The White Australia policy

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, also known as the White Australia policy, was a discriminatory policy which limited the numbers of ‘non-white’ immigrants to Australia.

The National Archives holds extensive records about the implementation and effects of this policy.

The stories shared on this page demonstrate the difficulties and discrimination migrants faced under this policy.

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Photo of Sachiko McKay from her certificate of exemption.

Sachiko McKay

Sachiko McKay married Australian serviceman Jack McKay in 1952, and migrated to Australia in 1953 as a war bride.

Image of Maria Peters from a radiological report.

Maria Peters

Maria Peters was a South African woman with dwarfism who toured under the name 'Princess Ubangi'. She was naturalised in 1975.

Photo of Bas Wie from his registration certificate.

Bas Wie

Bas Wie was known in the press as the 'Kupang Kid' when he stowed away to Australia in the undercarriage of a plane.
Two female and one male passenger learning on the ship's rail of the Misr.

The voyage of the Misr

The Egyptian ship SS Misr was met with controversy on arrival in Melbourne in 1947.