After more than 200 years of migration, Australia has become a multicultural society. By 1990, 40% of people in Australia were born overseas and over 100 languages were spoken. Australian culture has transformed from the stiff Britishness of the early 20th century to the multiplicity of influences we have seen around us in the last 15 years. From a struggling British outpost isolated from the world, Australia has become a vibrant and diverse place where tolerance and equality are both accepted and expected by its citizens as part of a normal and decent way of life.
As Australia’s population passes 22 million in 2010 further growth will place stress on Australia’s fragile environment through damage to soil, waterways, coastal zones and natural habitats through intensive agriculture, urban expansion, industrial development and the ever-increasing demand for food and resources. There is the danger that the current Australian population cannot indefinitely consume the renewable and non-renewable resources of the continent. This will present challenges to urban planners and government policy makers into the future.
