During WW1, Germans living in Australia made up most internees. The decision to intern someone was sometimes based purely on that person's family or occupation.
During WW2, internees were mainly German, Italian and Japanese. Australia also interned people from more than 30 countries, including Finland, Hungary, Portugal and Russia.
Overseas allies also sent 'enemy aliens', mostly German and Japanese, to Australia to be interned. Men, women and children came from:
Britain
Palestine
Iran
the Straits Settlements (now Singapore and Malaysia)
the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia)
New Zealand
New Caledonia.
The Dunera Boys
One notable group of overseas internees arrived from England in 1940 on board the Dunera. They were mostly Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria who had fled persecution – only to be interned by the British and shipped to Australia.
Despite the terrible treatment they suffered, some of the Dunera Boys went on to make significant contributions to the social, cultural and economic fabric of postwar Australia. Internees from Australia
Not all internees were from overseas. There were people in the camps who, while of German, Italian or Japanese ancestry, had been naturalised or were born in Australia.
British-born Australians linked to the radical Australia First Movement were also interned.
Mostly internees were men, but women and children also spent time in the camps. In all-male camps, internees were prone to depression, anxiety and psychological disorders. Internees or prisoners of war?
Many records do not make a distinction between civilian internees and prisoners of war. The terms 'prisoner' and 'internee' were often used for both groups, and prisoners and internees sometimes lived together in the same camp.
Prisoners of war and internees had different rights and authorities treated them differently. Authorities could force prisoners of war to work, for example, while internees had to be paid for any work they did.
