IMMIGRANTS, AUSTRALIANS, AND THE WHITE AUSTRALIA POLICY: ASSESSING THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIA'S IMMIGRATION POLICY AND DEBATE

SYAFIRA I.P.P, Dr. Dafri Agussalim

2019 | Skripsi | S1 ILMU HUBUNGAN INTERNASIONAL

Imigrasi telah menjadi bagian integral dalam proses nation building dan state building di Australia. Namun, sejarah kebijakan imigrasi di Australia mengalami banyak perubahan sepanjang sejarahnya. Dengan adanya White Australia Policy, kegelisahan dari aspek ekonomi dan ras sudah mulai diproyeksikan terhadap migran non-kulit putih, yang dianggap oleh White Australian membawa ancaman tertentu terhadap Australia, sejak akhir abad ke-19. Seiring dengan bertumbuhnya transisi struktural ekonomi Australia, fakta bahwa adanya pertambahan penerimaan pekerja migran tidak dapat dipungkiri lagi. Hal ini kemudian membawa beberapa implikasi berupa keuntungan dan tantangan bagi pasar pekerja domestik, isu populasi, dan identitas nasional di Australia. Seiring berjalannya waktu, tiap partai politik dan pemerintahan di Australia membawa kebijakan imigrasi yang berbeda, yang dimana hal tersebut diklaim sebagai bentuk penyesuaian terhadap dinamika politik dan sosio-ekonomi yang sedang berlangsung. Kebijakan imigrasi, khususnya di negara imigran seperti Australia, memiliki peranan vital sebab tidak hanya hal tersebut berfungsi sebagai pengatur populasi negara tetapi juga sebagai alat yang dapat memengaruhi hasil kinerja pasar pekerja domestik. Skripsi ini bertujuan untuk memelajari apakah kebijakan imigrasi Australia di jaman kontemporer ini masih mencerminkan prinsip-prinsip dari White Australia Policy dengan berfokus kepada kebijakan imigrasi oleh dua pemerintahan yang dipimpin oleh dua partai politik yang berbeda, serta dengan munculnya kembali politik aliran kanan (konservatif) yang dapat membawa pengaruh. Studi ini juga mengetahui adanya persepsi yang beragam dari publik terhadap kebijakan imigrasi, dengan menyoroti secara khusus isu mengenai restriksi yang dimana hal tersebut adalah prinsip yang ditemukan di White Australia Policy.

Immigration has been a very integral part of Australia's nation and state building. However, the country's history in context of its immigration policy has undergone such circuitous path. With the infamous history of the White Australia Policy, it has been established since the late nineteenth-century that economic and racial anxieties had been projected to the Asian migrants whom the white Australian thought would bring, to certain extent, some sort of threat or overwhelm the continent. With the country's economy structural transitions, the increased intakes of economic migrants especially from Asian countries cannot be neglected. This hence brought several inevitable implications; both benefits and challenges in relation to the domestic labor market, population, and the national identity. Throughout times, different political party and different administration might carry out different immigration policy framework and adjustment, which has been claimed to be on par with the on-going circumstances and socio-economic and political dynamic. Immigration policy, especially in migrant countries such as Australia, hold a pertinent role in the picture because it exists not only to manage a country's population size but also to act as a tool to influence the domestic labor market outcomes. This thesis is in attempt to assess Australia's contemporary immigration policy framework, focusing on the policy brought and proposed by two different administration, with taking into account the re-emergence of right-wing politicians which is influential to certain extent and cannot be overlooked. This study also identifies that there are varying public perception towards this particular issue, highlighting the notion of restriction, which was a tenet found in the White Australia Policy.

Kata Kunci : Australia's immigration, immigration visa policy, labor migrants, identity security, economic security, Australian Labor Party, Liberal Party, Populism.