Post world war 2 immigration is considered the third of the major migration phases in Australia's post First Fleet in 1788, according to [the Melbourne Immigration Museum][1] > We focus on four periods: the gold rush days of the 1840s to 1900, > Federation to the end of the Second World War, then post-war to the > early seventies, and finally 1973 to the present day. In 1945, Arthur Caldwell, Australian Minister for Immigration declared > Australia wants, and will welcome, new healthy citizens who are > determined to become good Australians. [The Migration heritage website also states][2] > After World War II ended in May 1945 Europe was in chaos. Germany was > crushed and the map of Europe was being carved up by the United States > and the Soviet Union. Western Europe was supported by the United > States while Eastern Europe was invaded by the Soviet Union. Migrants > began streaming out of Eastern Europe to places like Australia and the > United States to get away from the oppression in their homelands by > the Soviet Union. The Cold War between the United States and the > Soviet Union meant that nuclear war was a real threat and some people > saw Australia as a safe place to live. [The Australian government says][3] > After the Second World War (1939–45) the Australian government > committed to a vigorous and sustained immigration program. The purpose > of this ambitious program was to meet labour shortages, protect > Australia from external threat and create prosperity. As a result, > from 1945 to 1975 Australia's population almost doubled from 7½ > million to 13 million. About 3 million migrants and refugees arrived. > > This was a major break in policy. It was not the support for > immigration that was new, as Australia had been supporting immigration > since its inception and accepting refugees since the 1830s. Indeed, > Australian society was characterised by an expanded migration of > people, especially men from southern Europe, the Adriatic and the > Mediterranean in the years prior to the Second World War. This > migration had contributed to the making of modern Australia. > > However, in July 1947, the Australian Government entered into an > agreement with the new International Refugee Organisation to settle > displaced people from camps in Europe. The difference between a > migrant and a refugee is explained by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency: > Note that this was absolutely still under the White Australia policy, > so covered Note this was still under the White Australia policy > After the Second World War, the Australian government assumed that its > main source of immigrants would be Western Europe, but half the > immigrants in the 1950s and 60s were from the European continent. In > these two decades, Australia welcomed large groups of people, mostly > from Eastern Europe: Poland, Yugoslavia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, > Ukraine, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The overwhelming majority of > refugees were Eastern Europeans fleeing persecution in Soviet Bloc > countries. Which ended in 1972 under Gough Whitlam > From the mid-1970s the policy changed again. Mass migration programs > for British and European immigrants ended, the remnants of the White > Australia Policy were abolished, and arrivals began to come from > countries closer to Australia. At the same time political and > community support for immigration weakened and the catchcry 'Populate > of Perish' [sic!] lost favour. Disclaimer: I'm an immigrant to Aus myself. Though phase 4. [1]: https://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/whats-on/getting-in/ [2]: http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime-history/1945-1965/ [3]: http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/changing-face-of-modern-australia-1950s-to-1970s