Indians are now the fifth largest migrant group living in Australia. But apart from going to an Indian restaurant once in a while, mainstream Australia seems to have little interaction with Indian culture. Recent reports of racially motivated attacks on Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney highlight the animosity some people in the Australian community have for this growing migrant culture.

Education is Victoria's biggest export industry. In recent years many of Melbourne's educational institutions have targeted their marketing to India's northern regions, specifically the wealthy Punjab region. As a consequence Melbourne has seen a significant increase in Indian migrants. Many Indian students turn to taxi driving as a way of financing their study and living expenses. Although the process for becoming a taxi driver is neither cheap nor easy, it can provide a relatively decent wage. As a result, in recent years Melbourne has seen a shift in the ethnic background of many of its taxi drivers.

Yet, as has always been the case in Australian history, influxes of new migrant groups rarely settle without some degree of cultural adjustment and, occasionally, serious antagonism from some within the pre-existing culture. Perceptions of the habits and attitudes of this new group of taxi drivers has been a topic of much discussion in the media and other public platforms.