White Australia Policy

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The immigration Restriction Act 1901or more commonly known as the White Australia Policy was made 'to place certain restrictions on immigration and to provide for the removal from the Commonwealth of prohibited immigrants' (Australian Government Department of Immigration and Boarder Protection, 2013) or in other words to have an all-white British colony. This act was unfair for all those who were not British and those who were of colour. In this essay, I will discuss the experiences of the non-Anglo-Celtic groups in Australia before the White Australia policy was introduced, the political and social arguments for the White Australia Policy and the consequences of the White Australia Policy for individuals and groups, up until 1918.
There were mixed experiences for the non-Anglo-Celtic groups in Australia before the White Australia Policy was introduced. For example, majority of the Chinese Gold Miners were treated differently to other countries and groups that mined for gold in Australia. Most were not a pleasant experience as they were treated as outsiders and harshly judged for their cultural differences. The gold miners also worked for no money but when they found gold it was theirs to keep and they could do whatever they wanted to do with it. This is how the gold miners made a living for them and their family. …show more content…

Those who were of colour or those who were non-British disliked the policy. Those who were British wanted to keep Australia white, but on the other hand, those who were non-British hated the White Australia Policy for many reasons. One of the reasons includes being separated from their families, they were disgraced as Australia was their place for work and a way to make their living. On the other hand, the British thought they were marvellous for making this policy as they were not being straight out racist yet they were still keeping Australia

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