Land of many languages

It’s official – Greater Dandenong is the country’s most culturally diverse community.
The municipality has long held the Victorian title, but Mayor Youhorn Chea said the latest Census figures revealed it was now in the national number one spot for the first time.
Auburn in New South Wales was previously considered Australia’s most culturally diverse council area.
“The latest census data shows the City of Greater Dandenong has residents from 157 different birthplaces and more than half of our residents are born overseas,” Cr Chea said.
“More than four in five residents in Greater Dandenong have at least one overseas born parent.”
The top birthplace countries recorded in the municipality were Vietnam, Cambodia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Great Britain.
The latest Census data also revealed that in 2016, more than 70 per cent of residents spoke a language other than English – the highest figure in Victoria and more than double the metropolitan average of 31 per cent.
Widely spoken languages in Greater Dandenong include Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese, Greek, Punjabi and Sinhalese.
There are almost 2000 Asylum Seekers in Greater Dandenong – the highest of any Victorian Municipality.