Developed country diasporas: The example of Australian expatriates

Abstract

In the rapidly growing body of research on diasporas, Europe and North America attention has focused on communities from south nations. However, a significant proportion of their foreign populations, especially in their major metropolitan areas, originate from other developed countries. This paper argues that these migrants not only are numerically significant in OECD world cities but also that they often constitute meaningful communities and maintain, significant linkages with their homelands. It focuses on the one million Australians currently living in foreign countries, more than half in the world cities of Europe and North America. It utilises a study collecting both quantitative and qualitative information from a sample of these Australian expatriates. It examines the process of development of the Australian expatriate communities in world cities, their defining characteristics and the linkages they maintain with their homelands. The paper examines the nature of the impact of the diaspora on Australia as well as their involvement in the economy and society of their destinations. The Australian government recently set up a Senate Inquiry into the national diaspora and is contemplating a range of policies with respect to it and the paper concludes with a discussion of these policies.