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First contact with aboriginals
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James Cook explores Australia
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Flinders circumnavigates Australia.
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Period: to
Convict Transportation
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Flinders suggests the name Australia.
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Governor Macquarie supports the name Australia but it is some time before this is adopted.
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Period: to
32 500 convicts arrive in Australia.
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British claim ownership of the western third of Australia.
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Period: to
Assisted Immigration
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Transportation of convicts to New South Wales ends.
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Transportation of convicts to Western Australia begins.
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Gold is discovered in New South Wales and Victoria. This leads to the ‘gold rush’ which reaches its peak in 1869.
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Chinese born Australians number 38,258
Which is 3.4% of the total population and is the highest percentage ever reached. -
Period: to
Chinese Immigration
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Period: to
White Australia
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Harsher measures are taken to restrict Chinese immigration by all colonies except Tasmania.
Which only imposes a 10 pound tax on Chinese. -
The 1901 census shows:
878 were born in Greece 5,678 were born in Italy 25,788 were born in New Zealand 29,907 were born in China 38,582 were born in Germany 495,074 were born in Britain. -
A dictation test is given to migrants on arrival.
The test does not have to be given in the immigrant’s native tongue. -
Melanesians are deported from Australia.
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Immigrants are expected to assimilate to the Australian way of life.
Assimilation remains the government policy until the 1960s. -
Pacific Islanders are deported.
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The 1911 census shows
1,798 were born in Greece 6,719 were born in Italy 451,288 were born in Britain -
Lack of available ships following WW2
This causes a delay until 1947 in bringing migrants to Australia. -
The 1947 census shows
6,404 were born in China 12,291 were born in Greece 14,567 were born in Germany 33,632 were born in Italy 43,610 were born in New Zealand. -
Immigrants born in Britain make up 67% of all those Australians born overseas.
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Assisted Immigration Agreements are established with Italy, Germany, Greece and Austria.
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Assisted passage from the USA, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland is begun.
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The 1954 census shows:
119,897 were born in Italy 626,025 were born in Britain -
Non-Europeans with 15 years residence in Australia are allowed to become Australian citizens.
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The 1961 census shows:
77,333 were born in Greece 110,000 were born in Germany 718,345 were born in Britain -
Over 2, 000,000 migrants have arrived since the end of World War 2.
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The 1971 census shows:
289,476 were born in Italy more than one million were born in Britain. -
Period: to
Refugees
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Arrival of Vietnamese boat people takes place.
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The 1991 census shows:
New Zealand takes over from Italy as the second largest group in the overseas born population. -
The 1996 census shows:
110,332 were born in Germany 110,987 were born in China 126,524 were born in Greece 151,085 were born in Vietnam 238,216 were born in Italy 291,381 were born in New Zealand 1,072,514 were born in Britain. -
The Australian government refuses permission for asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iran to enter Australia and send them to Nauru.
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Current concerns over terrorism and possible conflict lead to
tightening of immigration and refugee processes.
