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The Myth Of The Crocodile Dundee: The “White Australian” And The Racialization Of Australian Citizenship From 1901-1958, Ariel Norris

Madison Historical Review

Influenced by a misleading national identity known as the myth of the white Australian citizen, during the first half of the twentieth century, the Australian government systematically excluded non-white participants from Australian society, culture, and national identity, by denying “undesirable” immigrants entry to the country, excluding migrants and Aboriginal populations from the benefits of citizenship, and ignoring the issues minorities faced within the nation. In order to contextualize the impact of the myth of the white Australian citizen and demonstrate its influence on the nation’s non-white inhabitants, this paper will survey three key legislative decisions and two influential eras: the …