Walk together in respect
We have a choice in Australia.
We can succumb to the increasingly shrill voices of greed, intolerance, bigotry and division or we can rally together to walk forward in respect.
With more than 300 languages spoken in our homes, over 100 religions and more than 300 different ancestries, the 2016 Census highlights Australia’s rich cultural diversity. This wide variety of backgrounds, together with the many cultures of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, has helped to create a uniquely Australian identity.
Our diversity is a unique strength which should be protected. It should be embraced and celebrated. It enriches us and keeps us safe from the sectarian and ethnic divisions that cause such pain and violence in other countries.
Here, all are free to flourish within the confines of the common law that allows all of us to raise our children in safety, offering them the opportunity to be happy, healthy participants in our society.
We certainly do not live in some sort of Utopia where life’s struggles have disappeared. But we are better placed than most to deal with them.
Let’s focus on how we can support those that need it rather than dividing into camps throwing rocks at each other.
Let’s learn from those who have witnessed the greatest change in their homeland.
We seek to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.
In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
Do we care enough to join them in walking together to make Australia a better place? Can we show the same generosity and forgiveness, the same nurturing of the environment and custodial obligation to future generations?
I hope so – generosity of spirit, forgiveness, and pulling together are Australian qualities worth fighting for.
23 comments
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Keitha Granville -
Dave G. -
Yes Minister -
Kaye Lee -
Yes Minister -
Zathras -
Kaye Lee -
Andrew J. Smith -
Kyran -
Kaye Lee -
Kyran -
johno -
Wam -
Kaye Lee -
Zathras -
Michael Taylor -
Kaye Lee -
Matters Not -
margcal -
margcal -
Shaun Newman -
guest -
Jon Chesterson
Return to home pageHave any of these bigots bothered to check the actual percentages of different ethnicities and religions are currently in Australia ? The most salient number has to be 3.3% Aboriginal. Muslims 2.6%. Jewish .4%
I could go on.
We have come from just about every country in the world and we have – until recently anyway – embraced this diversity and we have been enriched beyond measure.
All we can do is continue to embrace, to share, to encourage, to shout down the bigots and the haters.
The sooner they die out the better.
I am old enough to remember the refugees arriving in this country from the mess of post WW2. Europe.They were foreign to our Anglo Celtic eyes & I know they were subject to some pretty awful stuff from some of us.I give an example;an Austrian friend of mine asked a chap to give up his seat on a Sydney train to a heavily pregnant Baltic lady of his acquaintance,”I wouldn’t give my seat to any bloody Reffo”was the reply from this “gentleman.”Anning & his like are still with us unfortunately.
I beg to differ with a number of assertions in the original post. Firstly most immigrants in times past have been only too glad to leave the troubles of their homeland behind and to integrate into Australian society. I use the term ‘most’ because there have been a number who became politicians. These grubs should have been weeded out and prohibited entry, regardless of what country they came from. More recently we’ve seen several races with a readily identifiable common interest and cultural hangups that are not compatible with our society. Spokespersons have been particularly vocal in saying ‘we will never integrate’. Needless to say, it is questionable that these people will ever be a worthwhile addition. Certainly these people do not respect us or our values. Indeed their very presence creates the sectarian and ethnic divisions that cause such pain and violence in other countries. Before the do-gooders get on their soapboxes and start screaming shrilly, they need to check out the issues in the UK and europe.
Secondly, the writer blithely throws out the ‘common law’ line, apparently oblivious of the fact that our legislators, bureaucrats and judiciary are hell-bent on abolishing every remaining vestige of civil liberties and human rights. Separation of powers and equal access to justice have long been rendered farcical. Those who challenge this need only attempt to bring a corrupt official entity to account.
Thirdly, we are most definitely NOT ‘better placed than most’ to deal with struggles. Whistleblowers are an endangered species, accountability is totally non-existent, recourse for official malpractice was disabled years ago, and Australian politics has degenerated into an utter rabble with no likelihood of improvement. None of the official watchdogs is more than a front to cover-up official misdeeds (eg the official reports to parliament of the Crime Cover-up Commission show it deals with a miserable 0.4% of complaints, and the figures for other watchdogs are only marginally better). All state governments have created kangaroo tribunals with wide-ranging jurisdiction, which do not observe rules of evidence, which ignore legislation save that which they invent on the fly, which fabricate evidence to suit their purposes, and which actively destroy families and plunder the estates of their victims. Needless to say, the scum making decisions are totally unaccountable.
In conclusion, it is simple for someone who hasn’t a clue what they are talking about, or someone intent on protecting the bottom-feeding grubs in the legislature, bureaucracy, judiciary or mainstream media to produce an ‘all is rosy’ dissertation that the sheeple swallow hook, line and sinker. It is a completely different thing to do extensive background checks before making claims that are quite frankly male bovine dropping. Way back when, journalism was a respected profession, however misguided statements like certain in the original hereof can only relegate the AIM to the same depths as the Murdoch press.
It must be very hard living with such anger Yes Minister. I await your suggestions on how we should improve things. In the meantime, you may want to reflect on the idea that life is an attitude. You can stomp around saying woe is me or you can recognise how comparatively well off you are and work with people to fix the things that may need improving.
I challenge anyone who has walked in my shoes NOT to be extremely angry with the way official entities in Australia deliberately conspire to deny Australian citizens civil liberties and human rights. For what its worth, I was happily retired and self-sufficient before a colleague got inducted into the guardianship racket, an extremely well orchestrated criminal enterprise designed to be completely untouchable. Few Australians know about this racket due to the efforts of very influential scum to cover things better than most have succeeded in doing. We did eventually win the battle, only to discover that thousands of vulnerable Australians get captured every year, and precious few ever regain control of their lives before either their estates have been completely plundered or they die. Given that the media is on the side of the criminals, there is no easy way to get the word out. Certainly talking to the public doesn’t work because without personal experience, the average person is incapable of recognizing just how corrupt the Australian establishment really is. A UN special rapporteur who assisted in our individual victory told us ‘Australia is the most corrupt country in the world’ because of the expertise of our legislators, bureaucrats and judiciary in covering up malpractice. In view of my experience with the guardianship racket and several other official criminal operations I’ve learned about in the past few years, I believe that UN bloke was right on the mark.
As a descendant of those post WW2 European “reffos” I’ve noticed that those with the most strident views on racism are seldom its victims but more likely the perpetrators.
All the stories about cultural enclaves, non-assimilation and welfare dependency have been told before for every group of new arrivals, but lately it’s become more strident and reinforced by a growing notion of White Supremacy spread by the media and politicians for their own benefit.
I’ll be interested to see the response to Anning’s speech considering the then-PM failed to react to Hanson’s maiden speech out of fear of alienating her then-supporters.
He not only let that particular genie out of the bottle but kept it well fed.
You know you have gone too far when Pauline Hanson says it was “straight from the Goebbels handbook for Nazi Germany”.
But does Anning apologise for his poor choose of words? Does he backtrack at all on vilifying all Muslims? Not a chance. With the typical arrogant ignorance that masks inadequacy, he does a media blitz trying to justify his foolishness.
“If you have a jar of jelly beans and three of them are poisonous, you’re not going to try any of them,” he said. “I think the safest thing for Australia is that we don’t have any more of them [Muslims] coming into the place.”
Meanwhile…
In a bizarre press conference on Wednesday, Mr Katter told reporters he “1000 per cent supports” Senator Anning’s comments.
“It was a magnificent speech, solid gold,” he said.
“90 per cent of Australia have been waiting for someone to say it and believe it.”
If you have a fruitcake like Anning in parliament, the safest thing is to send him and his ilk back under a rock.
Australians, including a minority of commenters here, are simply confirming our ugly stereotype held by outsiders; conservative, shallow and racist.
Pre Howard Australia seemed to be emerging from the white Australia policy, which still largely holds true, but counter balanced by those demanding a return (and those MPs demanding more ‘freedom of speech’).
Like US, UK and Europe, many electorates in regions with ageing and monocultural voters are central to the political and media facilitated Nativism for conservatives to gain and hold power. However, these are not simply electoral PR tactics but are also deep seated ideology that has emerged through different manifestations vainly trying to resist demographic change through immigration and miscegenation or mixing of the races.
The manifestations include dumbing down and dividing of society, consolidation of media, demonising of minority and/or reasoned debate, encouraging more WASP Christianity, then of course highlighting/dog whistling undefined ‘immigration’, draconian enforcement of immigration and border security, and the need for ‘sustainable population growth’ wink wink.
A US admirer of the white Australia policy (and visitor hosted by Sustainable Population Australia), described as a ‘committed environmentalist’, ‘racist architect of the modern anti-immigration movement’, on board of Zero Population Growth (supported by old fossil fuel and auto oligarchs also behind ‘Club of Rome’), anti-semitic, promoted need for ‘immigration’ to be central in political, media and social narratives, supported by immigration restrictions and/or ‘passive eugenics’.
Known as ‘the most influential unknown person in America’s demanding that Europeans must remain in the ascendancy as the ruling class.
And fresh from the ‘You can’t make this shite up’ category.
Hanson reinforces the perception she is one of the most unintelligent people on the planet. She denounced HER candidates idiocy, which included a demand for a national plebiscite on immigration, then introduced her bill for a plebiscite on immigration.
“Today Senator Pauline Hanson will introduce her Plebiscite (Future Migration level) bill 2018 to the Senate. The bill proposes to give voters a say on whether Australia’s immigration levels are too high by casting a vote at the next general election.
“For years the people of Australia have had immigration and population levels dictated to them by governments that refused to listen to the will of the people,” Senator Hanson said.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2018/aug/15/fraser-anning-refuses-to-apologise-for-final-solution-immigration-reference-politics-live
We all have recent experience of how postal surveys stir up the small but vocal groups. Let’s have one on immigration and when the racists and bigots get too strident, we’ll make it all about their right to free speech too. What could go wrong, hey?
The blatant hypocrisy on display in Canberra at the moment is sickening. This morning’s short lived bipartisan condemnation of this fool has now returned to what we have come to expect from this shambolic government. Which is more pathetic – the fool making a speech or the many who congratulated his speech then tried to distance themselves from any association? The number of liberals from the PM down saying Anus went too far, forgetting completely how far they’ve pushed this line is simply gobsmacking. Hanson seems to have forgotten all about her kindergarten antics on dress up day.
Even dear old aunty ABC has taken the time to announce the panel of next week’s Q&A from Far North Queensland – George Christensen, Cathy O’Toole, Larissa Waters, Pauline Hanson and, drum roll please, Bob Katter. Further consignment to irrelevancy for Q&A.
“We can succumb to the increasingly shrill voices of greed, intolerance, bigotry and division or we can rally together to walk forward in respect.”
The incredibly ignorant inanity of Anus has resulted in microphones being given to every low-life, fringe dwelling, parasitic mutant occupying the parliamentary benches, claiming to represent society. The bipartisan speeches with all their wondrous, principled, rational, coherent aspiration lasted no more than a few hours.
The ultimate irony is that these corkheads claim to represent us. Can anyone guess why politicians and their media sycophants have gone from distrust to contempt?
Thank you Ms Lee and commenters. Take care
PS; You credit her with far too much intelligence, Ms Lee.
“You know you have gone too far when Pauline Hanson says it was “straight from the Goebbels handbook for Nazi Germany”.”
She meant Gerbils. You know – “a burrowing mouse-like rodent that is specially adapted to living in arid conditions, found in Africa and Asia.”
Trust me, I give Pauline NO credit in the intelligence stakes. And choosing to present her bill today after saying it just adds to the idiocy. Would it be too much to ask to have an entry level test, perhaps not quite as hard as the citizenship test, that political candidates must pass before they can nominate? Perhaps we could have a mypoliticians site just like the myschools site with the results. At the very least, we should ban alcohol from their workplace. Mandatory drug and alcohol testing and suspension of anyone who fails. It is truly scary that these fools make our laws.
Ms Lee, you may chose not to believe this, but on the G’s live feed from an hour ago, it seems Corgi Bernardi is pursuing his animal fetish. He’s got his knickers in a twist about bestiality again.
Something about “why is consensual sex with animals considered so heinous that it must be illegal? Why is it taboo to even talk about it? Yes most Australians find it disgusting, but that is not a good enough reason to legislate against it. Consensual sex with an animal should not be illegal, no matter how distasteful it may seem.”
Naturally, such a significant issue warranted the attention of the oxygen thief herself.
“Pauline Hanson asked: “I need clarification on consensual sex with an animal. Is the suggestion of consent for an animal one cluck for yes, or two clucks for no?”
There was no answer.”
Having never heard a sheep cluck, I guess she must be favouring the chicken pluckers.
All this for the bargain price of $200k per annum, plus expenses. Oh dear. We are in a spot of bother, aren’t we?
Take care
Well said Kyran , what the f*ck are these people on, hate juice ???
Culture and diversity is defenceless against religion.
The jew-based religions all depend on women accepting a deficient status.
Any condemnation of one should condemn all. Does it?
Fortunately women are happy with their male god. Will that change?
Increasingly, women, like everyone else, are finding religion irrelevant. I am not sure I want to devote time to fixing a system that wants me to chant to a supernatural being. Though I will happily join them for community and charitable endeavours. Worship? pass.
I guess some people are so frustrated and disappointed about how their miserable lives turned out that they need to find somebody to blame. If it wasn’t their own fault it must therefore be somebody else’s, preferably someone different from themself.
That’s how it usually goes.
Bernardi certainly does have some sort of recurring fetish and obsession with bestiality – something in his past perhaps?
Recent history has suggested a connection between the overly religious and various perverse acts involving the helpless and vulnerable under their control.
I simply can’t believe what I’m hearing or reading today. It’s just too hard to comprehend.
Fraser Anning said “Good men died for our right to say whatever we want to say and use whatever words we want to use,”
Tell that to Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Lest we forget.
Next Senate election will be interesting given there’s only limited vacancies for nutters – particularly in the absence of a double dissolution.
Surprised that Katter, one of the better Queensland State Ministers for Aboriginal Affairs, chose the path he has at this stage of his life.. And did so to support Anning. Late stage dementia?
All very well for you to say “Take care”, Kyran. I nearly choked when I read your 5.37 pm contribution. 🙂
A frivolous yet serious comment on immigration from this 5th generation Australian:
I do not want to go back to the days of white bread sandwiches with a choice of filling … vegemite, peanut butter, ham, cheese (Kraft cheddar anyone?!) or salad – ham and cheese with tomato and or iceberg lettuce.
Nor do I want to go back to grilled chops, mashed potato, boiled carrots and peas or beans.
Kaye, congratulations, yet another beautifully expressed post from you.
Freedom of speech is giving rise to some strange people who seem to have their own problems about some sections of our society. There are many of them. Howard had problems with Aboriginal people and Muslims. Blair Cottrell, Andrew Bolt, Pauline Hanson and Fraser Anning also seem to have their problems with race.
Others, such as Tony Abbott and Eric Abetz, have their own problems with Climate Change. They seem to think that Climate Change is false if some “prophecy” they come up with does not come true (such as the River Murray will never flow from its Mouth again) or that getting energy prices down is more important than emissions (what price cooking the planet, Tony?)
I have been trying to catch up with Jordan Peterson, so beloved by the Murdoch media and many other people who are looking for some confirmation of their beliefs. It is amazingly difficult to understand exactly what Peterson is saying, but it looks like the kind of twice-boiled cabbage now wide-spread across the Western world.(Hence all this talk about Western Civilisation and how God is good for you.)
Amongst the 12 Rules are: toughen up (stand up straight – ie C19th Self Help ideology – failed); look after #1 (treat yourself as you would like to be treated: ie, narcissistic self interest); make friends with useful people (ie, those who have your interests at heart – but remember that people, like lobsters, will fight to establish the social hierarchy); do not have need to dislike your children (but remember children are little monkeys trying to climb up the dominance hierarchy and should be kept in their place);set your own house in order – do not criticise the world (Peterson talks about “free speech” and he can criticise, but no one can criticise him); pursue what is meaningful (and to do this Peterson employs all the rhetorical tricks to press the right buttons to get approval); do not tell lies (oh, really?) Do I need to go on?
Overriding these “Rules” is the notion that males represent order and females represent chaos. Hence the the patriarchy idea and the opposition to feminists and female quotas on company boards. Post-modern Marxism has taken over education and universities of Oz – even though Marxism is a respectable political and philosophical tradition not to be confused with Stalinist Russia and other places. Identity politics of gender, gender roles, dominant hierarchies, parenthood – they are determined by what Peterson sees as a kind of Darwinian process in accord with natural biological selection with which we are not supposed to meddle. It has already been decided.
We can see how all this accords with Coalition/IPA pronouncements reiterated ad nauseam in Right wing utterances about refugees, people of colour, the need for small government, no society only indivdiuals, conformity not diversity, more growth and wealth accumulation to fulfill our desires, competition and survival of the fittest, gender, hierarchy…
There must be another way beyond this kind of nonsense…or we are doomed. Fortunately I see the decline of the Coalition and the collapse of the Murdoch propaganda machine. The decline is in their DNA.
Hmmm… the right sentiment but can we really make peace with the Liberals and their divine right, idiocy, bigotry, lies and corruption to rule no matter what the cost? Can we?