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I am reading newspaper articles about migrants btw 1945-1950. And the calmness and rationality and sense to the media's approach to examining the white Australia policy is, at least to me, used to the insanity of the migration discussion this this day and age, astonishing.
From Perth's Daily News on 25 Sept 1945. "...White Australia has become a tradition. That, however, should not mean it's merits cannot be discussed calmly....Australians must weigh.... whether it is now to Australia's economic and social advantage [to allow 'asiatics' to migrate]....Those questions will provoke differences of opinion, but they are too vital to ignore..."
How did we get so far from this?
I have pretty much decided that the paper is going to be on refugees, , looking at the media images and legislative outcomes at three distinct periods of significant 'non-white' migration; post WW2, the Vietnamese 'boat people' and .... well a current day one, not sure what point yet. Tampa? Children overboard? When all those people died in the wreck off Christmas Island? After 'Go back to where you came from' screened? I suspect that I will need to get back, closer to post 9/11 to be able to stomach writing about it without devolving into ranty-grouchie and it all falling apart at that point.
From Perth's Daily News on 25 Sept 1945. "...White Australia has become a tradition. That, however, should not mean it's merits cannot be discussed calmly....Australians must weigh.... whether it is now to Australia's economic and social advantage [to allow 'asiatics' to migrate]....Those questions will provoke differences of opinion, but they are too vital to ignore..."
How did we get so far from this?
I have pretty much decided that the paper is going to be on refugees, , looking at the media images and legislative outcomes at three distinct periods of significant 'non-white' migration; post WW2, the Vietnamese 'boat people' and .... well a current day one, not sure what point yet. Tampa? Children overboard? When all those people died in the wreck off Christmas Island? After 'Go back to where you came from' screened? I suspect that I will need to get back, closer to post 9/11 to be able to stomach writing about it without devolving into ranty-grouchie and it all falling apart at that point.