He says new arrivals don't expect to see such a rich diversity of peoples in Australia.

In his own case, he is viewed by "new settlers" as white and the established order - a marked difference to how his family were viewed when they first settled in Australia.

"It's only over time that your kids go to school, they play sport, they get involved, it's a slow process but [migrants] are surprised how Australian they become."

He said "new settlers" were met with curiosity rather than hostility when they moved into the neighbourhood, but more needed to be done to bring neighbours out of their shells.

"I think in society in general though, we're much more living behind our walls these days," he said. "We need to look at ways to bring people together, whether it's with a street party or a festival."

Mr Buscemi welcomed changes to the citizenship test which now quizzes on civic responsibilities rather than Australian history and sport.

In terms of feeling Australian, it's a matter of migrants sharing a sense of civic responsibility and values, he says.

"It's not about all people being the same. You're not expected to sign on to a single view of what being Australian is."