It’s easy to look at the racial dynamics of America and believe that’s not who Australia is. Yet, the Asian Australian Alliance recorded 337 hate crimes against Asian Australians over the span of a month and half. In fact, 1 in 5 Chinese Australians reported being threatened or attacked in 2020 because of their heritage. But this is happening in a vacuum. Australia has a racist past to reckon with, starting with the very structure of law. In the 1900’s, legislators passed multiple laws to stop non-white immigrants from gaining legal citizenship. These collections of racist laws that kept immigrants from gaining citizenship were called the White Australian Policy. Why? After World War II, Australia’s population was stagnant and needed new people to rebuild their country. By 1975, the Racial Discrimination Act made it illegal to discriminate against migrants based on race. Remnants of White Australian Policy are ingrained in white Australians psyche. Refugees are met with unwelcomed sentiment in political campaigns like “stop the boats,” migrant populations are given hateful and reductive names, First Nations people are disproportionately met with police brutality, and Asians are blamed for COVID. Racist and xenophobic laws in the past have influenced how white Australians act towards non-white people. Australia is a home for so many, and to be the safe and thriving multicultural it hopes to be, there is further reckoning to be done.
It’s easy to look at the racial dynamics of America and believe that’s not who Australia is. Yet, the Asian Australian Alliance recorded 337 hate crimes against Asian Australians over the span of a month and half. In fact, 1 in 5 Chinese Australians reported being threatened or attacked in 2020 because of their heritage. But this is happening in a vacuum. Australia has a racist past to reckon with, starting with the very structure of law. In the 1900’s, legislators passed multiple laws to stop non-white immigrants from gaining legal citizenship. These collections of racist laws that kept immigrants from gaining citizenship were called the White Australian Policy. Why? After World War II, Australia’s population was stagnant and needed new people to rebuild their country. By 1975, the Racial Discrimination Act made it illegal to discriminate against migrants based on race. Remnants of White Australian Policy are ingrained in white Australians psyche. Refugees are met with unwelcomed sentiment in political campaigns like “stop the boats,” migrant populations are given hateful and reductive names, First Nations people are disproportionately met with police brutality, and Asians are blamed for COVID. Racist and xenophobic laws in the past have influenced how white Australians act towards non-white people. Australia is a home for so many, and to be the safe and thriving multicultural it hopes to be, there is further reckoning to be done.