Identity And Belonging

Australian in the 21st century

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Australian in the 21st century

Introduction

Australia is considered to be the nation in transition. In the last two decades the population of Australia has been increased by more than half. This increase of population is due to largest growth of immigrant in Australia Australians describes themselves with a multitude of separate identities which may be religious, ethnic, cultural, ideological, class-oriented or gendered. Australians are living in a country which has become multicultural than ever in the 21st century and used to speak more than a hundred languages and come from more than two hundred countries. Australia has undergone several changes in recent decades due to its arrangements of policies related to economic immigration and government of Australia managed all these transitions successfully. This report discusses the meaning of to be Australian in the 21st century and also explains the transformation of Australian nationality and experience of belonging to the nation-state over time.

Description

Australians in the 21st century means naturally competitive people. The spirit of the 21st-century global economy makes the Australian curious about the world and their increasing progress in this century proves that they have become confident in their creativity, effort, and passion. It has been believed that Immigration in Australia of people from different culture and nation add its own dynamism to its economy. Moreover, Australians have become key drivers of prosperity through free markets, technology and trade. In the 21st century, Australians have become the nation of the country which has a strong relationship with the other developed countries like America and China (Cogan, & Derricott, 2014, p.27). They have become most successful in keeping and attracting the talent as there are thousands of intelligent graduates from several universities all around the globe. In this century Australians are seeking a much better life for themselves and their families.

Australia is considered to have most refugee programs and welcoming immigration system as a result of which cultural diversity has been increasing. Australians have the complex, plural, and fluid society with a majority of the population accepting the cultural diversity positively (Meierhenrich, 2014, p.50). They started breathing and living cultural diversity which helps them to actively engage with activities and good from several different cultures. Australian identity has been changing over time which is due to the relation of Australia with other countries and nations. In the past, the Australian identity was the reflection of Britain, but now it has been totally changed. Australian values have a long history belonging to British colony which created the narrow-minded elitism in the Australian society but Australians have left behind those colonial beginnings and now become a proud nation (Robertson, 2014, p. 1930).

The Australian national identity has an interest in its development which mostly turns towards its Asian neighbors. Australia's discourses on culture and race have formed the basis of the building of the nation and Australian identity of the nation have been forged on the process of racism and exclusion towards ethnic and indigenous minorities (Walsh, et, al., 2018, n.p). In the past, the policies of multiculturalism were used for cultural differences, but in the 21st century, new liberal forms of cultural diversity have emerged which separate out the issue of equality and social justice from cultural differences. The Australians today believe in a fair shake for all and no woman or man is above any other (Robertson, & Runganaikaloo, 2014, p. 220). The immigrant has now established the social networks and economic viability which are contributing to the development of the Australian society. Increased number of skilled immigrants in Australia resulted in structural transition in the economy of Australia positive effects in relation to outcomes of the labor market, immigrant's employment, productivity, and fiscal impact. Now Australians have become dependent on each other's situation for finding the source of income and living and for developing or finding a sufficient means of communication with residents. They have started to build a satisfactory social and personal in their new environment.

Since the start of the 21st century the effect of immigration on Australia continues to be the matter of political controversy and public concern, but the economic impact of immigration in areas such as employment, productivity, and growth has been positive. It has been observed that before 21st century the average income of a worker was around nineteen thousand dollars per year, but now it has been increased to seventy-three thousand dollars, and the workforce of Australia has been transformed to industrial to professional today as now scientific, IT, technical and financial sectors make up the biggest employers (Isin, & Nyers, 2014, p.40). Now Australians are getting less married, and the proportion of unmarried people have been increased. The old recognition of Australia is getting fainter, and now Australia has been recognized as technology exporter, cultural hub, fashion destination, and a business nation.

In this century Australians have gone through several changes which turned them into a developed nation, but in all these progress they have focused on every culture except their own. Australians have now become confused about what multiculturalism is, but still, they are proud about what they have built. They are living together in peace and freedom and have strong institutions and clear values. One can say that Australia is on its way for becoming the most diverse nation of the world. People are now moving towards Australia due to several new opportunities which were never seen in the past (Rogers & Wiesel, 2018, n.p). They consider Australia has become a lucky country, but without effort, such good fortune is an illusion. The energy and creativity Australia has gained in the 21st century from the immigrants are considered to be the Australian’s best natural resources which are creating greater values for all Australians.

Conclusion

It is concluded that the spirit of the Australian nation is alive and growing since the start of the 21st century. They are meeting the diversity and challenges of changing time and strongly hold their identity and values with the increasing number of immigrants. Still, there is a need to address the key challenges relating to policies of economic immigration in Australia.

References

Cogan, J. and Derricott, R., 2014. Citizenship for the 21st century: An international perspective on education. Routledge.

Isin, E.F. and Nyers, P. eds., 2014. Routledge handbook of global citizenship studies. Routledge.

Meierhenrich, J., 2014. Introduction: the study and history of genocide (pp. 3-55). Oxford University Press USA.

Robertson, S. and Runganaikaloo, A., 2014. Lives in limbo: Migration experiences in Australia’s education–migration nexus. Ethnicities, 14(2), pp.208-226.

Robertson, S., 2014. Time and temporary migration: The case of temporary graduate workers and working holiday makers in Australia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40(12), pp.1915-1933.

Rogers, D. and Wiesel, I. (2018). China is changing our cities — but it's not as simple as an 'invasion' or a 'takeover. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-05/chinas-changing-australian-cities-but-its-not-that-simple/10464934

Walsh, M., Mantesso, S., Xiao, B. and O'Connor, B. (2018). Australia's population hit 25 million, newest resident likely to be young, female and Chinese. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-07/australia-population-hits-25-million/10077100.

Wellings, B., 2014. Lest you forget: Memory and Australian nationalism in a global era. Nation, memory and great war commemoration: Mobilizing the past in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, pp.45-59.