Historically, immigration plays a major role in Australia. The White Australia Policy (WAP), played a significant role in shaping Australia in the twentieth century. The White Australia Policy describes Australia 's approach to immigration, from federation until the late twentieth century. The policy wasn 't completely removed until 1973, it took the Australian Government 25 years to dismantle it. People thought the policy was necessary for many reasons; such as racism, fear of invasion and concern that the standard of living would decline if people from other cultures were allowed into Australia. Following the end of the policy, the immigration to Australia went up buy a large amount. Today, Australia considers itself to be a