MODERN DAY ASIAN AUSTRALIANS
Asian Australian Facts ◦ More Australians are now travelling to Asia than ever before. The same is true for Asians travelling here. ◦ It is estimated that close to 10 per cent of the Australian population have Asian ancestry. ◦ Of the 4 million people who speak a language other than English, close to 1.3 million speak an Asian language. More than 650,000 people speak Chinese. ◦ China and Japan are our two largest two-way trading partners. Of Australia’s top 10 two-way trading partners, seven are part of the Asia-Pacific region.
Famous Asian Australians ◦ Samantha Jade is a famous singer and songwriter. Her father is of Anglo-Indian descent.
◦ Penny Wong is an Australian politician who has represented South Australia in the Senate since 2002, and is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. She was born in Malaysia. ◦ Victor Chang, AC, was a Chinese-Australian cardiac surgeon and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation. He was born in Shanghai China.