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Australia enjoy a relation of mutual admiration and goodwill rather than shared strategic interests or values. The formal relation between these two unlikely friends began in 1962 when Bhutan was admitted as a member of the Colombo Plan through the goodwill of the Australian government. The leader of the Bhutanese delegation, which was instrumental in securing the country’s admission into its first international organisation, was Ashi Tashi Dorji. On the occasion of the award of the Order of Australia to Ashi Tashi Dorji in 2018, the Australian scholar Bunty Avieson wrote, “Her charm, dignity and diplomatic skill - along with her courage and audacity - created the initial circumstances that enabled citizens of both countries to learn from each other in a myriad of ways. In 2018, many threads connect the two countries, at the level of government, in classrooms, and also through a mature network of personal relationships”.

The way paved by Ashi Tashi Dorji led to generations of Bhutan’s most progressive people to earn their educational qualifications from leading Australian universities and training institutes. More than half of the current cabinet of ministers have an Australian university degree. Inspired by these success stories, the last decade has seen a new wave of Bhutanese arrivals in Australia in the form of private students as well as a steady stream of workers on Permanent Residency. Today, these Bhutanese students and workers are spread across all major Australian cities, with most being located in Canberra and Perth.

The Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Canberra, Australia is the Kingdom of Bhutan’s tenth diplomatic mission abroad. It was established in October 2021 and formally opened on 17 December 2021, coinciding with the 114th National Day of Bhutan. His Excellency Ambassador Sonam Tobgay is Bhutan’s current and first resident Ambassador to

Population
The 2016 Australian national census recorded 5,953 people with their birthplace as Bhutan. The first Bhutanese came to Australia in 1963 as scholarship students after Bhutan joined the Colombo Plan of which Australia is a major driver. In the last 10 years, the number of Bhutanese coming to Australia has dramatically increased, including private students, many of whom have permanently settled in Australia as skilled workers. Although no dependable data exists, including in the newly established Royal Bhutanese Embassy, it is expected that the number of Bhutanese have increased by two or three folds from the 2016 numbers. Most of the Bhutanese are based in Canberra.

Culture
Bhutanese community and personal lives in Australia revolves around regular visits by Buddhist masters and monks from Bhutan. In May 2017, the Dorji Lopen Rinpoche, representing His Holiness the Je Khenpo, undertook a 17-day visit to Australia. Similar visits have been undertaken by other major religious figures like Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Sungtrul Rinpoche, Gyaltshen Trulku Rinpoche, Padtsheling Trulku Rinpoche, Dokhampa Rinpoche and other prominent teachers. Bhutanese also engage in many cultural programmes. Archery is a growing cultural occupation among Bhutanese in Australia. Every major Bhutanese communities in Australia have established archery clubs, and hold inter-state tournaments and friendly matches.

Contributions of Bhutanese in Australia
The high standards set by the path-breakers and the enabling environment being created by successive Bhutanese governments with inspiration of His Majesty the King have enabled the Bhutanese people to flourish not only with their education, but beyond in all fields of work and life. Australia is considered one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world, and there are many old migrant communities from all cultures and nationalities in the country. Bhutanese make up one of the newest waves of migrants in this multicultural fabric. But the successes that this new community is enjoying have far reaching outcomes, and today Bhutanese living in Australia are among some of the most influential groups in Bhutan. This influence largely comes down to the windfall income that Bhutanese workers are able to earn in the more advance economy of their host country. By a simple comparison of the per capita GPD of the two countries, an average worker in Australia would earn more than 17 times of what could be earned in Bhutan. Therefore, the Royal Monetary Authority figures show a consistent growth of remittance of Australian Dollars into the Bhutanese economy. In 2018 alone, more than Nu 1.5 billion was remitted to Bhutan. This formal count does not include the various other ways that money is transferred to Bhutan and spent for various purposes from real estate investment to family, community and religious support. As significant as such an injection of hard currency into the Bhutanese economy is, the impact of this new inflow of cash is far greater on individual families and communities. They naturally look up to those in Australia as a source of support as well as advice and consultation. Thus, it is critical that together with the positive contribution to the economy, the influence on the family and social lives remains positive.