White Australia Policy

From the outset of federation, Australia immediately constructed what has been termed the ‘White Australia Policy’. This consisted of attempts to keep Australia’s image to the rest of the world as a white European society, devoid of any other colors and ethnicities. Those that were of non-European descent were forced to assimilate to the European mode or face being ostracized from society. Following World War 2, there was increased pressure from the international community for Australia to change its current migration policy. In 1966, the Liberal-Country party made its first attempts to dismantle the notion of a white Australia by permitting the immigration of ‘distinguished’ non-Europeans . Throughout the remainder of the 60s and into the 1980s, Australia continued to shed its ‘White Australia’ image and focused on promoting multiculturalism. This was partially accomplished through federal and state funded associations that focused on preserving the “language and heritage” of immigrants within the mainstream environment . The promotion of multiculturalism
One of the most influential world events was Tiananmen Square in June of 1989. This event virtually alone caused a rapid influx of asylum seekers, raising the numbers from 1,260 in 1989 to 12,130 in 1990. Many of these applicants were Chinese students who had already been studying in Australia. As a result, the Australian government reformed the Migration Act of 1958 with the Migration Legislation Amendment Act of 1989. This new amendment imposed new regulations that would greatly reduce room for discretion amongst immigration officers and hence tighten control over the management of the immigration program. In addition, it also created a two-tiered system for the review of migration decisions. In a speech given to Parliament, the Melbourne-Minister for Immigration, Hand,