The results and findings from Australia's most recent census (conducted in 2011) have been released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and counts all people who spend census night within Australia and its external and internal territories.

An Australian national newsaper recently reported on a number of findings indicating a shift in dominant migrant groups to the country, with Australia's response to the current mining and resources boom being a notable factor in these changes.

Below is a list of the census findings highlighted by The Australian;

• The Chinese-born are poised to replace the English-born as Sydney's No 1 immigrant group, while the New Zealand-born have already overtaken the English-born in Brisbane.
• Nationally, Mandarin has surpassed Italian to become our most common second language.
• The top five immigrant groups across the nation are the English-born (4.49 per cent of the Australian population), the New Zealander-born (2.38 per cent), the Chinese (1.57 per cent), the Indians (1.45 per cent) and the Italians (0.91 per cent).
• The Indian-born are rising the fastest in Melbourne, but in Perth, our largest immigrant centre, it's the English, the Kiwis and South Africans who dominate.
• Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Darwin are looking to Asia in increasing numbers for their immigration intakes.
• Perth and Brisbane are becoming relatively less ethnic than the national average as they the tap new recruits from the commonwealth [United Kingdom].
• The 2011 Census confirms Western Australia became the first state on record with more than half its population either born overseas or with at least one parent who is an immigrant.

To read the full article published by The Australian, click here (subscriber link).

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