What is the White Australia policy simple definition?

White Australia policy, formally Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, in Australian history, fundamental legislation of the new Commonwealth of Australia that effectively stopped all non-European immigration into the country and that contributed to the development of a racially insulated white society.

What was the aim of the White Australia policy?

This Act, known as the White Australia policy, aimed to not only restrict numbers of non-white migrants to Australia, but also to deport ‘undesirable’ migrants who were already in the country.

Who abolished the White Australia policy?

In 1966, the Holt Liberal Government effectively dismantled the White Australia policy and increased access to non-European migrants, including refugees fleeing the Vietnam War.

When did the first white person come to Australia?

While Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, and traded with nearby islanders, the first documented landing on Australia by a European was in 1606. The Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed on the western side of Cape York Peninsula and charted about 300 km of coastline.

What replaced the White Australia policy?

Migrants would be chosen for their skills and ability to contribute to Australian society, instead of their race or country of origin. In 1973 the Whitlam Labor government established a policy of multiculturalism in a nation that is now home to migrants from about 200 different countries.

When did Australia become multicultural?

Emergence of multiculturalism Following the initial moves of the Whitlam Labor government in 1973, further official national multicultural policies were implemented by Fraser’s Conservative Coalition government in 1978.

When did aboriginals get the right to vote?

Voting rights for Indigenous people enacted The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 received assent on 21 May 1962. It granted all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the option to enrol and vote in federal elections.

Was conscription an issue for Gough Whitlam and labor?

But he and associate professor Curran cautioned that the issue of conscription was a complex one for Gough Whitlam and for Labor. While public opposition to the Vietnam War and conscription built to a fever pitch in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was little opposition in the early years of Australia’s involvement in the conflict.

What was Gough Whitlam’s great objective as a parliamentarian?

Book by Gough Whitlam (p. 44), 1997. Maintain your rage and enthusiasm for the campaign for the election now to be held and until polling day. My great objective as a parliamentarian was to dramatise the deficiencies and devise practical government programs to deal with them.

Did Whitlam ever say I’m immortal?

1975 On the Governor-General Sir John Kerr’s action in dissolving the Australian Parliament,11 Nov. Whit l am lost the subsequent election. I’ve never said I’m immortal. I do believe in correct language. I’m eternal; I’m not immortal. “Federal Parliament suspended in a sign of respect for Gough Whitlam”.

What was the significance of Gough Whitlam’s Gurindji land ceremony?

Gough Whitlam’s Gurindji Land Ceremony speech, August 16, 1975. Hostility towards China distorted Australia’s international affairs for 20 years until 1972, but reconciliation with China 30 years ago had produced a quarter century of constructive bipartisan relations with our region and the world, unmatched in Australian history.