Page 519 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 14 March 2007
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celebrations. The contribution these communities make to the life of the city is immeasurable—socially, economically and culturally. Ours is a nation that has been built on a partnership involving all citizens from many countries who now call Australia home. We have proudly called ourselves a multicultural society, a country that prides itself on being inclusive of all cultures.
The Howard government has abandoned this ideal by its decision to remove the term “multiculturalism” from federal ministerial responsibility. The removal of multiculturalism is a demonstration of the federal Liberal government’s pre-1950s ideal of Australia. It typifies the federal government’s contempt for an inclusive, multicultural Australia. Instead of encouraging engagement and involvement in our multicultural community, the federal government is calling for assimilation.
The government argued that there was a need to move away from the term “multicultural” because the concept had been transformed by interest groups into a philosophy that put allegiances to original culture ahead of national loyalty. This is a ridiculous argument; it aims to stigmatise the word. Being a multicultural society is not a negative. “Multiculturalism” is not a dirty word; it simply means that all members of the community are members of the community regardless of their cultural background. These backgrounds are to be embraced and enjoyed and are not to be seen as competing with people’s desires to be Australians.
In the ACT we have always embraced and celebrated multiculturalism. We live in a community that values and rejoices in its diversity and inclusiveness. The ACT government is committed to supporting multiculturalism in our city through the extensive range of policies and programs it has in place. These include the work experience and support program, which provides skilled migrants with office training and work experience in ACT and Australian government departments. The program has a high success rate, with many of the participants gaining contract or full-time work following successful completion of the course.
Other important initiatives are the annual ACT multicultural community languages and community radio grants programs. Communities are able to apply for a share of the grants program, which in 2006-07 is $250,000, to help carry out their important social and cultural activities. This includes radio programs broadcast in a range of different languages, cultural activities such as national day celebrations, and after-school programs for children to ensure that they are able to maintain their heritage.
Last year the ACT government also delivered the 2006-09 ACT multicultural strategy, which provides a policy framework for the ongoing development of multiculturalism in the territory. The strategy comprises 10 themes, the key focus of which is to ensure that no-one in our community is left behind or disadvantaged because of their background. The areas addressed in the strategy include ageing, young people, equity and terrorism—all diverse themes. As a member of the ACT government, I am proud to be associated with such a forward thinking document, one that helps to ensure that all members of our community have a fair go.
Perhaps one of the most significant multicultural events in our city is the National Multicultural Festival. The festival is our annual way of celebrating our city’s
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