Publications, Research & Statistics

National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia

A better Australia

The customs and institutions which we recognise as Australian today are largely British and Irish in origin. They have their roots in a culture which was, until recently, relatively homogeneous in composition.

Of course, many of these institutions and customs evolved and developed in response to the Australian environment.

The institutional structure transplanted to Australia was often modified, sometimes dramatically, to reflect our own history and circumstances: the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, to take but one example, was transformed by a written constitution into a federal system of government.

Until the last generation these methods of doing things, derived from Britain, served most Australians well. The striking exception was the Aboriginal people.

In the last four decades, however, Australia has become a vastly different place from the British isles in which our institutions originated. just as Britain is having to adapt to its changing population, so our institutions are now required to respond to the needs of a culturally and linguistically diverse society, a challenge for which they were never designed.

It is in the interest of all Australians that the three tiers of Government Commonwealth, State and local - intervene where necessary to manage our diversity in the interests of cultural tolerance, social justice and economic efficiency. We need to plan.

Overseas experience has shown the often tragic consequences that occur when societies are unable or unwilling to integrate newcomers, especially in situations in which some minority groups find themselves restricted by barriers of prejudice or culture from enjoying the same opportunities as the host society.

Our own recent history has revealed instances in which lack of foresight has resulted in unfairness and unnecessary inefficiency, the prodigious wastage of overseas skills being perhaps the most telling example.

That does not mean that we should dismantle or repudiate our institutions in order to start afresh. Our British heritage is extremely important to us. It helps to define us as Australian.

It has created a society remarkable for the freedom it can give to its individual citizens. It is a large part of what makes Australia attractive to immigrants and visitors. it is a potent source of unity and loyalty.

Rather it is the intention of the Government to make our institutional heritage work better for us by enhancing its capacity to respond flexibly to the needs of an ethnically mixed population.

The reality of cultural diversity requires a positive policy response. Inaction can only exacerbate the problem. The Commonwealth Government's response is 'multiculturalism' - a framework of multicultural policies which have been enunciated throughout this Agenda.

In short, multicultural policies seek to ensure that those who are 'culturally different' have the same freedom as other Australians, that they have equal access to government programs and services, and that their skills, talents and abilities are effectively and efficiently utilised for the benefit of Australia.

These are the three dimensions - cultural, social and economic - of multiculturalism.

in the past, governments have often responded to the challenges of cultural diversity by providing additional resources to enable our institutions to provide special programs and services for immigrants or Aboriginal people.

Too frequently this approach left the underlying structure of the institution unchanged.

Increasingly governments and the community are seeking better value for their resources. This requires changes to organisations and structures which will result in a lasting capacity to respond to cultural diversity without the need for on-going external or additional support.

That is the Government's long-term aim. But this type of change in the structures and processes of organisations takes time. Mechanisms must be developed which will generate change of the appropriate kind from within the Organisation. To be effective, attitudinal change must also occur to propel and sustain the structural changes.

The Commonwealth's Access and Equity Strategy - and its State equivalents - is a good example of the attempt to prompt change from within. The Strategy, as has been seen in Chapter 4, seeks to ensure that barriers of race, language or culture do not prevent access to the services provided by the Government.

The objective is to make Commonwealth departments responsive and to assess whether they are responding equitably - and efficiently - to a culturally diverse clientele.

Are programs designed in such a way as to ensure that all Australians can gain access to them? Are services being targeted efficiently to those in greatest need? Are they being delivered in culturally appropriate ways? in all processes, from planning and policy development through resource allocation and program delivery, such questions are addressed.

By seeking to change the management culture of our public administration, Access and Equity represents the Government's commitment to sustained structural change of the most fundamental type.

The long-term Government aim is to reform institutions and influence attitudes and behaviour in response to the changing diversity of Australian society. The Government seeks social cohesion, not social engineering.

The necessary institutional response to a diverse and changing population needs to be managed and directed in order to ensure that:

Such individual rights are not unfettered. The Government's multicultural policies presume an overriding and unifying commitment to Australia, to its interests and future first and foremost.

They require acceptance of the basic institutional framework of Australian society - the rule of law, parliamentary democracy, English as the national language, freedom and tolerance of expression, equality of the sexes. They impose responsibilities as well as rights, including acceptance of the rights of others.

Multiculturalism does not entail a rejection of Australian values, customs and beliefs. It does recognise that any such common core evolves and changes over time, whether or not there is a public policy of multiculturalism. However unwelcome or disconcerting the process may be, the

Australian way of life, as with that of any other country, is constantly responding and adapting to changes in our external environment.

Television programs and films imported from overseas; increased tourism to and from our shores; the structural transformation of our economy; the increased participation of women in our workforce; our changing strategic relationships - all these factors, and many others, influence the development of our national culture. The changing face of the Australian population is simply another influence.

Multicultural policies seek to create an environment in which the vibrant diversity of the cultures which now co-exist in Australia can be accepted and shared. in that way the richness of our diverse origins can contribute - as indeed they are already - to an evolving, but distinctive Australian culture.

As with other public policies - such as those affecting women, aged people or those with disabilities - multiculturalism seeks to ensure that traditional values, views and systematic arrangements do not prejudice the rights of the individual, nor function to the social or economic detriment of society as a whole.

Multicultural policies make a contribution towards a better Australia. In conjunction with the Government's economic and social justice policies, they seek to create a society in which all Australians get a fair go, where the contribution of different cultures is valued, and where everyone is able to contribute their skills and talents to improving our economic performance.

The National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia represents a necessary attempt to modify Australia's institutional structures in the interests of the community as a whole. It presents a vision of the future and a framework of specific Commonwealth Government initiatives to help achieve it.

This vision, however, cannot be achieved by governments alone. It requires the support of organisations and individuals in the community to realise it. We need to work together in this quest to build a better society, a genuinely multicultural society for future generations of Australians.

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