[Editor: This chapter is part of The White Australia Policy: The Rise and Fall of Australia’s Racial Ideology (2025).]
The end of the White Australia Policy
In 1958, Alick Downer (the Liberal Party’s Minister for Immigration, 1958-1963) introduced into the Australian parliament the Migration Act 1958, to replace the Immigration Restriction Act 1901. This new law removed the dictation test. The new rules relaxed citizenship procedures, so that more non-Europeans could become permanent citizens of Australia. The changes also enabled “the entry of distinguished and highly qualified Asians” into the country.[1]
A series of changes to Australia’s immigration rules had been overseen by a succession of Liberal Party politicians in the position of Minister for Immigration: Harold Holt (1949-1956), Athol Townley (1956-1958), Alick Downer (1958-1963), Hubert Opperman (1958-1963), and Billy Snedden (1966-1969). Significant changes were made in 1966, under the Liberal government of Harold Holt (Prime Minister, 1966-1967), making it easier for non-Europeans with skills to migrate to Australia, and for those already in the country to become citizens.[2]
Various changes were made to Australia’s immigration programme on an administrative basis, rather than on a legislative basis. It appears that this was done so as to achieve immigration reform quietly, to avoid widespread public opposition to the changes. An internal Department of Immigration memorandum, regarding a Cabinet decision made on 15 December 1964 (when Robert Menzies was Prime Minister) to make immigration into Australia easier for people of mixed-race, includes the comment:
“The Cabinet made the observation that these changes should be made administratively, i.e. without public announcement.”[3]
Harold Holt was a key figure in the opening up of Australia’s immigration programme to non-white people, as well as reforming Australia’s naturalisation laws in order to grant more non-whites Australian citizenship. During his time as the Liberal Party’s Minister for Immigration (1949-1956), and under his two-year reign as Prime Minister (1966-1967), significant moves were made towards the dismantling of the White Australia Policy. Indeed, it was suggested in March 1966, shortly after he became Prime Minister, that Holt “may have been “chafing at the bit” in the years prior, regarding the question of making changes to Australia’s immigration policy”.[4]
In the late 1950s and early 1960s a new wave of political activists began to emerge from Australian universities. Activist students and academics created lobby groups to campaign for the liberalisation of Australia’s immigration programme, such as the Immigration Reform Group. The IRG was founded by academics James Mackie and Kenneth Rivett, and included university students, teachers, and members of the Student Christian Movement; it began at the University of Melbourne, and then expanded Australia-wide. The lobbying of the IRG, and its production of the widely-sold book Control or Colour Bar? A Proposal for Change in Australia’s Immigration Policy, had a significant impact regarding the issue of immigration reform, and is credited with having played a key part in changing attitudes regarding the White Australia Policy.[5]
Labor Party activists and politicians began to demand the removal of the White Australia Policy from the Labor Party’s platform. Don Dunstan and Gough Whitlam were leading lights in this up-and-coming milieu of new Laborities, and they eventually outmanoeuvred the old guard Laborities like Arthur Calwell.
By the time Gough Whitlam became Labor leader, the Labor Party had essentially abandoned its previous commitment to having a White Australia. In 1972 the Labor Party was elected to federal government, and Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister (1972-1975). Whitlam’s Labor Government ended all policies which used racial discrimination as a basis for determining which people could or couldn’t migrate to Australia.[6]
When he was visiting the Philippines in 1973, Al Grassby (the Labor Party’s Minister for Immigration, 1972-1974) was questioned in Manila about the Policy by a journalist, to which he reportedly replied “The White Australia Policy is dead, give me a shovel and I will bury it!”[7]
The White Australia Policy was in operation from 1901, and was a key component of Australian politics. The dismantling of the Policy was a gradual process, with small changes made in the 1930s and 1940s, and significant changes in the 1950s and 1960s, followed by the Policy being officially abolished by the Labor Government of Gough Whitlam in 1972.
References:
[1] “Dictation test abolished”, Robert Menzies Institute
“Fact Sheet: 8. Abolition of the ‘White Australia’ Policy” [archived], Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Australian Government)
“Immigration: Text of speech by the Minister for Immigration, the Hon. A. R. Downer, at the Commonwealth Club Luncheon, Adelaide, 4th December, 1959”, Current Notes on International Affairs, Vol. 31 No. 1, January 1960, pp. 48-51 [see p. 50 re “the entry of distinguished and highly qualified Asians”]
“Migration Act 1958”, Wikipedia
“Alick Downer”, Wikipedia
[2] “End of the White Australia policy”, National Museum of Australia, updated 20 September 2022
“Fact Sheet: 8. Abolition of the ‘White Australia’ Policy” [archived], Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Australian Government)
Prof Andrew Jakubowicz, “The white walls come down”, Making Multicultural Australia (Board of Studies NSW)
David Campbell, “Fact check: Did former prime minister Harold Holt abolish the White Australia policy?”, ABC News, 6 September 2018 (updated 14 December 2018)
“Harold Holt”, Wikipedia
“Athol Townley”, Wikipedia
“Alick Downer”, Wikipedia
“Hubert Opperman”, Wikipedia
“Billy Snedden”, Wikipedia
[3] “Liberalisation of immigration policy”, National Archives of Australia
“Robert Menzies”, Wikipedia [Robert Menzies was Prime Minister of Australia 1939-1941 and 1949-1966]
[4] Gavin Jones, “Reforming White Australia “There seems to be prejudice around””, The Bulletin, 5 March 1966, pp. 18-19
[5] Gabrielle Murphy, “Reconsidering immigration reform, again”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 2013 [“The Immigration Reform Group was made up of a group of professionals, of intellectuals, University staff, students in the Student Christian Movement, volunteer graduates”]
Emily Were, “The Immigration Reform Group”, University of Melbourne [“played a key part in successfully overturning racially discriminatory immigration policy”]
Jacqueline Templeton, “Immigration Reform Group”, eMelbourne (the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne), July 2008 [“The Group appears to have had a significant impact”]
“Immigration Reform Group”, University of Melbourne Archives
“Role of Immigration Reform Group in ending White Australia”, Making Multicultural Australia (Board of Studies NSW)
“Promoting migration reform – pamphlet ‘Control or Colour Bar?’”, National Archives of Australia
“Book – ‘Immigration Control or Colour Bar?’, Immigration Reform Group, Melbourne University Press, 1962”, Museums Victoria [re the revised edition of Control or Colour Bar?]
See also: “Remembering the Immigration Reform Group: Witness Seminar”, EJ W [channel on YouTube]
[6] “Fact Sheet: 8. Abolition of the ‘White Australia’ Policy” [archived], Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Australian Government)
David Campbell, “Fact check: Did former prime minister Harold Holt abolish the White Australia policy?”, ABC, 6 September 2018 (updated 14 December 2018)
“Gough Whitlam”, Wikipedia
[7] Earlson Forbesm “The call of Australia: From early Cingalese to recent migration”, The Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), 25 September 2022
Katri Tanni, “Book reviews: The Long, Slow Death of White Australia”, ResearchGate, January 2005, p. 172
“White Australia policy: Australian history”, Encyclopaedia Britannica [“in the Philippines in 1973”]
Graham Freudenberg, “Gough Whitlam Commemorative Oration”, Pearls and Irritations: John Menadue’s Public Policy Journal, 4 March 2015 [Manila]
“Al Grassby”, Wikipedia
Note: Al Grassby’s statement, in answer to a question regarding the White Australia Policy, has also been reported as “It is dead — give me a shovel and I will bury it.” For example:
Commonwealth of Australia, “Parliamentary Debates: House of Representatives: Official Hansard”, 2005 no. 8, 10 May 2005, p. 10, column 1
Leave a Reply