The changing spatial distribution and concentration of Australia's Chinese and Vietnamese communities: an analysis of 1986-2006 Australian Population Census data

Abstract

This paper describes the changing spatial distribution and concentration of Chinese and Vietnamese communities in Australia over the two past decades. The research analyses data of individuals (i) born in the People's Republic of China or Vietnam, (ii) of Chinese or Vietnamese ancestry, and (iii) who spoke Chinese or Vietnamese languages at home. Basic demographic and economic factors at the SLA level are considered to provide an initial discussion of meso-level factors which may have contributed to changes in Chinese-and Vietnamese-Australian distributions and concentrations since 1986.

As expected, from field observations, the data reveal a contrasting picture of the spatial distribution and concentration of the Chinese- and Vietnamese-Australian communities, and indicate that although a few areas of high Vietnamese spatial concentration have persisted into 2006, and a few areas of high' Chinese spatial concentration have developed since 1986, overall there is an increasing dispersion of both communities into the broader Australian community.