White Australia Policy

White Australia Policy A policy established when responsibility for immigration passed to the newly created federal government of Australia in 1901. Building on established anti-Chinese immigration restrictions, the aim was to maintain racial harmony, and to keep out Asians who might be willing to work at much lower wages. As a result, immigration was restricted to White European immigrants from Europe, preferably from the British Isles. To enforce this, a dictation test for would-be immigrants was introduced in 1901 which could be in any European language (any ‘prescribed’ language after 1905). It was also used to keep out ‘undesirable’ Europeans, such as the celebrated case of Egon Kisch, a Czechoslovak Communist who was given a test in Scottish Gaelic (1934). As a result, by 1941, Australia was sparsely populated, while 97 per cent of the population could trace back their origins to the British Isles. Under Calwell and Chifley, immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe was emphasized for the first time. During the 1950s, as Australia focused more on its proximity to Asia, this racist policy became untenable. The controversial dictation tests were replaced by entry permits in 1958, and during the 1960s the system was completely dismantled.