Protecting Australian Protected Persons are at present Australian citizens without the right of residence, if born in Papua, and Australian protected persons, if born in the Territory of New Guinea. Increasing attention is being given within the Territory to the position of the mixed race people, who fall between the two main racial groups, the indigenous and expatriate [ie white European]. There have already been Parliamentary representations about them. In the past two years international interest has increased and events in West New Guinea have provided a background of greater tension.28 As well as placing strict limits on Asian immigration into TPNG, Hasluck convinced his colleagues to make Asians living in TPNG eligible to apply for Australian citizenship with right of entry to metropolitan Australia,29 notwithstanding the ‘White Australia’ policy in place at the time. As a result of his efforts, a series of Cabinet decisions between 1957 and 1963 made the following categories of Asians30 eligible for naturalisation as Australian citizens with the right of entry to metropolitan Australia: • Asians not born in TPNG, who were lawfully admitted into TPNG before 7 December 1949 and who had lived there for 15 years; • Asians not born in TPNG and living there not under restriction, subject to the usual conditions; • Asians born in TPNG, subject to the usual conditions; and • Asian wives and children of Asians granted Australian citizenship, subject to the usual conditions.31 Additionally, a 1962 Cabinet decision gave the Minister for Immigration the discretion ‘to accord the status of Australian citizen with the right of residence in Australia to a mixed-race person32 born in Papua or New Guinea’, if ‘the individual has been brought up in the European manner, has English as his principal language and is European in outlook’.33 Cabinet emphasised that ‘persons of mixed-race would have no absolute right to Australian citizenship’. 34 As the 1960s progressed, there was a growing anxiety among the ‘indigene’ APP population about their own citizenship status. In April 1966, a visiting delegation from the local TPNG legislature met with Australian Government ministers and officials in Canberra and, among other things, wanted an explanation for New Guineans being APPs rather than Australian citizens. Billy Snedden, who was Attorney-General at the time, responded, ‘We cannot change New Guinea 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Paul Hasluck, Minister for Territories and A R Downes, Minister for Immigration, ‘Position of Mixed Race Persons in The Territory of Papua And New Guinea’ (Cabinet Submission, archived at National Archives of Australia, A6980/S251217, 16 May 1962). Downs (n 27) 197–98. ‘Asian’ in this context included mixed-race people of Asian/European descent: Department of Territories, ‘Australian Immigration Policy: Cabinet Decisions of 15/9/64 — Effect on Immigrants from Papua and New Guinea’ (Document, archived at National Archives of Australia, A452, 1970/5934, 26 October 1964) (‘Cabinet Decisions of 15/9/64’). ‘Undated File Note (circa 1970)’ (Document, archived at National Archives of Australia, A452, 1970/1453) citing Cabinet Decision No 801 of 29 May 1957, subsequently modified by Decision No 428(GA) of 2 September 1959 and No 962 of 6 August 1963. ‘Mixed-race’ in this context included those with Indigenous blood: ‘Cabinet Decisions of 15/9/64’ (n 30). ‘Cabinet Minute, Canberra, 17 May 1962, Decision No 238’ (Document, archived at National Archives of Australia, A1838, 1468/13, 17 May 1962). ibid. 219