Fijian Causes White

Australia Trouble Jackson Deportation Case

I NOTHER White Australia storm X blew up in Sydney in Novem ber when Immigration author! es ordered the deportation of a ijian who goes locally by the name I George Jackson, but whose ijian name appears to be Waqa iqa.

He works in a metal factory in ydney and lives with his wife vhom he married in 1949) in East pdney. Over 4,000 of his neigh )urs and fellow unionists have gned a petition to the Minister of emigration (Mr. Holt) asking that j be allowed to remain in Aus alia; and, at the end of Novem sr, three Church leaders flew to anberra to plead his case.

The business is further compli ited by the fact that his wife, dose father was a New Hebridean id mother an Indian, but who as born in Australia, is pregnant The fact is that Jackson has, gaily, much less excuse for being lowed to remain in Australia than ay of the other Pacific Island ;ople who have, in recent years, icome victims of the White Aus alia policy.

Mr. Holt said that Jackson had sited Australia in 1944 and 1946 it there was no evidence to show lat he had been brought in, as leged, to work on defence pro cts. He returned to Australia as stowaway at some unknown date id escaped detection until March iis year. In June he was sentenced six months’ gaol as a prohibited imigrant but was released after couple of months on the under anding that he would leave Aus alia voluntarily as soon as a issage could be arranged. Jack n then sought permission to stay icause his wife was Australian irn. This permission was refused.

Mr. Holt said that his Department Duld pay Mrs. Jackson’s fare to iva if she wished to go with her isband.

This was in mid-November. In .rly December, Jackson’s deporta m had been stayed while Mr. Holt nsidered the petition and the evi nce of the three clergymen who id flown to Canberra.

Jackson is a steward in the Syd >y Central Methodist Mission; his arkmates describe him as “the tiitest man on the job—a good astralian.”

He says that if he is forced to > back to Fiji there will be noth g for him to do but a labouring b at £2/5/- per week; his wife ill have to live in the native corn unity and his wages will have to

be shared by a dozen or so of his relations.

All of which is probably perfectly true.

Meanwhile, Mr. Holt grapples with the problem. If he allows Jackson to stay it will be another nail in the coffin of the outmoded White Australia policy. If he deports Jackson, he is going to be a very unpopular man in East Sydney.

Australia has allowed an extra ordinary conglomeration of migrants in from Europe and the Mediter ranean in the post-war years.

Although they are technically Caucasians many of them are not fitting into the Australian way of life. Europeanised islanders, like the Jacksons, are much more easily

assimilated than many of the tech nically acceptable New Australians who are already settled in the country.

Miss R. Davies of the Melanesian Mission Girls’ School, at Bunana, BSI, returned after furlough in NZ, in November.

Mrs. Mark Pitt who although in indifferent health, has provided the only accommodation for travellers in Madang, New Guinea, expects to leave for Australia in February. She will not return to Madang but will live in the NG Central Highlands where she plans to build a home that will accommodate a few pay ing guests. The Madang Hotel,

which will take the place of Mrs.

Pitt’s rest-house is making slow progress. At the end of October only the foundations and floor joists were installed.

Mr. Keith Whittle, of Renmark, South Australia, has been appointed Chief Accountant to the P-NG Production Control Board, Port Moresby.