History / Year 10 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

The impact of changing government policies on Australia’s migration patterns, including abolition of the White Australia Policy, ‘Populate or Perish’ (ACDSEH145)

Elaborations
  • describing the main features of a government policy that affected migration to Australia, such as the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 and use of the dictation test to restrict the immigration of non-Europeans
  • explaining the reasons for changes in government policy (for example, the influence of White Australia ideology at the time of the introduction of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901; the Displaced Persons Scheme in the aftermath of World War II)
General capabilities
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Migration,  Government policy

Video

Reflections on ending the White Australia policy

Why was the abolition of the White Australia policy so important? Steps taken by the Whitlam Labor government in 1973 signalled the end of the legislation behind the policy. Find out which event first led to the new multiracial policy being put into practice. In this clip, you will hear from former prime ministers and ministers ...

Online

Digital stories of Immigration

This is a rich collection of digital stories about people who have immigrated to Victoria. The resource is presented in three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are 21 Story Objects that include images, videos, links, information, interviews and transcripts. There are ...

Video

Welcome to Bonegilla Migrant Camp

Following World War II, the Australian government was eager to increase the country’s population. The war reminded Australians that their small population would not withstand an enemy invasion. Further, a larger workforce was needed to develop the postwar economy. European people, many displaced by the war and the spread ...

Video

Five Australians: Charles Perkins fights for racial equality

Why is Charles Perkins remembered as a significant leader in the struggle for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? In this clip, he looks back on two campaigns that brought him to public attention in the 1960s and were part of a wider struggle to end racial discrimination in Australia. This clip ...

Video

The Snowy Mountains Scheme

How did the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme come to be Australia's greatest economic achievement in the decades following World War II? In this clip, discover what Australia hoped to accomplish through the scheme, and some of the sacrifices that were made for it. Also learn what life was like for migrants from war-devastated ...

Video

Weekend Magazine Chinese Australian community 1972 video

What was life like for people of Chinese origin living in Australia in 1972? This ABC Weekend Magazine program reports on life in Melbourne's Chinese community and examines how people have adopted the 'Australian way of life' while attempting to maintain aspects of their own rich cultural heritage.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: what sort of nation?

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore what has influenced the sort of nation Australia is and how it has changed over time. Complete a related task.

Online

The Globalising World: Changing policies and Australian identity

This is a unit of work about migration to Australia from 1945. It has a particular focus on how migration has shaped Australia as a nation over time. It has four teaching and learning sequences that explore: changes to Australia’s immigration policies including the dismantling of the White Australia Policy; reasons for ...

Text

Objects through timeline: 50,000 years before present

This is a 26-page fact sheet that provides a comprehensive overview of migration to Australia from the first arrival of humans to 2006. It includes details about the major waves of international and internal migration, key events and policies, and individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to the development ...

Text

Australian Constitution online

Browse the complete text of the Australian Constitution with this easy-to use website. It includes a detailed overview by the Australian Government Solicitor and a 2:26 min video snapshot about the Constitution and its role in the governance of the Australian nation.

Video

Four Corners: Surf culture hits Australia in the 1960s

How did surf culture change Australian popular culture? Rock music and the concept of the 'teenager' had arrived in Australia in the 1950s but in the 1960s the surfboard gave rise to a new youth subculture. This clip from 1964 explores conflict in the water and cultural changes that came with the rise of the 'surfie'.

Interactive

The Curators Table

This is a web-based and iPad compatible resource aligned with Years 6 and 9 Australian Curriculum (AC): History; it encourages students to think and act like historians. Primary and secondary sources - such as posters, video and personal letters – as well as a chronology have been brought together to support learning about ...

Video

The Australian Dream: Racism

This clip highlights Adam Goodes’s belief that the whole community needs to work together to put an end to racism. Through the heartbreaking story of Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam, you'll get an insight into how far we've come in tackling racism, but Adam shows us how far we still have to go. Find out how people used ...

Video

Pocket Compass, Ep 5: An immigration nation

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull once described Australia as an 'immigration nation'. What do you think he meant by that? Do you agree? |Watch four very different people speak about their experiences as first- and second-generation migrants. What were some reasons they or their parents migrated to Australia?

Video

Nexus: Holden, the 'all-Australian car'

What made Holden cars symbols of Australia during the 1950s, 60s and 70s? During this period, more than any other vehicle, the Holden came to reflect changing lifestyles in Australia, and helped to define for many what it meant to be 'Australian'. Find out the impact that generations of Holden vehicles have had on the lives ...

Video

ABC News: Generational change for Italian migrants, 1958

What would it be like to start life in a new country without much knowledge of the language or culture? The clip shows the strength of the cultural traditions that Onsonato Galluzzo and his wife brought with them from Italy. See how the older family members maintain their Italian heritage and the younger generation adapt ...

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Defining moments in Australian History

This extensive web-based resource examines events, people and places of profound significance to the Australian people and their personal, community and national histories. The resource includes a list of 100 'defining moments' identified by historians supported by background information, images, video and links to the ...

Video

NSW Governor Marie Bashir – 2010 speech to students

This resource is a YouTube playlist containing a series of videos from a speech the NSW Governor Marie Bashir gave to senior high school students at Government House in 2010. She speaks on a range of topics, including the Australian system of government, the history of Australia and NSW, and her life. She also answers ...

Interactive

Laptop wrap: Voices of Vietnam

This resource is a page with a focus on developing student opinion of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, with supporting activities and links to resources.

Text

Journeys and Connections

This resource displays objects related to stories of migration to Australia. Students locate and research relevant objects in their own community and create a digital story of migration. The resource uses objects from the Australian Journeys exhibition at the National Museum of Australia.