The index cards were used by Price and others in the Department of Demography in their research on immigrants: their origins and their place of settlement. They summarise information about immigrants sourced from the Department of Immigration including naturalisation files 1903-1970. There are two main groups of cards: non-Europeans (Chinese, Japanese and other Asian) in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland sorted by province and district in their home countries, and European migrants by country of origin. Cards for Jewish people, Greeks, Italians and East Europeans are sorted by Australian place of residence at the time of naturalisation (state, then city or country); there are separate runs for Germans in South Australia and Italians in Griffith, New South Wales. Cards for other Europeans are sorted by country, then district or village of origin (including Germans, Austrians, Russians, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Turks, Cypriots, Hungarians, Rumanians, Balts, Poles and immigrants from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway, United States, South America, Syria and Lebanon). Sampling was 1:1 for small groups and earlier years, reaching 1:4 when Germans and Greeks were numerous and 1:5 when Italians were numerous.

This collection relates primarily to Dr Price’s work in the Department of Demography from 1952 to 1985. It includes correspondence files, research files, statistical compilations, computer printouts, index cards to research materials, press cuttings, publications and copies of lectures and articles. There are files relating to Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs projects and to Price’s membership of the National Population Council, the Immigration Advisory Council, the Good Neighbour Council ACT, the Australian Council of Churches’ Refugee Advisory Council, and the Burgmann College Council, and some departmental administrative files.