The politics of the origins of multiculturalism: lobbying and the power of influence LopezMark 2017 This article seeks to explain the political processes of how multiculturalism became a basis for ethnic affairs policy. The material was derived from the first comprehensive account of the origins of Australian multiculturalism: M. Lopez, The Origins of Multiculturalism in Australian Politics 1945-1975, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2000. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s