Hungarian Australian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
Hungarian 19,092 (by birth, 2011) 69,160 (by ancestry, 2011) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New South Wales | 23,577 |
| Victoria | 21,727 |
| Queensland | 9,795 |
| South Australia | 5,427 |
| Western Australia | 4,230 |
| ACT | 1,652 |
| Tasmania | 877 |
| Northern Territory | 331 |
| Languages | |
| Australian English · Hungarian | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism, Hungarian Reformed, Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Hungarians | |
Hungarian Australians (Hungarian: Ausztráliai magyarok) are Australian citizens of Hungarian descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves. Most of the Hungarian immigrants to Australia came after World War II and after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Hungarian Australians mostly live in state capital cities. Responses to the 2006 ABS-conducted national census questionnaires could reflect the true numbers of Hungarian Australians only if one takes into account not only those born in Hungary. In addition to that, those of ethnic Hungarian origin born outside Hungary who officially and specifically identified themselves of Hungarian ancestry would total 67,616 Hungarian Australian persons, residents of Australia as per ABS tabulation under "Hungarian Ancestry" (Refer to Hungarian history as guide for clarification). The breakdown according to State and Territory was: NSW 23,577; VIC 21,727; QLD 9795; SA 5,427; WA 4,230; TAS 877; ACT 1,652; NT 331. Of the 67,616 total 20,166 or 29.82% were born in Hungary, 31,103 or 46% were aged 65 and over, 40,570 or 60% had tertiary or trade qualifications. In the same 2006 Census, among Hungarian-born persons, the religious affiliation was as follows: 72.9% declared Christianity, 11.8% declared no religion or atheism, 7.4% declared Judaism, 0.6% declared other religions and 6.6% did not answer the question.
Reduced in number and altered to new format, the questions in the last ABS' National Census of 2011 only allowed for and yielded the following data: 19,089 were born in Hungary; 20,875 speak in Hungarian at home including 3,861 ethnic Hungarians who speak Hungarian at home but were born in countries adjoining Hungary. An all encompassing, multigenerational total of 69,159 people claimed Hungarian ethnicity/ancestry and cultural heritage.
Generally, before and after the founding of the Australian federation, Hungarian immigration to Australia has been the result of severe politico-economic crisis in Hungary which devastated the country forcing portions of the population to a marginal existence. Revolutions, wars and the attendant misery created mass refugee-waves to the outside world. However, the exception always existed at all times in the form of few individuals whose highest motivation to migrate was absolute independence, divorced even from any desire to nurture root culture, heritage, language and thus seek ethnic cohesion in a far-away foreign land. They could have been typical Victorian-era goldfield prospectors, unskilled "jack of all trades-master of none" adventurers, and, at the other end of the spectrum, expert tradesman, highly educated professional or the astute merchant who saw conditions and a climate ready for the high rewards to be had for hard work invested in a fast developing new homeland.
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