Stakeholders and Competition in the Transportation of Migrants: Moving Greeks to Australia in the Post-War Era

Abstract

This article examines the transportation of Greek emigrants to Australia during the first post-WWII decades, c. 1945–77. It considers the relative politics, the business of transportation, the lived experiences of the emigrants and the discrimination which they faced. It also examines the transportation means offered by the ICEM, and its role in the management of the emigration process. It further highlights the transition from sea to air transportation, the genesis of which can be found during the first decades of the post-war period. This article is supported by a rich archival base (the archives of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the archives of the ICEM Mission in Athens; the National Archives of Australia; the Greek and Australian Press; and personal interviews), which assisted this new angle of research.