White Australia policy Facts for Kids

The White Australia Policy was the name for a group of laws that stopped people who were not from Europe from coming to live in Australia. These laws started in 1901. They were slowly removed between the 1950s and 1970s.

Why Australia Had These Laws
The Immigration Restriction Act
The Dictation Test Explained
When the Policy Ended
What About Those Who Stayed?
Images for kids
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Why Australia Had These Laws

In 1901, most people in Australia (about 98%) had European backgrounds. They had "white" skin and followed British customs and laws. The government at that time wanted Australia to stay this way. This idea affected who could come to live in the country.

In the 1850s, many Chinese men came to Australia to look for gold. This led to angry protests and riots against Chinese miners. These happened at places like Lambing Flat in New South Wales and Buckland River in Victoria. Because of this, the Victorian government tried to stop more Chinese people from arriving. They charged a special tax of £10 for each Chinese person who came by ship. Other states like New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia also made laws to stop Chinese people from coming.

Later, workers from the Pacific Islands, sometimes called "kanakas", were brought to Australia. They worked on sugarcane farms in Queensland. This also caused problems because they worked for much lower pay than other people. In 1901, the new Australian Federal government decided to make laws to control who could come to work or live in Australia.

The Immigration Restriction Act

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 was a law that said who could and could not come into Australia. This law stopped certain people from entering the country. The people who were not allowed included:

anyone who was very unwell mentally
anyone who would need help from the government or a charity
anyone with a serious infectious or contagious disease
anyone who was considered a very unpleasant person
anyone who was dangerous
anyone who was a criminal
anyone who had a contract to do hard physical work
anyone who could not pass a special test called a dictation test.

The Dictation Test Explained

This test was a clever way to stop people the Australian government did not want from entering Australia. It allowed them to do this without looking like they were being racist. To pass, a person had to be able to read and write. This was proven by a dictation test. A government official would read something aloud, and the person had to write it down in a European language.

The tricky part was that the test did not have to be in a language the person understood. At first, they thought about using English. But the government worried that some people they wanted to keep out, like African Americans or Japanese people, might pass. So, to stop people from places like Malta, they might be given the test in Dutch. One person who spoke many languages was given the test in Gaelic.

The test could also be given to people even after they had been living in Australia for a year. In 1932, this changed to five years, and the test could be given many times. From 1902 to 1909, 1359 people took the test, but only 52 passed. After 1909, no one passed the test at all. Anyone who failed had to leave Australia. This law was used until 1958.

When the Policy Ended

After World War II, the Australian government wanted many new people to come to Australia. The Ben Chifley Labor Government started big projects like the Snowy Mountains Scheme, which needed lots of workers. Australians also started to worry less about people from different cultures.

During the 1950s, many refugees from Southern and Eastern Europe came to Australia. Europe was still recovering from the war, and some countries were under Communist rule. The Liberal Prime Minister Robert Menzies' Government started the Colombo Plan. This plan brought Asian students to Australian universities to help Asian countries develop.

In 1958, Menzies ended the "dictation test." The government also said that skilled non-Europeans would be welcome. Other laws made it easier for non-Europeans to come to Australia. Prime Minister Harold Holt's "Migration Act, 1966" mostly ended the White Australia Policy. This meant people from all over the world could come to Australia, including refugees from the Vietnam War.

Finally, in 1973, the Gough Whitlam Labor Government made a law that Australian immigration officers should "totally disregard race" when deciding who could come to Australia. While Whitlam took in fewer migrants overall, the number of migrants from non-European countries really started to grow under the Malcolm Fraser Liberal Government (1975-1983). Today, Australia welcomes many migrants from all parts of the world.

What About Those Who Stayed?

Families who were not white and chose to stay in Australia were not directly affected by the Immigration Restriction Act. However, many people who did not have white skin or European culture decided to move back to their home countries. This was often because of the racism they experienced in Australia.

Images for kids

This badge from 1910 was made by the Australian Natives' Association. This group was made up of white Australians born in the country. Prime Minister Edmund Barton was a member. It shows the slogan "White Australia" used at that time.
Harold Holt. His government's Migration Act in 1966 helped end the White Australia policy.
Dutch migrants arriving in Australia in 1954. Australia started a huge immigration program after the Second World War. It slowly stopped giving special treatment to British migrants.
Sir Robert Menzies. His government ended the dictation test in 1958.