Myra Willard's White Australia Policy

Myra Willard’s 1920’s context influences her view that the ‘White Australia Policy’ was valid to ensure that the Australian population formed a stable society and a strong sense of nationalism. Willard states that the reasoning for the ‘White Australia Policy’ originated from the 1850’s gold rush era. It was believed the policy needed to be established as countries, including America, struggled with the influence of non-white races. The 19th Century thought that continued into Willard’s context was that “British-Australian nationality” (as cited in Gare and Ritter, 2008, p.261) needed to be maintained for the sake of Australia’s future. When first established, the policy’s main objective was to preserve the British presence in the colonies.