Thai Australians
ชาวไทยเชื้อสายออสเตรเลีย / ชาวออสเตรเลียเชื้อสายไทย

Thai-Australian heritage flag

Total population
92,000[1] (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide
Languages
Australian English, Thai
Religion
Theravada Buddhism, Christianity, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Thai people, Siamese, Isan people, Thai Chinese, Thai Malays, Indian Thais, Australian diaspora, Thai diaspora, Thai ethnic groups, Tai peoples, Shan people, Dai people, Zhuang people, Lao people, Asian Australians, Chinese Australians, Indian Australians, Malaysian Australians, Cocos Malays

Thai Australians refers to Australians who trace their ancestry to Thailand or Thais who trace their ancestry to Australia. The Australian census recorded 45,635 Australians with Thai ancestry in the 2011 census.[2]

## History of immigration from Thailand[edit]

In 1911, the master of the Thai royal stables visited Australia and bought 126 horses. This started a trend of royal envoys from Thailand visiting Australia on horse-buying and other economic missions.[3]

Melbourne's Museum Victoria (2013) reveals that the first notable Thai to arrive in Australia was Butra Mahintra, sent by King Rama VI during the early 1920s to purchase racehorses. Connections with Thai royalty developed further with the arrival of Prince Purachatra in 1927, leading a group to observe Australian agriculture and infrastructure[4]

The number of Thais officially counted in New South Wales stayed under 50 until the 1950s. In January 1950, the Australian government launched the Colombo Plan, an aid program for sponsoring Asian students to study or train in Australian tertiary institutions. The main objectives of the plan were to dispel the negative impression of Asian countries toward the White Australia Policy[3] and to counter communism in Asia. Students from developing countries were brought to Australia to study. The idea was that when they had finished their studies students would return to use the skills and knowledge they had acquired to help their own people. Approximately 450 Thai students travelled to Australia on the Colombo Plan between 1954 and 1989.[5] Most did not settle in Australia permanently, but they increased awareness of Australia when they returned to Thailand. Between the 1950s and 1970s the majority of new arrivals from Thailand in Australia continued to be students, as well as spouses of Australians and those sponsored under military traineeships.

The number of migrants in Australia grew significantly when the Immigration Restriction Act was repealed in 1973. In 1975, Australia accepted many Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian refugees for settlement. Included in this group of Indochinese refugees were non-Thais born inside Thailand. By 1986, the Thailand-born population in Australia had risen to 6,998 people, but only half of these were of Thai ancestry.[6] This means that the Thai-born population of Thai ancestry in Australia at that time was less than one-twelfth of today's figure.

The latest Census in 2011 recorded 45,465 Thailand-born people in Australia, an increase of 48.8 per cent from the 2006 Census. The 2011 distribution by state and territory showed New South Wales had the largest number with 17,541, followed by Victoria (10,766), Queensland (7,022) and Western Australia (5,662). Among the total Thailand-born in Australia at the 2011 Census, 23.1 per cent arrived between 2001 and 2006 and 32.8 per cent arrived between 2006 and 2011.

## Thailand-Born Resident Population in Australia[edit]

People born in Thailand as a percentage of the population in Sydney divided geographically by postal area, as of the 2011 census

### Estimated Thailand-Born Resident Population, by State, 1996–2016[7][edit]

Region  | 1996  | %  | 2001  | %  | 2006  | %  | 2011  | %  | 2016  | %

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Australia  | 19,890  | 100%  | 24,430  | 100%  | 34,060  | 100%  | 52,990  | 100%  | 71,250  | 100%
New South Wales  | 7,890  | 40%  | 10,170  | 42%  | 13,710  | 40%  | 20,530  | 39%  | 28,740  | 40%
Victoria  | 4,600  | 23%  | 5,580  | 23%  | 7,810  | 23%  | 12,450  | 23%  | 17,210  | 24%
Queensland  | 2,360  | 12%  | 3,080  | 13%  | 4,980  | 15%  | 8,140  | 15%  | 10,780  | 15%
South Australia  | 1,150  | 6%  | 1,350  | 6%  | 1,880  | 6%  | 2,510  | 5%  | 2,990  | 4%
Western Australia  | 2,540  | 13%  | 2,710  | 11%  | 3,850  | 11%  | 6,710  | 13%  | 8,360  | 12%
Tasmania  | 290  | 1%  | 280  | 1%  | 350  | 1%  | 560  | 1%  | 650  | 1%
Northern Territory  | 410  | 2%  | 520  | 2%  | 600  | 2%  | 900  | 2%  | 1,110  | 2%
ACT  | 650  | 3%  | 750  | 3%  | 890  | 3%  | 1,190  | 2%  | 1,390  | 2%

### Estimated Thailand-Born Resident Population, 1992 to 2014[8][edit]

Year  | Population  | Change  | % Change

|
|
|

1992  | 15,240  | –  |
1993  | 15,800  | 560  | 4%
1994  | 16,850  | 1,050  | 7%
1995  | 18,340  | 1,490  | 9%
1996  | 19,890  | 1,550  | 8%
1997  | 20,550  | 660  | 3%
1998  | 21,250  | 700  | 3%
1999  | 22,120  | 870  | 4%
2000  | 23,040  | 920  | 4%
2001  | 24,440  | 1,400  | 6%
2002  | 26,390  | 1,950  | 8%
2003  | 28,250  | 1,860  | 7%
2004  | 29,700  | 1,450  | 5%
2005  | 31,540  | 1,840  | 6%
2006  | 34,060  | 2,520  | 8%
2007  | 38,310  | 4,250  | 12%
2008  | 43,200  | 4,890  | 13%
2009  | 48,480  | 5,280  | 12%
2010  | 51,570  | 3,090  | 6%
2011  | 52,990  | 1,420  | 3%
2012  | 55,200  | 2,210  | 4%
2013  | 58,330  | 3,130  | 6%
2014  | 61,910  | 3,580  | 6%

## Notable Thai Australians[edit]

* Danial Williams, Professional MMA, Kickboxing & Muay Thai Fighter [9]
* Geoff Huegill, swimmer
* Anchilee Scott-Kemmis, Miss Universe Thailand 2021
* Mechai Viravaidya, politician and activist
* Chai Romruen, actor
* Marion Grasby, TV presenter, cookbook author and food journalist
* Sudjai Cook, Australian rules footballer
* Adam Aitken, Australian poet
* Gemma Pranita, actress
* Phon Martdee, Muay Thai instructor & promoter
* Jackie Barnes, musician
* Mahalia Barnes, singer-songwriter
* Paula Taylor, model, actress, TV host, and former Channel V VJ

## See also[edit]

* Australia portal
* Thailand portal

* Australia–Thailand relations
* Australians in Thailand
* Thai Town, Sydney
* Thai people
* Asian Australians
* Siam
* Thailand
* Immigration to Australia

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Estimated resident population, Country of birth – as at 30 June, 1996 to 201". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
2. ^ "Statistics from the 2011 Census" (PDF). The People of NSW. Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Commonwealth of Australia. 2014. Table 13, Ancestry. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
3. ^ a b Pollock, Z. (2007). Pai Nai Ma (Where Have You been?) Retrieved 6 January 2014, from New South Wales Migration Heritage Centre
4. ^ Museum Victoria (2013). History of immigration from Thailand. Retrieved 6 January 2014
5. ^ Australian Embassy in Thailand, Kobua. "Impressions of Australia Reflected by Colombo scholars from Thailand on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Colombo Plan (Kwam Pra Tub Jai Tee Nuk Rian Tun Colombo Chao Thai Mee Thor Pratej Australia Nueng Nai Okat Krob Rob 60 Pee Paen Colombo)" (PDF). thailand.embassy.gov.au. Australian Embassy Bangkok. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
6. ^ Department of Immigration and Citizenship. "Community Information Summary: Thailand-born Retrieved" (PDF). immi.gov.au. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
7. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Estimated resident population, Country of birth, State/territory by Reference period – as at 30 June, 1996 to 2016 – Census years" (ABS.stat). abs.gov.au/. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
8. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Estimated Resident Population by Country of Birth – 1992 to 2014" (ABS.stat). abs.gov.au/. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
9. ^ Lewis, Dave. "Meet the midfielder aiming to be a Socceroos World Cup bolter". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 17 February 2018.

## External links[edit]

* Pai Nai Ma: Thai Australian Experiences (online exhibition)
* Australia-Thailand Institute

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Thai diaspora

Asia|

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Asian Australians

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Southeast Asia|

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According to Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG)[1]

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according to Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012–2013 and Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016
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