Exclusivism meant maintaining a monoculture: one culture (British) and one race (Anglo-Saxon) at the expense of all others, including Australia’s existing Indigenous population.

The most well-known policy of this period was the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, also known as the ‘White Australia Policy’. The White Australia policy even had its own song! Click here to listen.

According to Collins (1991, p. 62), assimilate means to:

• Become absorbed or incorporated

• To adjust or become adjusted

• To become similar

  
  

Despite the introduction of a new migration policy that invited other Europeans to migrate to Australia based on Arthur Calwell’s ‘Populate or Perish!’ slogan, new migrants who did come to Australia experienced discrimination during this period.

It was a period where new migrants were allowed to keep their culture and traditions but were still required to be somewhat ‘Australian’ by abiding to its laws, speak the dominant language (English), and respect Australian customs and values.

According to Collins (1991, p. 588), integrate means to:

• Make or be made into a whole; incorporate or be incorporated

• Amalgamate or mix (a racial or religious group) with an existing community

  
  

The end of World War II was followed by an immigration boom and the population almost doubled. However, this meant increased discrimination against non-White migrants. Watch this clip to see how Australians in 1962 felt about new non-White migrants and a ‘multiethnic’ Australia.

According to Collins (1991, p. 745), multi means:

• Many or much

• More than one

  
  

The most well-known legislation of this period was the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, which came to redefine Australia from being ‘White Australia’ to ‘Multicultural Australia’. Did you know that, because of the introduction of this legislation, it is illegal to be racist in Australia?

Read the National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia (1989) to understand the government’s definition and implementation of multiculturalism.

Currently, Australia is going backward in terms of its policies to support the integration of migrants and refugees. Certain perspectives on current Australia’s ‘multiculturalism’ policy suggest that multiculturalism emphasises the ability of minority groups to assimilate rather than focusing on the capacity of the mainstream to accommodate diverse cultures.

Watch this video where former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard shares his perspective on multiculturalism, expressing concerns about the concept and suggests that immigrants should adopt the values of their host country.

Your chosen issue may relate to: Indigenous exclusion from Australian society; Cronulla Riots and racism toward Lebanese communities; White Australia; Migration policies and illegal immigration; Islamophobia (the fear of Muslims and Islam) and representations of Muslims; OR Stereotyping of minority communities (e.g. First Nations peoples and cultures).

Attach ONE of the following:

• News article

• Government policy

• Statistics

• YouTube video

• Academic journal article or book chapter

  
  

Summarise your issue in THREE dot points based on the information you found through your research.

Think about what you know so far about the history of Australian migration and how government policies may affect the way we view certain communities in Australian society.