More than Just a Roof over Their Heads Migrant Accommodation Centres and the Assimilation of “New Australians” 1947-1960

Abstract

period of migration has distorted the understanding of what and how assimilation programs operated and the importance that was attached to not only educating migrants in the model Australian way of life, but also convincing old Australians of the benefits of the mass migration scheme. Through extensive archival research, this work identifies the key role that migrant accommodation centres played in the assimilation of new arrivals. The thesis moves beyond previous considerations of these centres as substandard temporary housing to argue that they were more than roofs over the heads of migrants; rather they provided an important liminal space for early assimilation activity to occur. Through a variety of examples (such as the content of language lessons, the work of voluntary organisations, the introduction of kindergartens, participation in sport, the showing of films, and the celebration of commemorative events) this thesis shows that the process of assimilating new arrivals within migrant accommodation centres was in fact all-encompassing and moved far beyond the previously assumed importance of the Good Neighbour Movement as the primary agent of assimilation. Finally, the thesis considers some of the negative consequences of this all-encompassing approach with particular reference to an often neglected cohort of migrants, women and children.