When was the dictation test abolished

But under the terms of the White Australia policy, the lascars were hand printed and given a dictation test in English. On 2 February, the boarding inspector WP Stokes wrote :. Nineteen of the colored crew failed to pass the test although some of the men spoke good English.

The quartermaster Lucano Orico [sic] known as No. Consequently the test must be put in another language than English and one with which he is unacquainted. Public outcry over their inhumane treatment would eventually force the Commonwealth government to amend its legislation to allow shipwrecked people to land in Australia without restriction. Rescuers later recovered the bodies of 36 of the 40 Clan Ranald victims. The overall aim of this and other related legislation was to limit non-white immigration to Australia, particularly Asian immigration, and thereby preserve the predominance of the British within Australia.

A new feature of the Act was the Dictation Test. This package included the Pacific Islander Labourers Act and Section 15 of the Post and Telegraph Act , which provided that ships carrying Australian mails, and hence subsidised by the Commonwealth, should employ only white labour.

Its sentiments were in line with Australian nationalism in the late s and s, and moves to restrict non-European immigration to most of the Australian colonies dating back to the s. Instead, the basis was literacy, assessed by a Dictation Test. The Dictation Test could be administered to any migrant during the first year of residence. It was initially proposed that the Test would be in English, but it was argued that this could discourage European migration and advantage Japanese people, and Americans of African descent.

From the Test could be given during the first five years of residence, and any number of times. The Dictation Test was administered times in with 46 people passing and times in with only six people successful. After no person passed the Dictation Test and people who failed were refused entry or deported.

This Immigration Restriction Act has historic value because it has direct links Federation and the drafting of the first Australian Constitution. Together with Section 15 of the Post and Telegraph Act, these formed a powerful set of legal instruments shaping immigration policy at the foundation of the Commonwealth.

They continued to guide thinking on immigration for half a century. The Immigration Restriction Act has social value for migrant communities especially Chinese and Pacific Islanders who were largely the target of the racist nature of the Immigration Restriction Act.

The document is in the National Archives of Australia collection. The Immigration Restriction Act is rare as it is one of the few objects directly associated with the drafting of the first Australian Constitution. Find more articles like this:. Latest Comments Have your say! Find a subject View all posts from our subject areas. Looking for more? View all posts from our subject areas. View by month View all posts from previous months in our archive.