European settlement brought an initial diversity of immigrants who then became settlers. This has continued to the present, though there have been variations in attitude to immigration ranging from the White Australia Policy to Populate or Perish, Refugees to Asylum Seekers. There is little likelihood that immigration will cease, though the mix of immigrants and immigrant groups has changed considerably and is likely to continue doing so.

This page looks at topics A to P including areas such as 19^th Century Immigration, Asian Immigration, Immigration Databases, Migration Museums & Centres, Post-War Migration including the belief of “Populate or Perish”, Present Day Immigration and other general information.

The Second Page looks at topics R to Z including areas such as Refugees & Immigration, Specific Migrant Groups including Children, Individual Migration Stories and The White Australia Policy.

Information is aimed at undergraduate level. Some information may be useful at a higher level.

Be aware some units/topics have different titles at different universities, even though content may be the same or similar. Australian information is supplied wherever possible.

When searching for a specific topic, make sure you look at all sections [on both pages] as there may be information overlap, e.g. Chinese Immigration → Asian Immigration, Special Groups, White Australia and Data & Databases may hold relevant information sources.

If you are aware of any worthwhile information which is not included, suggestions for additions are welcomed.

A - F

19^th Century Immigration

Free settlers in colonial times, assisted settlement schemes, journeys to Australia, particular groups among the settlers.

• Australia’s Early Immigration Schemes
  Several early immigration practices and a longer look at The Bounty Scheme.
• Exiles and Emigrants
  ‘Traces the reasons that drove people from their homeland; the devastating potato famine in Ireland; the highland clearances in Scotland; and the agrarian revolution in England. It also explores the stories of the emigrants : their long, difficult voyage to a faraway land and their struggles to settle in the harsh, often unforgiving Australian climate’. Exhibition, letters, online resources, an Education Resource, while the National Museum also provides an educational resource. Download a PDF copy here.
  Highly Recommended !
• Immigration Report of 1837 for Australia
  ‘Extracted from the British Parliamentary Papers’.
• Immigration and Ethnicity : Overview
  Gold Rush period in Victoria. Click on Read More to access full article. Bibliography included.
• Sources in the National Archives For Researching the Great Famine
  National Archives of Ireland. Effects this had on convict and free migration to Australia and other countries.
• The Bounty System
  Background, explanation of, the first of the assisted migrant schemes. A sample of one 1856 scheme is provided.
• Women In Colonial Times
  Women in colonial Australia. Convicts, wives of people deployed here, immigrants.

Asian Immigration

Immigration from all areas of Asia [also check Special Groups section below], views relating to Asian Immigration.

• Asian Settlement and the Media in Australia
  ‘An address written for the public conference on The Influence of the mainstream media on the settlement of migrants and refugees, part of the Multicultural Celebration 1997’.
• Chinese Migration
  See links in the Specific Groups listing on the Second Page.
• Gold & Silver
  Vietnamese migration and relationships with environments in Vietnam and Sydney. Introduction, homeland, journey, new home, revisiting, more.
• Migration to Australia
  With Particular Reference to Asian Migration. ePrint, University of Queensland. PDF format. Especially economic implications.
• Vietnamese Australians
  History, Vietnamese Australians in Australian society, demographics, controversy, notable people, references, links. From Wikipedia.

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G - L

General Links

Material that covers multiple sections or does not fit in any other section on this page.

• Australian Immigration History
  Fee-based site. Free Trial. From Questia.
• Australia’s Cultural Diversity
  From Racism No Way. Diversity of birthplace, language, religion, spiritual beliefs.
• Australian National Identity : Influences and Perspectives
  ‘To provide access for teachers to a range of resources that support Years 7-9 Rich Task #4 : Australian National Identity : Influences and Perspectives. Five major topics have been identified’.
• Category : Immigration to Australia
  Links to aspects of immigration to Australia found on Wikipedia.
• Face the Facts
  Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Two sets of questions & answers relating to Migrants & Multiculturalism and Refugees & Asylum Seekers. Glossary, teacher notes and as a PDF download.
• Fact Sheets on Migration, Citizenship
  Lists fact sheets from the National Archives of Australia. Those for particular nationalities, schemes, passenger records, more.
• Immigration - Federation to Century’s End
  ‘Overview of the migration and population history of Australia in the 20th century, bringing together data from a variety of sources’. Download in part or whole in PDF format. Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
• Immigration into Australia
  Annotated links to different collated by Casahistoria.
• Immigration Nation
  Multi-part series from SBS.
• Immigration to Australia
  Background, countries of birth, various impacts, immigration, Australian politics, role of migration agents, migration services, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• Life in Australia : Australian Values
  Fact Sheet 7. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Provides background information, the Life in Australia booklet [in whole or part in PDF format], further information.
• Mass Immigration Kills Aussie Culture, Says Demographer [News.com.au]
  ‘Traditions based on heritage, sporting culture and common language are threatened by mass immigration, a leading demographer has warned. Monash University population expert Dr Bob Birrell has said the huge influx of people with few or no English skills had created social problems in Melbourne suburbs such as Dandenong, Sunshine and Broadmeadows and most major cities were feeling the population strain, the Herald Sun reported’. Newspaper article from 2010.
• Migratory History of Australia
  Migration from the indigenous population, the 18^th and 19^th centuries, 20^th century including White Australia, postwar immigration, sources, opposition, asylum controversies recent developments, links, further reading, references. From Wikipedia.
• People and Place
  ‘People and Place was published as a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal from 1993 to 2010 by the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University. The journal presented key information and research findings on population dynamics, migration patterns, the labour market, trends in fertility and partnering, education and training, urban growth/planning, social inclusion, health, the environment and related topics. This collection comprises all People and Place articles’.
• Picture Australia
  Enter the term Immigration to access more than 11 000 images on the topic.
• The Australian People
  Radio National.Immigration and the composition of Australia’s people. Transcript or listen in Windows Media Player.
• Which Identity for Australians ?
  ‘Some of Australia’s best and brightest convened for a two day workshop on the futures of Australian identity, as a lead up to the Australia Davos Future Summit. Hosted by Dr. Robert Burke of Mt Eliza Centre for Executive Education and facilitated by Professor Sohail Inayatullah, the workshop explored and developed scenarios of the futures of Australian identity’. Article discussing this, including a range of options..

Immigration Data & Databases

Databases, statistics, legislation [though the last is also included in several other sections].

• Immigration History Resources
  ‘The Department of Immigration and Citizenship [DIAC] has a range of historical material held in the department’s library. These documents are available to view in the categories’ listed : Department of immigration, Deportation & Repatriation, Immigration Law and Post-war Immigration..
• Immigration into Australia
  Online Indexes and Passenger Lists. Annotated links, listed under states. Mainly the nineteenth century.
• Immigration - Sailing Ships
  Information regarding shipping involved in immigration, particularly the second half of the nineteenth century. Australian National Maritime Museum. The Immigration - Steamships & Passenger Liners listing, has similar content.
• Migration Act 1958 [Cth]
  Read, download [RTF or plain text], see notes, tables, other information. Replaced other acts including the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 [see in White Australia Policy group].
• Statistics
  Statistical data for immigration. Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
• Year Book Australia, 2008
  International Migration to Australia. Ddata and explanations. Previous Year Book entries also available.

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M - P

Migration Museums & Centres

Museums, Heritage Centres, specific exhibitions relating to immigration.

• Immigration and Settlement of South Australia
  South Australian Migrant Museum.
• Immigration Museum, Victoria
  ‘Recreates real-life stories of coming to Australia with a rich mix of moving images, personal and community voices, memories and memorabilia’.
• Migration Heritage Centre
  New South Wales. ‘The Migration Heritage Centre identifies, records, preserves and interprets the heritage of migration and settlement in New South Wales from 1788 to the present day’.
• Origins
  Immigrant Communities in Victoria. ‘Based on government census information gathered in Victoria since 1854. It contains information about Victorian communities from 70 countries of origin. Researched, designed and built by Museum Victoria’.

Post-War Immigration

From 1945 on, especially the next 30-40 years. Migration and its effects on Australia. Other impacts listed on the Australian Culture page.

• 50 Years of Post-War Migration
  From Making Multicultural Australia.
• Belongings
  Post WWII Migration Memories & Journeys. ‘Today, four out of every ten people in New South Wales are either migrants, or the children of migrants. Belongings tells the stories of some of these people through personal mementos, photographs, memories’.
• Half a World Away
  PostWar Migration To The Orange District 1948-1965. Online exhibition, related book.
• Immigration : the Background, Part One
  Fact Sheet 1, Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Present day migration program information, links to fact sheets on aspects of this.
• International Migration Transforms Australia
  2001 article.
• Journeys to Australia
  Immigration journeys to Australia in the 1940s to 1960s. Museum Victoria. Links to other periods.
• Migration Stories
  Very extensive range listed alphabetically. Range right across the spectrum and covers both individual stories and beliefs about the Australian situation.
• More than 60 Years of Post-War Migration
  Fact Sheet 4, Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Early migration waves, post-war developments, today’s migration, impact of migration, statistical summary.

Populate or Perish

A common theme at several periods in our history and especially after World War 2.

• Contemporary Australia - Populating Australia
  ‘Examines the unique composition of the Australian people : migration, multiculturalism, harmonious diversity, Pauline Hanson phenomenon, refugees, Indigenous issues, growing Asian migration. Scroll down to this section, download and Read the PDF Study Notes.
• Populate or Perish
  Article, Time magazine, August 1952.
• Populate or Perish [2]
  While about life in Perth, this John Curtin Institute article, gives a clear example of what was meant. Quotes about the concept.
• Populate or Perish ! [3]
  Information, images. Register [Free] to access all the material.

Ten Pound Poms

A slang description for assisted migrants coming from the United Kingdom.

• Ten Pound Poms
  ‘A colloquial term used in Australia to describe British subjects who migrated to Australia after the Second World War under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Australian Government. The program attracted over one million British migrants between 1945 and 1972 and represented the last substantial scheme for preferential migration from Britain to Australia’. From Wikipedia.
• Ten Pound Poms [2]
  BBC. Timewatch series. Debate, interviews.

• The Changing Face of Australia, Post-War Immigration and Identity
  History unit from The National Centre for History Education. Items to examine, focus questions, key terms, knowledge, skills, concepts, attitudes and values, resources for students and teachers.

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Present Day Immigration

The last 30 years, sometimes general, sometimes specific immigration processes and decisions. Also check the Refugees section which follows.

• Australia’s Continuing Transformation
  2004 article. Areas such as courting immigrants, the end of White Australia, multiculturalism, skilled immigrants, humanitarian issues, politics, future issues.
• Immigration : Australia’s Changing Face
  ‘The White Australia Policy to the Pacific Solution. Explore the ways in which the changing government policies toward immigration have shaped our country’. EnhanceTV.
• Immigration Issues
  World Socialist Web Site. Series of articles looking at what are seen to be issues in Australian immigration practices.
• Immigration Issues in Australia
  ‘Four main immigration issues in Australia at the beginning of the new millennium can be identified’. Topics covering these.
• Mandatory Detention in Australia
  History, A Last Resort ? National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention, the HREOC Report, criticism, wrongful detention, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• Migration Issues in the Asia Pacific
  Issues Paper from Australia. UNESCO. Immigration background, migratory movements, Policies on Migration and Multiculturalism, Social and Political Effects of Migration, Key Problem Areas, Existing Research Capabilities, Key Research Issues for the Next Five Years, a Statistical Appendix.

The ‘Pacific Solution’

A procedure adopted by the Howard Liberal government.

• In defence of the ‘Pacific solution’
  Article defending the proposition.
• Offending Human Dignity - the Pacific Solution
  Amnesty International. HTML or PDF formats.
• Pacific Solution Ends But Tough Stance to Remain
  ewspaper report on the end of the Pacific Solution.
• The Pacific Solution
  Background, criticism, the end, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• The Pacific Solution ? An Expensive Solution
  Article which takes a negative view.

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