This chapter explores the similarities in the colonization and settlement histories of the United States and Australia. It discusses the origins of British colonization in Australia, the challenges and demands of settling in Australia, and the concentration of settlement in the eastern part of the country.
Transcript
chevron_right
Play full episode
chevron_right
Transcript
Episode notes
Australia, a name derived from the Latin for “southern land”, sits as a continent unto itself at the far reaches of the Asian landmass, receiving its first settlers over 50,000 years ago when the ice age connected the two by a land bridge. It was not until the European settlements in the 17th century did Australia have a written record, and also when it started receiving its largest growth in population. When Australia became united as a federated commonwealth in 1901, one of the first acts it passed was the White Australia Policy, favoring European settlement and limitation of the recent Asian, particularly Chinese, immigration and influence. Only until the 1970s did this policy shift towards broader and more open immigration. Tonight, Matthew Grant from the Australian Natives Association joins us to discuss why this shift occurred, and perhaps why a return to the older policies might be beneficial to the people of his country.
