8. The White Australia policy, Arthur Calwell & immigration via the China route - with Jayne Persian

The ACRI Podcast

The White Australia policy, introduced in 1901, placed severe restrictions on the immigration of non-British and non-white persons. Under Arthur Calwell, Australia’s first Immigration Minister (1945-49) these restrictions were relaxed somewhat, but still remained prohibitive to Asian immigrants. What were the reasons behind the implementation of the White Australia policy? What is Arthur Calwell's legacy, and what role did he play in facilitating the policy's eventual abolition? How did Russians and Russian-speaking Displaced Persons enter Australia via Shanghai – the ‘China route’ – in the post-Second World War period, and how were they received? Why were so few Jewish Displaced Persons accepted for entry into Australia? How were ethnically Chinese refugees treated? Jayne Persian, Lecturer in History at the University of Southern Queensland and author of the book ‘Beautiful Balts: From Displaced Persons to New Australians’ ( NewSouth Books, 2017) joins Bob Carr, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI)at the University of Technology Sydney to discuss the history and effects of the White Australia policy, Arthur Calwell’s immigration policies, and the immigration of post-war Displaced Persons to Australia via the China route.