Migration from Indian sub-continent to Western Australia: Some intriguing

Based primarily on the census data this paper attempts to explain the predominance of Christians among Indian Subcontinent migrants in Western Australia. It examines whether it is a result of political situation in the Indian Subcontinent that compels more Christians to migrate. Or whether the ghost of the ‘White Australia policy ’ is responsible for this striking religious composition, contributing to a favouring of Christians over other potential migrants? With the help of a few case studies it shows the inclusiveness versus exclusiveness of the identity problems suffered by this migrant community. It argues that migrants from the Subcontinent are well integrated in professional and some important services domains of Australian economy but this does not enable them to locate a sense of Australian identity, in terms of membership in the political community. Among themselves they share some common bonds and heritage and displayed some striking convergences and a few differential socio-cultural and demographic characteristics. What they have experienced in the process of settlement differed in degree but not in substance. While temporal dimension of migration emerged as a decisive factor in this regard, some racial and religious anomalies in WA’s immigration policy and political processes that become evident from the discussion deserve attention for future research and effective implementation of multicultural policies. The challenge for WA is to determine a ‘condition of citizenship ’ that must create “unity without denying or repressing multiplicity”