Editing White Australia policy (section)

===Relaxation of restrictions===
[[Image:Portrait Menzies 1950s.jpg|thumb|upright|Sir [[Robert Menzies]]. The [[Menzies government (1949–1966)|Menzies government]] abolished the dictation test in 1958.]]

Australian policy began to shift towards significantly increasing immigration. Legislative changes over the next few decades continuously opened up immigration in Australia.<ref name="timeline" />

Labor Party [[Chifley government]]:

* 1947: The Chifley Labor government relaxed the Immigration Restriction Act allowing non-Europeans the right to settle permanently in Australia for business reasons.

Liberal-Country Party [[Menzies government (1949–1966)]]:

*1949: Immigration Minister Holt permitted 800 non-European refugees to stay, and Japanese war brides to be admitted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/08abolition.htm|title=Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection|website=www.immi.gov.au|access-date=22 October 2017|archive-date=1 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901105340/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/08abolition.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1950: External Affairs Minister [[Percy Spender]] instigated the [[Colombo Plan]], under which students from Asian countries were admitted to study at Australian universities, though many more came as privately sponsored students.
* 1957: Non-Europeans with 15 years' residence in Australia were allowed to become citizens.
* 1958: [[Migration Act 1958]] abolished the dictation test and introduced a simpler system for entry. Immigration Minister Sir [[Alick Downer]] announced that "distinguished and highly qualified Asians" might immigrate.
* 1959: Australians were permitted to sponsor Asian spouses for citizenship.
* 1964: Conditions of entry for people of non-European origin were relaxed.
This was despite comments Menzies made in a discussion with radio [[2UE]]'s Stewart Lamb in 1955, where he appeared to be a defender of the White Australia Policy. <blockquote>Menzies: "I don't want to see reproduced in Australia the kind of problem they have in South Africa or in America or increasingly in Great Britain. I think it's been a very good policy and it's been of great value to us and most of the criticism of it that I've ever heard doesn't come from these oriental countries it comes from wandering Australians."

Lamb: "For these years of course in the past Sir Robert you have been described as a racist."

Menzies: "Have I?"

Lamb: "I have read this, yes."

Menzies: "Well if I were not described as a racist I'd be the only public man who hasn't been."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mason|first1=Brett|last2=Johansen|first2=Kirsty|date=21 July 2017|title=What Menzies really thought of the Commonwealth|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/what-menzies-really-thought-of-the-commonwealth|website=SBS News|access-date=10 August 2018|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612135921/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/what-menzies-really-thought-of-the-commonwealth|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

In 1963, a paper, "Immigration: Control or Colour Bar?", was published by a group of students and academics at Melbourne University. It proposed eliminating the White Australia policy and was influential towards this end.<ref>{{cite web | title=At-a-glance: The White Australia Policy | date=13 June 2013 | publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] | url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1780750/At-a-glance-The-White-Australia-policy | access-date=21 June 2013 | archive-date=21 June 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621072451/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1780750/At-a-glance-The-White-Australia-policy | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Academic Howard Nathan says Australia's race relations changed 'immeasurably for the better' | author=Jeff Waters | date=20 June 2013 | publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/former-judge-fails-australias-improved-race-relations/4769422 | access-date=21 June 2013 | archive-date=20 June 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620102201/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/former-judge-fails-australias-improved-race-relations/4769422 | url-status=live }}</ref>