating against the Indigenous population, Australia implemented the White Australia Policy.

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 sought to "keep" Australia "British". It subsidized the relocation of British citizens to Australia and limited the immigration of non-Whites, particularly Asians. New Zealand adopted a similar policy for the same reasons. By the 1970s, both countries eliminated these policies.

While most of Australia's population is White with British ancestry, new immigrants account for nearly 30 percent of Australia's population, the highest proportion among Western countries. The thematic map in Figure 10.20 shows the number of immigrants from each country. Most are from the United Kingdom, China, and New Zealand. Fewer than three percent of the population is Aboriginal.

New Zealand has experienced a nearly identical situation. Most of their population is also White and has British ancestry. In 2018, nearly one-third of New Zealand's population was born outside New Zealand. Nearly one-fourth of the immigrants are from the United Kingdom, followed by China, India, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, and Samoa. Fewer than 17% of the population is Māori.