Melbourne wharfies initially refused to dock the first ship of "New Australians" who had arrived in 1947, claiming these foreigners were coming to take Australian jobs.

Peter Dutton's majority had dwindled to just 1250 votes on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In fact, there weren't many jobs available at first. It wasn't long before there were riots at the biggest migrant reception centre, Bonegilla, near Albury-Wodonga, among those who became fearful they were in detention with no employment awaiting them.

The Minister for Immigration in 1952, Harold Holt, found emergency funding to calm them and speed them into jobs. Lord knows what might have happened if he had called them illiterate layabouts.

These were the very people who went on to help Australia attain long-term economic prosperity and growth and who, with their children, drove cultural change to the point that Australia now embraces traditions from dozens of countries and from every continent bar Antarctica.