In the past, there have been quite severe setbacks, at least in official ties, as the interests of different governments in the two sub-regions have clashed and public perceptions diverged on sensitive and often emotive issues. Despite this, the relationship has become increasingly solid and multifaceted, as successive Australian, New Zealand and Southeast Asian governments have taken steps since the early 1970s to facilitate mutual ties and interaction in a wide range of areas. To appreciate the transforming nature of these changes, they need to be seen in long-term perspective, over the span of more than a generation.

Southeast Asian views of Australia were first set through the prism of the White Australia policy which barred Asian immigrants on grounds of race. Even after the last vestiges of the policy were discarded in 1973, Australia struggled to convince its Asian neighbours that it had removed the taint of racial discrimination. New Zealand ended remaining discriminatory practices against Asian immigrants in 1987. But it, too, seemed slow to change in the view of Asians. They remembered the history of prejudice against local Chinese from the nineteenth century in both Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealand government has recently taken steps formally to apologize to the Chinese community in New Zealand for former policies of discrimination.

A Multicultural ANZ

Like Australia, New Zealand now has an immigration policy that makes no distinction between applicants on grounds of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Both countries have growing numbers of Asians in their societies. Far from trying to shore up an Anglo- Celtic majority heritage, Australia and New Zealand have opened their doors to racial and religious diversity by promoting multicultural policies. There are more than 1.3 million Australians of Asian ancestry, out of a total population of 20 million.

Since the late 1940s, over six million migrants from about 200 countries have made Australia their home. In the past 25 years, the Australian Islamic community has grown significantly.