Race and Australian immigration policy

From the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth until the 1970s, Australian immigration policy ensured that non-white ‘undesirables’ would be prevented from migrating to Australia. The Immigration Restriction Act intentionally restricted non-white immigration to Australia and legalised discriminatory racial policy. Under economic imperatives to ‘populate or perish’ restrictions were relaxed progressively after World War II however immigration was still tightly controlled and racially selective. Immigrants were assessed on their ‘suitability’, their ability to integrate and the possession of qualifications positively useful to Australia