Banging on and on about rights.......

[poddster]

......under what "right" are people paid to exist without doing anything for their payment.?

Is it just because they exist?

[debra9275]

I won't ask again but I was just reading about the post war migrants

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-war_immigration_to_Australia

http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/aplaceforeveryone/a-place-for-everyone/

Between 1945 and 1965 more than two million migrants came to Australia. ‘Populate or perish’ was the catchcry, as the Australian Government embarked on an intensive international promotional campaign to encourage migration to Australia. Most were assisted where the government paid most of their fare to get to Australia.

Skilled migrants found it hard to have their training and qualifications recognised and had to accept what work was available. All migrants, especially those who did not speak English well, had to put up with prejudice.

I had no idea that Australia paid for fares 

[poddster]

Deb, read back there was no hand out unless you consider 10 quid a hand out.

We and millions of others fled because our country was occupied by an enemy force. those who fled awaited relocation for years to anywhere that would take them. They were invited to come and did not force their entry.

In fact Australia owes most of its infrastructure to post war immigrants who were willing to work doing jobs the the locals would not dream of doing.

[debra9275]

a bit similar to now really, except that Australia wanted to be 'more populated' at that time.  reading a bit about it I can see that it was tough. Hard for anyone to start up in a new country I reckon- language problems, predjudice employment, those sorts of things

[donnashuggy]

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@poddster wrote:

Deb, read back there was no hand out unless you consider 10 quid a hand out.

We and millions of others fled because our country was occupied by an enemy force. those who fled awaited relocation for years to anywhere that would take them. They were invited to come and did not force their entry.

In fact Australia owes most of its infrastructure to post war immigrants who were willing to work doing jobs the the locals would not dream of doing.

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It could be said that post war immigrants received millions in welfare payments too, actually it is a fact

[gleee58]

So the migrant paid 10 pounds and the Aus govt paid how much of the fare to get here?

Who paid to have the accommodation built that the migrants were housed in on arrival?

[debra9275]

it would've been a hard thing to do- start out in a new country and I feel compassion for those who've had to leave a war torn country from way back then  and till this day- even if tax payers had to fund it

[colic2bullsgirlore]

It's an interesting story

1945 population 7,391,692

1955 population 9,199,729

http://www.immi.gov.au/about/reports/annual/2009-10/html/65-years-of-nation-building/Immigration-his...

some excerpts

Amid the aftermath of World War II the department opened its doors, with widespread community support.

The aim was to contribute to the building of Australia as a nation-with a target of an annual population increase from immigration of 1 per cent.

The department made a concerted effort to support the Australian public, business and trade union movement to generate an intake matching increases by birth in the Australian born population.

'Immigration provided a myriad of people with the opportunity to start a new life. Between 1947 and 1954, Australia accepted about 170 000 displaced people from Eastern Europe. The United Nations 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees was ratified by Australia in January 1954."

Early acknowledgment of success came in 1948 from the Commonwealth Employment Service, which reported 4000 displaced people had been placed in jobs that had alleviated shortages in hospitals, boosted home construction, saved fruit and sugar crops and repaired essential railways.

The department (Immigration) began with just 24 staff-six in Canberra, six in Melbourne and 12 in London.

By the end of the first decade, the department's role had extended beyond planning and administering the migration program to include formulating policy and legislation, attracting and informing potential migrants overseas, issuing passports, regulating migration agents and operating migrant accommodation centres.

One of the more enduring and tangible examples of nation-building was the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme-which began in 1949 and by the time it was completed in 1974 had employed more than 100 000 people from more than 30 countries, with more than 70 per cent being migrants.

As early as November 1955, Australia's millionth post-war migrant, Mrs Barbara Porritt, arrived in Melbourne.

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/changing-face-of-modern-australia-1950s...

The changing face of modern Australia – 1950s to 1970s

After the Second World War (1939–45) the Australian government committed to a vigorous and sustained immigration program. The purpose of this ambitious program was to meet labour shortages, protect Australia from external threat and create prosperity. As a result, from 1945 to 1975 Australia's population almost doubled from 7½ million to 13 million. About 3 million migrants and refugees arrived.

http://www.snowyhydro.com.au/energy/hydro/the-people/

The People

Between 1949, when the first blasting shot was fired, and by 1974, when the physical works of the Scheme were completed, over 100,000 men and women from more than 30 countries had worked on the Scheme.

Australians formed the largest nationality group on the Scheme, making up one-third of the workforce, which reached a peak of 7300 in 1959.

http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/37.html

The Snowy Mountains Scheme is widely recognised as the birthplace of multiculturalism in Australia.

Workers from over 30 countries including Australia, Austria, Finland, Jordan, Russia, USA, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, Estonia, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Rumania and The Ukraine worked on the Scheme through planning and construction.

Many newcomers were escaping the privations of war-torn Europe and were eager to start a new life in a new land.

They brought with them new ideas, new customs and new cuisines, changing the Anglo-Saxon foundation of Australian society. Working together on the Scheme, they became part of the Snowy family, with former enemies and allies working side by side.

The contribution of these nations is commemorated in the Avenue of Flags in the main street of Cooma, which was unveiled in 1959.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority assisted the migrant population to settle in Australia by conducting free English classes in all of the Snowy's camps and townships in conjunction with the Department of Education and supporting the establishment of a branch of the Good Neighbour Council and an International Club in Cooma.

Employees were encouraged to form and join other social clubs, including chess, photography and sporting activities.

Many new-comers became Australian citizens in well-attended naturalisation ceremonies organised in conjunction with local Shires and Councils.

[poddster]

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@debra9275 wrote:

I had no idea that Australia paid for fares 

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How else do you think dispossessed people could get to a country that was so remote?
 

In fact the vessel the we arrived on was a US troop carrier  stacked to the brim with makeshift hammocks strung up in some galleyways and anywhere there was room. Some were even on the deck, young men were put there.

On arrival most were housed in disused army barracks and anywhere where room could be found.

Within a week or two they were relocated areas where they were to work on infrastructure schemes, like the Snowy River scheme and the Hydro schemes in Tasmania and anywhere that could offer menial work  that no one else would do.

All of that was made possible because the selection process was off shore and the ones entering the country had been checked out and accepted

[debra9275]

Yes, I find it interesting too ColIc


I've never even thought about the payment of passage before poddster, I just thought they paid their own way

At least you were safe on the ship and relocated very quickly

[j*oono]

It sounds like it was a lot better back then.  Asylum seekers now cant work at all can they?  I guess they can't when they are locked up for months or years in detention.

You must have come in the golden years Podster.