Ending White Australia
You have learnt that the Australian government began to relax its
immigration laws during the years following World War II. However, one
group, Asian people, still continued to suffer discrimination in Australian
immigration policies.
Ending discrimination
Continual international criticism of Australia’s White Australia Policy
resulted in a number of steps in the 1950s and 60s to water it down.
However, non-Europeans continued to be discouraged from migrating to
Australia.
The following timeline lists the changes made to the White Australia Policy
in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Migrants
1950
The Colombo Plan saw a number of Asian
students studying in Australian colleges and
universities.
1956
For the first time, non-European residents could
apply for citizenship. However, they had to
have been residents for 15 years (Europeans
only had to be residents for 5 years)
1958
The Dictation Test was abolished. However, the
Government continued to exclude nonEuropeans by other methods.
1966
Non-Europeans who were considered suitable
as settlers, able to integrate and who were well
qualified, could apply for entry to Australia.
Non-Europeans could now apply for citizenship
after 5 years of residency.
23
The Colombo Plan, which saw Australians working and studying side by
side with people from Asian countries, resulted in increased openmindedness about Asian peoples. Changes to the White Australia Policy
occurred as the public became more accepting. As a result, part-European
and non-European arrival numbers rose between 1966 and 1971.
Activity 8
Answer the questions based on the timeline on the previous page.
1
How were non-European migrants, wishing to obtain Australian
citizenship, treated differently from European migrants before 1966?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2
How did the Colombo Plan increase acceptance of Asian migrants?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Check your responses by going to the suggested answers section.
Although some steps were taken towards weakening the White Australia
Policy, discrimination against non-European migrants continued. When
Gough Whitlam became Australia’s Prime Minister in 1972, he made it
clear there would be changes to Australia’s immigration and foreign policies
to remove any suggestions of racism.
The most important step came in 1973 when the White Australia Policy was
completely abolished and the new policy of multiculturalism was
established.
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Changing Rights and Freedoms
Multiculturalism
In 1973 the Immigration Minister, Al Grassby, delivered a speech where he
outlined the government’s policy for a multicultural Australia.
Read the Minister’s groundbreaking speech below. It describes the policy
for migrants to Australia that still exists today.
Our prime task at this point in our history must be to encourage practical for
ms of social interaction in our community. This implies the creation ofa truly
just society in which all components can enjoy freedom to make
their own distinctive contribution to the family of the nation. In the
interests of the Australians of the year 2000, we need to appreciate,
embrace and preserve all those diverse elements which find a place in thenati
on today ... The social and cultural rights of migrant Australians are
just as compelling as the rights of other Australians. The full realisation of t
hese rights could lead to reduced conflicts and tensions between the
groups ...
Source:
Grassby A, ‘A Multi-Cultural society for the future’, 1973 cited in
Theophanous A, Understanding Multiculturalism and Australian
identity, Elikia Books, Melbourne, 1995, p 7.
Activity 9
Write ‘true’ or ‘false’ in response to these statements from Al Grassby’s
speech.
1
Australia in 1901 was a multicultural society.
_________
2
Australia in 1950 was a multicultural society.
_________
3
Australia in 2000 was a multicultural society.
_________
Check your responses by going to the suggested answers section.
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Migrants
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The mood of multiculturalism led to many specific initiatives that were
aimed at ending discrimination on the basis of race. Some of these policies
during the Whitlam years were:
•
assisted passages were made available to non-Europeans
•
it became easier for non-European migrants to obtain short-term or
tourist visas to Australia in July 1973
•
overseas students could remain in Australia when they finished their
studies if they were offered a job by an Australian employer
•
assisted passages were granted to Vietnamese orphans and adopted
children from other countries
•
the Crimes Act was changed, and as a result naturalised Australians
could no longer be deported
•
the Aliens Act was amended so annual notification of the address,
occupation and marital status of aliens was no longer required
•
discrimination towards non-European residents wishing to apply for
citizenship was ended. Both European and non-European prospective
migrants had to reside in Australia for the same period of time
•
additional funding for migrant education was given and Migrant
Education Centres opened in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and
Brisbane
•
Ethnic Committees and a Migrant Task Force were established to
investigate problems of migrants and involve them in the decisionmaking process
•
emergency telephone interpreter services were established
•
restrictions were abolished on the amount of non-English language
programming on radio and television
•
ethnic radio stations were set up
•
the first amnesty on illegal immigrants occurred
•
racially selected sporting teams, such as the South African teams who
only selected white players, were banned from visiting Australia
•
the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination was ratified
•
the Racial Discrimination Act was passed.
This final announcement, the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975, made it
illegal to discriminate or treat someone less favourably because of their race,
colour, descent, national or ethnic origin. As this was a federal law, all
states and territories had to abide by it.
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Changing Rights and Freedoms
Changing migration patterns
Before adopting multiculturalism, Australia was primarily made up of
people from a white, European (often British) background. People from
other areas of the world were discouraged and often prevented from
migrating here. However, since the end of World War II, migrants have
come to Australia from all over the world.
Complete this activity by recapping what you have learnt so far in ‘Migrants’.
Activity 10
Since Federation, Australia has welcomed large numbers of migrants
from many different areas of the world. Arrange the following list of
those areas in the general order in which they came to Australia:
Asia, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, United Kingdom.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Check your response by going to the suggested answers section.
With the White Australia Policy ending in the early 1970s and the Racial
Discrimination Act allowing many more nationalities to consider the
possibility of living in Australia, migrants now began to come from Asia.
As a result, Australia became a cultural ‘melting pot’. This means there
were many different cultures in Australia and several of them influenced the
Australian way of life. The Federal Government adopted a policy of
multiculturalism to preserve the varying cultures that now made up
Australian society.
Study the following graph that shows changes in the Australian population
born in certain Asian countries between 1961 and 1991.
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500000
Vietnam
China
India
400000
Malaysia
Indonesia
Hong Kong
300000
200000
100000
0
1961
1971
1981
1991
Australian population born in Asian countries, 1961–1991
Not only has the number of Asian migrants changed during this period but so
have the proportions of people migrating from the six countries.
Activity 11
Colour in the circle that best answers the questions based on the
population graph.
1
28
The greatest number of Australians was born in which of these
countries in 1961?
a
China
H
b
India
H
c
Vietnam
H
Changing Rights and Freedoms
2
What reason would account for the large jump in Vietnamese-born
people in the Australian population between 1971 and 1981?
a
The end of the Vietnam War meant many refugees came H
to Australia.
b
Australia began accepting Vietnamese-born people in
1971.
H
c
Australia was advertised as a suitable place to migrate
to between 1971 and 1981.
H
Check your responses by going to the suggested answers section.
Refugees
Following the end of the Vietnam War, when the communist government
took control of Vietnam in 1975, thousands of Vietnamese fled their country
in small boats. Their journey to Australia was far from pleasant, as the
photograph illustrates.
Source:
Northern Territory News cited in Hallet K, Now and then: Australian history and
identity in the 20th century, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1993, p 135.
Many of the Vietnamese who were afraid of the new government fled the
country in the quickest way possible, on small boats. The first boatload of
refugees arrived in Darwin in 1978 and within twelve months Australia had
accepted over 2000 refugees from Indochina.
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A great number of the refugees, escaping on small boats, died during the
voyage. A large number successfully reached other parts of Asia, where
they were placed in refugee camps. The majority of Australia’s Vietnamese
refugees came from these camps.
In the late 1970s, Australia’s need for migrant labour changed. The demand
for unskilled workers lessened. Australia began to seek skilled migrants
instead. Entry to Australia could also be obtained for family reunions for
migrants who had already settled in Australia. Refugees continued to be
accepted as well.
The graph below shows the number of people applying for refugee status in
the 1990s. Clearly, there was a huge increase in the number of asylum
seekers, as they were also known.
Source:
Website of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous
Affairs (accessed June 2005)
The number of refugee applications jumped following the fall of
communism in many European countries and the Tiananmen Square
Massacre in Beijing in 1989, where hundreds of innocent Chinese were
killed for challenging the authorities. With a greater number of refugees,
unauthorised arrivals also increased, as many were frustrated by the wait
they had to endure while the necessary paperwork was completed for
refugee status to be confirmed and entry to Australia allowed.
An increase in these unauthorised or illegal entries to Australia resulted in
the Migration Reform Act, 1992. This legislation introduced mandatory
detention for those who entered Australia illegally.
During the 1990s, many refugees were accepted from Afghanistan, Iran and
Iraq. Many also attempted illegal entry.
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Changing Rights and Freedoms
This second group avoided going through the formal immigration
procedures and tried to enter Australia anyway. This concerned the
government as they had no way of knowing who was entering the country.
In the late 1990s, debate about the treatment of refugees began to heat up
with hundreds of letters to newspapers and calls to talkback radio either
supporting the mandatory detention policy or condemning it. It was a major
issue in the Federal Election of 2001.
What do you think about the treatment of asylum seekers? Should they
be kept in detention for long periods of time or released into the
community while their applications are considered?
Between the end of World War II and the end of the twentieth century,
Australia experienced changing patterns in migration as its population grew
from seven to twenty million. In the years immediately after the war, the
government was desperate for migrants to come to Australia in case we
‘perished’. Encouragement for migrants slowed in the 1970s as the number
of refugees from Asia grew and the need for workers decreased. More
recently the government has concentrated on stopping illegal migrants while
still seeking migrants in a few skilled areas.
Go to the exercises section and complete Exercises 1.6 to 1.8 as directed
by your teacher.
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Changing Rights and Freedoms