More than Fifty Years of Post-war Migration to Australia

The trigger for a large-scale migration program was the end of World War II.

In Europe, millions of people were stranded outside their homelands, unable to return. In Australia, there was a desperate shortage of labour and a belief that substantial population growth was essential for the country's future.

These factors led to the creation of a federal immigration portfolio in 1945.

By 1947, a post-war immigration boom was under way, with a large and growing number of arrivals of both government-assisted and other immigrants.

Agreements were reached with the United Kingdom, some European countries and the International Refugee Organisation (IRO) to encourage migrants, including displaced persons from war-torn Europe, to come to Australia. Between October 1945-and June 1960 1.7 million people arrived.

A million more migrants arrived in each of the following four decades. Today, nearly one in four of Australia's almost 20 million people were born overseas. New Zealand and the United Kingdom are the largest source countries for migrants, but other regions - notably Asia - have become more significant.

Early migration waves

The date of the first human occupation in Australia remains an open question, but evidence exists that humans have been on the continent for at least 40,000 years. Consequently, Aboriginals are regarded as the indigenous people of Australia.

Criminals were the basis of the first migration from Britain and Ireland. Starting in 1788, some 160,000 were transported to the Australian colonies.

Convicts, along with the officials of the penal system, were joined by free immigrants from the early 1790s.

The 1820s saw a marked increase in the migration of free people from the United Kingdom.

Early migration peaked between 1851 and 1860, when arrival levels were around 50,000 people a year. During this gold rush era, Chinese immigrants were the largest non-British group. Over the years, immigration has reflected the economic or social conditions in Australia and elsewhere. For example, a population imbalance resulted in deliberate efforts to attract women (1860 - 1920). Specialised workers came to Australia to meet early industry's needs. For instance, Afghan camel drivers were brought in with their animals in the second half of the 19th century to open up the continent's interior; and Japanese divers were introduced to work in the pearling industry in the late 19th century.

The two world wars also influenced immigration to Australia. The resettling of ex-servicemen, refugees and young people were significant chapters in Australian immigration history.

Post-war developments

The most ambitious part of Australia's migration program followed the end of World War II. Australia negotiated agreements with other governments and international organisations to help achieve high migration targets.

The agreements included:

• a system of free or assisted passages for United Kingdom residents
• an assisted passage scheme for the British Empire and United States ex-servicemen, later extended to ex-servicemen or resistance fighters from The Netherlands, Norway, France, Belgium and Denmark
• an agreement with the IRO to settle at least 12,000 displaced people a year from camps in Europe
• formal migration agreements, often involving the grant of assisted passage, with the United Kingdom, Malta, The Netherlands, Italy, West Germany, Turkey and Yugoslavia, and
• informal migration agreements with Austria, Greece, Spain, Belgium and other countries.

These agreements are no longer in force.

Economic and humanitarian events around the world subsequently influenced the size and source countries of the Australian program. At various times in the 1950s and 1960s, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Yugoslavia were important migrant source countries.

There were also significant intakes:

• of Hungarian and Czech refugees following unrest in those countries in 1956 and 1968 respectively
• from Chile following the overthrow of the Allende Government in 1973
• from Indochina after the end of the Vietnam war in 1975, and
• from Poland after martial law was declared in December 1981.
  

Today the migration program is global, using one set of criteria for applicants anywhere in the world. Humanitarian migrants come to Australia under the Humanitarian Program.

Today's migration program

In 2002-03 the migration program was set for four years with a range of 100,000 to 110,000 migrants, plus a contingency reserve of 4,000 places for parent applicants, per annum. In 2002-03 the program outcome was 108,070 of which approximately 60 per cent came under the Skilled Stream and 40 per cent the Family Stream. On average, almost 99,000 people receive temporary entry visas to Australia each year, to undertake specific work or business, entertain, play sport or for a working holiday. In addition to these numbers, around 12,000 humanitarian entrants will also travel to Australia each year to rebuild their lives, having fled persecution or suffering.

The impact of immigration

The post-war immigration program has benefited Australian life in many ways.

Economic
Immigration affects the demand side of Australia's economy through:

• migrants' own spending (food, housing and leisure activities)
• business expansion (investment to produce extra goods and services), and
• expansion of government services (health, education and welfare).
  

It also affects the supply side of the economy through:

• labour, skills and capital introduced into Australia
• new businesses developed by migrants
• migrant contributions to technology, and
• adding productive diversity through knowledge of international business markets.

Migrants pay taxes too, and receive benefits and goods and services from, government. Research shows that, overall, migrants contribute more in taxes than they consume in benefits and goods and services. As a result migrants generate surpluses for government.

The contribution of migrants to supply and demand and their indirect contribution to government surpluses (or smaller deficits) enhance Australia's economic growth.

Demographic
The 2001 Census showed the composition of people in Australia, who were born overseas as follows: UK and Ireland 26 per cent, Europe (excluding UK and Ireland) 26 per cent, North Africa and the Middle East 12 per cent, Asia 12 per cent, Oceania 11 per cent, the Americas 4 per cent and Sub-Saharan Africa 3.5 per cent.

Population
Natural increase has been the main source of population growth over the past hundred years, contributing two-thirds of the increase in population between 1901 and 2001. Immigration has also been a significant contributor to Australia's population growth but has been more volatile. In 1992-93, for example, it contributed about 17.8 per cent to population growth while in 1988-89, it contributed 54.4 per cent. Immigration's contribution to population growth is likely to increase during the next 30 years as the ageing of Australia's population leads to the annual number of deaths exceeding births. It is possible that sometime in the 2030s, immigration may become the only source of growth in population.
At the end of World War II, Australia's population was just over 7 million, with around 90 per cent born in Australia. Today, the population is 20 million, with slightly more than 75 per cent born in Australia.

Statistical summary

Since planned post-war migration started:

• about 3.2 million males, and 2.9 million females have arrived in Australia;
• more than 599 000 people have arrived under humanitarian programs, initially as displaced persons and more recently as refugees, and
• the population has risen from about seven million to nearly 20 million.

In the last financial year there has been:

• 66 748 new settler arrivals
• 9 569 arrivals under the humanitarian program
• an additional 175 264 people, including 88 758 working holiday makers, receive temporary residence visas, and
• 3.23 million visitor visas granted, along with 162 575 student visas.
  

Fact Sheet 4. Produced by the Public Affairs Section, Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Canberra. Revised 24 November 2003.