www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural Community Profiles for Health Care Providers Indian Australians

• Indians were first brought to Australia from the early 1800s to work as labourers and domestic workers3. From the 1860s to the early 1900s, many Indians arrived to work as agricultural labourers, hawkers in country towns and to work in the gold fields3. i • The number of Anglo-Indians and India-born British citizens migrating to Australia increased following India’s independence in 19473. The number of non-European Indian nationals migrating to Australia increased after 1966 and included many professionals such as doctors, teachers, computer programmers and engineers3. By 1981, the India-born population of Australia numbered 41,6573. • In 2001, there were 95,460 India-born people in Australia3. The 2006 Census recorded 147,110 India-born people in Australia, an increase of more than 50 per cent in five years3. In the five years from 2006 to 2010, 107,597 India-born people settled in Australia4 including many skilled migrants and students5. • In addition to India, the three major countries of immigration of India-born people to Australia are Pakistan