White Australia policy

The White Australia policy was a system of immigration restrictions and related measures designed to preserve a predominantly white population in Australia. It was dismantled progressively from the 1940s through the early 1970s.

Immigration Restriction Act 1901: An Australian law that restricted immigration through a dictation test and other controls. It established the central legal instrument used to exclude many non-European immigrants.
Australian federation: The union of six British colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new Commonwealth made immigration restriction a shared national policy.
Immigration to Australia: The movement of people from other countries to Australia for settlement or residence. The policy determined who could enter and settle for much of the twentieth century.
Multiculturalism: A social and political approach that recognizes multiple cultural communities within one society. It contrasts with the policy's aim of maintaining a racially homogeneous population.
Dictation test: An immigration screening test requiring an applicant to write a dictated passage in a nominated language. Officials used its language requirement to refuse entry without explicitly naming racial groups.
Chinese Australians: People of Chinese ancestry who live in Australia, including long-established communities dating to the nineteenth century. Anti-Chinese campaigns helped make racial exclusion a central political demand.
Multiculturalism in Australia: The recognition and accommodation of cultural diversity as a feature of Australian society and public policy. Postwar policy change helped make a more diverse population possible.
Racial discrimination: Unfair treatment or disadvantage based on a person's race, ethnicity, or perceived ancestry. The policy institutionalized racial distinctions in immigration and membership.
Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901: An Australian law that provided for the deportation of many Pacific Island workers and restricted their employment. It extended racial exclusion to Pacific Islander workers already living in Australia.
White Australia movement: A political movement that campaigned for Australia to restrict non-white immigration and preserve white control. Its advocates turned racial preference into a federation-era electoral cause.

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