London, 21 January 1971
Confidential
The Prime Minister saw Mr Gorton, the Prime Minister of Australia, at a private meeting in Singapore on 16 January.1 The Prime Minister told Mr Gorton about the forthcoming Immigration Bill. Mr Gorton said that he thought that the proposals would be regarded as a good step forward.
Mr Gorton made the point to the Prime Minister that one of the main causes of resentment for Australians was the separation into two channels of British passport and other passport holders for the purposes of passing through immigration control at points of entry into Britain. This segregation caused resentment and friction out of all proportion to its real significance, and he thought that there would be much less trouble if this practice could be brought to an end.
The Prime Minister promised to look into this matter, and said that he would be in touch with Mr Gorton again.
The Prime Minister would be grateful if the Home Secretary would look into this matter and advise him how he should write to Mr Gorton on the subject.
1 During the 1971 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference.
[UKNA: PREM 15/442]