Chapter 10: Language Proficiency and School Achievement Among Students from Migrant Families in Australia

Australia is a country of great cultural and linguistic diversity where a significant number of its people use languages other than English (LOTE) daily, and have cultural values and traditions different from those of Anglo-Celtic-Australians. The 2001 census indicates that 23.8% of Australia’s population were first-generation immigrants, while another 18.8% were second-generation immigrants who had at least one first-generation immigrant parent.

Sydney has the highest percentage of first-generation immigrants of any capital city in Australia (34.5%) with another one-fifth of the total population of Sydney being second-generation immigrants. This means that one in every two Sydney residents is a first- or second-generation immigrant. These immigrants come from over 180 birthplaces. Although the highest percent of Sydney immigrants are from the United Kingdom and are English speaking, about one half of Sydney’s immigrants are from non-English-speaking countries (Ethnic Affairs Commission of NSW, 1998; cited in Poynting, Noble, & Tabar, 1999). These people have come to Australia with their unique cultures, customs, diverse traditions, and languages.