Abolition of the 'White Australia' Policy

Following the election of a coalition of the Liberal and Country parties in 1949, Mr Holt allowed 800 non-European refugees to remain in Australia and Japanese war brides to enter Australia.

Over the next 24 years, the Government gradually removed most of the remaining discrimination, with the final vestiges being removed in 1973 by the new Labor Government.

The history

The origins of the 'White Australia' policy can be traced back to the 1850s. White miners' resentment towards industrious Chinese diggers culminated in violence on the Buckland River in Victoria, and at Lambing Flat (now Young) in New South Wales. The governments of these two colonies introduced restrictions on Chinese immigration.

Later, it was the turn of hard-working kanakas (indentured labourers from Pacific islands) in Northern Queensland who were replaced by Maltese and southern European migrants. Factory workers in the south became vehemently opposed to all forms of immigration, which might threaten their jobs - particularly by non-white people who they thought would accept a lower standard of living and work for lower wages.

Some influential Queenslanders felt that the colony would be excluded from the forthcoming Federation if the kanaka trade did not cease. Leading NSW and Victorian politicians warned there would be no place for 'Asiatics' or 'coloureds' in the Australia of the future.

In 1901, the new Federal Government passed an Act ending the employment of Pacific Islanders. The new Immigration Restriction Act 1901 received Royal Assent on 23 December 1901. It was described as an Act "to place certain restrictions on immigration and to provide for the removal from the Commonwealth of prohibited immigrants".

Among those it prohibited from immigration were the insane, anyone likely to become a charge upon the public or upon any public or charitable institution, any person suffering from an infectious or contagious disease "of a loathsome or dangerous character".

It also prohibited prostitutes, criminals, and anyone under a contract or agreement to perform manual labour within the Commonwealth (with some limited exceptions). Other restrictions included a dictation test, used to exclude certain applicants by requiring them to pass a written test in a specific language - with which they were not necessarily familiar.

The Act stated the migrant had to "write out dictation and sign in the presence of an officer, a passage of 50 words in a European language directed by the officer".

Regardless of these severe measures, the implementation of the White Australia policy was warmly applauded in most sections of the community. In 1919 the Prime Minister, William Morris Hughes, hailed it as "the greatest thing we have achieved".

Second World War

After the outbreak of hostilities with Japan, Prime Minister John Curtin reinforced the philosophy of the 'White Australia' policy, saying " this country shall remain forever the home of the descendants of those people who came here in peace in order to establish in the South Seas an outpost of the British race".

During World War II, many non-white refugees entered Australia. Most left voluntarily at the end of the war, but many had married Australians and wanted to stay. Arthur Calwell, the first Immigration Minister, sought to deport them, arousing much protest.

Minister Holt's decision in 1949 to allow 800 non-European refugees to stay, and Japanese war brides to be admitted, was the first step towards a non-discriminatory immigration policy.

The next major step

The next major step was in 1957 when non-Europeans with 15 years residence in Australia were allowed to become Australian citizens.

The revised Migration Act of 1958 introduced a simpler system of entry permits and abolished the controversial dictation test. The revised Act avoided references to questions of race. Indeed, it was in this context that the Immigration Minister, Sir Alexander Downer, stated that "distinguished and highly qualified Asians" might immigrate.

After a review of the non-European policy in March 1966, Immigration Minister Hubert Opperman announced applications for migration would be accepted from well-qualified people on the basis of their suitability as settlers, their ability to integrate readily and their possession of qualifications positively useful to Australia.

At the same time, the Government decided a number of non-Europeans, who had been initially admitted as 'temporary residents', but who were not to be required to leave Australia, could become residents and citizens after five years (the same as for Europeans), instead of 15 years as had earlier been required.

There was also an easing of restrictions on non-European migrants. The criteria of 'distinguished and highly qualified' was replaced by the criteria of 'well qualified' non-Europeans and the number of non-Europeans allowed to immigrate would be 'somewhat greater than previously'.

A watershed

The March 1966 announcement began a period of steady expansion of non-European migration and was the watershed in abolishing the 'White Australia' policy. Yearly non-European settler arrivals rose from 746 in 1966, to 2696 in 1971, while yearly part-European settler arrivals rose from 1498 to 6054.

In 1973 the Whitlam (Labor) Government took three further steps in the gradual process to remove race as a factor in Australia's immigration policies. These were to:

• legislate to make all migrants, of whatever origin, eligible to obtain citizenship after three years of permanent residence;
• issue policy instructions to overseas posts to totally disregard race as a factor in the selection of migrants; and
• ratify all international agreements relating to immigration and race.

Because the Whitlam Government reduced the overall immigration intake, the reform steps that it took had very little impact on the number of migrants from non-European countries. An increase in the number and percentage of migrants from non-European countries did not take place until after the Fraser Government came into office in 1975.

Continuing the trend

In 1978 there was a comprehensive review of immigration in Australia. Far-reaching new policies and programs were adopted as a framework for Australia's population development. The main points adopted were three-year rolling programs to replace the annual immigration targets of the past, a renewed commitment to apply immigration policy without discrimination, a more consistent and structured approach to migrant selection and an emphasis on attracting people who would represent a positive gain to Australia.

An average net population gain of 70 000 was forecast for the first triennium 1978-81 and this was estimated to assist in raising Australia's population to about 19.1 million in 2001.

The present

Today, almost one in four of Australia's 19 million people were born overseas. In 1999-00 the number of arriving settlers by country of birth totalled 92,272 and they came from more than 150 countries. Most came from New Zealand (23.7 per cent), the United Kingdom (10 per cent), China (7.4 per cent) South Africa (6.2 per cent) India (5 per cent) and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (2.4 per cent).

Australian multiculturalism

The New Agenda for Multicultural Australia was tabled in Parliament on 9 December 1999. It contains a framework which aims at making multiculturalism relevant to all Australians, ensuring that the social, cultural, and economic benefits of our diversity are fully maximised in the national interest, and encouraging harmonious relationships between people or organisations of different cultural backgrounds.

Australian multiculturalism recognises and celebrates our cultural diversity. It accepts and respects the right of all Australians to express and share their individual cultural heritage within an overriding commitment to Australia and the basic structures and values of Australian democracy. It also refers specifically to the strategies, policies and programs that are designed to:

• make our administrative, social and economic infrastructure more responsive to the rights, obligations and needs of our culturally diverse population;
• promote social harmony among the different cultural groups in our society; and
• optimise the benefits of our cultural diversity for all Australians.

Migration to Australia
1948-50   

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