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Acceptance of refugees during the Second World War – letter on behalf of Prime Minister John Curtin
[Letterhead in blue ink: ‘COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA’, ‘PRIME MINISTER’, ‘Canberra, A.C.T.,’]
[Stamped:] 17 OCT 1941
[Stamped in blue ink ‘REC’D’ [Received] ’20 OCT 1941’, ‘EXTERNAL AFFAIRS’.]
N. 19/1/1.
Dear Sir,
I have before me your letter of 3rd August, with regard to refugees from Europe, and it would appear to me that you may be under some misapprehension as to the Commonwealth Government’s policy in connection with this matter.
Attached is copy of a statement made by the Minister for the Interior in the House of Representatives in November, 1938, regarding the decision to admit to the Commonwealth up to 15,000 refugees over a period of three years. This statement will show you that Australia has adopted a very sympathetic attitude to refugees from Nazi oppression. Up to the outbreak of war 6,000 refugees had been admitted to Australia. You will appreciate that this country with its population of approximately 7,000,000 has only a limited capacity for absorbing new migrants, and in proportion to population the rate at which refugees from Europe were admitted to Australia were higher than in the case of those admitted to the United States of America or any of the other countries outside Europe which agreed to receive refugees.
Since the outbreak of the war alien immigration into Australia has been confined mostly to the reunion of families and to special cases and I am able to say that many families have been happily reunited in Australia. During the past few months the Commonwealth Government has arranged for the admission of Polish refugees from Japan.
It is clearly established that the treatment of refugees who have been admitted to Australia for residence purposes can be pointed to confidently as a guide to the attitude of Australians to those who are in need of friendship and assistance. The great majority of the refugees have become satisfactorily established in business or employment. There is no discrimination against them as compared with other aliens except in the case of those of enemy nationality against whom some precautionary measures have to be taken in the interests of the security of the Commonwealth.
