Lebanese Australian
Encyclopedia
A Lebanese Australian is an Australia
n citizen or permanent resident of Lebanese
descent. The community is multi-religious, and includes a Christian
, mostly Maronite Catholic, majority, as well as a large Muslim
minority of both the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam
, and various other Christian and Muslim denominations, as well as other religions.
Lebanon
, in both its modern-day form as the Lebanese state (declared in 1920, granted independence in 1942) and its historical form as the region of the Lebanon, has been a source of migrants to Australia for over two centuries. Some 181,751 Australians claim Lebanese ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry. The 2006 census recorded 74,848 Lebanese-born people in Australia, with 72.8% of all people with Lebanese ancestry living in Sydney
, where they make up 2.3% of Sydney's population.
In New South Wales
, the Western Sydney
suburbs of Bankstown
, Lakemba
, Auburn
, Granville
and Punchbowl
are largely associated with the Lebanese population, as in Victoria
are the Northern
Melbourne
suburbs of Broadmeadows
and Coburg
, Brunswick
, Fawkner
and Altona
.
to various destinations. Most emigrated to Brazil
and other Latin American nations, particularly Argentina
, Venezuela
, Colombia
and Ecuador
. Many also went to the United States
, and others to Australia
, primarily to the eastern states, and most to New South Wales
in particular.
Thus, Australia's Lebanese population is one of the older established non-English speaking minorities in the country (though many Lebanese people now speak English, to a greater or lesser extent). Although it is considerably smaller in numbers to Greek Australian
s, Italian Australians, or German Australian
s, they are nonetheless of a similar vintage.
In the 1890s, there were increasing numbers of Lebanese immigrants to Australia, part of the mass emigration from the area of the Lebanon that would become the modern Lebanese state, and also from the Anti-Lebanon
region of what would become Syria
.
Under the White Australia policy
of the nineteenth century (and with Lebanon being located in the Middle East, geographically known as South West Asia) Lebanese migrants were classified as Asians and came within the scope of the White Australia policy which intentionally restricted non-white immigration to Australia. Lebanese migrants, like others deemed non-white by Australian law, were excluded from citizenship, the right to vote and employment, and were treated as enemy alien
s during World War I
and World War II
. In 1897 Lebanese store keepers and businesses were accused of fraud by state border Customs officers during Queensland customs prosecution cases.
Prior to 1918, Lebanese migrants to Australia were not habitually distinguished from Turks
because the area of modern Lebanon was a province of the Turkish Ottoman Empire
. Administration then passed to the French Mandate for several decades, which ruled it together with what would become Syria
, its neighbour. Hence, for that period, the Lebanese
were not distinguished from Syrians
.
From 1920, people from Lebanon (and Syria) were granted access to Australian citizenship
as the Nationality Act 1920 removed the racial disqualification from the naturalisation laws.
By 1947, there were 1,886 Lebanese-born in Australia, almost all Christian. The Lebanese born population numbered 24,218 in 1971 and had doubled to 49,617 in 1981. Following the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War
in 1975, more than 20,000 civil war refugees arrived in Australia. This wave of migrants were often poor and for the first time, over half of them were Muslim. This influx of new migrants changed the character of the established Lebanese community in Australia significantly, especially in Sydney where 75% of the Lebanese-born population were concentrated.
For the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s, unrest in Lebanon caused a large increase in the number of Lebanese migrating to Australia, continuing with a significant proportion being comprised by Muslims.
In 1991, there were 68,787 people who were first generation immigrants born in Lebanon and 67,453 second generation people associated with Lebanon as a birthplace.
The Lebanese in Melbourne
have opened restaurants and groceries and Middle Eastern shops and Lebanese bars on Sydney Road
which is sometimes called "Little Lebanon".
Following the trials for a series of gang rape attacks in Sydney in 2000
by a group of Lebanese, the Lebanese Muslim Australian community came under significant scrutiny by the media in addition to a more general anti-Muslim backlash after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Community concern and divisiveness continued in the wake of the 2005 Cronulla riots
in Sydney.
today live outside of Lebanon. Because of the prolonged emigration of Lebanese Christians for the last two centuries (leading to their depletion in Lebanon itself), today, an estimated 55% of Lebanese in Lebanon are Muslim (having become the majority in the last two to three decades). Of the Lebanese outside of Lebanon, known also as the Lebanese diaspora
, the majority is Christian.
In Australia, 53% of Lebanese are Christian, while a large minority (40%) are Muslim, of those born in Lebanon.
All main Lebanese religious groups — Christians, including Maronites
, Melkites, Greek Orthodox
, Muslims, including Shi'a and Sunnis denominations; Druze
, amongst others — are now represented.
During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
, the Australian Government organised mass evacuations of Australians resident in Lebanon.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n citizen or permanent resident of Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
descent. The community is multi-religious, and includes a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, mostly Maronite Catholic, majority, as well as a large Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
minority of both the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and various other Christian and Muslim denominations, as well as other religions.
Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, in both its modern-day form as the Lebanese state (declared in 1920, granted independence in 1942) and its historical form as the region of the Lebanon, has been a source of migrants to Australia for over two centuries. Some 181,751 Australians claim Lebanese ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry. The 2006 census recorded 74,848 Lebanese-born people in Australia, with 72.8% of all people with Lebanese ancestry living in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where they make up 2.3% of Sydney's population.
In New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, the Western Sydney
Western Sydney
Western Sydney is a major region of Sydney, Australia. It has a number of different definitions but one consistently used is the region composed of the 11 councils which until recently were all members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils:* Auburn Council* Bankstown City Council*...
suburbs of Bankstown
Bankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
, Lakemba
Lakemba, New South Wales
Lakemba is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lakemba is located 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury....
, Auburn
Auburn, New South Wales
Auburn is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Auburn is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Auburn Council.-History:...
, Granville
Granville, New South Wales
Granville, is a suburb in western Sydney, Australia. Granville is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. A small part in the north-west is located in the Local Government Area of the City of Holroyd.South Granville is a...
and Punchbowl
Punchbowl, New South Wales
Punchbowl, a suburb of local government areas City of Bankstown and the City of Canterbury is located 17 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region.- History :Punchbowl is named for a...
are largely associated with the Lebanese population, as in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
are the Northern
Northern
-Geography:* Northern , various regions, states, territories, etc.* Northern Range, a range of hills in Trinidad* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States-Education:* Northern University , various institutions...
Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburbs of Broadmeadows
Broadmeadows, Victoria
Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume...
and Coburg
Coburg, Victoria
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin...
, Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
, Fawkner
Fawkner, Victoria
Fawkner is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
and Altona
Altona, Victoria
Altona is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Altona had a population of 9685....
.
Community history
As part of a large scale emigration in the 1870s, numerous Lebanese (mostly Christians) migrated in great numbers out of LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
to various destinations. Most emigrated to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and other Latin American nations, particularly Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. Many also went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and others to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, primarily to the eastern states, and most to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in particular.
Thus, Australia's Lebanese population is one of the older established non-English speaking minorities in the country (though many Lebanese people now speak English, to a greater or lesser extent). Although it is considerably smaller in numbers to Greek Australian
Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
s, Italian Australians, or German Australian
German Australian
German religious refugees represented the first major wave of German settlement in Australia, arriving in South Australia in 1838. Some were active as missionaries and explorers in Australia from early in the 19th century, and German prospectors were well-represented in the 1850s gold rushes...
s, they are nonetheless of a similar vintage.
In the 1890s, there were increasing numbers of Lebanese immigrants to Australia, part of the mass emigration from the area of the Lebanon that would become the modern Lebanese state, and also from the Anti-Lebanon
Anti-Lebanon
The Anti-Lebanon mountains is the Western name for the Eastern Lebanon Mountain Range , which are a southwest-northeast-trending mountain range between Syria and Lebanon. Its Western name comes from the Greek word for ‘opposite’. The majority of the mountain range lies in Syria. The border between...
region of what would become Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Under the White Australia policy
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
of the nineteenth century (and with Lebanon being located in the Middle East, geographically known as South West Asia) Lebanese migrants were classified as Asians and came within the scope of the White Australia policy which intentionally restricted non-white immigration to Australia. Lebanese migrants, like others deemed non-white by Australian law, were excluded from citizenship, the right to vote and employment, and were treated as enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
s during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1897 Lebanese store keepers and businesses were accused of fraud by state border Customs officers during Queensland customs prosecution cases.
Prior to 1918, Lebanese migrants to Australia were not habitually distinguished from Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
because the area of modern Lebanon was a province of the Turkish Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Administration then passed to the French Mandate for several decades, which ruled it together with what would become Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, its neighbour. Hence, for that period, the Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
were not distinguished from Syrians
Demographics of Syria
Syrians today are an overall indigenous Levantine people. While modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history...
.
Australian nationality law
Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian, and is based primarily on the principle of Jus soli. The status of Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 which received Royal Assent on 21 December 1948 and came into force on...
as the Nationality Act 1920 removed the racial disqualification from the naturalisation laws.
By 1947, there were 1,886 Lebanese-born in Australia, almost all Christian. The Lebanese born population numbered 24,218 in 1971 and had doubled to 49,617 in 1981. Following the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
in 1975, more than 20,000 civil war refugees arrived in Australia. This wave of migrants were often poor and for the first time, over half of them were Muslim. This influx of new migrants changed the character of the established Lebanese community in Australia significantly, especially in Sydney where 75% of the Lebanese-born population were concentrated.
For the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s, unrest in Lebanon caused a large increase in the number of Lebanese migrating to Australia, continuing with a significant proportion being comprised by Muslims.
In 1991, there were 68,787 people who were first generation immigrants born in Lebanon and 67,453 second generation people associated with Lebanon as a birthplace.
The Lebanese in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
have opened restaurants and groceries and Middle Eastern shops and Lebanese bars on Sydney Road
Sydney Road, Melbourne
Sydney Road is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Geography:...
which is sometimes called "Little Lebanon".
Following the trials for a series of gang rape attacks in Sydney in 2000
Sydney gang rapes
The Sydney gang rapes were a series of gang rape attacks committed by a group of up to fourteen Lebanese Australian men led by Bilal Skaf against European Australian women and teenage girls, as young as 14, in Sydney Australia in 2000...
by a group of Lebanese, the Lebanese Muslim Australian community came under significant scrutiny by the media in addition to a more general anti-Muslim backlash after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Community concern and divisiveness continued in the wake of the 2005 Cronulla riots
2005 Cronulla riots
The 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence originating in Cronulla, New South Wales and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional Sydney suburbs....
in Sydney.
Religious diversity
Most Lebanese peopleLebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
today live outside of Lebanon. Because of the prolonged emigration of Lebanese Christians for the last two centuries (leading to their depletion in Lebanon itself), today, an estimated 55% of Lebanese in Lebanon are Muslim (having become the majority in the last two to three decades). Of the Lebanese outside of Lebanon, known also as the Lebanese diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, the majority is Christian.
In Australia, 53% of Lebanese are Christian, while a large minority (40%) are Muslim, of those born in Lebanon.
All main Lebanese religious groups — Christians, including Maronites
Maronites
Maronites , is an ethnoreligious group in the Middle East that have been historically tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac saint Mar Maron whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria establishing the Maronite Church....
, Melkites, Greek Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, Muslims, including Shi'a and Sunnis denominations; Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
, amongst others — are now represented.
Return migration
Lebanese Australians have a moderate rate of return migration to Lebanon. In December 2001, the Department of Foreign Affairs estimated that there were 25,000 Australian citizens resident in Lebanon.During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
, the Australian Government organised mass evacuations of Australians resident in Lebanon.
Notable Lebanese Australians
| Name | Born – Died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with Lebanon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Alexander Alam Anthony Alexander Alam Anthony Alexander Alam was one of the longest-serving members of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and a prominent member of the Lebanese community.... |
1896–1983 | member of the New South Wales Legislative Council New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as... |
born Australia | parents born Lebanon |
| Joseph Assaf Joseph Assaf Joseph Assaf AM is an Australian businessman and expert in the field of communication to multicultural audiences. He became a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s birthday 2010 honour list for his work in this field... |
1945 | Multicultural Businessman | has Australian Citizenship | born in Lebanon |
| Mireille Astore Mireille Astore Mireille Astore is an artist and a writer. She left Beirut during the Lebanese civil war in 1975 to live in Melbourne, Australia. She studied the Sciences at the University of Melbourne where she graduated before becoming a full-time artist and writer... |
1961 | Artist and writer | emigrated to Australia | born in Lebanon |
| Ron Bakir Ron Bakir Ron Bakir is a Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur from Queensland, Australia.Bakir is the founder of the now defunct Mad Ron's mobile phone retail chain. He gained nationwide media attention as a supporter of Schapelle Corby in 2005.-Early history:Bakir was born in Lebanon in 1977... |
1977 | Mobile phone retailer | emigrated to Australia | born in Lebanon |
| Max Basheer Max Basheer Max Basheer AM is a former administrator with the South Australian National Football League . He was involved in a number of keys decisions affecting the SANFL in the 1970s – 1990's, ultimately leading to the inclusion of two South Australian sides in the Australian Football League .Born in 1927... |
1927 | Former administrator with the South Australian National Football League | born Australia | parents born Lebanon |
| Marie Bashir Marie Bashir Marie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular... |
1930 | Governor of New South Wales Governors of New South Wales The Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her... |
born Australia | parents born in Lebanon |
| Steve Bracks Steve Bracks Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007.... |
1954 | Former Premier Premiers of Victoria The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the government in the Australian state of Victoria. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Legislative Assembly.... of Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively.... |
born Australia | paternal grandfather born in Lebanon |
| Firass Dirani Firass Dirani Firass Dirani is an Australian actor known for his roles of Nick Russell, the Red Mystic Ranger on Power Rangers Mystic Force, Charlie on the 2009 Australian film The Combination, and as John Ibrahim on the 2010 series Underbelly: The Golden Mile.... |
1984 | actor | born Australia | of Lebanese origin |
| Sam Doumany | Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in Queensland | |||
| Hazem El Masri Hazem El Masri Hazem El Masri is a Lebanese-Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australia and Lebanon international, and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his entire club football career with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with... |
1976 | Canterbury Bulldogs Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions... Rugby league Rugby league Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players... player |
migrated to Australia as child | born Lebanon |
| Nazih Elasmar Nazih Elasmar Nazih Halim Elasmar , is an Australian politician, and a sitting member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Australian Labor Party.... |
1954 | member of the Victorian Legislative Council Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to... |
migrated to Australia | born Lebanon |
| Benny Elias Benny Elias Benjamin Elias is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played primarily as a hooker for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He was one of the leading hookers from the mid 1980s until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season... |
1963 | Former National Rugby League player | migrated to Australia as a child | born Lebanon |
| Ahmad Elrich | 1981 | International soccer player | born Australia | Lebanese descent |
| Tarek Elrich Tarek Elrich Tarek Elrich is an Australian football player who currently plays as a right midfielder or back for A-League club Newcastle United Jets. He is the younger brother of former Socceroo midfielder Ahmad Elrich... |
1987 | Newcastle United Jets soccer player | born Australia | Lebanese descent |
| Robbie Farah Robbie Farah Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back... |
1984 | Wests Tigers Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs... Rugby league Rugby league Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players... player |
born Australia | father emigrated from Lebanon c. 1960 |
| Buddy Farah Buddy Farah Buddy Farah is an Australian soccer agent and a former footballer of Lebanese descent. After beginning his career with Marconi Stallions in the Australian National Soccer League, he went on to play for Nejmeh in the Lebanese Premier League and Keflavík in the Iceland Úrvalsdeild before retiring in... |
1978 | FIFA FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth... agent Sports agent A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary... - Ex soccer player |
born in Australia | of Lebanese descent |
| Joe Hachem Joe Hachem Joseph Hachem is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for winning the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. He was the first Australian to win the main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournament prize.The next year, Hachem won his... |
1966 | 2005 World Series of Poker 2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the... champion |
migrated to Australia as child | born Lebanon |
| Milham Hanna Milham Hanna Milham Hanna is a former Lebanon-born Australian rules footballer best known for his career with the Carlton Football Club in the 1980s and 1990s.... |
former Australian rules football Australian rules football Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either... er with Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
grew up in Australia | born Lebanon | |
| Joe Hasham Joe Hasham Joseph Christopher "Joe" Hasham OAM is a Lebanese Australian actor who became famous in Australia in the 1970s through his long running role of dependable and decent gay lawyer Don Finlayson in soap opera Number 96.- Early life and education :Hasham graduated from the National Institute of... |
1948 | actor | emigrated to Australia as infant | born in Lebanon |
| Bachar Houli Bachar Houli Bachar Houli is an Australian rules footballer for Richmond in the Australian Football League . Houli plays as a midfielder. He is the first devout Muslim to play in the AFL.- Early career :... |
1988 | Australian Rules Football Australian rules football Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either... player |
born Australia | parents born Lebanon |
| Sabrina Houssami Sabrina Houssami Sabrina Houssami is a former Miss World Australia, as well as Miss World Asia Pacific and second 2nd runner up to Miss World 2006. She gained the national title although she did not officially win the national competition... |
1986 | 2006 Australian representative at Miss World Miss World The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951... |
born Australia | Lebanese father |
| John Ibrahim John Ibrahim John Houssam Ibrahim , a Lebanese Australian, is a Kings Cross nightclub owner. Police allege Ibrahim is a "major organised-crime figure" and was labelled as the "lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross" during the 1995 Wood royal commission however, Ibrahim strongly denies being involved in... |
1970 | Underworld figure | born Australia | |
| Tamara Jaber Tamara Jaber Tamara Jaber , is an Australian pop singer-songwriter who rose to fame as a member of pop group, Scandal'us. She is also a former member of pop duo Scarlett Belle.- Early life :... |
1982 | member of pop band Scandal'us Scandal'us Scandal'us were the winners of the Australian Popstars 2 in 2001 . They won an ARIA Award for the No. 1 debut single "Me Myself & I". Their second and final single, "Make Me Crazy", only reached No. 30. Their debut album, Startin' Somethin, debuted and peaked at No... |
born Australia | Lebanese father |
| Bob Katter, Sr. Bob Katter, Sr. Robert Cummin "Bob" Katter was an Australian federal politician and Minister for the Army. He was a Country Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for over 23 years.-Early years and background:... |
1918–1990 | member for Federal Division of Kennedy Division of Kennedy The Division of Kennedy is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. The division is notable for its size, relative to other electoral divisions... 1966-1990 |
born Australia | Lebanese descent |
| Bob Katter Bob Katter Robert Carl "Bob" Katter is an Australian federal politician, a member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993 for the Division of Kennedy, and the leader of Katter's Australian Party... |
1945 | member for Federal Division of Kennedy Division of Kennedy The Division of Kennedy is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. The division is notable for its size, relative to other electoral divisions... 1993 |
born Australia | Lebanese descent, son of Katter, Sr. |
| Bilal Khazal Bilal Khazal Bilal Khazal is a Lebanese Australian who was a former baggage handler for Qantas Airways at Sydney Airport and a prominent figure in the Islamic Youth Movement.... |
Jailed Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad... associate, jihadist, Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... baggage handler |
working Australia | born Lebanon | |
| Tim Mannah Tim Mannah Tim Mannah is a professional rugby league footballer of Lebanese-Australian heritage currently playing for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League .-Early life:... |
1988 | Parramatta Eels Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League... Rugby League Rugby league Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players... player |
born Australia | Lebanese descent |
| David Malouf David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf is an acclaimed Australian writer. He was awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000, his 1993 novel Remembering Babylon won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, he won the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008, and he was... |
1934 | writer | born Australia | father Lebanese |
| Daryl Melham Daryl Melham Daryl Melham , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1990, representing the Division of Banks, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to a family of Lebanese descent and studied Law and Economics at... |
1954 | member of the Australian House of Representatives Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years.... |
born in Australia | father migrated from Lebanon |
| Cesar Melhem Cesar Melhem Cesar Melhem is the current State Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Workers' Union.Born in Lebanon, Melhem migrated to Australia at the age of 23. He worked as a process operator before being elected as a union organiser for the Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia... |
1965 | Victorian state secretary of Australian Workers' Union Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s, and currently has approximately 135,000 members... |
migrated to Australia | born in Lebanon |
| Feiz Mohammad Feiz Mohammad Feiz Mohammad is an Australian Muslim preacher of Lebanese descent and formerly the head of the Global Islamic Youth Centre in Liverpool, a suburb of Sydney. He was featured on a British television documentary called Undercover Mosque... |
Fundamentalist cleric | born in Australia | ||
| Tony Mokbel Tony Mokbel Antonios Sajih 'Tony' Mokbel is an Australian from Melbourne, Australia, who was a fugitive until his recapture in Athens, Greece on 5 June 2007. He is of Lebanese descent and born in Kuwait. Detectives from Operation Purana allege that he is the mastermind behind the Melbourne amphetamines trade... |
1965 | convicted drug trafficker and prison fugitive | emigrated to Australia | Born in Kuwait father originally from Lebanon |
| Fehmi Naji Fehmi Naji Fehmi Naji El-Imam AM is the Grand Mufti of Australia. His predecessor, Taj El-Din Hilaly, retired on 10 June, 2007. He is secretary of the Victorian Board of Imams. Sheik Naji is currently the Grand Mufti and highest sunni leader in Australia, however there has been disputes whether the Mufti is... |
1928 | Grand Mufti Grand Mufti The title of Grand Mufti refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni or Ibadi Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwā, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases... of Australia |
born in Lebanon | |
| Paul Nakad Paul Nakad Paul Nakad is an Australian hip-hop artist and actor. He is best known by his stage name Sleek the Elite, which he used as a character name for the Pizza TV show and Fat Pizza movie.... |
1975 | actor and hip hop Hip hop music Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted... artist |
born Australia | Lebanese descent |
| Jacques Nasser Jacques Nasser Jacques Nasser is a leading global business executive who currently serves as Chairman of the Board of BHP Billiton. After serving as a Director of BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc since 2006, Mr. Nasser was appointed Chairman of both companies effective 31 March 2010... |
1947 | Former CEO of Ford Motors | raised in Australia | born Lebanon |
| Eddie Obeid Eddie Obeid Edward Moses Obeid OAM , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served between 1991 and 2011, representing the Australian Labor Party. He was the Minister for Fisheries and the Minister for Mineral Resources from 1999–2003... |
1943 | NSW Member of the Legislative Council, former NSW Minister for Fisheries and Mineral Resources and key power broker in the NSW Right of the ALP Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
working in Australia | born Matrit (also spelt Metrit) Bsharri District |
| Barbara Perry Barbara Perry Barbara Mazzel Anne Perry MP, , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Auburn for the Australian Labor Party since 2001. Perry is the Shadow Minister for Ageing, Shadow Minister for Disability Services, Shadow Minister for Family and Community... |
NSW parliamentarian | born Australia | parents born Lebanon | |
| Roger Rasheed Roger Rasheed Roger Rasheed is a former Australian rules football player, tennis player, tennis coach, and tennis commentator. He is Australian of Lebanese descent. Rasheed is perhaps best known as the coach of tennis player Lleyton Hewitt from June 2003 until January 2007... |
1969 | international tennis coach and former player | born Australia | father migrated from Lebanon |
| Joseph Saba | 1940 | Fashion designer | born in Australia | Lebanese descent |
| Nicholas Shehadie Nicholas Shehadie Sir Nicholas Michael Shehadie, AC, OBE KStJ is the former Lord Mayor of Sydney and a former national representative rugby union captain, who made thirty career Test appearances... |
1926 | Lord Mayor of Sydney (1973–1975) | born Australia | of Lebanese descent |
| Bilal Skaf Bilal Skaf Bilal Skaf is a serial gang rapist who led groups of Lebanese Australian men who committed gang rape attacks against women in 2000.... |
1981 | led a series of gang rape attacks in Sydney in 2000 Sydney gang rapes The Sydney gang rapes were a series of gang rape attacks committed by a group of up to fourteen Lebanese Australian men led by Bilal Skaf against European Australian women and teenage girls, as young as 14, in Sydney Australia in 2000... |
born Australia | parents born Lebanon and emigrated to Australia |
| John Symond John Symond John Symond is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the founder of Aussie Home Loans. -Early life:John Symond was born on 17 August 1947 in Crookwell, New South Wales and raised in Sydney, Australia. Growing up he spent most of his time between Brisbane, where his mother's family lived,... |
Founder and Managing Director of Aussie Group | born Australia | parents born Lebanon | |
| Keysar Trad Keysar Trad Keysar Trad is a spokesperson for a section of the Australian Muslim community.- Background :Trad was born in Lebanon and came to Australia at the age of thirteen under the Australian government's family reunion program. He met and married his wife, Hanifeh, when he was in his early twenties... |
Muslim community spokesman | migrated to Australia | born in Lebanon | |
| Salim Wardeh Salim Wardeh Salim Wardeh was the Minister of Culture in Lebanon until June 2011, when he was replaced by Gaby Layoun. Wardeh is a Catholic Christian and is a member of the Lebanese Forces which in turn is a member of the March 14 Alliance. Wardeh is a member of the board of directors of Tell Shiha Hospital... |
1968 | Minister of Culture in Lebanon | has Australian citizenship | |
| Petra Yared Petra Yared Petra Yared, born 18 January 1979 in Melbourne, is an Australian actress. She is often credited as Petra Jared.- Biography :Yared began her career in children's television series including Sky Trackers and The Genie From Down Under 2.... |
1979 | Australian television actor | born in Australia | Lebanese descent |
| Doris Younane Doris Younane Doris Younane is an Australian stage and screen actress notable for her role in McLeod's Daughters where she plays Moira Doyle.-Career:... |
1963 | Actress | born in Australia | Parents born Lebanon |
See also
- Christianity in AustraliaChristianity in AustraliaChristianity is the largest religion listed by Australians in the national census. In the 2006 Census, 63.9% of Australians were listed as Christian. Australia has no official state religion and the Australian Constitution protects freedom of religion. The presence of Christianity in Australia...
- Islam in AustraliaIslam in AustraliaIslam in Australia is a small minority religious grouping, but fourth largest after all forms of Christianity , irreligion and Buddhism , excluding 11.2% who failed to answer at the last census...
- Religion in AustraliaReligion in AustraliaIn the 21st century, religion in Australia is demographically dominated by Christianity, with 64% of the population claiming at least nominal adherence to the Christian faith as of 2007, although less than a quarter of those attend church weekly. 18.7% of Australians declared "no-religion" on the...
- 2005 Cronulla riots2005 Cronulla riotsThe 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence originating in Cronulla, New South Wales and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional Sydney suburbs....
- Sydney gang rapesSydney gang rapesThe Sydney gang rapes were a series of gang rape attacks committed by a group of up to fourteen Lebanese Australian men led by Bilal Skaf against European Australian women and teenage girls, as young as 14, in Sydney Australia in 2000...