Migration Shapes Australia

Overview

Students investigate how migration after the Second World War transformed modern Australia. They use visual and written sources to identify changes in Australian society and explain how migrant experiences, government policies and multiculturalism shaped the past and Australia today.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• explain why migration increased in Australia after 1945
• identify social, economic and cultural impacts of migration
• analyse the usefulness and limitations of historical sources
• use evidence to construct a brief historical explanation

Success criteria

• I can describe at least two reasons people migrated to Australia after 1945.
• I can explain two ways migration changed Australian society.
• I can identify what a source shows, who created it and what it does not tell us.
• I can use specific evidence to support a historical argument.

Curriculum links

• Students explain how significant ideas and events have shaped the past, including post-war migration and the development of multicultural Australia.
• Students analyse key features and structures of Australian society during the post-war period.
• Students integrate evidence from sources to develop historical explanations and arguments.
• Students assess the value and limitations of sources and communicate using historical terms and concepts.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook: Who belongs? Teacher opens with the migration hook slide showing a post-war migrant arrival scene alongside a contemporary Australian street or festival, then asks, “How might migration change a country?” Students independently record one observation and one question before sharing with each other.

2. 4–9 min · Historical context. Teacher uses the context slides to explain that, after 1945, Australia encouraged migration to increase its population, support economic growth and strengthen national security. Introduce the assisted passage scheme, large-scale migration from Europe, later migration from Asia and the Pacific, and the gradual move from the White Australia policy towards multiculturalism. Students create a quick timeline with three points: 1945, the 1970s and today, adding one change at each point.

3. 9–18 min · Source investigation. Teacher distributes the migration source investigation worksheet and models one source using the questions: “What is shown?”, “Who created it?”, “What was its purpose?”, “What does it reveal about migration?” and “What are its limitations?” Students examine two contrasting sources, such as a government migration poster and an oral-history extract from a migrant, recording one piece of evidence and one limitation for each. The teacher checks that students distinguish between what a source explicitly shows and what they infer.

4. 18–24 min · Explain the impact. Teacher displays the impact sorting prompt and asks students to classify evidence from their worksheet under social, economic or cultural impacts. Students discuss and select their strongest example in each category. Possible impacts include population growth, workers for expanding industries, new foods and celebrations, changing languages and religions, migrant communities, and debates about identity and belonging.

5. 24–28 min · Construct an argument. Teacher displays the argument prompt: “Migration significantly changed modern Australia because…” Students jointly draft a four-sentence response using the structure: claim, evidence from Source 1, evidence from Source 2, and explanation of significance. Students must use at least two historical terms, such as migration, policy, evidence, continuity, change, diversity or multiculturalism.

6. 28–30 min · Exit assessment. Teacher returns to the plenary slide and asks each student to complete an exit response: “One important way migration shaped modern Australia was… This is supported by…” Students read their responses aloud, and the teacher identifies one strength and one next step for the following lesson.

Resources

• the post-war migration and multicultural Australia slide deck
• the migration source investigation worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Two reproduced historical sources: a post-war migration poster and migrant oral-history extract
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student exercise books and pens
• Optional highlighters for identifying evidence and limitations

Assessment

• During the hook and context activity, listen for accurate observations and correct misunderstandings about post-war migration and policy change.
• Check the worksheet for source analysis, including purpose, perspective, evidence and limitations.
• Assess the final response for a clear claim, two relevant pieces of evidence and an explanation of how migration shaped Australian society.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank and sentence starters: “The source reveals…”, “A limitation is…”, and “This changed Australia by…”.
• Use short, clearly formatted source extracts and read the oral-history source aloud. Allow students to annotate with colour coding: evidence in one colour and limitations in another.
• Support students who need it by completing the first source together and offering a partially completed timeline.
• Extend confident students by asking them to compare the perspective of the government poster with the migrant account and explain why the sources may present migration differently.
• Avoid treating migration as a single experience; acknowledge that migrants arrived at different times, from different places and for different reasons.