White Australia's Immigration Policies In The 19th Century

Immigration policies have long been controversial throughout various nation’s histories. In Australia, racial tensions have been omnipresent since the first Europeans arrived in 1788. Originally seen in early interactions with Aboriginals, Europeans committed countless atrocities in an attempt to clear out a land they believed belonged to no one (Fitzmaurice). As the native population in Australia decreased, the white population steadily increased thanks to the development of British migration schemes. With the onslaught of the Industrial Revolution; however, cheap labor became more of a necessity to business owners seeking to make a profit for their efforts. Rather than looking to the Aboriginal population to supply greater demands, European business owners sought Pacific Islanders and Chinese to work in Australia for one fifth of the typical wage (Salisbury 2016). When gold was discovered in 1851, the non-white population of colonial Australia reached a record high, posing a perceived threat to the “white man’s paradise”. As riots broke out, the Victorian Parliament passed the Chinese Immigration Act restricting further Chinese Immigration in 1855 (Cronin 10).
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After illustrating the undertones that manifested in Australia towards non-white immigrants during the gold rush era, I will discuss how the White Australia policy was originally implemented in response to public opinion. Next, I will introduce current immigration policies, revealing which undercurrents previously discussed are implied in what presently stands. I aim to ultimately communicate that the Australian government should reform existing policies to expedite and simplify the process by which refugees seeking asylum enter Australia. In doing so, the land down under will do its part to prevent rather than propagate human rights