Australia's overseas-born population reaches new high

The proportion of Australians who were born overseas has reached its highest level in 120 years.

Australia Day celebrations.

The proportion of Australians who were born overseas has reached its highest level in 120 years.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says around 28 per cent of the nation's population was born overseas, or 6.6 million people.

It's a proportion not seen since the Gold Rush era of the late 1800s which transformed a former convict colony into a first choice destination for immigrants from around the world.

And the new figures have also highlighted a dramatic growth in Asian migration over the past decade, especially from India and China.

Michael Kenny reports.

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