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British children evacuated during war to remain as migrants – comments by Prime Minister John Curtin
[Newspaper clipping attached to a blank piece of paper with various stamps and annotations, including 'See Migration – Child Migration' handwritten in pencil, ' "S.M. Herald" ' and '13 SEP 1944' stamped in purple ink, and a stamp for 'EXTERNAL AFFAIRS RECORDS']
[Heading] EVACUEES AS MIGRANTS
[Subheading] Plan for British Children
CANBERRA, Tuesday. – British children evacuated to Australia in 1940 for the duration of the war will, if acceptable as migrants, be permitted to remain in Australia after the war "in cases where the parents intend to settle in Australia and where the children wish to remain here and have their parents' consent."
Wider aspects of child migration will be examined by the Departmental Committee on Migration.
Full Cabinet decided this to-day [sic]. The Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin, said later that under the oversea [sic] children’s scheme, 577 British children were evacuated to Australia in 1940. Representations had been made by some parents that children should not be returned to Britain at the end of the war without points covered by Cabinet’s decision being first ascertained.
[Subheading] STATES AS GUARDIANS.
"Commonwealth legislation will be necessary to enable the Minister for the Interior, Senator Collings, to continue, on the expiration of the National Security (Oversea [sic] Children) Regulations, to act as legal guardian of the children,” Mr. Curtin said. “State Governments will be asked to allow their Child Welfare Departments to act as guardians of children who remain in Australia.
"An agreement will be necessary between the Commonwealth and British Governments that the Children who remain in Australia will be under the control of the Commonwealth Government.
"The Commonwealth Government will accept financial responsibility for administrative expenses incurred by State Governments, the maintenance of children for whom suitable custodians cannot be found, payment of an allowance to custodians, payment of any special expenses, and the payment of a return passage to Britain where the child proves unsuitable."
