Australians of Indian Origin in Politics: Interrogating the ‘Representation Gap’ in Australia

Abstract

Australian citizens who trace their ancestry to India (hereafter Australians of Indian origin) account for approximately 1.6 percent of the total Australian population. They participate in many sectors of the Australian economy and society. Many are highly educated and earn high incomes. Most speak English and, coming from a democratic country, understand democratic political processes. But, so far, Australians of Indian origin have made few in-roads into Australian legislative institutions, despite meeting a key eligibility criteria for holding Australian political office, namely holding Australian citizenship. In recent elections across the three tiers of Australian government—the 2019 fed..