into the country’s controversial immigration policies. Incoming migrants are prevented

from entering the country, and are instead sent to detention centers located in the South

Pacific, where they can be held indefinitely. As a whole, Australia has been marred by accusations

of racism and xenophobia towards both legal and undocumented immigrants. So, Why is Australia

So Anti-Immigrant?

Well, Australia has a long and dark history of preventing non-white people from living

in the country. The first European colonizers referred to the native Australian Aboriginal

population as “savages,” and brought violence and disease, nearly causing their extinction.

After the British took Aboriginal land on the basis of it being “Terra Nullius”

or “nobody’s land,” the native population was refused full citizenship until 1967. Since

that time, the Australian government has attempted to balance the scales by helping Aboriginal

citizens with social welfare programs. But today, research shows that nearly half of

white Australians believe Aboriginals have unfair advantages, with roughly 20% of respondents

saying that they would not sit next to an Aboriginal on a bus.

In the 1800s, Australia experienced a Gold Rush, bringing waves of immigrants, predominantly

from Europe, North America, and China. But anti-Asian legislation was implemented until

around 1901 when the different British colonies came together to form a unified Australia.

This federation specifically began enacting policies that made it easier for white Europeans

to emigrate, and harder for those from non-English speaking countries. The laws were known as

“White Australia Policy,” and started with the Immigration Restriction Act 1901.

The Act worked by having immigrants write out fifty words in a language that was chosen

by the immigration officer. In practice, the officers would choose a language they knew

the testee would not likely know, and if they failed the test, they would be considered

“prohibited.”

Similar policies worked to mostly prevent non-white immigration, and were only dismantled

starting in 1949. It took until 1973 for race to no longer be considered a factor for immigration

status in Australia. However, today the government’s views towards immigrants is still needlessly

aggressive. The current practice of detaining undocumented migrants has been criticized

by Human Rights Watch for the poor conditions in offshore detention facilities. These centers

have even been used for the indefinite, mandatory detention of children, despite legislation

designed to stop the practice.

Moreover, the Australian government began a program in 2013 aimed at preventing asylum

seekers and undocumented immigrants from entering the country, called Operation Sovereign Borders.

Those who are caught attempting to arrive by boat are often turned back by Australian

Defense Forces, and others are sent to detention centers. Legal experts have said that this

program violates the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

and other similar treaties. A controversial ad for the program states “No way. You Will

Not Make Australia Home,” in reference to undocumented immigrants and people smugglers.

Despite the fact that Australians of European origin were themselves once immigrants, anti-multiculturalism

is still vibrant and widespread.

As we mentioned, Aboriginal folks in Australia were once viciously persecuted and still face

racism to this day. For an overview of the country’s Indigenous people, watch our video.

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