A riot at one of Australia’s immigration detention facilities has sparked renewed interest
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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