Australian Multiculturalism for a New Century: Towards Inclusiveness
National Multicultural Advisory Council membership
Mr Neville Roach Chairman| Mr Randolph Alwis Bishop David Cremin Mr Melville Fialho Mr Angelo Hatsatouris OAM Dr Chandran Kukathas Ms Peggy Lau Flux Mr Alister Maitland |
Professor Bruce McKern Dr Colin Rubenstein Ms Evelyn Scott * Dr My-Van Tran OAM Ms Agnes Whiten Dr Peter Wong AM Emeritus Professor Jerzy Zubrzycki AO CBE |
* Ms Scott is also Chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.
Vision
The Council’s vision is of a united and harmonious Australia, built on the foundations of our democracy, and developing its continually evolving nationhood by recognising, embracing, valuing and investing in its heritage and cultural diversity.
Chairman's message
Dear Minister
The terms of reference that you gave me and my fellow members of the National Multicultural Advisory Council asked us 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’.
We have now completed this task and I am delighted to forward to you our report which we have entitled, Australian Multiculturalism for a New Century: Towards Inclusiveness.
As the title indicates, we have concluded that multiculturalism, both as a term and as a policy, has served Australia well and we have recommended its continuance over the next decade which promises to be one of the most eventful periods in the life of Australia.
Over the next few years we will see Australia deciding on a new preamble to our Constitution, hosting the Olympic Games and celebrating the start of our second century as a nation.
These seminal events provide a great opportunity for us to acknowledge, celebrate and highlight Australia’s cultural diversity, both here as well as in our region and globally.
In recent years, Australia has experienced a potentially divisive debate initiated by a few individuals and minority political groups who have been critical of some aspects of our non-discriminatory immigration program and multiculturalism.
In the Council’s view, Australian democracy and Australian multiculturalism have proved robust enough to withstand this challenge successfully, although there is no room for complacency on matters of such fundamental importance.
Input received by us has confirmed the evidence of opinion polls that a substantial majority of Australians are strongly supportive of multiculturalism and value the benefits that cultural diversity has brought to the whole community.
The Council is encouraged that these underlying positive attitudes have also been reflected in a reduction in the level of public support towards parties with an agenda of intolerance.
These positive trends provide an immediate and exceptional opportunity to further reduce the influence of any remaining pockets of intolerance in our society, through an unequivocal reaffirmation of our continued acceptance, respect and sensitivity towards all the cultures that enrich modern Australia.
The Council strongly recommends that this commitment is championed by the Prime Minister and you, with the endorsement of all responsible politicians at all levels of government.
We are confident that this will have a decisive and positive impact on public opinion and encourage similar leadership in the wider community, enhancing social harmony and enabling our cultural diversity to be a unifying force for Australia.
The primary thrust that the Council is advocating for multicultural policy over the next decade is 'inclusiveness’.
Our diversity dividend will be maximised if we all have a sense of ownership and pride in the way we have collectively transformed Australia into one of the world’s most successful culturally diverse societies.
Multiculturalism must seek to embrace and be embraced by all Australians.
It should be seen to be in the interests of all sectors of the Australian community: our original inhabitants, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as all other Australians, whether born here or overseas and whether of English- or non-English-speaking origin.
In developing our recommendations, the Council has proposed a balance between the rights and obligations that membership of the Australian community requires.
We have emphasised the need for transparency and accountability for all public multicultural expenditure and have recommended objective criteria by which such funding is approved.
To enable ongoing public discussion to be constructive, we have sought to achieve clarity by defining such terms of 'multiculturalism’ itself and 'citizenship’.
We have stressed that the evolution of multiculturalism has been greatly helped by the institutions and underlying values of Australian democracy which provides the foundation on which cultural diversity will continue to flourish in our society.
We emphasise that multiculturalism, as it has developed here, has a uniquely Australian character. Far from denying Australian culture and identity, it has it roots in them and contributes to their continuous enhancement.
My colleagues and I thank you for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the next phase of Australian multiculturalism.
We look forward to working with you and the Australian Government to help implement our recommendations and to carry out any additional tasks you set us that will help promote community harmony and unity by addressing the challenges and maximising the benefits of our cultural diversity.
Kind regards.
Yours sincerely,
Neville J RoachChairman
April 1999
Preamble
The National Multicultural Advisory Council was established in July 1994 for a term of three years.
In June 1997 the Government appointed a new Council, for a further three years, with a largely revised membership and new terms of reference. The membership is listed above; the terms of reference are at Appendix A.
This report addresses the first part of the Council’s terms of reference that requires it to 'develop a report to the Minister 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’.
In developing this report the Council consulted widely with the community.
In December 1997, the Council released an issues paper - Multicultural Australia: The Way Forward - to stimulate community discussion and encourage input to assist the Council in its work.
Advertisements in capital city newspapers invited interested individuals and organisations to comment.
A list of the 164 contributors who responded to the issues paper is at Appendix B.
The Council also had the benefit of several qualitative and quantitative surveys of community attitudes on a range of immigration and multicultural issues.
Further, Council members have accepted numerous invitations to speak to the media and to attend seminars and meetings to consult with a wide cross-section of the community.
This dialogue has included meeting representatives of other advisory councils working in related areas, eg the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, the National Council for the Centenary of Federation, the Multicultural Advisory Committees of both the Australia Council and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, the Australian Citizenship Council and the Civics Education Group; discussions at business forums, a workshop organised by the Australian Multicultural Foundation and the de Bono Foundation, meetings with representatives of community service organisations, schools, universities, business organisations and councils, religious, social and sporting bodies, women’s groups; the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia and several of its State and regional constituent councils, State and Territory Ethnic or Multicultural Commissions; and attendance at numerous cultural functions and community meetings.
The Council has also held discussions with senior Federal politicians from both the Government and the Opposition and individual members have met with several others at Federal, State, Territory and Local Government levels.
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