Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

Who came to Australia?

Year 5 / 6 History Australia as a Nation 1

Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

Who came to Australia?

After World War II (1939–1945), the Australian government realised that
Australia’s isolation and small population made it difficult to defend. The
government used the slogan “Populate or Perish” to persuade the Australian
people that a larger population was needed. A bigger population would also mean
a larger workforce and ultimately a wealthier country. As a result, from 1945 to
1975 Australia’s population almost doubled from 7½ million to 13 million.

The Australian government made a series of TV commercials to encourage people

to come and live in Australia.

1 Watch the commercial “Australia – brings out the best in you”.

a Who do you think was the target audience for this commercial?

People who were interested in a new life from England.

b What were the “pull” factors used in the commercial?

The price was very cheap and inexpensive and because

they listed some good reasons for moving

c Tick the statements which indicate and provide evidence that the video clip is a
reliable source.
There will be more than one correct answer.
• It was made at the time and tells us how the government advertised for migrants.
• It was made by an official government department.
• It shows pamphlets which were used at the time.
• It shows the cost of migrating to Australia.

2 Was there a specific government policy at the time saying only certain types of people
could migrate to Australia?
Research the “Immigration Restriction Act 1901” to answer the question.

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Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

The Act was used to exclude non-Europeans from entering Australia. People had
to pass a dictation test in any European language. The test could be made easy or
hard depending on whether the immigration officer thought the person was suitable.

3 Go to the website. With a partner, take turns to do a dictation test; one reads the
words in a passage, the other writes the words down.

4
a Write your own dictation test designed to allow someone to enter Australia.

b Write your own dictation test designed to stop someone from entering Australia.

5
a Discuss the dictation tests with your partner or group. Do you think the tests were fair?

b What reasons might the immigration officer in the 1900s have for finding some people
unsuitable and therefore giving them the difficult dictation test?

6 Look at the image of the document. The document gives additional

information about the dictation test.
7 Write an official note from the immigration officer explaining the document.

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Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

End of the White Australia Policy

In the 1960s social attitudes towards racial discrimination began changing. In the
1970s the government changed the statute (laws passed by a government) and
removed race as a factor in Australia’s immigration policy. In spite of the changes
however, Australia’s immigrants still remained “white” until the refugee crisis after
the Vietnam War.

8 Watch the video about “The Rise and Fall of White Australia”.
a Prime Ministers from both sides of politics discuss the removal of Australia’s racist
immigration policy.
Can you name the Prime Ministers?

Kim Beazley said, “We have only been multi-racial in a process which started in the
1960s and was cemented in the 1980s. We changed our definition then of what it was
to be an Australian.”
Based on the immigration policies of the time:
b Write a definition describing Australians in the 1960s.

c Write a definition describing Australians today.

d Imagine you are the Prime Minister today. Write your party’s immigration policy below.

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Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

Over the years, Australia’s migration program has changed according to the
policies of the elected government. Today, the immigration policy is closely
related to economic growth so the focus is on highly skilled workers.
People are encouraged to migrate to Australia if:
• They have job skills which are in short supply in Australia
• They would like to study here
• They have family members here and they would like to join them
Australia also accepts about 20,000 refugees each year.
This graph shows the country of birth for people who migrated to Australia
from 1945 to 2015.
Historical migration statisitcs — 1945 to 2015
1 800 000

1 600 000

1 400 000 Oceania Europe Asia America Africa

Number of people

1 200 000

1 000 000

800 000

600 000

400 000

200 000

0
1945 to 1959 1959 to 1975 1975 to 1995 1996 to 2008 2008 to 2015
Source: Department of Immigration and Border Protection – Historical Migration Statistics, released Sept 2016.

9
a Work in a jigsaw group of five. Each person should research one of the time periods
and find out what the Australian government migration policy was at the time.

1 2 3 4 5
6564215
8414275
8414275

1254215
6564215

1874625
3215272
3215272

1254215

1874625

1945–1959 1959–1975 1975–1995 1996–2008 2008-2015

EXAMPLE

1945-1959
Th e A u s t ra l i a n g o v e r n me n t pa i d t h e fa re s fo r
p e o p l e f ro m w a r t o r n E u ro p e t o c o me t o A u s t ra l i a .
Th ey h a d t o s t a y fo r a t l e a s t t w o y e a rs a n d w o r k
i n w h a t ev e r j o b t h e g o v e r n me n t g av e t h e m .

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Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

b Return to your jigsaw group and use the information from the graph and your research
information to make a vertical timeline which shows where most people migrated from
and how the migration policy of the time influenced this.

Australian migration programs

Countries of origin
1945–1959

Policy

Countries of origin
1959–1975

Policy

Countries of origin
1975–1995

Policy

Countries of origin
1996–2008

Policy

Countries of origin
2008–2015

Policy

c Discuss with your group or class how the points of view of migration have changed
over time.

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Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

Asylum Seekers and Refugees

An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their country for fear of persecution
and has applied for protection in another country. If their application is successful,
their status is changed to refugee and they are allowed to stay in the new country.
Many European refugees settled into Australia after World War II.
In the late 1970s a new wave of asylum seekers arrived in Australia. Many of
these people came from Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Although most came by
plane after being processed by Australian officials in South-East Asia, many also
came in illegal fishing boats. They were often called “boat people”. Changes to
the immigration law meant most of the refugees were allowed to stay in Australia.

10 Ahn Do is a well-known refugee from Vietnam.

a Do some research on the story of his journey to Australia.
Here is an example from a pirate’s point of view.

Ahn Do’s Journey

It was never easy. Sometimes I would just close my eyes
and pretend I was somewhere else but the distinctive smell
of the ocean always gave it away. By the time our Captain
had noticed the people frantically waving us down, it was
too late. Once we’d fought our way aboard the ship, the
immigrants had realised who we were… what we were –
pirates. I watched him threaten the people on the boat.
The children reminded me of my own young daughter back
home, the new-born looked just like her, in the way all babies
look alike. I kept my posture rigid, closing my eyes when
my Captain picked up the youngest child and stripped it of
its nappy. My heart dropped when I saw what they were
hiding. It wasn’t uncommon, to hide gold in baby’s clothes
or underwear or anywhere a person could possibly think of.
To start anew with absolutely nothing was almost impossible,
I can’t blame them for trying to bring something more. A father
gripped his son closer, fear invading both of their eyes. The
Captain was unpredictable, trying to understand his actions
was difficult. When he finally made the decision to take all the
boat’s resources, the people had clearly given up all hope.
Leaving them alone with nothing was a death sentence.
As the Captain returned to the ship, I pulled out the gallon
of water I had been provided for the day and silently left it on
the boat. I don’t know if I did enough, but I know that I tried.

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Unit 3 Stories of Migration Lesson 2 Australian Migration Programs

b Retell a part of his journey from a different point of view.

11 Try these Brain Teasers.

a A refugee is fleeing from persecution. He reaches the border but there are two roads
he can take. One leads to safety, the other one will take him to certain death. There
are two border guards and the refugee knows one is corrupt and tells lies but the other
is honest and tells the truth. He does not know which is which. How can the refugee
find out which is the correct road to take?

b A family is migrating to another country. To reach the country they must travel
half the distance and then half of the remaining distance. If this pattern continues,
will the family ever reach their new country?

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