2. Government Policy
• The policy of the government of the day is a
major factor in determining who can settle in
Australia
• In the first half of
the 20th Century, the
White Australia
Policy was in full
force and widely
popular
3. After WWII
• After WWII ended
the attitudes of
the Australian
government
began to change
• Bombing of Darwin and Broome, submarine
attacks, and spread of communism scared many
• Likelihood of future Asian wars
• Need to rebuild the peacetime economy
4. Populate or Perish
• Billy Hughes: “Populate
or perish”
• Arthur Calwell becomes
first Immigration Minister
in 1945
• Embarks on a “publicity
campaign in Britain and
other centers of potential
immigration on the
European continent.”
• Aim of 70 000
immigrants per year
5. Assisted Migration
• To attract desirable
immigrants a program
of assisted migration
was set up
• This allowed people from the UK and British
territories such as Cyprus and Malta to come
to Australia on cheap one-way ticket
• Gives rise to term “£10 Poms”
6. Making Europeans Palatable
• Many refugees from
Europe took the
opportunity to come to
Australia
• Newsreels of the arrival of
Southern Europeans on
the Misr drew concern
from the public
• Calwell arranged for a
boatload of young
“beautiful Balts” to be
filmed
7. Welcome to Australia
• Lack of housing meant most immigrants were
initially housed in temporary camps
• Longest running example was Bonegilla in
northern Victoria, opened in 1947
• Goal was to help “New
Australians” assimilate
into the population
