'An international city': why more migrants are moving to Ballarat

Haoliang Sun, 74, moved to Ballarat three years ago and founded Xin Jin Shan Chinese Library, the largest Chinese library in Australia.

"Ballarat is not a local village," he said. "Here is an international city."

Mr Sun used to lecture Fine Arts in Beijing and language in Melbourne.

Charlies Zhang, the vice president of Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat, said Ballarat has become increasingly diverse since he moved to the city.

Mr Zhang came from Shanghai, one of the world's most populated cities. He lived in Sydney and Melbourne before moving to Ballarat in 1997.

The Courier analysed the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which shows the diversity of languages in Ballarat increased 37 per cent compared to 2006.

In addition to English, 111 languages are spoken at home by citizens living in the City of Ballarat.

From 2006 to 2021, the population of Malayalam speakers grew more than 26 times and became the third popular language other than English in Ballarat.

Kevin is one of students studying Chinese with Mr Sun, and when he began studying at Ballarat Clarendon College several years ago, there were only two other Chinese kids in his class.

"Now, there are more than 10 students from China," Mr Sun said.

Mr Zhang said the phenomenon is prominent.

"At least 40 to 50 Chinese families moved to Ballarat just for Clarendon," he said.

Mr Zhang added there is a WeChat group at Ballarat Clarendon College, including more than 200 Chinese parents. WeChat is a popular Chinese social media platform.

Many people also come to Ballarat for higher education, Mr Zhang said.

The number of international students at Federation University hit to over 10,304 in 2019, about twice as many as 2017. The population has been gradually rebounding to pre-COVID levels.

Federation University global and engagement director Daniel Moloney previously told The Courier there was strong growth in the number of students from Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

More than 10 Chinese students from Federation University volunteer at Mr Sun's library.

Mr Sun and Mr Zhang said the university had been seeking internship opportunities for students studying social work.

Mr Zhang said over the past 25 years, the workers in Ballarat hospital sector had become more diverse.

Analysis by The Courier shows a significant rise in the diversity of people working in health care and social assistance in Ballarat.

The largest portion is people speaking Malayalam, which a popular language from India, following by Punjabi (Pakistan and India) and Mandarin (China).

One in 10 of Ballarat's health care workers are from multicultural backgrounds in Ballarat, according to the ABS statistics from 2021.

Mr Zhang said government's immigration policy has also impacted the growth of diversity.

Since 2016, 65 per cent of migrants in Ballarat came to Australia through a skilled migration program. The program plays an important role in regional development, according to the Department of Home Affairs.

The City of Ballarat released an intercultural plan in 2022 with the vision of making Ballarat an intercultural city by celebrating diversity and welcoming people of all cultural backgrounds.

On March 15, Ballarat will welcome Harmony Fest. It will be the largest celebration of the power, influence, and stories of multicultural communities in Ballarat.

"We recognise the important leadership and advocacy role we play in promoting wellbeing and cohesion for all," the Council states.

"For our city to flourish, we must truly embrace and harness our cultural diversity to ensure our community lives in harmony and every resident feels a strong sense of belonging."