Hazara Australians or Australian Hazaras (Dari: هزارههای استرالیا) are Australians who have Hazara ancestry.[2] The Hazaras are an ethnic group native to, and primarily residing in, the mountainous region of Hazarajat in central Afghanistan. Many Hazara Australians have also migrated from Pakistan.[3] The Hazara Council of Australia is an organization formed by the Hazara community of Australia.[4] Hazaras constitute one of the largest ethnic groups of asylum seekers in Australia.[5]
Before 1980, relatively few Hazaras came to Australia for educational purposes. During the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War and the 1990s civil war, over 5,000 Hazaras arrived in Australia. The Hazara Australian community has produced a sizable number of individuals notable in many fields, including law, medicine, engineering, teaching and business.[7]
Demography
Geographic distribution of the Australian population identifying their ancestry as “Hazara” or using Hazaraghi as their home language
Arman Monthly is a magazine distributed nationwide which is published by the Hazara community. The 2003 Australian documentary film Molly & Mobarak is based on a Hazara asylum seeker who enters Australia, falls in love with a local girl and faces possible deportation as his temporary visa nears expiration.
