Year 6 History: United Kingdom

Since European settlement to Australia began in 1788 more migrants have come from Great Britain to settle in Australia than from any other country.

Between 1947 and 1981, over a million Britons emigrated to Australia, the majority of whom travelled under the ten pound assisted passage scheme funded by the British and Australian governments (Hammerton; Thomson, 2005).

From 1831 the British and Australian colonial governments paid, or partly paid, for thousands of migrants to move to Australia. This boosted the population of the Australian colonies and at the same time reduced the need for convict labour. From 1832 until the 1850s around 357,000 assisted migrants came to Australia.

From 1831 the British and Australian colonial governments subsidised or paid for thousands of migrants to move to Australia.