Way We Live, The

1959, 54 Minutes

The Way We Live was produced in the late 1950s for the Department of Immigration to assist in the campaign to attract migrants to Australia and was used by immigration officers at information evenings, particularly in Britain.

The film provides an introduction to "the Australian way of life" by portraying the daily lives of an "ordinary" family of fairly recent immigrants. It gives an indication of housing, lifestyle and leisure, work, consumer goods, and services such as transport, health, education, financial assistance, cultural institutions and social organisations, in such a way as to reassure future residents.

Designed to counteract an image of "bush and billabongs", the film focuses on urban living and the country's growth potential. "Anyone willing to work and to accept a new - and we believe, better - way of life, can be happy here."

Filmed for the Department of Immigration by Artransa Park Studios under the supervision of the Commonwealth Film Unit.