Opinion

What makes multiculturalism great is mutual respect

Less than a month ago, millions of Australians celebrated our national day. Among the most enthusiastic participants were our newest Australian citizens.

Thirteen thousand people enthusiastically took the pledge of commitment to this nation. I've seen people, wearing the national dress of their homeland, clasping an Australian flag and welling-up with tears as they promise to uphold and obey Australian values and laws.They serve as a reminder of what I term ''the genius of Australian multiculturalism''.

It is presently fashionable to declare multiculturalism dead or to blame it for crime and terrorism. Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, recently declared multiculturalism in her country had ''utterly failed''.

To some, multiculturalism is simply a diverse population, and a non-discriminatory immigration policy. These are the foundations of Australian multiculturalism, but it consists of much more.

Firstly, our multiculturalism is underpinned by respect for traditional Australian values.

Those who arrive in Australia are invited to continue to celebrate their cultures within a broader culture of freedom but, more importantly, with respect. However, if there is any inconsistency between these values and individual freedom and the rule of law, then these Australian values win out. They must.

This is related to the second element of the genius of Australian multiculturalism. Ours is citizenship-based; to enjoy the full benefits of Australian society, it is necessary to take a pledge of commitment.

The third element of the genius of Australian multiculturalism is political bipartisanship, particularly at its creation. The first Australian politician to publicly refer to multiculturalism as an aspiration was Al Grassby, immigration minister in the Whitlam government. But it was Malcolm Fraser who made it national policy.

Furthermore, the Australian model of multiculturalism is different. In Germany a requirement for "guest-workers" has driven an economic immigration policy.

Australia's postwar immigration policy was originally driven by economic imperatives, but governments came to recognise the benefits of inviting full community participation by our immigrant populations in return for a respect for, and embracing of, the cultures and customs they brought with them.

Many countries in Europe have nations within nations: significant communities living ''parallel lives'', perpetuating segregation based on ethnic, religious or cultural divides.

This seems to underline the benefits of the Australian approach.

Australian governments do not defend cultural practices and ideas inconsistent with our values of democracy, justice, equality and tolerance. Nor should we.

We have tried to instil a sense of belonging in Australia while encouraging the participation of all people. If values are not articulated, not put into practice and people do not feel part of society, this can lead to alienation and, ultimately, social disunity.

It seems to me, if you accept the benefits of a diverse population, you then have a choice: do you respect, embrace and welcome the cultures of those you have invited to make Australia home or do you shun them?

Do you invite their full participation or do you treat them as guest workers and hope they integrate - while all along suspecting they won't?

Multiculturalism is about inviting every individual member of society to be everything they can be and supporting each new arrival in overcoming whatever obstacles they face as they adjust to a new country and society and allowing them to flourish as individuals.

It is a matter of liberalism. A truly robust liberal society is a multicultural society.

During our multicultural journey, every wave of migrants has had its challenges. Each generation expresses some anxiety about the new, the unfamiliar.

Just like previous groups of migrants, the vast majority of the present group of migrants to Australia come here not to change our values, but because of them.

Bearing that in mind, it is right for Australians to be concerned about extremism - whether Islamic or otherwise. Intolerant interpretations of religion do not align with Australia's values, principles or laws.

It is counter-intuitive to assume that the majority of migrants want to change Australia. Allegations of migrants wanting to come here to convert the populace and turn it into a replica of their homelands ignore the truth: people come to Australia because, to them, Australia represents something better.

The last thing they want is Australia to change, to become less free, to become less democratic, to become less equal.

If Australia is to be free and equal, then it will be multicultural; but if it is is to be multicultural it must remain free and equal.

Chris Bowen is the Minister for Immigration. This is an edited version of a speech he delivered last night at the Sydney Institute.

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Posted By: Chris Bowen on 17/02/2011 5:45:00 AM | Comments (33)

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This 'statist' sermon is unconvincing. Why are these tub thumping evangelists foisted upon the public?

Posted by coz, 17/02/2011 6:38:57 AM

As an ethnic Trans-Oxanian, I have always felt welcomed by Australia.

I love you all!

The diversity of Australia with people from all walks of life makes for a dynamic and interesting society.

God Bless Australia!

"We are one, but we are many,

and from all the lands on earth we come.

We share a dream, and sing with one voice,

I am you are, we are Australian"

Posted by SvetlanaBabe, 17/02/2011 6:40:12 AM

it seems to me that when you are still wearing the clothes that sets you apart from the rest of the population you are signalling that

you are willing to accept all that australia has to offer but in reality you are still a member of your ethnic

and will continue to practice cultural

values that are illegal in this country.

Assimilation is the answer...........I do not wish to identify Indians, Africans, arabs etc. by their clothes....or allow religious schools that basically are antiaustralian to exist financed by the austalian tax payer...........be honest and indicate that you are willing to grasp all this wonderful country has to offer by assimilating......we don't want the English. europian or the USA model

Posted by alex, 17/02/2011 7:30:24 AM

Speaking Trans-Oxanian and going to the Orthodox Christian Trans-Oxanian Church is illegal here?

I dare you to tell the Greeks and Russians that.

We Trans-Oxanians don't want to assimilate into obese, tattooed, alcohol drinkin' culture...or is this illegal in of itself?

Posted by SvetlanaBabe, 17/02/2011 8:30:38 AM

Abbott and his ilk "of zealots" are operating on the idea, that by shouting, "we will stop the boats", he will have cornered a huge number of xenophobic inclined Australian voters, who'll put him into the coveted job of PM. What a lousy character he exhibits. Any dullard can easily see that when a political party runs out of well designed policy ideas they turn to "racist" rhetoric designed to scare the sheep lost in fields. But then human history is littered with liars who gained power by these foul means. Who can forget the mad toothbrush styled mustached dictator in the first half of the twentieth century, with his sealed Concordat Accords, trying to build a super race. The world knows that Europe died in the death camps during his reign. The great German people paid a huge price for supporting his malicious lies, and have had to work hard in order to re-establish their dignity amongst civilized nations, which they have achieved. Australia must work hard to regain its dignity through multiculturalism. Is it any wonder that former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser resigned from the once great Liberal Party of Australia, consigning its current leadership to the scrap heap of history

Posted by popcorn, 17/02/2011 9:54:09 AM

Popcorn I have never heard them "shouting" as you allege. But they did stop the boats until Labor removed the effective deterrents to people smuggling late 08 resulting in record numbers of unauthorised boat arrivals or SIEV standing for Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel.

Australia has an annual immigration programme, and a genuine refugee resettlement programme, and we have had them for a very long time.

We welcome people from those programmes but most of us are angry that our government now welcomes people smuggler paying passengers who are blatantly paying for boat passage, destroying their passports knowing that if they came by far safer and cheaper air they must have a passport, and that most who come by air and apply are rejected, unlike by boat from which most are accepted. Mainly because they cannot be easily background checked and exploit the loopholes relating to the UN Convention.

Labor is in government, Labor dropped the working deterrents, Labor are responsible so it is silly to blame any other political party for the present mess.

Multiculturalism as compared to multicultural society is the problem, we should all be Australians and be treated equally.

Posted by JohnT, 17/02/2011 10:39:33 AM

JohnT, your proposition, that we humans should all be treated "equally", suggesting, that "multiculturalism as compared to multicultural society is the problem" is, in my opinion, fundamentally flawed logic. This kind of 'fuzzy' logic of yours, is constantly being peddled, as is the case, when Abbott implores Australian voters about "no new big taxes". Your argument seems to struggle valiantly with the idea that a seeming voting Mountain majority, in this case, the Abbott rusted on Liberal Party kind, "we will stop the boats group", isn't voting for him to become PM. Furthermore, you seem to so easily sidestep the fact that we live in a pluralist democracy where interest groups are easily divided, But where Abbott, as Liberal leader seeks to seemingly centralize all decision making from the top down. We see this currently played out between Ms Bishop and Mr Abbott over cuts to education for Indonesia, versus the flood levy. Mr Abbott is tricky to the extent that he uses disguised language. When he cannot answer, he just stares at the journalist , as seen recently on TV. JohnT, I'm not fooled by your argument, I can tell who is a racist, when they utter their first sentence.

Posted by Cicero, 17/02/2011 12:08:45 PM

Mr Bowen, I have never read a greater load of taurine excrement in my life.

Posted by mike oxbigg, 17/02/2011 12:19:16 PM

Multiculturalism is a difficult concept for many people to get their heaeds around, particularly when iewing the problems it has caused in many parts of the globe. There is one place however, where multiculturalism has worked and is working. That place is Australia. While we may have our disagreements and differences, we have nowhere near the high levels of conflict and violence of other nations. I am grateful of the welcome my family recieved when we migrated here in 1966, and I am proud to offer that same welcome to anyone seeking a better life in this beautiful land.

Posted by Leftleg, 17/02/2011 12:50:37 PM

Cicero, your comment is so badly flawed, in so many directions, that it becomes obvious that you don't know what you are commenting about, and are a follower of propaganda.

Posted by JohnT, 17/02/2011 3:55:20 PM

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