'Their success was seen as a threat': Apology to Chinese overdue, museum research officer says

ON August 10, 1857, a group of 154 miners of Kangaroo Flat and the gullies of Bendigo met to sign a resolution calling for the Chinese to be completely driven off the goldfields.

They quoted the “Buckland plan” as the template for their idea – a plan which resulted in multiple Chinese deaths near Porepunkah as miners beat and robbed the Chinese, and burnt down their temple.

The group of Bendigo miners described the Chinese as a “treacherous, murderous, and robbing race”, with no evidence.

Sentiment like this was common in the 19th century in Bendigo, and they emboldened a number of local politicians who rode the wave of racism to assume office.

Golden Dragon Museum research officer Leigh McKinnon said these opinions lead to the one-pound Chinese-only tax, and eventually gave way to the White Australia Policy.

He said the Chinese were also made to carry a protectorate ticket, costing 1.25 pounds, and their movement in the goldfields was closely regulated compared with white miners.

“They were seen as outsiders, and they were able to work very well together. Their success in the goldfields was seen as a threat,” Mr McKinnon said.

He was pleased to see the Victorian government formally acknowledge the discriminatory policies against the Chinese, with an apology from Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday.

“The past lives on in the echoes of history, and in our memories, so it’s a good thing to acknowledge unfair wrongdoings of the past,” Mr McKinnon said.

While an estimated 16,200 Chinese walked from Robe to Bendigo to avoid the poll tax, there were also undocumented treks from Adelaide and Sydney where they faced similar hardship.

When nationalism heightened in the 1880s, their movement into Australia was heavily restricted. The White Australia Policy was introduced in 1901, and the Chinese were almost completely stopped from travel back into Australia.

They could not gain citizenship, and could not own freehold land.

Despite the government’s best attempts to restrict immigration, there were some in Bendigo who did all they could to help the Chinese find their rightful place.

Mr McKinnon said it was unfair to paint everyone in the period as racist.

“A lot of prominent Bendigo people would give character references for the Chinese to be exempt from taking the dictation test,” he said.

“Businessmen were usually pro-Chinese as well. They were in favour of the economic development that the Chinese brought to Bendigo.

“Others were pro-Chinese as a matter of principle.”