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Argues that clientelism can provide a more useful and positive framework for understanding ethnic politics in Australia. Influence of British culture on political institutions in Australia; Ethnic participation in the political system; Views on political culture and ethnicity in the country.

Although discussion of the politics of immigration has generally been at a macro-level, the politics of immigration also occurs at the micro-level, in particular in electorates with a high proportion of immigrant citizens. The nature of constituency work in such `ethnic electorates' has, however, been ignored by political scientists in Australia. This article presents findings from the first in-depth study of an MP's case-work in one `ethnic electorate'. They suggest that the majority of the MP's clients were constituents from non-English speaking backgrounds [NESB] who visit their MP with regards to immigration issues. The article also examines how constituents from NESB were aware of their MP's role and service and the MP's response to his constituents. Overall, findings suggest that analyses of the politics of immigration must also examine the micro-levels of politics and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]