ABSTRACT
First, by the 1950s labour migration policies were as much concerned with meeting estimated shortfalls in both future labour supplies and consumption units as meeting immediate shortages in both areas. Second, at the level of government policy blue-collar labour migration to Australia has always been viewed as male, irrespective of the national origin of the worker recruited. Third, despite this, non English-speaking female migrants have played an important role in production, providing a pool of cheap, exploitable labour for undesirable low-skill jobs in the manufacturing sector. In contrast to Australian women in these jobs the majority of immigrant working women are married with young children. In all, the social situation of these women ensures that they will be relegated back to their places in social reproduction with the minimum of fuss.
