Why is it for the better , were they bad people? Are the newer people better? Not ball busting , genuinely curious
No problem. These are fair questions.
Australia, from federation (1901) had a white australia policy. This was mainly due to the impact of a) its british heritage, b) xenophobia and c) the chinese settlers from the gold rush in the 1860s.
There were warnings prior to world war 2 that this would have to stop as Australia had to "populate or perish". White Australia was gradually phased out between 1949 and 1973, but 1966 was the biggest change. The southern european migration of post ww2 helped a lot. Major government schemes required masses of labor that Australia simply didnt have. My mother and father in 1970 had to pay the grand sum of $1 for air fare, a guaranteed job and guaranteed accommodation. My father was of non european origin and my mother was german. It was extremely tough for him, but like most migrants he got on with it for the hope of a better life for his children. Australia in the 1970s was unwelcomming for anyone of a non british background. Thanks to the white australia policy.
Fast forward to now and Australia has taken on 7 million migrants in the last 40 years, a very high proportion of those whould have been rejected by the white australia policy. Australia deliberately embraced multiculturalism rather than assimilation and a big credit goes to the Whitlam labor government of 73-75, the conservative (the conservatives in Australia are called the liberals lol) Fraser government of 75-83 and the Hawke goverment of 83-91 (labor) for encouraging this move. Australia has a more diverse, richer and open outlook now. The migrant families on the whole put a premium on education leading to a more competitive economy and advances in science, technology and embracing the region it is in, not where it was from. Go to any big city and the different cuisines on offer is to die for. Like most migrants, the 1st generation does the hard work of building the foundations. The 2nd generation consolidates and the 3rd generation either pisses it all away or advances to become the movers and shakers, the decisionmakers etc. Australia is just moving the 1st lot of the 3rd generation through the upper education system and will reap the full fruits in the next 20 years. It takes time for migrants to settle their roots.
There is still pockets of Australia who love to spread fear and hate and unfortunately the prime minister from 2013 to 2015, Tony Abbott, was a throwback. An excellent opposition leader who did a great job of sloganeering and holding the previous government to account, but couldnt run the government. An excellent example of this was his decision to reintorduce anachronistic knighthoods and give one to Prince Phillip, the queens husband. Quite rightly this was beginning of the end and his successor, Malcolm Turnbull, is much more forward thinking, but hamstrung by the conservative wing of his party.
In one generations time Australia will have non british origin people highly invloved in government and business, not just a token one or 2 and be judged on who they are and not where they are from. As an example, The current leader of the senate in Australia is named Penny Wong who was born in Malaysia.