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Indonesians

Although some immigrants did come to Melbourne from the Dutch East Indies during World War II and the Dutch- Indonesian conflict that followed it, significant migration did not commence until the late 1970s and 1980s among other than the ethnic Dutch. This change resulted from the dismantling of the White Australia Policy, increased affluence in Indonesia itself, and from the greater economic contact between the two countries, many of the immigrants being recruited on the basis of their specialist skills. Although Indonesia is an overwhelmingly Islamic country, many of those in Melbourne are Christian. An Indonesian congregation of the Uniting Church was established in 1985. The Indonesian language is now widely taught in Melbourne, Trinity Grammar School being in the forefront

of its introduction into independent schools. By 1996 there were some 2250 Indonesians pursuing higher or vocational education courses, 800 at school and 1000 at English-language colleges. While the census records a significant concentration in Richmond these are largely East Timorese refugees. Indonesian-born residents are more likely to settle in the south-eastern suburbs of Berwick, Dandenong and Springvale.

Justin Corfield