Australian Multicultrualism since 1945
Uploaded by short + black on Oct 31, 2007
Modern History - Orals
The lives of ordinary Australians have changed greatly since 1945. In this present day of 2007 we see many different cultures coming together to call Australia home. Before this though, there were many issues regarding a multicultural society in Australia; and who should and shouldn’t enter into this country. During this presentation today, I will be presenting you with the changes that Australia has had to face in a bid to make our society multicultural and appealing to all different backgrounds. The lives of ordinary Australians has changed as it means that they can now interact with those from different walks of life, this is not to say however that all cultures have embraced the Australian way of life.
Firstly, multiculturalism refers to several different cultures which can be brought together to live peacefully and equally as one. This was a major issue in Australia during the 1945’s due to the Governments strong point of view for keeping Australia in ‘white hands’ only. Attempts were made before 1945 to make Australia a multicultural country but failed as racism occurred within the social and working environments. Chinese gold diggers who came into Australia to work on the mining fields were treated unfairly because there was a fear of them due to tension of competition. The Chinese were described by many fellow Australians to be ‘untiring workers’. Many Australian gold diggers wanted the Chinese out of the gold fields, and to be deported back to their original counties; and were astonished to learn that 3.3% of Australia’s population was made up of the Chinese workers. This was the first time that an Asian country had contributed towards the Australian population. This was the first step in Australian history to make Australia a multicultural society, but failed miserably. (http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/goldrush/)
Before World War two, Australia was a country with a homogenous European population and remained in this manner for some time. The unofficial title of the ‘White Australia Policy’ ensured that those who were not of European descent were not permitted to live in ‘White Australia.’ Immigration laws strictly administrated these policies and were supported by the governments who were all committed to keeping a ‘White Australia.’ Issues that Australia faced during the 1945’s included racism towards other backgrounds that were also of European descent, equality as not everyone was treated equally; especially the aboriginals, who were the original owners of the...