The possibility that 5,000 Jewish immigrants might be permitted to enter Australia during the current year was admitted officially today to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
In reply to a query concerning rumors that the Australian Government was considering a more liberal policy on the question of Jewish immigration, the interior Ministry issued the following statement:
“The Australian Government has agreed that during the current year 5,000 is the approximate number in all classes of Jewish applicants which might be possibly approved. This estimate does not apply particularly to refugees, but would also include Jews whose admission was applied for by guarantors in Australia.”
The statement reveals a modification in the Government’s previous attitude, since permits issued in all categories had never exceeded 1,000 in a year. It is believed the Government’s plan envisages admission of 50,000 Jewish immigrants during the next ten years.
Coincident with this disclosure, the Australian Jewish Welfare Society issued an appeal to Australian Jewry to raise $250,000 to meet the problems of increased immigration.
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.
