Australia – a History of Settlement

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.

— Brought to you by —

Very special guest Matthew Grant

Australian Nativist Association

Myth of the 20th Century – Episode 257 – Australia – a History of Settlement

— References —

– The Commonwealth of Australia, Wise (1909) – https://archive.org/details/commonwealthofau00wise/mode/2up

– The Lucky Country, Horne (1964)

– Australia’s Boer War, Wilcox (2002)

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