Prime Minister Joseph A. Lyons served notice today that his Government, much as it sympathizes with the plight of the Austrian Jews, could not permit A “large influx of aliens into Australia.” His statement was made in reply to a message from the British Consulate at Vienna, which said it had received 6,000 applications for Australian visas from Austrian Jews.
Following a request for “assurance” that the Government was not considering granting permission for a large alien influx, the Prime Minister issued the following statement to the press: “Much as we sympathize with the sufferings of these people, the Ministry cannot permit a large influx of aliens into Australia. Admittance of Jewish refugees will be considered only as part of any general migration scheme, the basis of which is preference to suitable migrants of British stock.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
