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White Australia:
The White Australia policy was the unofficial name given
to the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, one of the first
pieces of legislation passed by the parliament of the
newly federated Australia. The act allowed immigration
officers to exclude people subjectively (on the basis of
race) by making them take a dictation test in a European
language of the officers choosing. This test, and the
discrimination that went along with it, was still in
operation in the 1950s.
Although the White Australia policy sanctioned
discrimination against those non-white- individuals
entering the country, rather than those already here-
the indigenous inhabitants-it is a relevant historical
context to consider, as it helped to perpetuate the idea
of white superiority and the exclusion of non-white
members of the community.
World War I, or the Great War, began in 1914 when
Britain declared war on Germany. Australia, as part of
the British Empire, was involved from the beginning.
(see pg 18)
Scene 1 (pp.13-14)
Key Vocab:
Scene 2 (pp.15-16)