Australia is a nation of immigrants. It has become a vibrant & diverse place where tolerance & equality are both accepted & expected by its people as part of their way of life. It is also considered as one of the world’s most culturally diverse countries. In fact, it was the egalitarian streak in Australia’s national character that facilitated the development of contemporary multiculturalism of Australia.
“Immigration Nation” showed how Australia transformed from a country which aims to exclude all non-European races, to one of the most multicultural places on earth. Australia made massive changes in terms of policies & acceptance towards migrants over the years.
In 1901, it was the federation of Australia. Australia became an independent
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One could experience racism under any circumstances regardless of their age.
The possibility of the occurrence of social conflicts due to differences in beliefs, ethnic rituals or certain ways of life may cause a rift between two or more groups. Lack of understanding towards other cultures may also lead to the emergence of racial stereotyping.
Thus, it is crucial for the education department to emphasise on racial issues in their systems by educating teenagers regarding the importance of multiculturalism & equality, thus developing an attitude against racism. Not only it will circumvent racism in schools, it will influence their thinking & behaviour, which is an important key as they are the world’s future leaders.
According to the documentary “Is Australia Racist?” presented by Ray Martin, the survey showed that ¾ of Australians recognises racism as a problem. It is the road to improvement as sensing a problem encourages people to solve
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Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard once said: “Multiculturalism is not only the ability to maintain our diverse backgrounds & cultures. It is the meeting place of rights & responsibilities. Where the right to maintain one’s customs, language & religion is balanced by an equal responsibility to learn English, find work, respect our culture & heritage, & accept women as full equals.” It had been a long journey from a society based on racial prejudice & intolerance to a contemporary multicultural Australia embracing diversity. Unquestionably, multiculturalism is the key factor in defining the Australian identity. Hence, it is important that we strive to improve & ensure that multiculturalism in Australia is directed to the pursuit of the maintenance of those values that have made Australia the envy of other nations and
Australia’s greatest aspects are its embracement of cultural diversity and the embracement of customs and cultural differences. But are we really an accepting country?
The concept of being a ‘nation of immigrants’ is at the center of Australian identity.
Racism in Australia is a big problem and needs to be stopped. Racism refers to anything that has the effect of disadvantaging someone from what their racial background is. It affects peoples well-being along with it not being a good look for our nation to have. Is it really okay for people outside of our country to look and us and think that there are still people that are being racist? Opportunities for people should not be judged on their race. This is not fair. Racism is definitely not okay and should be stopped.
So what does “multiculturalism” mean? In simple terms multiculturalism is the coexistence, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures in a singular geographic or democratic jurisdiction. Multiculturalism has been a huge part of this study as Australia as a nation is diversified into a various cultural aspects. The concept of multiculturalism has become a widely accepted and embraced fact around the world as more and more countries have adopted to the global policies of acceptance which not only helps the nation economically but also contributes towards the growth of various cultural boundaries and also helps develop knowledge about wide spread variety of customs and culture groups around the world. Ultimately the essence of multiculturalism in any society is to eradicate the feeling of an outsider and accept ethnic and racial groups as their our and build the concept of unity in
Present day Australia is met with the issue of outlining a sense of a nationwide community, after the breakdown of the British race patriot idea in the mid-1960s with the introduction of multiculturalism. The Euro-centric perception of Australia was annulled and it was incapable in playing a significant part in Australian policies and priorities. It triggered a calamity of national identity and meaning. The credence that Australian’s were apart of Britain, united by history, tradition and blood needed to be revised. A people who had recognized themselves so strongly with the British race now had to accede their race awareness and apprehend the notion of being a now multicultural society. The dawn of multiculturalism also provoked a quandary for balancing a respect of the British heritage with the abating relevance of the British connection and to construct a new language of community from the residues of the old British ways.
Australia “The Lucky Country”; a stepping stone to a better life. The words of social critic Donald Horne stated in 1964 have been used to describe Australia’s wonderful culture, history and lifestyle. For many 20th century migrants this is what they only knew about the country creating an outburst of migrants arriving into Australia with the desire to seek a better life, escape poverty, war or persecution. They brought along with them a mix bag of emotions; fear and worry, happiness and joy alongside the expectations of the typical Australian life hoping to find acceptance, belonging, freedom and a promising future. However, due to the impact of many polices and historical events that have taken place in the past, the migrant experience has
Although there are various organizations like Racism Noway, Stand Against Racism and All Together Now, who are working to combat racism in schools and communities. They also aim to prevent racism from being in Australia’s future by educating our next generation on the issue. But despite any of these organisation’s achievements and successes, their efforts only partially reduce racism and not extinguish it. For racism to be extinguished from our country and culture it will take the effort of the whole nation. But this is impossible as racism is so deeply imbedded into our culture, for a revolutionary event like this to happen it will be at the consequence of Australia’s image as there are bound to be disagreements and revolts, suggested by our history. Without any racial reduction, there will be unfortunate outcomes for Australia’s future and culture, because essentially without our multicultural identity Australia is no longer the ‘fair’ nation we sing
Australia in terms of immigration, has had a poor history of dealing with people travelling into the country, shown in the beginning of hand picking the majority of Australia 's population. However as the decades have rolled on, whether it be forced or by choice, Australia has become looser and more free in access and treatment within the country and importantly, less discriminatory. In order to see these improvements, the start must be shown, in which is generally summarised by the White Australia Policy.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stated that “Australia is the world’s most successful multicultural nation”. All the people know Australia is a multicultural state which is a civilization of populace from a wealthy variety of artistic, racial, linguistic. The multiculturalism describes the difference of culture and race in modern Australia. This difference is trying to safeguard the benefit of every Australian and national interest. Cultural variety is significant since our state, workplaces, and school are comprised of a variety of artistic, ethnic, and racial clusters. We can gain knowledge of it from one another. Everyone has their rights to express and share their culture heritage including language and religion. All of us have to establish a stage of accepting about each other. Everyone needs to respect each other whatever by different culture and religion, this is the meaning of freedom. Freedom is not likely to get rid of limitation or do what you want to do. It is a standard that everyone can understand the differences brought about by different cultures.
he influence of multiculturalism on the Australian national identity is frequently being questioned in the media. Audiences are left questioning whether we as a nation truly do embrace every culture who steps through our doors. Multiculturalism is a vital aspect of the Australian identity and plays a significant role within our day to day life, and is the entire basis on which our nation was developed: after all we are a land of immigrants.
This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part the concepts or race, ethnicity, prejudice and racism are defined and how they are connected is discussed. Part 2 of the paper looks at the ‘White Australia’ policy and why it was introduced. The impact of such a racist immigration history on contemporary Australia is also discussed in terms of attitudes and behaviours of the population. Following is a brief discussion on how successive government polic
Australia is a settler nation which is now made up of many ethnic groups who share similar cultural traditions, common language, shared history and a shared identity (ABS, 2016). These groups contribute to what is referred to multiculturalism. Australia has a higher proportion of people born overseas than the US, Canada and the UK, with 49% of Australia’s population (or a parent) being born overseas (Census of Population and Housing, 2016). Compared to other Western nations, Australia has one of the most diverse immigration populations (Collins, 2013, p. 145). The meaning of multiculturalism in Australia has changed significantly over time. Today, Australia is a culturally and ethnically diverse country and therefore is a multicultural society. In terms of public policy, multiculturalism can be defined as policies and practices implemented by the Australian government that aim to manage cultural diversity to benefit the whole of society (Department of Social Services, 2014). Although Australia is a multicultural society, there are criticisms of public policy surrounding multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism is one of Australia’s most recognizable features around the world. The history of Australia is a changing and complex history of immigration, which supports the economic construction and social development of the country. Correspondingly, cultural differences and ethnic conflicts also plague the development process throughout Australia. Freedom and human rights are the basic criteria for the success of a multicultural society, which promotes the establishment of values of personal dignity, mutual respect and freedom and equality (Abbasi-Shavazi & Mcdonald, 2000). Freedom under this kind of background is just like what Nelson Mandela said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that
Australia has always been a multicultural country, the first immigrants that came to Australia were the British in 1788. During this phase of European settlement various policies were created to address cultural diversity. One of the most infamous policies was that of assimilation that forced Australian Aboriginal people and migrants to give up their own culture and heritage and assimilate to colonial Australian culture. Eventually this policy was revised to Multiculturalism. That as a policy in Australia refers to handling the ramifications of diversity, bearing in mind that all Australians have the right to a cultural identity, all citizens must be able to express their cultural inheritance. Whether Multiculturalism is advantageous for Australia or not is a very controversial topic. There is a side that argues that multiculturalism could threaten the lifestyle of many Australians. On the other hand, research demonstrates that from an Australian perspective it has been mostly advantageous. This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of multiculturalism in Australia, with regard to economical, historical and social perspectives.
"Racism constitutes a coherent complex of different kinds of verbal and physical behaviors, discrimination, and cultural domination and rejection that are experienced in diverse situations. In effect, these situations encompass all those that constitute everyday life: school, sport, shops, employment, public places, hotels, entertainment venues, transport, traffic, accommodation, and the socio/political environment. The racism is experienced to be present everywhere in society"(Mellor, D.,2010,480).