Sri Lankan's in Australia and Social Inequality

Within Australia there are many ethnic groups that may or may not be disadvantages due to life chances and structural inequalities. This report will be discussing the life chances and structural inequalities that people from Sri Lanka may face in Australia. Life Chances is the term for the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care. (Kendall, 2011) Structural inequalities are made up of such aspects as differences in the amount of wealth and property, in whether wealth is inherited or earned, different opportunities for 'good' education or a 'good' school, different suburbs with enormous variations in lifestyle, differential access to and treatment in the law, health care, the media and so on. (Sargent, 1997)

The interviewee may hold bias towards Australia because of their experiences. Not every immigrant may have had bad experiences with the transition from Sri Lanka; some may have had positive experiences and have had many opportunities to reach their goals whereas others may have been discriminated against. There is always another side to what the interviewee experienced. Michael also experienced anther western nation before settling in Australia, therefore being used to the more Western way of life he would have been easily accustomed to the Australian way of living. Also, Michael and his family reside within The Gap; this suburb does not have a notable Sri-Lankan population or any connection to any community or cultural groups. The lack of communication between Michael and his family and these groups also has impacted on the experiences. Negatively, they didn't have a support structure that went through obstacles similar to theirs and positively, they were thrust straight into Australia's unique culture having to experience things for themselves.

Sri Lankans (previously Ceylonese) have been immigrating and settling to Australia since the 19th Century. According to the census, in 1816 two Sri Lankans were reordered as settled in Australia. Since then, the population has fluctuated with many immigrating as labourers and gold prospectors during the gold rush. In 1948, Sri Lanka gained independence from England; many more Sri Lankan Burghers or those with European decent, immigrated to English speaking countries like Australia and England. (Museum Victoria, 2011) The White Australia Policy describes Australia's previous approach to immigration which favoured applicants from certain countries. The first Act of Parliament passed after Federation was the Immigration Restriction Act (1901), better known as the "White Australia Policy". The intention was to promote a homogenous population similar to that in Britain. Under "White Australia" only Europeans, and then mainly northern Europeans, could immigrate to Australia. (Board of Studies NSW, 2010) Before the White Australia Policy only Sri Lankan Burghers were welcomed. Therefore in 1973, the demise of the White Australia Policy saw a rise of immigrants from Sri Lanka. Also, in Sri Lanka 1983 ethnic conflict arose, this conflict resulted with many citizens trying to find asylum. Due to the Special Humanitarian Program and the Family Reunion Program, a significant number of Sri Lankan immigrants found their way to Australia. As counted in the 2006 census, the Australian Sri Lankan population is at 62,257.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics provides data about the population, education and employment opportunities and standards for Australian's and ethnic groups within Australia. This difference in the data highlights the structural inequalities that ethic groups face.

Education gives us knowledge of the world around us. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. (Oak, 2011) This knowledge sets the individual up for their lifelong learning and their eventual career. This is detrimental to a person's achievement in life as their career sets up what social standing they are, what opportunities are open to them and therefore what life chances they can create for themselves and their family. The Sri Lankan education system is much like the Australian. Primary school and secondary school both have a public or state system where tuition is payed for by