[Page 1.]

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: 

"IMMIGRATION," CANBERRA.

TELEPHONE [illegible, tear partially covering number.]

IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE

No. 60/65380.

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.

[Dividing line.]

DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION,

CANBERRA, A.C.T.

4th November, 1960.

[Stamped, purple ink:] REC'D – 7 NOV 1960 DEPT. OF IMMIGRATION CANBERRA

The Commonwealth Migration Officer, 

[Underlined] ALL STATES.

[Underlined] NON-EUROPEANS ENTERING AND RESIDENT IN AUSTRALIA. Records and Statistics.

While considerable effort Is at present expended in collecting, submitting and summarising statistical data relevant to non-Europeans entering and resident in Australia, analysis of the returns at present forwarded on the 30th June and 31st December annually, and enquiry into the means by which the information contained in the returns is gathered casts considerable doubt on the accuracy of the material.

2. As you undoubtedly appreciate, non-European policy is complex and, on occasion, controversial, and it is considered essential that complete and accurate information be conveniently available at all times with regard to the operating effects of the policy.

3. Considerable thought has been given to ways and means whereby the present procedure for collecting relevant statistical data could be improved and it has been decided that this could best be done by establishing a "Non-European Index" in the Temporary Residence Section of the General Immigration Division in each State, such Index to contain an individual record card for each non-European who is not an Australian Citizen, resident in the State concerned, whether such non-European is an alien or a non-alien and whether he is an adult or a child. 

[Underlined] Establishment of Index to provide the Statistical Base.

4. To create such an Index while still maintaining detailed records of non-European alien residents in the Aliens Registration Section would be a needless duplication. With this in mind and having regard to – 

(a) the recent development of aliens registration documents as entry and departure advice and control documents; and

(b) the fact that there appears to be no reason why, being so vitally concerned with non-Europeans, the Temporary Residence Section should not be able to carry out all work associated with the registration of non-European aliens; and

(c) the fact that boarding staffs are being instructed to mark entry and departure documents prominently with the letters "NE" where non-Europeans are involved

 - it has been decided that all cards relating to non-Europeans should be culled from the[…]

[Illegible handwritten signature in blue ink.]

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[…]Aliens Index and transferred to the Temporary Residence Section.

5. There is reason to believe that amongst such cards, in certain instances, there may be cards relating to non-Europeans who may have left Australia (without a "departure advice" having been received in the Aliens Registration Sections concerned) or who can otherwise be no longer regarded as "live" cases. Having regard to this an examination should be made of each car transferred and only those which can be accepted as relating to "live" cases should be placed in the "Non-European Index". 

6. Non-European alien children under the age of 16 years are not individually recorded in the Aliens Index but are recorded in a separate "Child Index". As it will be a fundamental feature of the Non-European Index that it will provide for an individual card for each person, and will cover all non-Europeans other than Australian Citizens, the records relating to these children are also to be transferred to the Temporary Residence Section, but new Index Cards in the same form as the ordinary Aliens Index Cards are to be prepared and filed in the Non-European Index in respect of all such children, care being taken to ensure that provision is made for cases to be brought forward for attention when the child concerned approaches the "registration" age of 16 years.

7. A "Non-European Index" comprising only records transferred from the Aliens Registration Section would give only part of the story, however, and for completeness the Index must also include full records of British non-Europeans. 

8. Data relevant to such British non-Europeans is to be recorded on a card of the same size as the Aliens Index cards relating to non-European aliens transferred but to enable aliens to be readily distinguishable from non-aliens the cards relating to non-aliens should be blue.

9. The task of obtaining data for the non-alien cards will be considerable for it will involve making a detailed census of all available office records. However, there appears to be no acceptable alternative to making such a census, and having in mind that it should be a "once and for all task" that unless complete an accurate information on such non-alien non-Europeans is recorded no overall statistics of any real value will be obtainable, it must be carried out, and every effort made to ensure that the resultant records are complete.

10. Completion of this three-pronged approach should then give a "Non-European Index" which contains an individual record card, sorted into alphabetical order, of every non-European resident in the State, other than Australian Citizens – and thus a sound permanent basis for the compilation of non-European statistics. 

[Underlined] Classification of Index Cards.

11. While establishment of a complete index along the lines indicated above will provide an overall picture of the Australian non-European population (other than with regard to Australian Citizens) this is not sufficient and provision must be made for the convenient extraction of data relating to the individual sectors of that population. 

12. The following are the classification categories in respect of which dissected statistical data will be required – 

[Underlined] Primary Categories – 

Chinese [dotted line] A.

Japanese [dotted line] B.

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2.

Other Asians [dotted line] C.

Non-Europeans other than Asians [dotted line] D.

[Underlined] Secondary Categories – 

Long Term Temporary Residents – 

Merchants, Overseas Representatives and Overseas Buyers (including any permanent substitutes for Merchants) [dotted line] 1.

Local Traders and Market Gardeners (including any permanent substitutes or these) [dotted line] 2.

Café Assistants (including café assistants granted "Executive Assistant" status) [dotted line] 3.

Assistants other than Café Assistants (including any assistants other than Café Assistants granted "Executive Assistant" status) [dotted line] 4.

Persons holding "Free Employment" status (other than those admitted under the "Distinguished and Highly Qualified" rules) [dotted line] 5.

Persons admitted under the "Distinguished and Highly Qualified" rules [dotted line] 6.

Dependents of Long Term Temporary Residents entitled to introduce their families [underlined] under restriction [end underlined] (including minor children) [dotted line] 7.

Other non-Europeans under restriction in Australia on a [underlined] long term [end underlined] basis (not including students) [dotted line] 8.

Permanent Residents – 

Non-Europeans admitted for or granted "permanent residence" or otherwise legally In Australia other than under restriction who are not Australian Citizens [dotted line] 9.

Students – 

Non-Europeans admitted for temporary residence for educational or special training purposes (including those undergoing a period of practical experience following completion of a course of academic study) [dotted line] 10.

Visitors – 

Non-Europeans admitted as visitors for a stay exceeding 60 days (including persons admitted for medical treatment, etc) [dotted line] 11. 

13. Each card in the "Non-European Index" is to be prominently marked with the appropriate classification coding.

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[Underlined] For Example – 

Chinese "Merchant" A1.

Japanese "Overseas Representative" B1.

Pakistani permanent resident C9.

Chinese Student A10.

Congolese Visitor D11.

14. This form of coding has also been adopted with the possibility in mind of converting the "Non-European Index" to a punched card system at a later stage.

15. With this code marking the assembly of sector data is resolved simply into two basic sortings, firstly into the four Primary Categories and then, with regard to the cards in each of the Primary Categories the sorting into eleven Secondary Category groups – and then the mere counting of the number of cards in each group.

[Underline] Maintainence [sic] of the Index.

16. If the non-European population was completely static, the establishment of the Non-European Index as indicated above would meet all requirements. The population is not static, however, and accordingly provision must be made for making and recording alterations to the Index. The procedures for these are as follows – 

(a) [underlined] New Arrivals.

a. Non-Europeans entering Australia on a very short term basis (e.g. as transhipment passengers or visitors intending a stay of less than 60 days) may be disregarded as far as the Non-European Index is concerned (although of course they will still be subject to RA.3-RA.4 and Form M.33-Form M.36 departure checks). 

b. All other non-Europeans entering, however, must be made the subject of Non-European Index Cards.

c. Such arrivals will be the subject of Form RA.2 or RA.11 (if aliens) or Form M.33 (if non-alien) arrival reports. Boarding Officers have been instructed to make these forms readily distinguishable by "NE" endorsement and upon receipt in a Commonwealth Migration Office they are to be sent immediately to the Temporary Residence Section and appropriate index cards are to be prepared. 

d. These cards are to be coded as indicated in Paragraph 12 but [underlined] at this stage [end underlined] are not to be filed in the Index in ordinary alphabetical order but are to be filed in alphabetical order in a special "Arrivals" section of the Index.

(b) [underline] Departures. [end underline]

a. Non-Europeans leaving Australia are made subject of Form M.36 reports (if non-aliens) or either submit "Departure Advice Slips" (Forms RA.10/3 or are the subject of Form D.1 reports.  Boarding Officers have been instructed to prominently mark such departure advice documents "NE" where they relate to non-Europeans.

b. These documents, upon receipt in a Commonwealth Migration Office, are to be sent direct to the Temporary Residence Section, and where they relate to persons, the subject of a Non-European Index card, the Index card is to be extracted from the Index, marked with the departure details and placed in the "Dead" Index.

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(c) [underlined] Acquisition of Australian Citizenship.

a. The Naturalization Section will advise the Temporary Residence Section concerning any Non-Europeans granted Australian Citizenship.

b. The Index Cards relative to such non-Europeans are to be extracted from Non-European Index and filed in the "Dead Index". 

(d) [underlined] Change of Status.

a. Changes of Status of non-Europeans, the subject of Index Cards will give rise to file action.

b. Before such files are returned to the Registry the card relating to the non-European concerned is to be extracted from the Index, the old Classification coding is to be crossed out and the new coding inserted.

c. The card is then to be returned to its proper place in the index and the file marked that the change of status was noted in the Index and returned to Registry.

(e) [underlined] Death.

In the case of the death of a subject of an index card the card is to be extracted from the Index, marked that the subject has died, and placed in the "Dead Index".

[underlined] Returns to Central Office Half-Yearly. 

17. The present return "Non-Europeans – Holders of Temporary Entry Permits" is to be discontinued and replaced with a return of "Non-Europeans, other than Australian Citizens, Who have entered or who are resident in Australia on a Long Term Basis" submitted, as early as possible following the 30th June and 31st December [dates underlined in blue ink] each year, giving the position as at those dates. [Two handwritten lines along the left margin of this paragraph in pencil.]

18. The form of the return is to be to provide "resident" and "arrival" data in respect of each of the eleven secondary categories under [word underlined twice with pencil] each of the four primary categories. [Handwritten line along left side of paragraph in black ink.]

19. In compiling the return attention is first to be given to the "Arrivals" section of the Index (Paragraph 16 (a) d) which will include all of the Index cards of the non-Europeans who have arrived over the preceding six months and who are not recorded as having left within that time. Cases where a non-European whose Index card is transferred from the special "Arrival" section of the Non-European Index to the "Dead" section of the Index before the figures for that six months period are compiled may be ignored.

20. The sorting of coded Index cars in the "Arrival" section will give the numbers of non-Europeans in each coded category who arrived over the preceding six months.

21. These figures having been recorded the cards are then to be sorted into the Index proper.

22. The assembly of "resident" data is then simply a matter of sorting and counting cards as indicated in Paragraph 15.

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23. While conversion to this new procedure should present no problems in the smaller states the conversion task in the larger states is likely to be considerable. Having regard to this, while preliminary conversion work should commence immediately the "Non-European" Index should be established as a formal responsibility of the Temporary Residence Section only on the 1st January, 1961. 

24. If any significant staffing problems are likely to arise with regard to this matter, will you please refer full details to this office.

[Handwritten signature, illegible.]

T.H.E Heyes.

[underlined] SECRETARY.