In 1924 the US Congress passed the Immigration Act banning Asian – particularly Chinese – immigrants to America. Faster than the Yanks, in 1901 on December 23 – Federation year – the new Australian Commonwealth government passed the Immigration Restriction Act, core legislation that effectively halted all non-European immigration into the country, contributing to the development of an ‘Australia for the white man’ society.

The Immigration Restriction Act, aka the ‘White Australia’ policy, was owned by a Labor government that wanted an end to Chinese on the gold fields and islanders ‘kanakas’ in the Queensland cane fields.