The Experience Of Pacific Islander People In Australia Flashcards
When did the Pacific Islander People come to Australia?
1863-1904
How many Pacific Islander People came to Australia?
Roughly 62,000
Why did the Pacific Islander People come to Australia?
Better opportunities/work/were “blackbirded” (tricked) into coming to Australia.
Where did the Pacific Islander People arrive/were located?
Mainly Queensland.
What type of work did the Pacific Islander People do in Australia?
Mostly worked on the sugar plantations in Northern Queensland as indentured servants.
What was the Pacific Islander People’s experience in Australia like?
They were promised good wages, lots of food, a year long contract and a return passage home, but the Pacific Islander People were forced to work long hours for low pay, with little food, and contracts usually ended up lasting three years, after which the Pacific Islanders received no passage home.
What where the “White Australian’s” attitudes towards the Pacific Islander People?
They were treated only as cheap labour instead of people, but apart from this they did not have much contact with European Australians, as they loved and worked on the sugar plantations.
How are the Pacific Islander People remembered today?
Remembered as important figures in Australia’s history.
