A professional campaign: World War II, refugee doctors in South Australia and the law

In the 1930s and 1940s, doctors who escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe and obtained refuge in Australia sought to continue their medical careers. Nevertheless, representatives of the Australian medical profession ardently attempted to prevent them from doing so. This article examines the campaign waged against the so-called “refugee doctors” in the State of South Australia during this period. It explores how the law was used to exclude medical émigrés from the practising medical profession, but also some of those doctors' defiance of the campaign. The article considers lessons we can learn from the past for framing laws and policies regarding refugee doctors' medical practice in Australia today. It is timely to reflect on this historical episode, as the National Cabinet has recently committed to improving the capacity for internationally-qualified health practitioners to contribute to Australian health services.