Australia once enshrined white superiority. These 10 trailblazers helped shift our attitudes to race

Wikimedia, National Library of Australia, National Archives of Australia, State Library of New South Wales, The Conversation

In early 20th century Australia, Indigenous people were denied citizenship and the nation had a racially exclusive immigration policy. Most people not only accepted the “White Australia” policy but openly identified with its assumption of white supremacy. Popular culture was replete with overtly racist terms and images.

Even after World War II, as Australians began to focus on their region and nearby colonies threw off their imperial rulers, acceptance of “White Australia” continued for many.