News and Events

2005 Media Releases

DID WHITE AUSTRALIA REALLY DIE?

Are Australian racists, covertly clinging to the philosophy of the White Australia Policy, or open-minded cosmopolitan multiculturalists eschewing our racially prejudiced past? Or a bit of both?

These questions are central to a new book, The Long, Slow Death of White Australia (Scribe Publications), by La Trobe University lecturer in Politics, Dr Gwenda Tavan.

The book incorporates information from hundreds of archival documents and is based on her PhD research. It plots the history of the policy and its gradual transformation as successive governments reluctantly gave ground on barring non-Europeans from Australia.

It reveals the timid and ad hoc nature of many of the policy changes which took place, and questions the effect this had on public attitudes, both then and now.

While many people supported the decision to abolish the policy in 1973, most remained committed to preserving Australia’s white, Anglo-Celtic culture. The thwarting of this ideal after 1975 sowed the seeds for ongoing discontent.

Dr Tavan says her decision to study the dismantling was spurred by two factors.

One was personal. Her experiences as the daughter of Italian migrants formed the basis for her strong interest in the history and politics of Australian immigration.

The other was what she saw as two very dichotomous images – the bad old Australia of the White Australia policy days, and the cosmopolitan, multicultural Australia of the post-Whitlam era.

‘This raised questions about how we had got from one phase to the other and if indeed the transition had been as complete as many commentators seemed to suggest,’ she says.

‘I gained further impetus from claims made in various corners during the 1980s and 1990s regarding some sort of elite conspiracy surrounding the dismantling of White Australia.

‘This encouraged me to examine in great detail the factors that led to the dismantling and the processes involved, especially the role of bureaucrats and politicians.’

She analysed archival documents, including the files of the departments of Immigration, External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) and Prime Minister and Cabinet. ‘The personal diaries and correspondence of various individuals and organisations interested in the White Australia policy after World War II also provided many insights’.

‘I believe this work fills a significant gap in our knowledge of Australian history and provides insights into current immigration controversies, including the residual influence of the White Australia doctrine, and the important role that bureaucrats and politicians play in shaping immigration policy and popular attitudes towards it.’

For further information:

Please contact Dr Gwenda Tavan, Tel: (03) 9479 1287, or La Trobe University Media and Publications Unit, Tel: (03) 9479 2316.