Former prime minister Gough Whitlam flagged new measures to assist Vietnamese refugees and orphans on this day in 1975, as the end of the Vietnam War drew near.
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Royal Australian Air Force aircraft were set to carry Australian-bound Vietnamese orphans into the country.
The federal government was also set to give an extra $1 million in aid to refugees in South Vietnam.
"[Mr Whitlam] had asked the six state premiers to speed up the processes for admission of the orphans to Australia," a story on the front page of The Canberra Times said.
"The $1 million in new aid had been offered to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and was in addition to the $200,000 announced on March 28 for the Red Cross."
The Times' story said the money would assist the UN with rehabilitation projects for refugees "in all parts of Indo-China". Specifically, the money could be used to purchase food, medical supplies, and other commodities from Australia.
"The government was keeping the situation in Indo-China under continuing review and [Mr Whitlam] believed that further generous Australian help could be expected if such were necessary," the story said.