CONCLUSION ‘Convict Australia is a story of sharp contrasts. The colonial cocktail mixed coercion with freedom, deprivation with opportunity, a state that was both strong and weak, economic miracle with calamity, black with white’ (Maxwell-Stuart and Oxley, n.d).The convict presence has no doubt had an immensely positive impact upon the success of Australia today. The carefree attitudes of convicts allowed ground-breaking social ideas to develop, making Australia an iconic pioneer for gender equality. These attitudes also meant that socialist political ideas could expand, inspiring action around the world.Australia has not ultimately been tarnished by a ‘convict stain’, instead, it has been enriched by the legacy they left behind. Some acts - like the persecution of the Indigenous community - do still scar the citizens of Australia today and can never be justified. Even though these mistakes were made in the past, modern populations are still trying to remedy the wrongs, starting with the formal apology to the depleted Indigenous community by the Prime Minister of Australia in 2008, on behalf of the Australian Government and people. The successful Australian economy today is significantly indebted to the servitude of its early migrants. Convict servitude played an enormous role in developing the crucial infrastructure links in Australia, which are still the only viable means to transport many goods around the country. Whilst free settlers and colonial officials all contributed to the economy in different ways, no commodities could be sold without the vital transport networks built by convict servitude. Economic developments in Australia are attributable to the early convicts, to a substantial extent. Some historians may argue that their influence is overstated, however, I believe the evidence indicates they played a fundamental role in Australia’s subsequent prosperity: the powerhouse behind this substantial nation. They constructed the crucial foundations which subsequent generations have been able to build upon. In comparison, free settlers were solely enticed to Australia because of its economic growth and the potential arising from convict servitude.Additionally, whilst the ruling classes were large contributors to the growth of the colony, they crucially needed the former convicts to complete the manual work and hard labour to improve and develop the colony on their behalf. The most significant area that developed as a result of convicts was unquestionably the political scene.The revolutionary politicians developed new political ideas and movements such as Chartism, enabling Australia to be the first electorate, globally, to achieve equal political rights and votes for both men and women, decades ahead of Great Britain.The idea of
Department of House and Works from the Government of West Australia published The Master Plan for the Fremantle Prison Heritage Precinct.The Master Plan declared it a ‘heritage icon with exceptional cultural heritage significance at state, national and international levels.’ The plan acknowledged visitation as a ‘key element of interpretative conservation and income from visitation as a principal revenue source’. By 2003, the visitor numbers had reached 1,120,000 per annum, and the plan sought for further improved visitor experiences. Since the project launched, the numbers of visitors to the Prison increased every year and increased by 50,000 (approximately 40%) within three years of The Master Plan launch (Kumar, 2007). Did convicts contribute to the growth of Australia’s economy? Overall, my research clearly indicates that convicts had an immense impact on the economic growth of Australia, both in the past, and still today. In the past, their servitude helped to develop the crucial transport links that allowed free trade between the colonies, as well as transporting lucrative commodities abroad, generating income for the nation.This income then had a multiplier effect, ultimately enrichening the settlement as the injection of money filtered through society. However, there is no denying that the ruling class triggered the start of Australia’s economy, with their large initial injection of capital into the economy that enabled the essential roads to be built in the first place. Nevertheless, it was the free settlers that cultivated crops to sell and export abroad that really contributed to the growth in the nation’s GDP.The settlers also brought a multitude of skills, enabling the development of profitable new markets. Historically, these groups enabled the colony to flourish, and become a key part of the British Empire, helping to build the foundations for Australia’s successful economy today. In the long run, only the convicts still visibly contribute to the economy today, through the legacy of the World Heritage Sites that they built.The Convict Sites are a unique tourist attraction, and annually entice millions of tourists to visit Australia. I, therefore, conclude that all three settler groups contributed significantly to the growth of Australia’s economy, but the landmarks constructed by convicts, as well as the crucial transport links, are the only readily identifiable link to the early migrants which still contribute to Australia’s economic prosperity today. “The Convict Sites are a unique tourist attraction, and annually entice millions of tourists to visit Australia.”
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