Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
suggested that migrant settlement services should be dispersed into other government
departments and agencies. 19
During the late 1960s, many European migrants experienced poor working
conditionsandpoorhealthassociatedwithunhealthyworkingenvironmentsand
unemployment. 20 James Jupp’s Arrivals and departures (1966) provided significant
insight into anti-assimilationist complaints and migrant welfare problems. Jupp
criticised the lack of government housing, the lack of pensions for elderly migrants,
the high number of migrants in low-skilled employment, the lack of recognition of
overseas qualifications, poor protection of migrant workers by Australian unions
and the lack of English-language courses and available interpreters. 21
Other researchers also highlighted the disadvantaged situation of migrants in
Australia and contributed to the public debate on the problems of assimilation. 22
For example, Jerzy Zubrzycki argued for a commitment to cultural diversity
through promoting the teaching of foreign languages. 23 Jean Martin also highlighted
the importance of ethnic pluralism at numerous conferences. Martin argued
that migrant groups existed in varying degrees of isolation because there were
no mechanisms to help them settle into Australian life. Martin, an advocate of
ethnic pluralism, blamed the assimilation policy and the ‘de-valuation’ and ‘nonrecognition’
of migrant institutions and cultures for the problems that migrants had
to endure. 24 Between 1969 and 1971, integrationist migrant welfare programs were
initiated, which aided migrant English-language competence, social mobility, social
integration and the improvement of migrant welfare services. 25
In 1973, the Labor government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Gough
Whitlam, promoted a reconceptualisation of Australian national identity in terms
of multiculturalism. The term ‘multiculturalism’ was borrowed from Canada but
applied differently in the Australian context. The Labor minister for immigration,
Al Grassby, identified that nearly a million migrants had not taken up Australian
citizenship because of their experiences of racism and discrimination. Grassby
suggested encouraging the retention of social and cultural differences among non-
BritishAustralians.Inresponse,theAustralian Citizenship Bill 1973 (Cth) was
introduced in 1973, reflecting a new national identity that was anti-racist and
challenged assimilationist values. 26 The focus of citizenship shifted from culture
and British inheritance to the principle of territoriality – that is, residence on the
territory of the Australian state. 27
19 Jordens 1997.
20 Castles et al. 1988.
21 Jupp 1966.
22 Price 1971; Price 1966; Zubrzycki 1995; Zubrzycki 1968.
23 Zubrzycki 1995; Zubrzycki 1968.
24 Lopez 2000.
25 Lopez 2000, 129.
26 Davidson 1997.
27 Zappala and Castles 2000, 40.
416