Australian Multiculturalism for a New Century: Towards Inclusiveness
1 Evolution of multicultural policy (continued)
Time for review
During the past fifty years Australia has undergone an enormous amount of change as it has adjusted to the forces of technology and globalisation by becoming a more open and less insular economy and society.
Large-scale immigration has added significantly to Australia’s population, and the replacement of the White Australia Policy by a non-discriminatory approach has resulted in a great and visible increase in the cultural diversity of the community.
The floating of the dollar, the dismantling of tariff barriers and the development of new global trading regimes and associations have together changed the economic face of Australia, with new industries developing while traditional ones have declined.
In turn, there have been massive changes to the labour market, including an increase in unemployment, a move to part-time work, the obsolescence of old skills, a shortage of skills required by new industries and the relocation of job opportunities.
All of these have led to an increase in anxiety and feelings of insecurity.
The changes Australia has experienced in recent decades have had major, but differentiated, impacts on all sectors of Australian society.
While most Australians have benefited and are positive, some may see the world changing and moving too quickly, threatening their employment and wellbeing and even the values upon which their lives have been built, values that are so important for their self-identification as Australians.
Such concerns are felt by numerous people across both urban and rural Australia, although its intensity and the percentage of the population that is affected varies from place to place.
These feelings of alienation have given impetus to a search for scapegoats. For a portion of the community, multiculturalism has become one of the scapegoats.
As a result we have seen a growth in criticism of multiculturalism, including the emergence of political parties that have sought to exploit community concern by advocating thinly veiled policies of bigotry and division.
The Council believes that it is not possible for Australia to insulate itself completely from global change and the effects of globalisation, nor would it be appropriate to do so.
The global economy offers many opportunities which can be of significant benefit to all Australians. Our culturally diverse society has the special skills and relationships needed to take full advantage of many of these opportunities.
The Council believes that multicultural policies have served Australia very well, contributing to a fairer and more just society.
Australia, with all its diversity, remains a cohesive and harmonious society and cultural diversity has contributed significantly to its economic, cultural and social sophistication.
Like all areas of public policy, however, multicultural strategies need to be continually reviewed and updated in the context of the changes in our society and our relationship with the global community.
Such a review is particularly relevant now, since Australian multiculturalism has evolved beyond its origins, where most of the focus was on post-arrival settlement programs, to an issue of importance to the whole community, vital to our sense of ourselves as Australians.
A review is also appropriate in light of the heightened debate over the past few years on the pros and cons of Australian multiculturalism, on whether it should continue and, if so, in what form.
The Council has undertaken such a review not only through its own deliberations but has also taken into account a wealth of input from widespread consultations, submissions to the Council’s issues paper Multicultural Australia: The Way Forward, relevant literature and commissioned research and reports. This report contains the Council’s recommendations arising out of the review.
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