About this record

This is a coloured red, white and blue poster encouraging Britons to migrate to Australia. It is divided into three boxes. The top box includes a map of Australia and the Southern Cross, with the headline ‘The stars which shine over Australia the land of opportunity’. The middle box is headed ‘The call of the stars to British men & women’, followed by five slogans. The bottom box explains where to get more information.

Educational value

• This poster, designed for display in Britain, was produced by the Overseas Settlement Office within the British Dominions Office. The Overseas Settlement Office encouraged British adults and children to settle in the dominions (colonies) of the British Empire—such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and the West Indies. Between 1921 and 1929, around 221,000 new settlers were attracted by this and similar advertising campaigns. They received assisted passages to Australia, the majority going to New South Wales and Victoria, with many also settling in Western Australia.
• Overseas Settlement Office encouraged British adults and children to settle in the dominions (colonies) of the British Empire—such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and the West Indies. Between 1921 and 1929, around 221,000 new settlers were attracted by this and similar advertising campaigns. They received assisted passages to Australia, the majority going to New South Wales and Victoria, with many also settling in Western Australia.
• The poster is an example of activities associated with the British Empire Settlement Act 1922. The Act set up partnerships between Great Britain and its colonies to assist men, women and some children to migrate from Great Britain and to participate in development or land-settlement schemes in those countries. This form of assisted migration came to a sudden end in 1929 with the start of the Great Depression. The purposes of these migration schemes were to ensure the long-term survival and coherence of the British Empire; stimulate primary production for export to Britain; foster industry and trade within the Empire; and provide for its stability and security.
• The poster includes the slogan 'Men for the land', encouraging British men and boys to migrate to Australia—an under-populated and undeveloped land of opportunity—and then to settle on and work the land. This message was supported by the Millions Club, a group of businessmen whose common aim was to fill Australia with a million farms worked by a million British migrant settlers.
• The poster’s next slogan is 'Women for the home', encouraging British women and girls to migrate to Australia and work as domestic servants, wives and mothers to support its development. Between 1926 and 1930 the Australian and British governments jointly funded a specialised centre in Market Harborough, England, to train women for domestic service prior to migration to Australia. The first of its kind, it was intended to demonstrate that domestic servants could be drawn from a 'better type' (class) if training was available.
• Great Britain and Australia shared ideas about the desired cultural composition of Australia's population. Australia's preference for British migrants was enacted through the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, which was a basis of the White Australia Policy for more than 50 years.
• The poster provides an example of advertising techniques of the 1920s. During this time advertising became more prolific, persuasive and aggressive, with a greater use of emotive language and motifs. The use of the Southern Cross and its stars as a motif on this poster invokes images of Australia's clear nights and open country and this—combined with its language—creates an impression of adventure and a better life.