[Editor: This article, largely regarding the Immigration Restriction Bill, was published in The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 7 December 1901. When it became law, the Immigration Restriction Act formed the foundation of the White Australia Policy.]
Federal Parliament.
[By telegraph.]
The Senate.
Melbourne, December 6.
In the Senate to-day,
A Rockhampton matter.
The Postmaster-General (the Hon. J. G. Drake) replied to the following questions asked by Mr. J. Ferguson:—
Had it come under Mr. Drake’s notice that Mr. K. M. Grant, of the Rockhampton Telegraph Office, had received two months’ leave of absence? Was Mr. Drake aware that this employee was about to contest the state election and had been promised, should he not be elected, that his post would be kept open? Was it the intention of the Postmaster-General to give leave of absence to employees who desired to contest state or federal elections?
Mr. Drake said that Mr. Grant had been granted six weeks’ leave of absence in June last to take effect when convenient. The remainder of the question he answered in the negative.
The Immigration Restriction Bill.
The Immigration Restriction Bill was further considered in Committee.
On clause 4 — prohibited immigrants —
Mr. J. Macfarlane (Tasmania) moved an amendment to allow an immigrant to choose a European language.
Mr. O’Connor opposed the proposal.
The amendment was negatived by twenty-two votes to three.
Mr. G. McGregor (South Australia) moved the insertion of the following as a sub-clause: “(a) Any person who is an aboriginal native of Asia or Africa, or an island thereof shall be a prohibited immigrant.”
On a division that the clause stand as printed the Government was defeated by fifteen votes to nine. The voting was:— Ayes: Sir Richard Baker, Mr. Best, Sir John Downer, Messrs. Drake, Keating, O’Connor, Playford, Sir Frederick Sargood, and Mr. Styles.
Noes: Messrs. Barrett, Charleston, Clemons, Dawson, De Largie, Glassey, Gould, Higgs, McGregor, Nield, O’Keefe, Pearce, Smith, Stewart, and Sir Josiah Symon.
Mr. O’Connor said that with this amendment it was inevitable that the bill must be reserved for the royal assent and this would mean months and months delay.
Progress was then reported.
The House adjourned at 10.55 p.m.
Melbourne, December 6.
In the Senate to-day,
The Christmas Adjournment.
Mr. O’Connor, in reply to Sir Josiah Symon, said that the adjournment of the Senate did not necessarily correspond with the adjournment of the other House. The proposal was that the Senate should adjourn from the 13th or 14th of December till Wednesday, the 13th of January, but the exigencies of the public business might of course compel an earlier resumption of business.
The Immigration Restriction Bill.
The consideration of the Immigration Restriction Bill was resumed in Committee.
Mr. J. T. Walker (New South Wales) proposed to amend Mr McGregor’s amendment to the effect that any person who when asked to do so shall fail to write out and sign an application in any language of Europe to the Home Secretary for exemption shall be a prohibited immigrant. This was an exact copy of the Natal Act.
Mr. O’Connor said the Government would support this proposal as the next best to the Government proposal that had been deleted from the bill.
Mr. McGregor’s amendment was negatived by twelve votes to eleven.
The voting on the division was as follows:— Ayes: Sir Josiah Symon, Messrs. Charleston, De Largie, Glassey, Higgs, McGregor, Gould, O’Keefe, Pearce, and Stewart.
Noes: Sir Richard Baker, Sir John Downer, Sir Frederick Sargood, Messrs. Best, Dobson, Drake, Keating, Macfarlane, Neild, O’Connor, Playford, and Styles.
The amendment moved by Mr. Walker was also lost by one vote. The voting on the division was as follows:—
Ayes: Sir Richard Baker, Sir John Downer, Sir Frederick Sargood, Messrs. Best, Drake, Keating, Macfarlane, Neild, O’Connor, Playford and Styles.
Noes: Sir Josiah Symon, Messrs. Barrett, Charleston, Dawson, De Largie, Ferguson, Glassey, Gould, Higgs, M’Gregor, Pearce, and Stewart.
Mr. O’Connor said he would give the Senate later on an opportunity of dealing with the matter.
Mr. J. C. Stewart (Queensland) proposed to add “any person who is by proclamation of the Governor-General declared to be a prohibited immigrant.”
Mr. O’Connor opposed this amendment.
Mr. Higgs said he could not understand the position. There had been an apparent majority for Mr. McGregor’s amendment for direct exclusion. The best thing now would be to go back to the original proposal.
Mr. O’Connor said the only course was to go on with the bill and recommit this sub-clause.
This was agreed to, Mr. Stewart withdrawing his amendment.
Clause 4 was agreed to.
The remaining clauses were agreed to subject to the recommittal of clause 18 dealing with the annual returns. Clause 3, however, was struck out, and the clause dealing with the repeal of the state act, and schedule 1 dealing with the same matter was also deleted.
Mr. Higgs moved the insertion of a new clause to follow clause 8, as follows: “Any aboriginal native of Asia, Africa, or the islands who arrived in the Commonwealth prior to the passing of this Act shall, after the first day of January, 1902, pay a fee of £5 per annum during the time he remains within the Commonwealth. Neglect to comply with this clause shall render the offender liable upon summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months. In addition to or substitution for such fine or imprisonment he shall be liable, pursuant to any order of the Minister, to be deported from the Commonwealth, provided that the imprisonment may cease for the purpose of deportation if the offender finds two approved sureties, each in the sum of £50 for his leaving the Commonwealth within one month.”
Mr. O’Connor opposed the proposed new clause which would act very harshly. He doubted whether it would be constitutional to put such a clause in the bill.
Mr. Walker objected to the clause prohibiting the immigration of any persons under contract or agreement to perform manual labour within the Commonwealth.
Mr. A. Dawson (Queensland) said that hundreds of foreigners had gone to Queensland under contract and the Queensland working men had suffered very seriously.
Mr. E. Pulsford (New South Wales) moved to amend the sub-clause by adding after Commonwealth the words “at wages below current rates.” He pointed out that Australia was a few thousand miles away from Europe and there could be no idea of getting men over from Europe in case of a strike occurring.
Mr. McGregor: Let the men come of their own accord.
Mr. G. F. Pearce (Western Australia) said it was not only a question of the rate of wages, but the conditions under which the work was carried out. There was nothing to prevent domestic servants being brought out and contracts being made on their arrival. No one wanted to put a hindrance in the way of immigration, but it was desired to put an end to unfair contracts.
Mr. Pulsford’s amendment was negatived on the voices and the sub-clause agreed to.
Source:
The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 7 December 1901, p. 5
Editor’s notes:
For the sake of clarity, the sub-headings in this article have been rendered in bold text, and a line break has been inserted prior to the second part (i.e. before the second instance of “Melbourne, December 6.”).
Act = an Act of parliament, a law (in its written form, a law is called a “statute”)
See: 1) “Act of parliament”, Wikipedia
2) “Statute”, Wikipedia
aye = yes (may also be used to express agreement, assent, or the acceptance of an order)
bill = a proposed law, or an amendment to an existing law
See: “Bill (law)”, Wikipedia
Commonwealth = the Commonwealth of Australia; the Australian nation, federated on 1 January 1901
exigencies = plural of “exigency”: an urgent need or demand; a demand or difficulty of a situation, especially one that creates an urgent need or requirement for action; an emergency; a case or situation that demands an urgent action or remedy
Hon. = an abbreviation of “honourable”, especially used as a style to refer to government ministers, or as a courtesy to members of parliament (as a style, it is commonly capitalised, e.g. “the Hon. Member”)
House = (in the context of the Australian Senate and Senators) the Senate (the federal Upper House); can also refer to Parliament House, or to the House of Representatives (the federal Lower House)
Messrs. = an abbreviation of “messieurs” (French), being the plural of “monsieur”; used in English as the plural of “Mister” (which is abbreviated as “Mr.”); the title is used in English prior to the names of two or more men (often used regarding a company, e.g. “the firm of Messrs. Bagot, Shakes, & Lewis”, “the firm of Messrs. Hogue, Davidson, & Co.”)
the Natal Act = (in the context of immigration restriction) an act of legislation designed to block the immigration of non-white migrants, mainly by the use of a dictation test in any European language (this type of law was used by the British colony of Natal in South Africa in 1897, and was primarily designed to stop Indian immigration)
See: 1) “Founded on the American Act: Natal introduces immigration restriction”, in: Connected Worlds: History in Transnational Perspective,
2) “Anti-Indian Legislation 1800s – 1959”, South African History Online
per annum = (Latin) per year; in each year, for each year (in financial terms, an amount that is earned, paid, received, sold, spent, or used each year)
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
Leave a Reply