I wonder when, in 1972, Don Dunstan, the then Premier of South Australia, wore pink pants into Parliament House and espoused his views on multiculturalism, did he ever think that there would be religious riots in the streets of Sydney some 40 years later?
Perhaps, as a politician of na vet, and an epicurean of note, Don thought that the new colossus read, Give us your kebabs, your sweet chilli sauce, your rogan josh and your pepperoni pizza, but leave your religious extremism, your bullying and your tribal hatreds behind. If so, how wrong he was.
When we have seen the arts produce such well received satire as Evan Almighty, The Man Who Sued God, The Life of Brian, and Oh God!, it’s hard to believe our precious democracy stood witness to the sickening violence which transpired at Martin Place on September 15.
Was that what Gough Whitlam and Al Grasby had in mind with multiculturalism and religious freedom, or did they just fail to think the matter through?
Surely now, there is reason enough to end the noble experiment and let this sloppy legislation go the way of another great failure, America’s 18th amendment, the Prohibition Act of 1919?
Whether or not you embrace the faith of Christianity, the teachings of Mohammed or the hard science of Darwinism, ‘United we stand, divided we fall’, should always be our mantra.
I am, you are, we are Australian!!
I think Blind Freddy can see that it’s not the race, nor the colour, nor the creed which causes our immigrant problems. It’s the cultural intransigence, the lack of desire to compromise, the arrogance of self deception, the failure to accommodate others, and a selfishness which says we can take more than we give, which weakens the nation. Is it so wrong to let these points be criteria for consideration in deciding how best to build our country?
So, Emma Lazarus, I agree. “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me” but tell them before they depart, that, if they wish to join me, they must leave their baggage and malevolence behind and they must assimilate.
The language is English, the culture is Australian, and the tradition is tolerance.
Alan Dray
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