Is this the politics of race?
Why have a new citizenship test for migrants and a flurry of talk about values reared their heads at this point?
Is it about creating fear in the minds of many Australians? Is this the politics of race? Is the government using code to say that Moslems are different and that they don’t fit in?
It suggests that the next election will be the Muslim election, as 2001 was the Tampa election, with the parties competing to claim they can best protect us from our fears.
Our strongest weapons against terrorism are our own principles and belief in liberty. We do not need to overthrow our principles. To the extent that we do, we give a weapon to the terrorist.
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I could not agree more. Thank goodness we now have a place where we can register our outrage at this awful manipulation of the public!
Thank you Mr. Fraser for so cogently voicing our protest.
I have been extremely disappointed with the general level of fear and intolerance of Muslims, and the representation of Muslims in the media. A current affairs programme yesterday evening (11th December) covering attitudes to the Cronulla riots, which showed young men of Muslim background boxing seemed to me to be positioned to further stimulate this fear.
The right to live peaceably and with dignity without victimisation on the basis of one’s race or religious beliefs is one of our basic human rights - documented in the International Bill of Human Rights. I am concerned that our current government is not committed to upholding the basic human rights of these people. I believe that, ultimately, a denigration of the human rights of one segment of our society is a denigration of the rights of everyone in our society. I would like to see this issue discused at this level and with more balance in the media upon which we rely for public debate.
Mr.Fraser asks Why a citizen test at this point?
Simply because all improvements have a starting point.
In my view all people living,as part of our community,should be able to communicate with all other members of the community and understand the day to day issues being debated in parliament and elsewhere.
Currently some members of our community,who are unable to read or communicate in English,are obliged to rely on members of their immediate family or community for interpretation of day to day events in Australia.This interpretation will inevitably be the viewpoint of the interpreter.If the interpreter has ambitions to influence opinion within a non English speaking group a condition not conducive with democratic balance could develop.
Members of our community need to be able to form their own opinions based on all the available imformation.Understanding English is essential to this end and to being part of the broader Australian community.
I remember when Mick Young was politically destroyed over “teddy bear” was it? It was said at the time that the political morals of Aust had descended to a new level. We have seen over the last 10 years the political morality in Aust descend and plummitt to new unfathomable depths. We have a pm who knows no boundaries in using divisive wedges on the Australian people. I think that this government has abdicated all interest in principles, morals and morality in politics a long time ago. It is a pity (but wonderful) that Malcolm Fraser has become the de facto opposition to John Howard with the Liberal party. The more I read and hear of what Malcolm says the more time I have for him. Howard has always used wedges. Tampa and all of the others. If there isn’t one available he will manufacture one. My only hope is that Howard’s tenure will not last much longer.
Patrick
lets ask David Hicks for his view of Australian values!!!
No doubt Mr. Howard will play the race card once again this coming election,
hopefully as we are now all too ALERT AND ALARMED to be silly enough to fall for this three card trick again.
The Prime Minister says that he is not comfortable with multiculturalism and now calls for assimilation – a policy the results of which still sour our relationship with the indigenous peoples.
“They” must assimilate because the Eurocentrics, the government among them, cannot cope with cultural differences.
I think it is far too late but better late than never to bring in some laws to stop the loss of our own culture.
We need also to have laws whereby all signs and writings on businesses are in English
Muslims by their own rantings in public by organisation spokespersons and their holy men and various private persons on TV - have no compunction in telling Aussies they have no intention of abiding first and formost by our laws, values or cultures.
Every other religion has settled in peacefully and live within our laws,values and culture happily and do not demand we change to suit theirs.
As an ordinary Aussie
Who cares???
I am utterly dismayed at the governnment’s trivializing and undermining of multiculturalism - Australia’s most outstanding achievement. The new English test will clearly discriminate against older migrants; those illiterate in their own language, or whose first language is based on a different alphabet, and may read from right to left. I volunteered to teach English to an Afghani woman. She tried so hard but could only master basic of phrases needed for survival. She experienced the trauma of her husband’s execution and her own illhealth. She has been a good mother. Her son cares for her and has studied successfully in this country, speaks perfect English and is employed. Why deny her citizenship because of poor language skills when she is clearly a good citizen. And what of Australian values? ‘Mateship’, ‘a fair go’, integrity, equality and respect for women etc.. To see them modelled, tune in to parliament for a demo by our leaders. Judge for yourself!
Excellent questions from Mr Fraser. This is starting to show through in the tabloid media, fear feeding upon fear.
Reflecting: I’m about this christmas compiling “Core values of an Australian” So far I can’t find one. I hope to resit my citizen test, being 6th-gen white Australian and fail. I hope to be deported to scotland. meanwhile I will have to fly my tajine is cooked.
Once again the Prime minister has play wedge politics. Mr Rudd has played directly into his hands and not rejected these new proposals entirely for what they are, a thinly vailed attack on migrants and minorities appealling to our worst zenophobia’s. Badly missed opportunity Mr Rudd.
What is going on with this “values” citizenship “test”?
Why can’t we find out what is intended?
Why is the government raising it in debate if it is not at least in draft form?
Why have the USA, the UK and Australia all announced same-sounding citizenship tests within two weeks of each other?
If, as they say, the “test” will make little or no difference to one’s status here, why is it being raised?
Everyone inside companies that I know of sneered when management started requiring values statements. But I read the companies who espouse such statements do well. What are the mechanics of the selling of “values” to those inside and outside organisations and societies?
How can people change values they may have held for many decades?
I believe that this loose talk of values is a smokescreen for a hard political agenda.
The politics of fear and race is being used by our PM as it works. However, eventually the public sees through the agenda, and that is political survival. Today people like me, an Oz Muslim are targetted, tomorrow it may be another group. In the end politicians will create whatever environment is necessary to ensure their preservation, irrespective of the short and long term consequences of their actions on the rest of us. I wonder if our beautiful nation will be able to recover from the divisions and fears caused by our PM.
For those who didn’t realise we already have an English language test as a requirement for citizenship, it has been this way for decades.
Good to see some real Liberal backbenchers are not too impressed with this scam.
My Grandmother and Father arrived in Australia not speaking English. My Grandfather learnt out of necessity and my grandmother gets by. They brought up a family with grandchildren that speak only English. One grandchild has fought in Iraq for Australia. We are all proud Australians, but are becoming disheartened about current government policies and the sensationalism in current Australian media.
This test sounds to me that Australia no longer needs people like my grandparents (who grew to become Australian and brought up two generations, with a third growing) that they are no longer welcome.
In a way we are all migrants to this country; we all worked hard to make Australia what it is today. The current state of affairs is now destroying what we have, and it is fast becoming what we had. We are fast becoming a country of blame and fear, not of solutions, resolution and acceptance. We should be working together, as that’s what being Australian is all about.
Mr.’Whatever it takes’ Howard continues to damage this country by using the politics of race and fear.
However, I believe this latest citizenship testing nonsense to be more a simple case of creating a diversion to head off media attention from the new opposition leadership and global realisation of how disastrous is our part in Iraq.
I feel a great concern with the attitude of politicians AND with some in the community towards our newcomers. Attitudes towards “the others”is being manipulated. Tamworth is a great example of where our beautiful country is being led. Please keep on allowing a “senior citizen” to express concern, and perhaps, in some way,to contribute to maintain a healthy attidude to each other, all members of the human condition
I think that ‘fear’ is a very good word to use to describe the move by the current government. They are playing the politics of fear. In doing so, they are going after the ’small fish’ issues: they are not addressing the root causes of racial/cultural tensions in Australia, or indeed the wider world, and in doing so, they have been quite successful in pushing out of the way other important issues, like Iraq, David Hicks, the status of Indigenous communities and people, industrial relations, and the legitimate threat of terrorism, all of which have nothing to do with a citizenship test, but all of which are areas in which the Governement is failing.