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Chinese Australians Chinese Australians • In the last half of the 19th Century, a large number of China-born people Population of China-borni people in came to Australia fleeing civil disorder, 1 2 Australia (2006 Census): 206,590 , famine and floods in southern China . Chinese ancestry: 669,9011 Many China-born people were also attracted to Australia by the discovery Population of China-born people in of gold2. At the time of the 1861 Queensland: 15,0591, Chinese ancestry: Colonial Census, China-born people in 71,1391 Australia numbered 38,258 and Population of China-born people in comprised 3.4 per cent of the ii Brisbane : 11,419 population2. i ii Gender ratio (Queensland): 81.9 males • From 1901 to 1973, during the period of per 100 females the White Australia Policy, the immigration of China-born people to Median age (Australia): The median age Australia declined. By 1947, the of China-born people in 2006 was 39.3 number of China-born people in years compared with 46.8 years for all Australia numbered only 64042. By overseas-born and 37.1 for the total 1976, after the dismantling of the White Australian population2. Australia Policy, the number had risen to 19,9712. 1 • During the past 30 years, Chinese Age distribution (Queensland) : people have arrived in Australia from Age Per cent Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and elsewhere in Indochina. 0-19 7.2% More recently, immigrants have arrived 20-39 45% from Taiwan and the People's Republic of China (PRC)4. At the time of the 2006 40-59 30.5% Census, the number of China-born 60+ 17.3% people in Australia had risen to 206,590 and included a number of China-born overseas students2. Arrivals – past five years (Source – • The term Chinese covers a diverse Settlement Reporting Database3) range of communities and individuals, sometimes having no more in common Year Australia Queensland 4 than ancestral heritage . 2006 21,866 1858 • Ethnicity: Han Chinese comprise 91.9 2007 22,707 1813 per cent of the population of China. 2008 23,176 1728 Other ethnicities include: Zhuange, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, 2009 23,561 1744 5,6 Mongol, Buyi and Korean . 2010 16,220 1032 • Language: Mandarin is the official language of China and is widely spoken in the PRC and Taiwan4-6. from Malaysia, Singapore and Cantonese (Yue) is spoken and widely Christmas Island4. Other languages understood in Hong Kong, the include: Shanghaiese (Wu), Fuzhou Guandong province of the PRC, (Minbei), Hokkein-Taiwanese (Minnan), Vietnam, and among many people Xiang, Gan and Hakka dialects5,6. Community Profiles for Health Care Providers www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural • Religion: China is officially atheist5,6. • In many cases, family names are Ancestor worship is widely practiced5,6. generally placed before first names9. A small percentage of the population However some Chinese Australians are Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim have adopted the Australian style of and Christian5,6. Confucianism, naming and have changed the order of although not strictly a religion, has an their names, placing their surnames important role in the Chinese way of last10. Chinese surnames usually only living7. Confucianism emphasises have one syllable10. mercy, social order and fulfilment of responsibilities7. Health in Australia Language and religion in Australia • Average life expectancy in China is 74.7 (2006 Census for China-born) years (male 72.7, female 76.9) compared to 81.7 years for all people • The main languages spoken at home living in Australia (male 79.3, female by China-born people in Australia were: 84.3)5. Mandarin – 59.4 per cent − • China-born males in Australia have − Cantonese – 29.3 per cent2. been shown to have a higher overall mortality and China-born females a • The main religions of China-born slightly lower overall mortality than people in Australia were: Australia-born people11. − No religion – 57.8 per cent • The major causes of mortality for − Buddhism – 17.6 per cent China-born people in Australia include ischaemic heart disease, cancer and − Catholic – 3.8 per cent2. cerebrovascular disease11. Communication • Major cancers for China-born males in Australia include nasopyarynx, lung, • Many distinct Chinese dialects are intestines, rectum, stomach and liver11. spoken by Chinese Australians4. It is Major cancers for China-born females recommended that health care providers in Australia include lung and stomach11. seeking an interpreter for a patient should first find out the particular dialect • Worldwide, Chinese women have spoken by the patient8. higher rates of suicide than women of other nationalities12. • Chinese Australians usually greet each other by shaking hands9. Health beliefs and practices • For many China-born people, avoiding • Many Chinese Australians classify eye contact, shyness and passivity are food, illness and medications as hot or cultural norms4. However, a smile, cold according to the perceived effects good eye contact and politeness are on the body. A proper balance of these expressions of sincerity. elements is required to maintain good health7. The classification of foods as • Chinese Australians may avoid saying the 4 hot or cold is unrelated to temperature word no because they consider it impolite . and not always related to taste10. For • Chinese Australians may commonly example, seafood is classified as cold 10 mask discomfort or other unpleasant even if it served hot or with chilli . emotions by smiling9. • Illness is believed to result from an • Chinese Australians may be accustomed imbalance of Yang (male, positive to being addressed by their title and energy, hot) and Yin (female, negative surname (e.g. Mr or Mrs), job title (e.g. energy, cold) forces in the body. Chi Manager), professional qualification (e.g. refers to the life force or energy in the 7 Engineer) or educational qualification body . (e.g. Bachelor). Community Profiles for Health Care Providers • Some Chinese Australians may • Many Chinese Australians visiting a attribute illness to: health care provider will expect tangible evidence of treatment, such as − disharmony of body elements (e.g. a prescription4. an excess of hot or cold foods) • Chinese people usually prefer to be − moral retribution by ancestors or examined by a doctor of the same sex; deities for misdeeds or negligence this is particularly true for women4. − cosmic disharmony which may occur if a person’s combination of Social determinants of health year of birth, month of birth, day of • The overall literacyiii rate in 2007 in birth and time of birth (the eight China was 91.6 per cent (men 95.7 per characters) clash with those of cent, women 87.6 per cent)5. someone in their family • Proficiency in Englishiv in Australia − interference from evil forces such as (2006 Census)1: malevolent ghosts and spirits, or impersonal evil forces − 68 per cent of China-born men and 63 per cent of China-born women − poor Feng Shui (i.e. the impact of reported that they spoke English the natural and built environment well or very well on the fortune and wellbeing of inhabitants)4. − 24 per cent of China-born men and 26 per cent of China-born women • Many Chinese people assume a sick reported that they did not speak role when they are ill or pregnant in English well which they depend heavily on others for assistance. As a result, health care − eight per cent of men and 11 per providers may be seen as uncaring if cent of women reported that they they encourage independence rather did not speak English at all. than catering directly to the wishes of 4 At the time of the 2006 Census, 55 per the client . • cent of China-born people aged 15 • Chinese Australians emphasise the years or older had some form of higher importance of the role of the family in non-school qualificationv compared to liaising between health professionals 52.5 per cent of the total Australian and patients with cancer13. Chinese population2. Australian patients with cancer prefer a The participation rate in the workforce confident and clear diagnosis and • 13 (2006 Census) was 56.3 per cent and treatment recommendations . the unemployment rate was 11.2 per • Many Chinese Australians will use cent compared to the corresponding traditional Chinese medical treatments values of 64.6 per cent and 5.2 per cent including acupuncture, acupressure in the total Australian population2. The and Chinese herbs. Dietary therapy and median weekly income for China-born supernatural healing (through a people in Australia aged 15 years or fortune teller, Feng Shui practitioner or older was $242 compared to $466 for temple medium) may also be used4. the total Australian population2. Modern versions of traditional A 2009 large-scale audit discrimination medicines are widely available in all • study based on job applications using major Australian cities. ethnically distinguishable names • Many Chinese Australians use showed that people with Asian traditional Chinese medicine in sounding names were subject to conjunction with Australian medical discrimination in applying for jobs. treatments4. People with Asian sounding names have to apply for more jobs to receive the same number of interviews as Community Profiles for Health Care Providers people with Anglo-Saxon sounding use of preventative services such as names and those with names of more pap smears and breast screening, and established migrant groups such as a lack of knowledge about the Italian, even if they have the same work existence and role of ethnic health history and education14. workers15. Health care professionals have observed that these barriers have Utilisation of health services decreased and health service access in Australia for Chinese Australians has improved since the 1990s10. • There is little research in Australia on the utilisation of health services by • Chinese Australians have been shown to have low utilisation of mental health Chinese Australians.
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