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Turks in Australia |
| Turkish Australian
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| Notable Turkish Australians: Tahir Bilgiç, Nejdet Şahin   |
| Total population |
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Est. 150,000 |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Melbourne · Auburn · New South Wales · Shepparton · Mildura · Victoria · Sydney |
| Languages |
| Turkish |
| Religion |
| Islam |
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Turkish people in Australia are either Turkish people who live in Australia but were born outside the country, or are Australian-born, but have Turkish roots (Turkish-Australian). Turkish roots could mean ancestry linking back to Turkey, the island of Cyprus or the communities of the Turkish diaspora. There were 31,000 Turkish-born people and up to 53,000 Turks living in Australia according to the 2006 census. This does not represent the Turkish population because many Turkish Australians are born in Australia. Victoria has the largest population of Turkish Australians (more than half) followed by New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia.
Although Australia and Turkey fought at Gallipoli, the two countries were said to have held great respect for each other.[citation needed] Turkish flags are shown in ANZAC parades, the only flag of a former enemy that is shown. Kemal Atatürk gained much respect from his former enemies for his chivalry in victory. He has a memorial that has an honoured place in the ANZAC Parade in Canberra. Some Turkish Cypriots who held British passports (Cyprus was part of the British Empire at the time) arrived in Australia after World War II. Large scale immigration of Turkish people to Australia began in 1968 when Australia and Turkey signed a special agreement to establish an assisted migration program. During the life of the agreement, most of the Turkish-speaking migrants who arrived in Australia were from Anatolia. With rapid and sustained migration under the program, community organisations were established. By 1984, there were almost fifty groups representing the Turkish community. They are the largest Muslim minority in Melbourne.
The latest Census in 2006 recorded 30,490 Turkey-born people in Australia, an increase of 2.3 per cent from the 2001 Census. Turkish communities have settled in Melbourne especially around the northern suburbs of Gladstone Park, Greenvale, Roxburgh Park, Meadow Heights and Coburg. Queensland 3.7%, Victoria 50.1%, New South Wales 40.9%, Queensland 3.7%, Western Australia 2.5%, South Australia 2.0%, Australian Capital Territory 0.6%, Tasmania 0.1%, Northern Territory 0.1%.
The main languages spoken at home by Turkey-born people in Australia were Turkish 81.5%, English 8.1% and Greek 2.3%. Of the 27,860 Turkey-born who spoke a language other than English at home, 67.2% spoke English very well or well and 31.8% spoke English not well or not at all.
Demographic research highlights that Turkish Australians are mainly Muslim (tend to be more secular and better integrated into Australian society than Muslims from other cultural backgrounds). At the 2006 Census the major religious affiliations amongst Turkey-born were Islam. Of the Turkey-born, 8.6 per cent stated 'No Religion', this was lower than that of the total Australian population (18.7 per cent). 4.7 per cent of the Turkey-born did not state a religion. Religions: Islam 75.8%, No religion 8.6%, Other 7.8%, Eastern Orthodox 3.1% and Not stated 4.7%.1
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