Our values best
THE seemingly controversial issue of “Australian values” was back on the front pages last week — well, the front page of The
Australian, to be more accurate — when this column was written before the weekend.
Australia’s Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Alan Tudge (pictured), told an Australia-UK Leadership Forum in London that Australia was moving back to an “integration” rather than “separatist multicultural” path in relation to immigration.
We were, Mr Tudge said, following recent trends in European countries in this regard.
About 15 months ago, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and also Home Affairs Peter Dutton copped a fair old dose of denigration from the usual progressive left critics when they supported moving down the integration path.
What’s so wrong with “Australian values”?
OK, I suppose apart from those oft-quoted concepts of “a fair go” and “mateship”, values such as democracy, freedom of speech and religion, rule of law, equality of all and such-like do come under the broader heading of “Western civilisation” inherited from our British (European?) and largely Christian forebears.
“Western civilisation” is also out of favour with the so-called “progressive left” who do not want it taught in schools.
These are the values that unite us and have made Australia what it is, that have attracted millions of people to this country since World War II.
And, I agree, those se values were not demonstrated in n the early days of settlement when indigenous Australians ans were often treated terribly y as their land was taken from them. m.
But we have evolved ved and I see today’s Australians, of European, Asian, African, Middle dle Eastern and other backgrounds, nds, as being in this country because use they have been attracted here partly because of those values. ues.
Indigenous Australians ralians did not have that choice, e, but increasingly they have ave been making the rest of us s aware of their views on Australian history and nd modern Australia.
Increasingly, I believe, we are listening ning and attempting to change the circumstances too many indigenous people eople find themselves in: again, perhaps, because of our inherited, but evolving ing Western-based democratic mocratic and social justice values. lues.
I have visited countries untries in Europe, Asia and the e Middle East, admittedly only to holiday oliday and learn about different t cultures and people.
The differences are what make them interesting to me and I respect and try to learn, even when I disagree with lack of democracy and freedom, religious persecution, treatment of women and so forth.
And I look back on the changes in my lifetime, 80 years, even within Australia, and know that none of us is perfect and life is a learning experience.
As I have said on previous occasions, I am proud to be Australian even if sometimes I am ashamed of some Australians, unlike those critics who say they are ashamed of their nationality.
I have relatives and friends of different former nationalities, as well as races and creeds, and as far as I am aware almost all are proudly Australian.
But, yes, they are also proud of their h heritage, be it Asian, African African, Middle Eastern or Europe European, just as I am proud of my Sco Scottish heritage and remem remember my grandparents who migrat migrated here two generations ago in 1908.
I ha have been a member of Divers Diversitat and support its multic multiculturalism and I have no doubt i it has a role to play in introdu introducing immigrants to our way of life.
Inte Integration, assimilation into the Au Australian community and its accept accepted values, whether we call them A Australian or Western, surely must be the aim of our continu continuing immigration progra program, just as it has been in the past.
I wo worked for the Department of Imm Immigration in Melbourne and Canber Canberra back in the late 1960s and, w while times were different and the there were very few nonEurope European immigrants back then, integra integration was the aim.
I thi think Australians over the past 60 years have embraced immig immigration and immigrants, includi including refugees of the past two decade decades, and overall — and there are exc exceptions — we have welcom welcomed them to a tolerant and compa compassionate community.