With a long history of poor treatment of Aboriginal people and its current policy of locking up boatloads of asylum seekers, debate about Australia's much-vaunted multicultural society - past and present - is now under way. Australia is a large island continent, still largely British and European, that geographically sits in an area that has been culturally, religiously, ethnically quite different to it
On an Australian talk show recently mining multi-millionaire turned populist right-wing politician Clive Palmer called officials in Beijing "Chinese mongrels" who were trying to "take over this country". Senator Jacqui Lambie, a member of Palmer's political party, claimed successive governments had failed to build an Australian military capable of stopping "our grandchildren from becoming slaves" to the Chinese. The comments by these politicians have thrust racism into the spotlight in this predominantly European settler-state. Sophie Couchman is a curator at the Chinese Museum in Victoria state, said "It is disappointing that the same language is still used, certain words we used in the 19th century to talk about Chinese immigration - 'influx' and 'swamped' - and it's all these sort of monsoonal words,"
Gwenda Tavan, a researcher of Australia's immigration history, told Al Jazeera that broad blocks to ethnic migration began at the time of Federation in 1901, though restrictions on Chinese immigration were already in place. "It has almost become a cliche that one of the first pieces of legislation passed in 1901 was the Immigration Restriction Act [also known as the 'White Australia' policy]." The official end of "White Australia" policy didn't come until 1973. Also in 1901, laws were passed to repatriate many Pacific island labourers in northern Australia, many of whom were brought over as slaves. Indigenous Australians, meanwhile, would not be considered citizens until 1967. Tavan said while legally it has been largely removed, racism is still a part of Australian society.
The Afghan cameleers were once the backbone of the Australian economy between the 1860's and 1900's.
Historian Henry Reynolds is a strong advocate for what he calls a more "objective" learning of Australian history. "We say we recognise this, but we don't really. We don't really take on board the way Australia was settled as a part of conquest and massive killing [of indigenous Australians].”
The Abbott Government has cut $500 Million to Aboriginal Programs, yet this same government can easily find $500 Million per Annum, to fund a combat mission to Iraq
Today, about 90 percent of Australia's population remains of European descent. Australia settles 200,000 immigrants a year, almost one percent of the population, which is one of the highest immigration intakes globally. Most are skilled migrants, and the majority are from Asia. "By international standards, Australia - especially given its history - has done pretty well in a very short amount of time. However, on one hand, we're meant to be this multicultural society, while on the other it's very clear Australia maintains a very Anglo core," said Tavan. Australia remains one of the only countries in the world with popular approval of its immigration policies. A 2013 survey found 51 percent of people in favour of the current immigration levels, with 66 percent of people approving of accepting immigrants from "many different countries".
Some people have drawn a connection between Australia's harsh refugee policy for those often referred to as "boat people" - mostly South Asian, Middle Eastern or East African - and the psyche of "White Australia". Reynolds argues that there are clear ties between the attitudes of the past.
"It's like a throwback to an earlier era. The concern is just if they come by boat. More people come by plane and overstay and in effect literally are 'illegals', and that doesn't concern people," said Reynolds. "They are very small numbers, but the fact that they are arriving by boat on these remote coasts seems to create this sort of sense of danger and threat. I think it is about race, because if it were white South Africans arriving by boat, I think you would get a different response."
Andrew Marakus is a researcher who has conducted surveys on public opinion towards immigration and asylum seeker policy for the last seven years rejected the notion. "It's not about ethnicity. People are concerned about the government being in control of their borders, and Australia is not unique in this," he said.
Not all Australians are racist and it is wrong to taint an entire nation with such accusations. Racism does exist in Australia but not all Australians are racist. Nearly very country has racist past. Is Australia's history the most racist of all the countries in the world? There are presently racist people in every country on Earth. Australia is no different, but there are a lot of non-racist people too. To say otherwise is a travisty of the truth. Pointing fingers and name calling will not do us justice but more animosity. We all have an interest in living and co-existing in a peaceful manner. Those who are busy dividing us have an interest in doing so, while we are busy fighting each other they are busy amassing wealth and keeping the rest of us poor.
From here and some of the comments
On an Australian talk show recently mining multi-millionaire turned populist right-wing politician Clive Palmer called officials in Beijing "Chinese mongrels" who were trying to "take over this country". Senator Jacqui Lambie, a member of Palmer's political party, claimed successive governments had failed to build an Australian military capable of stopping "our grandchildren from becoming slaves" to the Chinese. The comments by these politicians have thrust racism into the spotlight in this predominantly European settler-state. Sophie Couchman is a curator at the Chinese Museum in Victoria state, said "It is disappointing that the same language is still used, certain words we used in the 19th century to talk about Chinese immigration - 'influx' and 'swamped' - and it's all these sort of monsoonal words,"
Gwenda Tavan, a researcher of Australia's immigration history, told Al Jazeera that broad blocks to ethnic migration began at the time of Federation in 1901, though restrictions on Chinese immigration were already in place. "It has almost become a cliche that one of the first pieces of legislation passed in 1901 was the Immigration Restriction Act [also known as the 'White Australia' policy]." The official end of "White Australia" policy didn't come until 1973. Also in 1901, laws were passed to repatriate many Pacific island labourers in northern Australia, many of whom were brought over as slaves. Indigenous Australians, meanwhile, would not be considered citizens until 1967. Tavan said while legally it has been largely removed, racism is still a part of Australian society.
The Afghan cameleers were once the backbone of the Australian economy between the 1860's and 1900's.
Historian Henry Reynolds is a strong advocate for what he calls a more "objective" learning of Australian history. "We say we recognise this, but we don't really. We don't really take on board the way Australia was settled as a part of conquest and massive killing [of indigenous Australians].”
The Abbott Government has cut $500 Million to Aboriginal Programs, yet this same government can easily find $500 Million per Annum, to fund a combat mission to Iraq
Today, about 90 percent of Australia's population remains of European descent. Australia settles 200,000 immigrants a year, almost one percent of the population, which is one of the highest immigration intakes globally. Most are skilled migrants, and the majority are from Asia. "By international standards, Australia - especially given its history - has done pretty well in a very short amount of time. However, on one hand, we're meant to be this multicultural society, while on the other it's very clear Australia maintains a very Anglo core," said Tavan. Australia remains one of the only countries in the world with popular approval of its immigration policies. A 2013 survey found 51 percent of people in favour of the current immigration levels, with 66 percent of people approving of accepting immigrants from "many different countries".
Some people have drawn a connection between Australia's harsh refugee policy for those often referred to as "boat people" - mostly South Asian, Middle Eastern or East African - and the psyche of "White Australia". Reynolds argues that there are clear ties between the attitudes of the past.
"It's like a throwback to an earlier era. The concern is just if they come by boat. More people come by plane and overstay and in effect literally are 'illegals', and that doesn't concern people," said Reynolds. "They are very small numbers, but the fact that they are arriving by boat on these remote coasts seems to create this sort of sense of danger and threat. I think it is about race, because if it were white South Africans arriving by boat, I think you would get a different response."
Andrew Marakus is a researcher who has conducted surveys on public opinion towards immigration and asylum seeker policy for the last seven years rejected the notion. "It's not about ethnicity. People are concerned about the government being in control of their borders, and Australia is not unique in this," he said.
Not all Australians are racist and it is wrong to taint an entire nation with such accusations. Racism does exist in Australia but not all Australians are racist. Nearly very country has racist past. Is Australia's history the most racist of all the countries in the world? There are presently racist people in every country on Earth. Australia is no different, but there are a lot of non-racist people too. To say otherwise is a travisty of the truth. Pointing fingers and name calling will not do us justice but more animosity. We all have an interest in living and co-existing in a peaceful manner. Those who are busy dividing us have an interest in doing so, while we are busy fighting each other they are busy amassing wealth and keeping the rest of us poor.
From here and some of the comments
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