The first British migrants to arrive by air in Australia.
The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship celebrates 65 years of immigration policy that has helped to build Australia as we know it today.
The Australian DIAC was first established in 1945 by the then Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley. At the time the population of Australia was a mere seven million and the newly appointment Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell, coined the phrase “populate or perish”.
The DIAC started out as just the Department of Immigration, or DI; a small scale department with just 12 personnel in Australia and 12 in London – a reflection of the large amount of migrants who emigrated to Australia from the UK.
Since then the Australian Immigration Dept has been responsible for the migration of a further seven million people from all around the globe, largely however from the UK and Ireland. The department has grown to employ more than 8000 personnel working from every state in Australia as well as in 60 countries worldwide. It has gone through various name changes to reflect the additional responsibilities of the department before finally settling on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in 2007.
The DIAC is responsible for implementing migration policy and making decisions on migrants entering and leaving Australia as well as policy changes and reviews. They also protect Australia’s borders from illegal immigrants and ensure that refugee cases are heard and taken into consideration. They are also responsible for the promotion of indigenous and multicultural affairs.
If you are thinking of emigrating to Australia it is the DIAC who will process your application and ultimately decide your fate. Even if you are thinking of holidaying in Australia, it is still the DIAC you will need to turn to for your Tourist Visa.
Such a huge organisation is bound to have its critics and much has been made of the recent changes to the immigration policy, the controversial capping and ceasing bill and treatment of many permanent visa applicants. But the DIAC do have their work cut out and no doubt the August elections in Australia will bring even more changes that the DIAC will work to implement.
We must hope that in the journey ahead the DIAC do not forget that every single visa application comes from a human being with dreams and aspirations and although they cannot open their doors to everyone who wants to migrate to Australia, they can make the process clearer, easier to understand and quicker.
If you are in the process of applying for an Australian visa then don’t forget that our online community is here to help with advice and support.
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