On 23 December 1901 the Immigration Restriction Act became law. The colonies had restrictive immigration laws before federation, but the Act formalised the idea of a ‘White Australia’ as national policy.
On 23 December 1901 the Immigration Restriction Act became law.
It was one of the first laws passed by the new Australian federal parliament.
The law was designed to allow British people to migrate to Australia and to limit all other migration, all while disregarding First Peoples rights to their own country.
The colonies had restrictive immigration laws before federation, but the Act formalised the idea of a ‘White Australia’ as national policy.
“That end, put in plain and unequivocal terms…means the prohibition of all alien coloured immigration, and more, it means at the earliest time, by reasonable and just means, the deportation or reduction of the number of aliens now in our midst. The two things go hand in hand, and are the necessary complement of a single policy – the policy of securing a ‘white Australia’.”
Alfred Deakin, 12 September 1901
A rise in migration
Immigration had grown with the gold rushes in the 1850s and 1860s.
This rise in migration made many European Australians fearful as migrants often worked for less pay or sold goods cheaper than European-owned businesses, leading to economic tensions on top of existing racism.
Federation placed strict immigration restrictions to meet their vision of the future ‘white’ Australia.
This overlooked both First Peoples and people who had already come to Australia from non-European countries like China, the Pacific Islands, India and Japan.
An impossible task
Under the Act, new migrants had to sit a 50-word dictation test. Even if they passed the test in English, they could be made to sit the test again in different languages until they failed.
White British migrants were not made to sit the test.
The test was really a way of stopping non-white migrants from entering Australia. Only 52 people passed the test between 1901 and 1909 (from 1359 tests) and no one passed after 1909.
First Peoples & the Commonwealth
The new Australian population wrongly believed that Aboriginal people and their culture would ‘die out’ in the near future. The new constitution stated that they were not to be included in the national census.
By 1912, all First Peoples of mixed descent were removed from Aboriginal reserves around Australia, with the goal of assimilation into the white community. The principle of assimilation also led to the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and cultures.
Aboriginal people were not given the right to vote in Federal elections. It was not until 1962 that all First Peoples were given the Commonwealth vote, and not until 1965, that they could vote in all state elections.
The White Australia policy would not begin to be dismantled until the 1950s.
In 1966, all racially discriminatory migration selection was removed from Australia’s migration policies and processes, and in 1973 the White Australia policy was completely revoked.
123 years later, as Yoorrook has heard in evidence and submissions, there is still a long way to go to fully accept the truth of the prejudice and injustice embedded in Australia’s history, and understand the harm these policies continue to cause First Peoples today.
When we understand the truth of our shared past, we can walk together towards a better shared future.
