Australia 300 years of migration (3)
26 January 2016 by News Desk
In 1966 the dictation test was abolished and Australia introduced a new immigration policy.
Skills, qualifications, regardless of race or nationality and the ability to settle and integrate became the priority. By the 1970s, Australia had become a multi-cultural society with migrants from all around the world, while at its core a country still based on British traditions and institutions.
The Australian economy boomed in the 1960s and in the 1970’s, thousands of new workers were needed. In that decade around 960,000 UK citizens moved to Australia.
During the 1980s changes were introduced aimed at matching migration to skills needed to fill labour shortages across the country. Quotas for permanent migration and tougher requirements for visas were introduced in 1989 and the Migration Programme divided into three streams – family, skilled and humanitarian.
In the 1990’s Australia tightened visa requirements further with priority given to skilled migrants, the government seeking migrants with required skills regardless of nationality. The skills list remains in place with specific skills changing from time to time to meet the country’s demands.
Today, Australia remains the number one destination for migrants and the Australian government continues to seek skilled migrants from around the world to fill job vacancies.
