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A time of social change

Peter Wilenski.

Peter Wilenski speaking on migrants.

Created:

1982

Date Added:

17 July 2002

Source:

Interview with the Centre for Multicultural Studies, University of Wollongong, 1982.

Format:

mov (Quicktime);

File size:

--

Length:

46 secs

Transcript

PETER WILENSKI
Senior adviser to Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, and later head of the Immigration and Labor Department

Part of that (Gough Whitlam's approach) was to take a less paternalistic attitude towards migrants. Partly, of course, this was a response to the political influence of migrant groups. Primarily it was - especially at the time of the change of government - it was the desire to give migrant groups a place in the sun. I mean, it was part of a human rights approach. I think that there was a subtle change in approach. It wasn’t a question of what should we paternalistically do for migrants but rather what did migrants have a right to expect in Australia?

I think that Whitlam was the first major Australian political leader who genuinely did not patronise the migrants, who had a genuine respect rather than just making it part of his political skills.

Interview with the Centre for Multicultural Studies, University of Wollongong, 1982.