Good afternoon everyone, my name is and this is Today we are going to be discussing with you culture shock within Australia and how and why people who arrive in Australia from diverse countries, cultures and traditions are often affected and how they can be helped to feel culturally safe. We will explore the history of immigration within Australia and how it has developed over the years and why majority of people who come to Australia may experience culture shock. We will then discuss what we can do as a nation to make these people feel culturally safe within our country. Immigration is very popular within our country with thousands of people coming to and from Australia every year. Although many people seem to believe that Australia is the halfway point between the UK and the USA they seem to always not prepare themselves for what Australia has in store for them and how culturally diverse we are.

Immigration has been common in Australia for over 50,000 years. Beginning with the initial human migration to the continent, when the ancestors of Australian aborigines arrived via the islands of maritime southeast and New Guinea. From the early 17th century onwards, the continent experienced the first coastal landings and exploration by European explorers, the convict transportation from Britain. From 1793 and 1850 nearly 200,000 free settlers chose to migrate to Australia to start a new life. Then came the gold rush from the 1850’s and by 1901 the Chinese were the third largest migrant group to move to Australia behind the British and German. Over the many years Australia has been flooded with more and more people from different countries and cultures, with Australia being such a diverse and multicultural country many people experience culture shock when moving to Australia.

Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation, loneliness, insecurity, or confusion