Summary: The Immigration Restriction Act

The Immigration Restriction Act, known as the White Australian Policy was one of the first acts Australia passed during its federation in 1901.This racist act restricted the entry of non-Europeans into Australia by means of a dictation test. The origin of a "white Australia" can be traced back to the 1850 's when resentment towards Chinese diggers progressed into violence on the Buckland River, Victoria, which resulted in the restriction of Chinese immigration. Closer to federation, Australia was in fear of invasion, people felt threatened by job loss to non-white Australians who accepted lower wages. The prospect of lower living standards pushed the Australian Government to pass the White Australian Policy. The policy put a halt to foreign migration, which prevented Australia from advancing
Together, Holt and Downer worked towards a multicultural society. In 1957, Australia changed its migration laws to allowed people who had non-European ethnicity, that had 15 years residence in Australia, to become Australian citizens. However, non-Europeans who had resided in Australia less than 15 years had to wait before they could bring their family into the country. This led to the adoption of 1958 Migration Act, which made it easier to become an Australian citizen. The revised migration act introduced a simpler system for migration and dropped the previously controversial dictation test. The dictation test was adopted in 1901 with the Immigration Restriction act and aimed to restrict entry of any migrants, in particular Asian or non-European, into the country. The dictation test could be given to anyone trying to migrate to Australia or a resident of Australia who had been living here for less than 5 years. The test consisted of a 50 word dictation by a customs officer that could be recited in any European