In The Hate Race, Maxine Beneba Clarke makes several references to the White Australia policy, a term for a series of legislative and administrative measures to restrict non-European immigration and maintain a predominantly white population in Australia.
The discriminatory policy originated in the early colonial period, driven by colonial administrators' concerns about maintaining racial purity, safeguarding jobs for white workers, and protecting the country from perceived threats of racial and cultural dilution. Protectionist Party prime minister Edmund Barton passed the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, marking a significant milestone in formalizing these principles into law.
Under the Immigration Restriction Act, potential immigrants were subjected to a dictation test in a language chosen by immigration officials. This test was often deliberately administered in languages the individuals were unlikely to know, effectively excluding non-European migrants. The Act aimed to exclude or severely limit the immigration of people of non-European descent, particularly Asians and Pacific Islanders.
The White Australia policy was reinforced by other measures, including the Pacific Island Labourers Act of 1901, which resulted in the deportation of 7,500 of the approximately 9,800 Pacific Islanders working on Queensland plantations. Additionally, policies were implemented to discourage and restrict non-European migrants from accessing social benefits and taking part in political activities.
While Prime Minister John Curtain referred to his country as "an outpost of the British race" at the outset of World War II, the policy began to weaken after the war, as Australia faced labor shortages and sought to rebuild its economy. A gradual shift towards a more inclusive immigration policy began in the 1950s and gained momentum in subsequent decades. Reforms were introduced, such as the abolition of the dictation test by the Robert Menzies government through the establishment of the Migration Act in 1958, which shifted the focus to a more skills-based and non-discriminatory approach to immigration. In 1973, the Labor government of Gough Whitlam issued a policy to disregard race when selecting migrants. The official dismantling of the White Australia policy came with the passing of the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975, which made racial discrimination in official contexts illegal.
Although the White Australia policy is now widely regarded as a discriminatory and exclusionary policy, its legacy continues to be part of Australia's historical narrative. The policy shaped the demographics and attitudes of the country for many decades, and its impact on Indigenous Australians and minority communities has had lasting repercussions.
