A New Agenda for Multicultural Australia
Message from the Minister
On 20 June 1997, I announced the appointment of a new National Multicultural Advisory Council.
Its terms of reference asked the Council to 'develop a report which recommends on a policy and implementation framework for the next decade that is aimed at ensuring that cultural diversity is a unifying force for Australia'.
The Council's report Australian multiculturalism for a new century: Towards inclusiveness was launched by the Prime Minister on 5 May 1999.
In the past 25 years, there have been many official reports in relation to immigration and multicultural issues, and I welcome the Council's report which makes recommendations that build on these previous reports.
The report also draws on the public consultation that followed the Council's December 1997 Issues Paper Multicultural Australia: The Way forward.
I would like to record my appreciation of the work of the Council under the Chairmanship of Mr Neville Roach. The task the Government set for the Council was a very demanding one and the fact that its report has been so positively received is testament to its quality.
The Council's 32 recommendations signal an evolutionary development of past practice, and I am pleased to say that the Government is able to embrace the essential thrust and main elements of the report. This document contains the Government's response to each recommendation.
The Government supports the Council's view that future multicultural policy should emphasise its relevance to all Australians and focus on strategies to maximise the benefits of cultural diversity.
These are major and important challenges and are consistent with the overall outcomes the Government is seeking from multicultural policy: enhanced community harmony and achieving benefits from our diversity, in the national interest.
The Government's plan of action is formulated with these priorities in mind and will be implemented in the years ahead to ensure that our cultural diversity is indeed a unifying force for Australia.
Philip Ruddock
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation
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