Culturally and linguistically diverse Australians

There are a number of ways to define culturally and linguistically diverse people. Cultural and linguistic diversity can encompass a range of aspects including a person’s country of birth, their ancestry, where their parents were born, what language/s they speak, and their religious affiliation. Generally, people who were born overseas, have a parent born overseas and/or who speak a variety of languages are considered to be in the CALD population. The definition used for CALD may differ between reports and data sources depending on the available variables.

Whether a person is considered to be part of the CALD community according to the CALD definition used in the report/data source.

The bringing together (linking) of information from 2 or more different data sources that are believed to relate to the same entity (for example, the same individual or the same institution). This linkage can yield more information about the entity and, in certain cases, provide a time sequence – helping to 'tell a story', show 'pathways' and perhaps unravel cause and effect. The term is used synonymously with 'record linkage' and 'data integration'.

A person's self-assessed proficiency in spoken English where they identified that they use a main language other than English at home. It is important to note that the indicator does not provide information on other aspects of communication such as listening, reading, writing, and comprehension, which are also relevant to understanding health information. Additionally, a person’s assessment of their ability to speak English is subjective, as different people may have different requirements for spoken English proficiency in everyday life.

The ability of people to access, understand and apply information about health and the health care system so as to make decisions that relate to their health.

A person who has settled in Australia under the Department of Home Affairs' Refugee and Humanitarian Program. This program helps refugees as well as people in humanitarian need who may not meet the definition of a refugee (Home Affairs 2023). Humanitarian entrants may have experienced traumatic events such as war and persecution in their home country, or they may have lived in crowded and impoverished refugee camps with inadequate access to food, water, shelter and other basic survival needs (Fino et al. 2020).

A person who has been forced to flee their country due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion (UNHCR 1951).

The region in which the country of birth is grouped into in accordance with the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) 2016. SACC categories are primarily aggregated base on geographic proximity but also reflect some level of shared social, cultural, economic or political common ground. See Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016 | Australian Bureau of Statistics for further information on how countries are grouped into regions.