Prospect Vol. 22, No. 3 2007 5 Adult ESL programs in Australia ANNE BURNS – Macquarie University HELEN DE SILVA JOYCE – NSW Adult Migrant English Service ABSTRACT Australia has often been called a nation of immigrants and like many countries in the world has experienced major intakes of settlers at various periods of its history. However, among immigrant-receiving nations, Australia is unique in providing newly arrived immigrants and refugees with settlement and second-language programs that have been nationally funded for over 50 years. At the broader level, adult English as a Second Language (ESL) programs have been influenced by Australian Government policies in immigration, language, competitive tendering and labour-market development. At the program level, development has been driven by the institutionalisation of outcomes- based curriculums and the application of sociolinguistic theories to language analysis, classroom delivery and resource development. This article provides an overview of major changes that have occurred to Australian adult ESL programs over the past two decades and what the future may hold. A settler nation Since the 1788 British settlement of Australia, or invasion from the perspective of Indigenous Australians, people have come to live in the country from all over the world. The first systematic intake of settlers was in the late 18th century when Britain established penal colonies in Australia. The second large-scale systematic intake of immigrants was after the Second World War. Immigration has fundamentally shaped the structure and nature of Australian society. There have been several waves of immigration to Australia since 1788, but none has been more dramatic than the large-scale migration to Australia which occurred after the Second World War. (Collins 1988: 1) This post-war immigration was stimulated by increased foreign investment in Australia and very rapid industrialisation, which was occurring in many countries at this time, including Canada (see Pettis, this issue). Post- war immigrants have come to Australia from over 200 countries, with earlier immigrants coming mainly from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Indo- China, and South and Central America, and the most recent groups coming from Russia, China, Korea, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. Australia’s post-war policies have dictated the numbers of newcomers