Teaching White Australia Policy and Migration Experiences in the Secondary Classroom

These activities can be used before or after a visit to the Waves of Migration program at the Immigration Museum.

In this activity students will

• Explore museum collections digitally and experience Setsutaro’s story through animation.
• Investigate the impact of the White Australia Policy and WWII internment on Japanese diaspora in Australia.
• Reflect on intergenerational stories of migration and belonging.
• Engage creatively and critically with history through digital and collaborative activities.

Suggested questions to engage students

• How do government policies around migration shape who belongs in a nation?
• How can personal or family stories change the way we understand national history?
• Why are some communities’ migration stories remembered and celebrated, while others are overlooked or hidden?
• What can we learn about identity and belonging by looking at the objects people bring with them when they migrate?
• How do past policies like the White Australia Policy continue to shape ideas of Australian identity today?

Activity 1: Animation Exploration

A) Think-pair-share

Who was Setsutaro Hasegawa and why did he move to Australia?

Share one memorable thing about his life?

B) Quote reflection

To know who I am, I had to know who Setsutaro Hasegawa was. Andrew Hasegawa (Grandson of Setsutaro)

What does Andrew mean?

How can learning about someone’s past shape your understanding of identity?

C) Object Storytelling

Look at objects Setsutaro brought to Australia (calligraphy, suits, other belongings).

Discuss:

• What do these objects tell us about Setsutaro’s identity and values?
• How might they help others understand his story?

Creative Extension:

• Choose a personal object that tells a story about your life.
• Create a digital “museum label” or short video explaining its significance.

Activity 2: Interactive historical inquiry

A) Timeline Mapping Game

Create a written or an interactive digital timeline (such as on Padlet) to:

• Map key events in Setsutaro’s life.
• Add multimedia (images, short video clips, audio quotes) from the animation or from the Museum Collections

B) Roleplay Digital Debate

Write a brief social media post or newspaper letter from the 1940s responding to Japanese Australian internment.

• Consider your perspective: critique the policy, encourage empathy, or highlight social justice issues.
• Share posts digitally and compare perspectives.

C) Storytelling through Digital Collage

Choose one aspect of Setsutaro’s life affected by the White Australia Policy.
Create a digital collage or story map showing how policy shaped his experience.

Activity 3: Hidden Histories & Collaboration

A) Jigsaw Reflection

Watch the animation again. Consider Andrew’s quote:
“Over decades, I’ve been assembling a jigsaw puzzle … There’s a couple missing.”

• What is missing in Australia’s recorded history?
• How does Setsutaro’s story fill some of these gaps?

B) Collaborative Mind Map – “Hidden Histories”

In groups, create a shared digital mind map (such as on Google Slides) listing overlooked communities or individuals in Australian migration history.

Include your own knowledge or quotes, images and archival materials you find online or in the museum collections:

• Our Federation Journey - A 'White Australia'
• Pamphlet - 'I Stand By White Australia', Arthur Calwell, Australian Federal Minister for Immigration, 1949
• Pamphlet - 'Why Does White Australia Matter?', Victorian Association for Immigration Reform, Melbourne, circa 1968
• Newsclipping - 'A Victim Of The White Australia Policy', 23 Apr 1983
• Aileen McColl & Agapito Castillo, Melbourne, circa 1945
• Hans Hukom - Indonesian Migrant Applicant To Australia 1960s
• Immigration History from Japan to Victoria

C) Deep Dive Exploration

Choose a theme: White Australia Policy or WWII internment.

Research multiple perspectives: migrants, Indigenous Australians, Japanese Australians, or other communities affected.

Add findings to your “Hidden Histories” map with visuals, reflections, or short audio recordings.

Activity 4. Reflective practice

Based on what you have learned about Setsutaro and Andrew Hasegawa, how did the White Australia Policy shape their experiences? What does their story reveal about the long-term impact of immigration policies on individuals, families, and communities?

Curriculum links

History Level 9-10

significant events, ideas, people, groups and movements that contributed to continuity and change in Australian society between 1750 and 1914
VC2HH10K09

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’, local-born colonists’ and migrants’ experiences and perspectives of continuity and change between 1750 and 1914
VC2HH10K10

continuities and changes and their consequences on ways of life, living conditions, political and legal institutions and cultural expression around the turn of the 20th century
VC2HH10K11

interpretations and debates about Australian history between 1750 and 1914, including the Frontier Wars or Australia as social laboratory
VC2HH10K12

the causes of World War I and World War II
VC2HH10K13

significant events and turning points of the world wars
VC2HH10K17

significant consequences of the world wars on Australian society and the experiences and historical perspectives of those on the home front, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and women
VC2HH10K19

causes and consequences of significant post-1945 world events, ideas and developments, and their influences on Australia after 1945
VC2HH10K38

continuities and/or changes caused by a major global influence, development and/or event after 1945
VC2HH10K39

different historical interpretations and debates about changes and legacies of a major global influence, development and/or event, including on Australian society
VC2HH10K41

Intercultural Level 9-10

how diverse cultures, including their own, influence one another in a range of contexts and how this impacts identity and a sense of belonging and inclusion
VC2CI10C01

ways in which intercultural relations and intercultural experiences are influenced by policies and practices of a range of institutions
VC2CI10C02