-
White Australia Policy
The 1901 Immigration Restriction Act was aimed at excluding non-white migants and did so by requiring migrants to pass a dictation test which could be set in any langage chosen by a customs officer. -
Period: to
Our history migration to Australia
-
Post second world war migration
Skill shortages were also a key issue during this period of migration, and attracting skilled workers was an important migration goal. British settlers in particular were given special incentives and privileges to migrate, but the post war period also saw an influx of immigrants from across Europe, including large numbers of displaced perons. Many of these post war migrants played key roles in building infrastructure, including housing construction and the massive Snowy Mountains Scheme. -
More diverse migration
There was a lagre influx of immigrants from South East Asia during the 1970s (some arriving as "boat people") a response to the upheavls and unrest taking place in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos at this time. Th 1970s and 1980s was alos a time when muliculturalism became a strong focus of policy empasisng the benefits of supporting cultral diversity and identity, while maintaining social cohesiopn. -
Immigration in the 21st century
Two of the major shifts in migrstion policy sice the mid 1990s have been increasing emphasis on skilled migration, particulary into high priority occupations and an increasing focus on temporary migration, often as a precursor to permanant settlement. This focus has included increasing efforts to attract overseas studenbts to Australia, andi nitiatives to encourage these students to permanterly settle here after finishing their studies. Recent changes include more targeted priority occupations.
