Thai Australians refers to

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...

who trace their ancestry to Thailand or Thais who trace their ancestry to Australia. The

Australian census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...

recorded 45,635 Australians with Thai ancestry in the 2011 census.

History of Immigration from Thailand

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.Pollock, Z. (2007)
Pai Nai Ma (Where Have You been?)
Retrieved 6 January 2014, fro
New South Wales Migration Heritage Centre
/ref> Melbourne's Museum Victoria (2013) reveals that the first notable Thai to arrive in Australia was Butra Mahintra, sent by

King Rama VI Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his effort ...

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 Museum Victoria (2013)
History of immigration from Thailand
Retrieved 6 January 2014 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 The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...

, 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 The White Australia policy is a term encapsulating a set of historical policies that aimed to forbid people of non-European ethnic origin, especially Asians (primarily Chinese) and Pacific Islanders, from immigrating to Australia, starting i ...

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

between 1954 and 1989. 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 Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

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. 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 A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

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

Australian Census 2011 demographic map - Inner Sydney by POA - BCP field 1840 Thailand Total

Estimated Thailand-Born Resident Population, by State, 1996–2016

Estimated Thailand-Born Resident Population, 1992 to 2014

Notable Thai Australians

* Kenneth Dougall, Australian soccerplayer *

Geoff Huegill Geoffrey Andrew Huegill (born 4 March 1979) is an Australian swimmer and dual Olympian who won seventy-two international medals, including two medals in Olympics and six world champion titles, throughout his career. He held eight world records, i ...

, swimmer * Anchilee Scott-Kemmis, Miss Universe Thailand 2021 *

Mechai Viravaidya Mechai Viravaidya (born 17 January 1941, th, มีชัย วีระไวทยะ; ) is a former politician and activist in Thailand who promoted condoms, family planning and AIDS awareness in Thailand. Since the 1970s, Mechai has been ...

, 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 Jackie James Barnes (born 4 February 1986) is an Australian drummer and singer. He has been performing since the age of four and has appeared on over 60 releases since 1990. He is the third child and only son of Jimmy Barnes and his wife Jane ...

, musician *

Mahalia Barnes Mahalia Violet Barnes (born 12 July 1982) is an Australian singer, songwriter and the daughter of Scottish-Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes and Jane Mahoney. She began performing as part of children's pop group The Tin Lids with siblings, ...

, singer-songwriter * Paula Taylor, model, actress, TV host, and former Channel VJ

References

External links

Pai Nai Ma: Thai Australian Experiences
online exhibition)
Australia-Thailand Institute
{{Ethnic groups in Australia Asian Australian Immigration to Australia Thai-Australian culture