Remembering the manifesto that brought down the White Australia Policy

A group of legal and political heavyweights - including former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser - will gather in Melbourne to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a landmark academic paper that led to the dismantling of the White Australia Policy. The 50-page manifesto 'Immigration: Control or Colour Bar?' was written by a group of University of Melbourne students and academics in 1963. It is widely credited as sparking a broad public backlash against Australia's then-exclusionary immigration policy. The policy was relaxed from the 1960s and abolished in 1973. The document's authors identified as the Immigration Reform Group, and included future Governor Sir James Gobbo and Supreme Court Judges Howard Nathan and Stephen Charles. Former politicians, policymakers, community leaders, and several surviving members of the Immigration Reform Group will attend a function at Victorian Parliament House on Thursday June 20th to reflect on the document's significance and legacy - and the challenges that remain. The evening is part of Immigration in Australia - Today and Tomorrow's Challenges , a two day forum to analyse ongoing issues surrounding ethnic and religious diversity, equal access, and Australia's management of flows and settlement.