Bosnian Australians are Australians of Bosnian ancestry. At the 2021 census, 28,246 people stated that they had Bosnian ancestry (whether alone or in combination with another ancestry). At the 2021 census, 26,171 Australian residents were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The distribution of Bosnian immigrants in Sydney as a percentage of the population
History
There have been three major influxes of Bosnians to Australia. The first period occurred in the aftermath of World War II, and the second occurred in the late 1960s/early 1970s following an economic depression and open border policy in the former Yugoslavia.[1]
Bosnian migrants who arrived in Australia in the 1960s made important contributions to modern-day Australia through their role in the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme in New South Wales.[2]
The most recent wave of migration was during the 1990s when many Bosnians sought refuge from the Bosnian War. This migration was assisted under the refugee scheme of the Australian Red Cross.
By 1996, a year after the Bosnian War had ended, almost 14,000 migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina were living in Australia. Most of the new arrivals settled in Victoria and Bosnia and Herzegovina was the fifth-largest source of migrants to Victoria in 1995-96.
By 2011, Victoria was home to 8,486 people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a predominant concentration in the Dandenong area.
Demographics
The majority of Bosnians reside in the south-east and west of Melbourne, south-west of Sydney and the southside of Brisbane. The Bosnian community in Queensland is more widely distributed in regional cities with a significant community on the Gold Coast and in Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Cairns and Mareeba.
The percentage of residents born in Bosnia and Herzegovina that have Australian citizenship is considerably higher than most other ethnic groups at 95%. Most communities that escaped war and came to Australia as refugees have higher citizenship rates and this could be attributed to the Bosnian Australian community as well. [4]
Media
The SBS broadcasts a Bosnian-language program on SBS Radio 2 from 2 PM every Tuesday and a repeat from 3 PM on Sunday. It also broadcasts BHT1 Dnevnik news program every Friday morning from 8 AM to 8:30 AM as part of its WorldWatch programming block.
Other community radio stations such as 3ZZZ (Melbourne), 4EB (Brisbane), 6EBA-FM (Perth), 2000FM (Sydney), VOX FM (Wollongong), 1CMS (Canberra), 5EBI (Adelaide) also broadcast in Bosnian.
Language
In Sydney there are 5 Saturday schools for Bosnian Australian youths.[5]
Bosnian Ethnic School (Amity College) – Auburn
Bosnian Ethnic School, Australian Bosnian & Herzegovinian Cultural Association – Leppington
Bosnian Ethnic School (Liverpool Public School) – Liverpool
Bosnian Ethnic School, Australian Bosnian Islamic Society Gazi Husrev-beg – Penshurst
Bosnian Ethnic School, Australian Bosnian Islamic Society Gazi Husrev-beg – Smithfield
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