Inquiry into the Impact of Chinese Immigration on the Colonies
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Introduction
In 1851, gold was discovered in Bathurst, New South Wales. A watershed in Australia's short history, it affected a multitude of areas of Australian society. Economically, the Gold Rushes not only raised the economy on a whole, but created employment and a higher demand for produce and equipment. However, workplaces suffered as they were unable to compete with the appeal of gold prospecting (employers eventually resorted to offering significantly higher wages) and labour industries lost workers to the gold fields and their profits therefore dropped. On the gold fields, an "equality" was achieved as miners (regardless of social status) had the same chance of finding gold. Post gold rushes, social statuses had moved quite significantly, as some people had become wealthy due to the gold rushes, while others had become poorer, due to wasted labour. Politically, the gold rushes (and the profit gained from them) allowed the colonies to become self governmental, as well as miners gaining the right to vote. The Australian government was also forced to closely scrutinise and alter policies related to mining taxes, particularly after the "Eureka Stockade" which was a rebellion of such fees.
A major factor or effect of the gold rushes on Australia and Australian society was immigration (particularly Chinese immigration) and policies relating to immigration. This is outlined within this document...