Implementation of the White Australia Policy

In 1901, the first legislative initiative carried out by the new federal government was the first law in the "white Australia policy", the "Immigration Restriction Act". South Africa already had a similar law Immigration Restriction Act. The earliest draft explicitly prohibited the entry of non-European immigrants. However, due to the opposition of the British government out of considerations of rights and interests in India and relations with Japan, the Barton government had to cancel this public provision and replace it with a "listening test". Eliminate unwanted immigrants. The so-called "listening test", also known as the "European language test" by some, involves the immigration officer reading a 50-word English article paragraph and requiring the immigration applicant to dictate it in a correct manner without making any mistakes. For people of color, immigration officers deliberately choose the most lengthy and confusing sentences in English legal terms, or paragraphs full of professional jargon in scientific papers to ensure that applicants of color immigrants cannot pass. If a colored immigrant applicant managed to pass the test, he was given another test in another European language until he failed. In the dozen years after 1901, Australia, which had a population of less than 4 million at the time, expelled nearly 10,000 Pacific Islanders residents. Melbourne's Chinatown has shrunk from 4 blocks to 1 block. Asian families and other people of color were displaced as a result, and couples, mothers and children were separated forever.

At that time, Australia was not the only British territory to adopt this immigration policy. White people believed that there were inherent differences between races and believed that their own race was superior to others. This view often led to racially discriminatory policies, such as Jim Crow laws. South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and even the United States had racially restrictive immigration policies to varying degrees in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1905 the British government passed a bill favoring Jewish immigration. (See Komagata Maru Incident and Red Summer of 1919) Australian soldiers participated in an attack on the black British community in Cardiff, Wales, in 1919.

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the Japanese delegation was led by Shinobu Makino. In response to the "white supremacy" that was in full swing at the time, the Japanese delegation insisted on the preparation of the "League of Nations" ) Charter, add a "racial equality clause", otherwise Japan will refuse to sign. Regarding the "racial equality clause" proposed by Japan, most participating countries, including the Chinese representative, voted in favor. The voting result of each country was 11 out of 17 votes in favor. However, the two delegations of the British Empire and the United States unanimously opposed it. Among the British Empire delegation, the Australian Commonwealth, which was closest to Asia, had the strongest opposition. Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes famously said, "95 out of every 100 people in Australia are opposed to (racial) )Equality" was published at this time. The outcome of the peace conference was that the drafted "Articles of the League of Nations" rejected the "racial equality clause." The news aroused nationalist sentiments in Japan and laid the groundwork for the subsequent war.