Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) a derog. term for any European (esp. Italian, Greek, Yugoslav) immigrant to Australia, thus one any outsider (see cite 1981); also attrib.

1939		in E. Barcs Backyard of Mars (1980) 14: ‘Is this a widespread Australian attitude,’ I asked. ‘You bet,’ he said. [...] ‘We don’t like reffos, don’t need reffos, and don’t want reffos.’.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl. 59: Reffo, a refugee from Europe.
1947		Cairns Post (Qld) 17 Oct.n.p.: The Minister for Health [...] had time to incur the resentment of the Jewish Council to combat Fascism and Anti-semitism by referring to another member as ‘the St Kilda reffo’.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 298: ‘The woman’s a Viennese.’ ‘Oh, a reffo?’ inquired Denise.
1968		(con. 1940s) G. Dutton Andy 98: Those bloody reffos always pitch that yarn [...] Usually tell you Dad was a bloody count or prince.
1972		I. Moffitt U-Jack Society 97: Australian attitudes towards migrants have become comparatively tolerant since the ‘reffo’ days.
1980		B. Hornadge Aus. Slanguage (1989) 171: In the 1930s the insult reffo was frequently directed at him.
1981		P. White Flaws in the Glass 112: I knew I was to be a reffo in Australia.
1982		Aus. Women’s Wkly 28 July 35/3: Remember how the only blokes who carried briefcases were ‘reffos’?
1986		R.G. Barrett Real Thing 61: Thanks to Margo and that old reffo sheila I’m 200 dollars lighter.
1990		S. Geason Shaved Fish 122: The only males allowed to show affection are footballers, poofters and reffos.
1992		R.G. Barrett White Shoes 14: [of a Jew] How is the shifty little reffo shit?
2001		(ref. to 1950s) C. Lee Eight Bells & Top Masts 139: These were the 1950s. [...] Even second-generation Australians [...] called migrants from Europe, ‘refo bastards.’ Greeks, Poles and Balts were all refo bastards.
2006		P. Carey Theft 172: A single reffo or wog or balt.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 131: ‘[T]eachin’ English to the reffos’.