Growing Together as One
Cameron Burns,Curtin University of Technology

Our modern culture has resulted from the thousands of immigrants who’ve entered our country, from the original indigenous population right up to the newest settlers arriving from any corner of the globe.  It is the new inhabitants’ diversity of ideas, beliefs and values which have combined to create our lifestyle and culture today.  This dynamic process of interaction enhances our quality of life and allows our nation to prosper and thrive.  However this growth is not always peaceful and segregation and discrimination can occur, leading to hostility and fear.  To prevent this occurring, changes in how all Australians treat people from other cultures must take place.  This essay will list some proposals that could be implemented to prevent the hostility and make the growth between different cultures in Australia more harmonious.

During childhood and adolescence people’s feelings and attitudes towards the world and its people are formed.  This time can either harness equality or provoke discrimination, and if the former of these is moulded into young people’s minds they will be more favourable to multicultural ideals and carry these into adulthood.  The school yard is a significant factor in developing children’s minds.  By employing teachers of varied cultures or from oversees countries, students familiarize and learn to respect the authority of individuals of diverse heritage.  Increasing the number and frequency of foreign exchange students urges pupils to share ideas and beliefs and averts irrational judgment and treatment of minority groups.  Cross school exchange programs could also be incorporated, allowing students from different socio-economic, cultural and religious schools to amalgamate and understand and accept their differences and similarities.  School curriculums should increase and diversify the number of cultural studies and foreign language subjects.  Existing social subjects, such as history and geography, should be more impartial, presenting information without an ‘us versus them’ attitude being unintentionally taught.  Research facilities should also target reliable, unbiased sources that give fair descriptions of cultures and their beliefs and traditions.

To treat discrimination and segregation in the community our description of typical Australians should widen.  Instead of advertising clothing, toys and other appliances with people of European descent only, include individuals of diverse heritage to illustrate their association with contemporary Australian society.  Television programs should have more multicultural cast members playing central, popular roles and encountering issues common to minority groups, improving their position in society and giving unbiased information to those unaccustomed to their culture.

Australia’s celebration of Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter tend to isolate people from other religions and divide the community.  To prevent this a public holiday period could be reserved for people of different religions to celebrate their own significant spiritual holidays.  When addressing problems in society, religious leaders could speak providing solutions that respect their religious beliefs and give a voice to the members of their division.  More council and political members should have diverse backgrounds providing balanced opinions to administrative matters.  Laws should adapt to accommodate the needs, desires and systems of justice needed for all cultures.  Backward Nationalist and Racial purity organizations should be closely monitored and regulated and if necessary disbanded to keep peace within the community and thwart intolerant morals.  The media should present stories impartially and fairly, preventing discrimination and isolationism of minority groups, indiscretions should be acknowledged, but positive actions should be highlighted and encouraged.

Education programmes should be installed for new arrivals entering Australia to help them settle into the community. These Government run education courses should include English language studies and classes teaching our finance, postal and employment systems.  Refugees fleeing disadvantaged, unstable countries could even be offered counseling to ease the pain of their past.  Immigrant workers should be given lessons on our customs and traditions, and Australian workers should be taught the behaviours of the arrivals, so they understand and are tolerant of their working and lifestyle habits.  Festivals, celebrations and sporting events of different cultures should also be encouraged and increased, allowing outsiders to interact and understand the traditions of minority groups and their contribution to Australia.

The ideas presented above outline general solutions to harmonise cross-cultural relations within Australia.  The main themes presented act to alter young peoples representation of multicultural interactions and hope these teachings will be remembered and implement throughout their adult lives.  The changes discussed relate to Australia’s school system, identity, religious and political circumstance and the treatment of immigrants.  Steps are being taken to harmonise Australia’s multicultural society with Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generation, the jubilant mixture of nationalities interacting during the 2006 Soccer World Cup and the popularity of foreign cuisine and music, to name a few.  Such events are benefiting cross-cultural relations and by implementing some of the proposals outlined above harmonious growth between Australia’s different cultures can be achieved.

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