A “Foreign” Country? Australia and Britain at Empire’s End.

Abstract

This thesis explores the process by which Australia came to view Britain as a “foreign” country. Firstly, it examines the introduction of the 1962 United Kingdom Commonwealth Immigrants Act, and the implications that this Act had for Australians and their perception of their British identity. The declining sense of Britishness in Australia is further assessed in light of the tightening of immigration controls under the 1971 Commonwealth Immigrants Act, which essentially rendered the majority of Australians ‘aliens.’ Finally, the symbolic transfer of the administration of Australia House from the responsibility of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to the Department of Foreign Affairs, indicated the end of the “special” relationship between Britain and Australia. However, the process of placing Britain on a foreign footing was fraught with difficulty, indicating the enduring nature of Britishness in the Australian national psyche.