#184 - White Australia
From The Middle by Andy and Roger
May 2, 2026 · 38 min · Season 1 · Episode 184
About this episode
Andy and Roger discuss a 1962 street interview about the White Australia Policy, exploring past and present attitudes towards race and immigration in Australia.
🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 184 – White Australia In this episode, Andy and Roger stumble across a 1962 street interview about the White Australia Policy—and things get uncomfortable, quickly. What starts as a curiosity turns into a raw comparison between past and present attitudes, as they listen to everyday Australians grapple (often clumsily) with race, immigration, and national identity. Andy takes a more sympathetic view of the interviewees, framing their perspectives in the context of post–World War II anxiety and a desire for stability, while Roger questions whether their views were actually that extreme for the time—or simply reflective of a broader “middle” sentiment. Along the way, they unpack how much Australia has changed culturally, socially, and demographically since the policy’s dismantling in the 1970s. The conversation then shifts to modern parallels: immigration today, multiculturalism, and the tension between economic necessity and cultural cohesion. From selective schools to shifting national identity, Andy and Roger explore whether the same underlying questions still exist—just dressed up in more acceptable language. It’s a delicate topic, handled in their…
People in this episode
Hosts: Andy, Roger
Topics covered
- race
- immigration
- national identity
- cultural change
- multiculturalism
- social attitudes
Keywords
- White Australia Policy
- immigration
- national identity
- cultural change
- multiculturalism
- social attitudes
- Australia
- history
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: White Australia Policy
Places: Australia, World War II
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