Postwar immigration drive
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Defining Moments
1945: Australian Government announces postwar immigration drive
See our classroom resource
Between 1945 and 1965, two million immigrants arrived in Australia. The decision by the Australian Government to open up the nation in this way was based on the notion of ‘populate or perish’ that emerged in the wake of the Second World War.
Among the new immigrants were the first government-sanctioned non-British migrants.
This massive influx of people transformed Australian society.
Arthur Calwell, Be Just and Fear Not , 1972:
Even in the darkest days of the awful conflict of the Pacific war, the Curtin Government gave much thought to population building. I remember Mr. Curtin telling Cabinet in 1944 that at war’s end there would have to be a Ministry for Immigration. He said we must have more people to develop and defend Australia.
Populate or perish
When Japan entered the Second World War in December 1941 its troops quickly moved south, occupying much of South-East Asia and the Pacific. Singapore fell in February 1942 and Darwin was bombed shortly after.
In Australia, the threat of invasion was very real and the country was more vulnerable than previously thought. These susceptibilities meant that well before the war ended on 14 August 1945, the government had begun considering policies that would boost Australia’s population and its defences.
Arthur Calwell was appointed Australia’s first Minister for Immigration in July 1945. Addressing parliament a few weeks later, he stated 'If Australians have learned one lesson from the Pacific war … it is surely that we cannot continue to hold our island continent for ourselves and our descendants unless we greatly increase our numbers … much development and settlement have yet to be undertaken. Our need to undertake it is urgent and imperative if we are to survive.'
Calwell’s call for immediate migration was significant but perhaps even more important were the final sentences of his speech: ‘The door to Australia will always be open within limits of our existing legislation to the people from the various dominions, United States of America and from European continental countries’.
For the first time, the government had declared that it was willing to accept migrants from beyond the British Isles. It was a huge step forward considering the prevalence of the White Australia policy and the underlying public attitudes.
Calwell’s immigration policy
The shift in government policy was influenced by the work of Melbourne economist, WD ‘Bill’ Forsyth.
In his 1942 book The Myth of Open Spaces , Forsyth argued that immigration and settlement should not be linked to the development of the rural sector, as had been the case after the First World War, but to the development of urban industry.
He further argued that, while postwar workforce shortages in Great Britain could limit Australia’s ability to attract British migrants, there would be reserves of labour in eastern and southern Europe.
These ideas featured in the papers of the government’s powerful Interdepartmental Committee on Post War Migration, and in Calwell’s speech.
The new policy set a target of a one per cent increase in the population as the result of immigration.
Suitable migrants
Even before the end of the war, Australia began negotiations with Britain about a migration scheme.
British politicians, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill, encouraged Britons to stay and rebuild their shattered country. Yet the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme (also known as the ‘Ten-Pound Pom’ scheme) proved extremely popular with war-weary British citizens. By 1947, more than 400,000 of them had registered.
Calwell also sought to meet immigration targets by selecting suitable migrants from Europe’s overflowing displaced persons camps.
The first shipload arrived in Australia in 1947 from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. They were all young and single and quickly became known as the ‘beautiful Balts’. As Calwell later admitted, ‘It was not hard to sell immigration to the Australian people once the press published photographs of that group.’
Changing the face of Australia
In the years that followed, policies slowly changed to accept migrants from southern and eastern Europe and, from the late 1940s and early 1950s, carefully selected temporary migrants from the Middle East and Asia.
In 1957 the Liberal government relaxed restrictions on ongoing temporary visas and made non-European migrants eligible for citizenship after 15 years’ residency (as opposed to five years for Europeans).
From 1946 to 1960 the Australian population grew by an average of 2.7 per cent per year. While this was largely due to a postwar baby boom, migration contributed to more than a third of this growth, adding 1.2 million people to Australia’s population and bringing the total population to about 10.3 million by 1960.
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George Megalogenis
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Marina Go
1:14
Tasneem Chopra
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Defining Moments: Auschwitz armband
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migration
politics
Australia
australian history
civics and citizenship
geography
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In our collection
Australia Unlimited - Immigration Builds a Nation A booklet with a blue cover and white and black lettering that reads "AUSTRALIA UNLIMITED / IMMIGRATION BUILDS A NATION". The booklet contains 16 pages which feature black print, illustrations and blue headings. The booklet is bound by two staples.
Explore Defining Moments
Snowy Mountains Hydro
TV and Melbourne Olympics
End of the White Australia policy
Vietnamese refugees boat arrival
SBS established
You may also like
Two Homes, One Heart
Olympic swimming medals of John Konrads
Latvian national dress
Red Riding Hood wall-hanging
Join & support
References
Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions
More about Arthur Calwell on the Museum of Australian Democracy website
Arthur Calwell, Be Just and Fear Not , Lloyd O’Neil Ptd Ltd and Rigby, Hawthorn, Victoria and Kentish Town, South Australia, 1972.
Eric Richards, Destination Australia: Migration to Australia since 1901 , UNSW Press, Sydney, 2008.
Gwenda Tavan, The Long, Slow Death of White Australia , Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2005.
Jerzy Zubrzycki, Arthur Calwell and the Origin of Post-War Immigration Canberra , Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research, 1995.
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Skip to content. 9am–5pm. Free general admission. Shop. Contrast. Home - The National Museum of Australia. Menu close menu. What’s on What’s on Close menu Exhibitions Calendar Family activities Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre Tours and experiences Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre Daily, costs apply. Visit Visit Close menu Plan your visit Accessibility Cafe Shop Venue hire Christina and Trevor Kennedy Garden Daily, free. Explore Explore Close menu Defining Moments Collection Curatorial and research Blog Online features Stories Explorer Audio on demand. Learn Learn Close menu Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom Digital excursions National History Challenge Onsite school programs Outreach programs Teacher professional learning. About About Close menu Contact us Corporate information Employment Media Publications. Join & support Join & support Close menu Bequests Donations Friends Partnerships. Shop now. Defining Moments. 1945: Australian Government announces postwar immigration drive. See our classroom resource. Between 1945 and 1965, two million immigrants arrived in Australia. The decision by the Australian Government to open up the nation in this way was based on the notion of ‘populate or perish’ that emerged in the wake of the Second World War. Among the new immigrants were the first government-sanctioned non-British migrants. This massive influx of people transformed Australian society. Arthur Calwell, Be Just and Fear Not , 1972: Even in the darkest days of the awful conflict of the Pacific war, the Curtin Government gave much thought to population building. I remember Mr. Curtin telling Cabinet in 1944 that at war’s end there would have to be a Ministry for Immigration. He said we must have more people to develop and defend Australia. Populate or perish. When Japan entered the Second World War in December 1941 its troops quickly moved south, occupying much of South-East Asia and the Pacific. Singapore fell in February 1942 and Darwin was bombed shortly after. In Australia, the threat of invasion was very real and the country was more vulnerable than previously thought. These susceptibilities meant that well before the war ended on 14 August 1945, the government had begun considering policies that would boost Australia’s population and its defences. Arthur Calwell was appointed Australia’s first Minister for Immigration in July 1945. Addressing parliament a few weeks later, he stated 'If Australians have learned one lesson from the Pacific war … it is surely that we cannot continue to hold our island continent for ourselves and our descendants unless we greatly increase our numbers … much development and settlement have yet to be undertaken. Our need to undertake it is urgent and imperative if we are to survive.' Calwell’s call for immediate migration was significant but perhaps even more important were the final sentences of his speech: ‘The door to Australia will always be open within limits of our existing legislation to the people from the various dominions, United States of America and from European continental countries’. For the first time, the government had declared that it was willing to accept migrants from beyond the British Isles. It was a huge step forward considering the prevalence of the White Australia policy and the underlying public attitudes. Calwell’s immigration policy. The shift in government policy was influenced by the work of Melbourne economist, WD ‘Bill’ Forsyth. In his 1942 book The Myth of Open Spaces , Forsyth argued that immigration and settlement should not be linked to the development of the rural sector, as had been the case after the First World War, but to the development of urban industry. He further argued that, while postwar workforce shortages in Great Britain could limit Australia’s ability to attract British migrants, there would be reserves of labour in eastern and southern Europe. These ideas featured in the papers of the government’s powerful Interdepartmental Committee on Post War Migration, and in Calwell’s speech. The new policy set a target of a one per cent increase in the population as the result of immigration. Suitable migrants. Even before the end of the war, Australia began negotiations with Britain about a migration scheme. British politicians, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill, encouraged Britons to stay and rebuild their shattered country. Yet the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme (also known as the ‘Ten-Pound Pom’ scheme) proved extremely popular with war-weary British citizens. By 1947, more than 400,000 of them had registered. Calwell also sought to meet immigration targets by selecting suitable migrants from Europe’s overflowing displaced persons camps. The first shipload arrived in Australia in 1947 from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. They were all young and single and quickly became known as the ‘beautiful Balts’. As Calwell later admitted, ‘It was not hard to sell immigration to the Australian people once the press published photographs of that group.’ Changing the face of Australia. In the years that followed, policies slowly changed to accept migrants from southern and eastern Europe and, from the late 1940s and early 1950s, carefully selected temporary migrants from the Middle East and Asia. In 1957 the Liberal government relaxed restrictions on ongoing temporary visas and made non-European migrants eligible for citizenship after 15 years’ residency (as opposed to five years for Europeans). From 1946 to 1960 the Australian population grew by an average of 2.7 per cent per year. While this was largely due to a postwar baby boom, migration contributed to more than a third of this growth, adding 1.2 million people to Australia’s population and bringing the total population to about 10.3 million by 1960. Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Messenger. Email. George Megalogenis. 0:13. Marina Go. 1:14. Tasneem Chopra. 1:02. Dr Tim Soutphommasane. 1:27. Amanda Vanstone. 0:27. Defining Moments: Auschwitz armband. 5:30. migration. politics. Australia. australian history. civics and citizenship. geography. 8. 10. In our collection. Australia Unlimited - Immigration Builds a Nation A booklet with a blue cover and white and black lettering that reads "AUSTRALIA UNLIMITED / IMMIGRATION BUILDS A NATION". The booklet contains 16 pages which feature black print, illustrations and blue headings. The booklet is bound by two staples. Explore Defining Moments. Snowy Mountains Hydro. TV and Melbourne Olympics. End of the White Australia policy. Vietnamese refugees boat arrival. SBS established. You may also like. Two Homes, One Heart. Olympic swimming medals of John Konrads. Latvian national dress. Red Riding Hood wall-hanging. Join & support. References. Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions. More about Arthur Calwell on the Museum of Australian Democracy website. Arthur Calwell, Be Just and Fear Not , Lloyd O’Neil Ptd Ltd and Rigby, Hawthorn, Victoria and Kentish Town, South Australia, 1972. Eric Richards, Destination Australia: Migration to Australia since 1901 , UNSW Press, Sydney, 2008. Gwenda Tavan, The Long, Slow Death of White Australia , Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2005. Jerzy Zubrzycki, Arthur Calwell and the Origin of Post-War Immigration Canberra , Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research, 1995. Return to Top. Show. The National Museum of Australia acknowledges First Australians and recognises their continuous connection to Country, community and culture. Connect with us. Facebook. Twitter. YouTube. Instagram. Email. TripAdvisor. Subscribe to our newsletter. Home - The National Museum of Australia. Lawson Crescent Acton Peninsula, Canberra Daily 9am–5pm, closed Christmas Day Freecall: 1800 026 132. Museum Shop 9am–5pm. Museum Cafe 9am–4pm, weekdays 9am–4.30pm, weekends. What’s on. Visit. Explore. Learn. About. Join & support. A Quality Tourism Accredited Business. This website contains names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Contact us. Media. Employment. Privacy. Copyright. Conditions of use. ABN 70 592 297 967  |  The National Museum of Australia is an Australian Government Agency.