Abstract
Through the 1980s the Australian Government ran an in-country programme out of Chile and El Salvador, rescuing and resettling dissidents, trade unionists, and former political prisoners. This programme operated discreetly, and relied on careful negotiation with local authorities. It complicated Australia’s diplomatic relationship with the Reagan administration and caused tensions between the departments of Immigration and Foreign Affairs. As a result, the in-country programme left little documentary evidence and has remained unexamined by immigration historians and refugee scholars. This article provides an original study of the programme, drawing on archival records from the Fraser Government and the first Hawke Government, from 1979 to 1984, as well as oral history interviews with former politicians and Australian and Canadian Immigration officials. The in-country programme was a unique initiative, driven by humanitarian concerns and a desire to diversify the refugee intake. It offers an important contribution to the historical debate about the virtues of Australia’s refugee policy at this time.
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