Malaysian Australians

Malay Australians

Regions with significant populations
Cocos (Keeling) Island 500 , Christmas Island 150 , Perth, Broome, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane(Australian mainland and Tasmania 9 350).
Languages
Australian English, Malay, Indonesian
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Malays, Cocos Malays, Malays of Christmas Island, Overseas Malays

A Malay Australian is an Australian person of ethnic Malay descent. They are part of the Malay diaspora (or Overseas Malays). Most Malay Australians are believed to live in Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in Australia.

As demonstrated on the existing Cocos Malays, the Malays in Australia came from various Indonesian islands and Malaysia and that they practice Islam. Therefore, it postulates that although these people have different ancestries, it is their Malay cultural assimilation and Islamic practice that unite them under the banner of being ethnic Malays.

Malay labourers were brought over to Australia to work mainly in the copra, sugarcane, pearl diving and trepang industries. In the case of Cocos Islands, the Malays were first brought as slaves under Alexander Hare in 1826, but were then employed as coconut harvesters for copra. However, there were no historical facts that prove that the Malays settled in mainland Australia and east coast until the late 19th century, where they not only work in the trepang or pearl diving industry, but also in sugarcane plantations.

In Western Australia and Northern Territory, Malay pearl divers were recruited through an agreement with the Dutch. By 1875, there were 1800 Malay pearl divers working in Western Australia itself. Most of them returned home when their contract is expired.

The recent Malay migrants in Australia are mainly from Malaysia and Singapore, and they come mainly as students, academics and experts. They have established their cultural organisations such as Malay Australian Association of New South Wales

See also

• Islam in Australia
• Cocos Malays
• Malays of Christmas Island

External links

• Malay praus
• Queensland Muslim Times
• Malay boy, Broome
• HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - "there was a place called ‘Malay Town’ set up in Cairns where a whole range of people. lived—Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, Malays, ..."
• Muslim Journeys - Arrivals - Malays
• Katanning Boot Day

Further reading

• Cleland, Bilal. The Muslims in Australia: A Brief History. Melbourne: Islamic Council of Victoria, 2002.