Multiculturalism and the Benefits of Migration in Australia

Protection of the wider community from the unacceptable risk posed by Nystrom was a positive result of the Australian government’s non – compliance with the UNHRC’s decision. By refusing to allow Nystrom to return to Australia from Sweden, the government met its obligation to protect the Australian community and successfully ensured the safety of wider community from the risk of harm posed by Nystrom if he was allowed back into Australia, achieving justice for

Today Australia is known as a multicultural country who allows people from all over the world to migrate to Australia. People are definitely not allowed to our country only because of what religion or language they speak, and definitely not based on skin color. Well this was not the case 45 years ago. 45 years ago was when the government stopped the non European immigration policy, which better known as the White Australia Policy. It started in 1901 and ended in 1975. The policy lasted for 75 years. The White Australia policy was not a single government directive, but a series of acts with a common goal, to achieve and maintain a white, British national character. When the policy ended it was a very big turning point in the country because

Although there were inhumane policies in the asylum seeking system, the Australian government had also attempted to rectify the issue of overcrowding and indefinite periods in detention facilities by introducing bridging visas. They are temporary visas which allow asylum seekers to legally reside within the Australian community while their appeals in seeking protection as refugees are being assessed and can be released from detention centres upon medical, identification and security checks. (Australian Human Rights Commission 2013, p.1-2) However, there are several restrictions and conditions regarding the bridging visa, the most significant one being the prohibition on working and medicare for most of the visa holders. This results in low income that leads to malnutrition, medical issues, and dependence on the Australian government for survival. These conditions could impact their ability to enjoy basic human rights and Australia may again have breached its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) that ‘the right of access to employment, especially for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups’ be ensured as supported by Taylor (2000, p.2).

A “White Australia” policy was introduced in the early 1900’s, significantly influencing views of immigration. The common belief of society was that only people from Europe, and preferably Britain and Ireland, were considered to be ‘good enough’ for immigration to Australia. People from all other nations, particularly Asian countries, were forced to undergo the incredibly difficult challenges to move permanently to Australia. If in

The immigration policy of Australia has been in a constant state of flux ever since Federation in 1901, when the first legislative piece, the Immigration Restriction Act, was introduced. The Immigration Restriction Act has become infamous in Australian history and throughout the world, more nefariously as the ‘White Australia Policy’. The White Australia Policy was Australia’s seemingly indestructible way of ensuring a White Australia. However, the immigration of European refugees after World War II, which aimed to defend the nation from Japanese invasion, challenged this policy. From 1901, Australia held a strong belief that coloured people, specifically Asians, were inferior and detrimental to the Australian way of life, and did all in it’s

According to Hugo, Australia’s history with refugees can be characterised as a love-hate relationship, both in terms of government policy and public support and attitudes (Hugo 2001: 35). On the one hand Australia has resettled more than 700.000 refugees and displaced persons under its offshore program, who have been given a great deal of government and community support. On the other hand the country is carrying out harsh and highly criticised policies towards asylum seekers and refugees arriving by boat, which research shows that a majority of the Australian population supports (McKay et al. 2011: 115). According to a national survey conducted in January 2015 by an Australian media research firm, it was found that “58 percent of Australians considered the country’s position on asylum-seekers either appropriate or too soft; only 26 percent thought it too tough” (The New York Times 2015). These opinions are also exemplified through major political parties, shown by the fact that changing Australian Governments from different political parties have all carried out similar policies. This could be related to the fact, that Australia has a long history of selectivity and control in terms of the country’s immigration policies, tracing back to the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 (McKenzie and Hasmath 2013:

The policies put in place denied Aboriginal Australians control over their own lives and resulted in the loss of traditional and cultural knowledge, practices, heritage and languages. It still has an ongoing impact on families and communities as there is a lack of understanding and knowledge of Aboriginal history and culture, and a shattered sense of identity (Era 2: Protection, n.d.).

Other acts followed which stopped Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Asian and other non english immigrants from voting and stopped them from receiving benefits from the

When European colonists settled in Australia they treated the Aboriginal people extremely different to that of their fellow white men. The Aboriginals were not seen as first class citizens through the European eye and as a result were victims of extreme oppressions and had nearly no rights or freedoms. Since then Aboriginal people have fought to be treated equally to the white men through various different ways. I will discuss the previous struggles faced by the Aboriginals, the Australian strife for equality and finally the level of success and degree of rights and freedoms given to Aboriginals in modern Australia.

I believe that the two topics that I have chosen relate to each other in many ways. The racial tension came from the migrating races to Australia, and the issues that the Australians of the time had with the “new people”. The migration occurred because there was a growing business in a new country, there were more opportunities for trade and everyone wanted to try their luck on the gold fields. I found the migrating story’s from the Chinese to be more of an interesting theme. This is the same with the racial tension, the mass groups of Chinese were the main targets with the racism.

Australia is a settler nation which is now made up of many ethnic groups who share similar cultural traditions, common language, shared history and a shared identity (ABS, 2016). These groups contribute to what is referred to multiculturalism. Australia has a higher proportion of people born overseas than the US, Canada and the UK, with 49% of Australia’s population (or a parent) being born overseas (Census of Population and Housing, 2016). Compared to other Western nations, Australia has one of the most diverse immigration populations (Collins, 2013, p. 145). The meaning of multiculturalism in Australia has changed significantly over time. Today, Australia is a culturally and ethnically diverse country and therefore is a multicultural society. In terms of public policy, multiculturalism can be defined as policies and practices implemented by the Australian government that aim to manage cultural diversity to benefit the whole of society (Department of Social Services, 2014). Although Australia is a multicultural society, there are criticisms of public policy surrounding multiculturalism.

As we enter the 21st century, complex issues such as terrorism, immigration, multiculturalism, and social cohesion have brought about a significant amount controversy and an abundance of emotive rhetoric within Australian society. The fact that these issues have been politicised around a number of elections has bought these matters to the forefront of public discussion, but rather than appealing to the publics sense of compassion, the issues have been approached

Mares. Peter. 2012 "Temporary Migration and its Implications for Australia" Papers on Parliament No. 57

While there is little doubt that overall multiculturalism is convenient for Australia, there are a few disadvantages resulting from this policy such as the perpetual increase of racist tendencies amongst the population. This is due to a lack of anti-racism plans of

Asian Immigrants have gone from having a continuous restriction year to year then to becoming a major part of Australian society. However, since the policy of Integration in 1970 and the abolishment of the dictation test in 1958 Asians has had the opportunity to migrate to Australia. This has been continuous since that major change with more and more arriving every year. The changes in these policies were made as Australia was becoming a more multicultural society and the Asian Migration wave has altered Australia today by making Australia richer and more culturally diverse. Asian immigrants have also contributed to the change in the Australian Political Policies which has allowed Migrants to become more accepted into Australia. Because of this no changes should be made to these political