Cabramatta is a suburb found in the southwest of Sydney and is part of the government area of the Fairfield city. Cabramatta hosts a large volume of the Vietnam community. A Census carried out by the Census of Population and Housing in 2011 found that about 6,330 persons there were of the Vietnamese heritage. Only twenty-nine of these persons had two parents born in Australia. Also, the Chinese population has found its way into Cabramatta. There is a high concentration of ethnic groups from Vietnam and China in the area of Cabramatta. This, therefore, brings with it both positive and negative impacts. The impact is on individuals, the Cabramatta population and society in general. Most arrivals from China and Vietnam are either first generation Australians or new arrivals. There are thus a lot of persons who do not speak English and reside in Cabramatta, and the census data in 2011 showed the percentage to be 62 percent.
(Kwai, 2017, np)
Pho Tau Bay restaurant
Benefits and challenges of ethnic groups in Cabramatta
Freedom arch
(NSW, 2018, np)
One benefit is that the concentration of ethnic groups in Australia makes the country a multi-cultural one and this increases the country’s reputation. In Cabramatta, there are many Vietnamese who have settled in Sydney and initially came there as refugees. They brought with them Vietnam restaurants and shops which offer delicacies like cuisine. This makes them feel comfortable in Australia, and the population of Australia gets to share this part of history. The economy of Australia benefits from the returns gained from such business. Diversity in Australia is bringing with it cultural vigor and avails labor resources. This is crucial to first world countries which were it not for diversity; elderly populations would highly stick them. Ethnic iconography has been developed and includes design and symbols that are a reflection of the ethnicity of the sector. The Vietnamese benefit where they lack English skills as they avail cultural familiarity. Job opportunities can be availed amongst community members where the job suits the workers who do not speak in English. They can avail labor in warehouses and local shops.
Below is an image of a busy Cabramatta shopping center
(NSW, 2018, np)
The residents in Cabramatta despite their ethnic affiliation have availed job opportunities for persons lacking English skills where none would have been available. There are annual cultural events in Cabramatta such as the moon festival. The festival is a community and tourist attraction in Cabramatta. This gives a chance for the community to showcase its cultural integration and diversity. The community is therefore united in such an event as different ethnic groups attend the proceedings. The moon festival event is of an Asian theme and has a lion arcade in addition to a lantern in Chinese style. The event is however hosted through dance, theatre, and songs from distinct groups such Italians, Spanish and Vietnam. The festival brings out the fun side of people. Youths from the Cabramatta schools which is culturally diverse entertain and portray their success at being enrolled in the Australian education system. Vietnamese migration has increased the density of Cabramatta housing. The migration of the Vietnamese to this area has thus seen to the growth of Cabramatta as a tourist and shooing district. The Vietnamese culture has helped emphasize the importance of food and trade. Trade is popular in this area, issues of fashion, multilingualism and architectural style can be seen on its street.
(Google maps, 2018, np)
The above map shows the shops and restaurants in Cabramatta. It is a map that captures social differences here.
The challenges that can be seen here include social tensions and the issue of the language barrier. This, in turn, makes it hard for Vietnamese persons to get jobs. Racism is experienced in Australia, and the natives may feel that their heritage is being disgraced and social tension thus arises due to media speculations (Carruthers, 1970, p. 3). The language barrier is a big challenge which makes people lack jobs. There is a challenge of ethnic segregation that is persistent and brings cultural differences that are not assimilated in cities. There are cultural concerns in that the culture maintenance hinders integration (Dunn, 1998, p. 503). Maintenance of cultural is seen as to hinder assimilation. Culture retention is seen to be wrong and brings segregation. Issues such as racism fear are thus experienced. The culture here is thus deemed to be invisible, is not widely recognized and is used to during politics to bring ethnic segregation. Ethnic segregation brings with its class distinctions and can raise issues of cheap labor being inflicted on immigrants in Cabramatta.
There are social concerns such as a reference to crime. The media showcase Cabramatta as an area of poverty and crime. Social problems are such as crimes bring divisions and depravity (DUNN, 1993, p. 228). The area is also faced with media speculations of being one with high unemployment rates, criminality, and social disadvantage. Cabramatta got a reputation of crime in the 1970s due to drug trade after the Vietnamese migrants started residing there (Coughlan, 2008, p. 12). Today challenges experienced include a rise in housing costs into millions of dollars. There are also new migrants such as refugees from Syria who are now bringing with them tensions. The dominant groups here are still, the Vietnamese, Chinese and Cambodians. The settling in of new refugees in the region is a challenge as the federal government is yet to avail financial support. The residents still experience a lack of recognition or reciprocal and are often stereotyped (Dunn, 2007, p. 4). They are still undergoing violence and crime even many years later. Structural racism is still a problem as it is spread the media even though the residents are trying to build a good image.
Conclusion
Cabramatta's history shows how democracy in Australia has been tested and how the citizens’ interests are being served. At times, the Cabramatta residents experienced failed democracy, but they rose and stood firm. The residents here and the area of Cabramatta may still be experiencing crimes, and some Vietnamese are still gang members. The gangs still walk around with the intent to commit crimes. This is no different to persons of different ethnic backgrounds even those with Australian bloodlines. This essay has shown that there are many benefits the people of Cabramatta have brought into Australia. The benefits such as cultural diversity and the area attracting tourists mean revenue is generated for the nation. As such, it would do these people right for the government to strictly follow human rights guidelines. More efforts towards recognizing these citizens and fighting racism should be enhanced.
References
Carruthers, A. (1970). The Vietnamese in Sydney. Sydney Journal, 1(3), 3. doi:10.5130/sj.v1i3.942
Coughlan, J. E. (2008). The changing spatial distribution and concentration of Australias chinese and Vietnamese communities: An analysis of 1986–2006 Australian population census data. Journal of Population Research, 25(2), 161-182. doi:10.1007/bf03031947
Dunn, K. (2007). A holistic approach to studying social segregation in Australian cities | Western Sydney University ResearchDirect. Retrieved from https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:7574
DUNN, K. M. (1993). The Vietnamese Concentration in Cabramatta: Site of Avoidance and Deprivation, or Island of Adjustment and Participation? Australian Geographical Studies, 31(2), 228-245. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8470.1993.tb00417.x
Dunn, K. M. (1998). Rethinking Ethnic Concentration: The Case of Cabramatta, Sydney. Urban Studies, 35(3), 503-527. doi:10.1080/0042098984880
Google maps. (2018). Cabramatta fieldtrip - Google My Maps. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=-33.89374770074707%2C150.93379143914797&spn=0.007196%2C0.016469&msa=0&mid=1G-nQNGjOx4q6Md0CcRgKfF9Kkmc&z=17
Kwai, I. (2017, November 9). How a Sydney 'War Zone? Became a Center of Vietnamese Resolve. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/world/australia/cabramatta-crime-vietnamese.html
NSW. (2018). Cabramatta. Retrieved from https://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-west/cabramatta
