The article concerns the development of Australia’s migration policy from the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 to modern times. The first part of the article analyses the problem from the beginning of Australia to World War II, and the second part concerns the period from 1948 up to modern times. Comprehensive conclusions derived from the study are included in the summary at the end of the second part. The first part focuses on the genesis and the key events that determined the Australian authorities’ approach to the issue of immigration in the subsequent years of this country’s existence. In order to show the wide background of this process, the author briefly discusses the events that had taken place before the federation was established. It can be hypothesised that Australia was initially built on the foundation of colonists and then (purposeful) immigrants, from which it drew strength and resources for its development. Tracking the history of migration to Australia is helpful in verifying this assumption.
