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 * Critically evaluate the significance immigration had over religious expression in Australia post 1945, making reference to denominational switching, diversification, secularization and interfaith dialogue.**

Due to the adaptations of the immigrations policy throughout the period between 1945 to present, religious expression in Australia has faced significant changes. The contemporary world views Australia as a multicultural, multi-faith nation, with a great diversity in religious landscape. The light in which contemporary Australia is perceived in was not always the matter. It's accepting nature has developed over a very racist and discriminatory history. Prior to 1945, Australia had a very restricting immigration policy, reflecting the ideology of a 'white Australia', which was shared by the majority of the nations population. As the settlers came from England, which was, and remains to be, a predominant Christian nation, Australia became a nation of Christianity. With the governments relaxation of the White Australian Policy during the 1950s and it total abolition in 1973, the past sixty years have bared witness to the continued arrival of numerous faiths of a diverse range. The majority of the immigrants were from Britain, however, and so the vast amount of immigrants were adherents of Christianity. The relaxation over the immigration policy brought more than one million people from nations throughout Europe, including Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, Croatia and Hungary, to the shores of Australia from the period between 1947 to 1966, boosting the population of Roman Catholic adherents almost 6%. Along with the other European immigrants, there came a large influx form Greek. The Eastern Orthodox churches of Australia witnessed a rise from 0.2% in 1947 to 22% in 1966, then a further 2.7% in 1976, and increased to 3% in 1981.

It was not only the Christian denominations that were facing change due to immigration, but religion in Australia in general. The continued increase in the relaxation of the immigration policy through the time between 1945 to the present allowed for the immense influx of a diversity of faiths. Following the end of World War II, Australia began welcoming small influxes of Jews to its shores. Prior to the war the population of Jewish adherents in Australia was 1183. Statistics on the population of Jews in Australia rose from 0.3% in 1933 to 0.4% in 1947 and then to 0.5%, in 1966. Although these increases were somewhat minor, the religious traditions continued growth over time resulted in the belief that Judaism now numbers approximately 100, 000 people in Australia, with almost 17% having arrived after 1980. Along with the sudden influx of adherents of Judaism, the change in immigration policies brought adherents of a diverse range of religious traditions. During 1981, a census was taken, resulting in the observation of the first representation of Buddhism in Australia at approximately 0.2%. Between 1976 and 1980 that percentage rose 17%, then 27% between 1981 and 1985, with a massive influx of nearly 50% arriving between 1986 and 1991. The largest rise of Buddhism occurred between the years of 1996 and 2006. Hindu's also began appearing between after 1945. There had been approximately 4300 Hindu resident in Australia prior to the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. This figure rose dramatically during the early 1970s with Hindu's immigrating from India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Africa and New Zealand. There was also a rise in adherents of Islam during post 1945 Australia. the 1960 to 19702 period saw the population of Islam to be at 0.3% in 1976, an outstanding change compared to the non-recording in 1966. The Adherents of Islam quickly rose however, with a rise of 69.4% in ten years, beginning with a listing of 147,487 population-wise in 1991 and reaching 340,400 in 2006. Most of the followers of Islam arrived in Australia post 1945, however over one-third of the population of Muslims were born in Australia in contemporary society.

The change in relligious expression within Australia did not only occur due to immigraiton. The concept of denominational switching, which mainly occured within Christianity, saw the arising of several new variants. One particular variant of Christianity are the Pentecostals. In the years between 1986 and 1991, the Pentecostal adherents increased by 42%, with only 7% coming from no previous church background, placing the reasoning for such a rise at denominational switching. Between 1991 and 1996 almost one-third of adherents of the traditional Christian denominations drifted, with 15% switching denominations and 17% out of the church in general. This opens up the conept of secularization, which was the separation from religion in general. From 1947 to 2006, the census listing of "No religion" rose up to 25.7%, starting at 0.3% in 1947, and rising to 18.7% in 2006. This secularization did not occur due to immigration, but was a result of the changing society of Australia which was brought on by the past and present religious expression.