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Today’s History Lesson
The following quote is often attributed to Prime Minister Sir Edmond ‘Toby’ Barton GCMG,KC who served as Australia’s First Prime Minister 1901-1903. Although it is strongly believed and has been for many years, he did not make that speech, it was originally written by Theodore Roosevelt, however the wording changed to relate to Australia. Many Australians believe that this should be an immigration requirement.
The quote reads, “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an Australian and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an Australian, and nothing but an Australian. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an Australian, but something else also, isn’t an Australian at all. We have room for but one flag, the Australian flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the Australian people.”
AAP FactCheck found the immigration speech attributed to Edmund Barton is false. It was written by US President Theodore Roosevelt. The letter was dated three days before his death on January 6, 1919 aged 60, and proved to be Roosevelt’s last public message. In the letter he reiterated his consistently held strong belief in the complete assimilation of immigrants.