93

Throughout Australia’s migrant past, refugees have been scarcely distinguished from immigrants; rather, they have been immigrant settlers. However, a humanitarian narrative has emerged since the Second World War that has characterized Australia as a generous and welcoming society for refugees. In the context of its migrant past, this characteristic is highly ambiguous. The article illustrates the inseparable link between Australia’s immigrant and refugee histories, and the disconnection between this history and the humanitarian narrative that is often invoked for political reasons.