Australian Immigration - Are we Learning from the Mistakes of the Past??

Australia is a very multi-cultural country. There are a wide variety of different cultures and nationalities living here which adds diversity to our way of life.

It wasn’t always that way.

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Australia was first settled by Europeans in 1788 with the arrival of the ‘First Fleet’ in Botany Bay, NSW. Before that, indigenous peoples inhabited this country for over 10,000 years and had developed a very unique culture and way of life.

The atrocities committed against indigenous peoples of Australia is a topic for another day, however, it is not too different to the way indigenous peoples in other countries have been historically treated.

The purpose of this post is to highlight the policies that Australia adopted during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to maintain the dominance of peoples of european heritage. The aim of this article is to highlight the wrongs of the past so we can reflect and learn for the future.

History

The views of most of the white Australian population during the 1800’s was blatantly and openly racist towards other people of different culture and race.

Non-white peoples were considered ‘less advanced’, particularly morally and intellectually. This focus was particularly aimed at people of Asian descent but also applied to indigenous people who were considered a ‘dying race’.

Most of these views of negativity towards Asian peoples stemmed from the increase in non-white migration that occurred during the ‘Gold Rush’ as Asian workers arrived to seek their fortune.

‘The Mongolian Octopus – His Grip on Australia’, a cartoon by Phillip May, published in The Bulletin magazine, 1886. National Museum of Australia. Source

Immigration Restriction Act

After federation in 1901, one of the first Bills introduced into the new Australian parliament was the Immigration Restriction Bill. This was converted into law by the end of 1901 with the purpose to restrict non-white population growth.

Source

The Act gave immigration officers the power to make a migrant sit a 50-word dictation test that could be given in any prescribed European language the officer chose.

• Prior to 1909, 1359 tests were administered, only 52 people passed and were authorised to enter the country
• After 1909, no one who sat the test passed and were allowed to enter the country
• People who entered Australia prior to the Act being law were also required to take the test and were deported if they failed to pass.
  
  Source

Source

Imported labour of non-white peoples was also restricted to further reduce non-white people in Australia.

The impact of the laws had an instant impact on the countries demographics at the time. By 1947, only 2.7% of the population was born outside of Australia, Ireland or Britain.

Many programs were introduced to encourage the immigration of British and Irish people and gave rise to the ’10 Pound Pom’ program after World War II.

Relaxation of Policies

After the Second World War the immigration policy was relaxed slightly and refugees from other European countries were allowed to enter.

It wasn’t until the 1970’s when the Racial Discrimination Act was enacted as law, that the complete abolition of the White Australia Policies finally occurred.

Current Situation

Australia's current Migration Program allows people from any country to apply to migrate to Australia, regardless of their ethnicity, culture, religion or language, provided that they meet the criteria set out in law. Australians now identify with some 300 ancestries and practise a range of religions. Australians also speak about 300 languages including indigenous languages. After English, the most common languages spoken are Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, Cantonese and Greek.

The definition of a refugee and/or asylum seeker are still contentious issues in Australia and there is still a long way to go before the immigration policies on this country are fair and based on humanitarian rights.

The use of detention centres to detain refugees and asylum seekers in ‘off-shore processing plants’ is an offence to the ideals and multi-culturalism that Australia stands for. Immigrants, if deemed entering, or attempting to enter Australia illegally, can be detained for periods of up to 2 years in detention centres whilst their applications are processed.

I believe that we do need to assess people entering our country, but also afford them the basic human rights and treatment we would expect. To be detained for 2 years whilst an application is being ‘processed’ is an absolute disgrace and better policies need to be developed and implemented to ensure people are not in ‘jail’ for this amount of time.

An immigration balance does need to be achieved, however, there is still a ‘hangover’ from the policies of the past. The White Australia ideology is still shaping Australian immigration policies, especially in regard to refugees. The bipartisan commitment to offshore processing and the re-emergence of Hanson’s One Nation party lend some weight to this view. As a policy, White Australia is gone, but as an ideology, it arguably lingers on.

We are a lucky country, and we need to afford our treasured ‘mateship’ towards those less fortunate than us who need a helping hand.

Australia, as a country, still has some way to go to right the wrongs of the past and to ensure the rights of all people are equal, no matter their race, religion or sexuality. It is up to us to learn from the past and educate those for our future and take a stance for what we believe in.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading.

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