However, by the second and third generations, most migrant groups have integrated into the broader society, and the issue of ethnic ancestry has an individual rather than a broader social focus. Regardless of the size of the migration program, there is likely to be an increasing Asian presence in our cities. People from Asian countries comprise a growing proportion of these increasingly significant movements. Endnotes Prior to 1990, the definition of Asian arrivals used by the ABS was based on the UN geographical definition of the continent of Asia, and included settlers from the Middle East. Ethnic composition projections are from Siew-Ean Khoo and Charles Price Understanding Australia's Ethnic Composition , DIMA, forthcoming.
Population statistics are from ABS, and are the latest available.
Net permanent migration takes account of the number of people permanently arriving in Australia and the number of people permanently departing. Settler arrivals is the number of people entitled to permanent residence actually arriving. These issues are explored in more detail in a Current Issues Brief , forthcoming. Oceania comprises New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.