Paper short abstract:

The aim of the report is to state how the immigration politics of Australia influenced the growth of new postwar immigrant communities in the country and with a help of Latvian example to clarify how this politics strengthened or weakened Latvians’ efforts to maintain their national identity.

Paper long abstract:

How the immigration politics of Australia influenced the growth of new postwar immigrant communities in the country? How this politics strengthened or weakened Latvians' efforts to maintain their national identity in opposition to assimilation in the society of their new home land.

In accordance with the agreement between Australia and IRO in 1947 approximately 20 000 Latvians left so called DP'camps in Germany and entered Australia starting from late 40s until early 50s in the 20th century. Baltic people were among the first non-British groups of immigrants whom Arthur Calwell, the first Immigration Minister of Australia had chosen as "good examples" of the new immigration politics of the country. Initially state and public institutions provided "new Australians" with toll free language courses and eased naturalization in order to include them in the local society as soon as possible. But in the same time the government of Australia was suspicious on any initiatives of national gatherings of immigrants, and also it decreed that one fourth of the texts of immigrant newspapers should be written in English. Gradual transition of so called "politics of White Australia" towards multiculturalism began in the mid-sixties, although it turned in official politics only after Laborite's victory in 1972 elections. Latvian national organizations perceived this shift when the Australian government started to support Latvian schools and also helped to enforce social programs such as a building of old people's home.