Apparently Australian multiculturalism is ‘close to death.’
Oh, and it’s all the Abbott Government’s fault… But you already knew that, didn’t you?
Dr James Jupp, the director of the Australian National University’s Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies made this remark at the University of Western Sydney’s Advancing Community Cohesion Conference.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that Dr Jupp, “stated that the federal government’s decision to move immigration away from social services and into customs and border protection signaled its death at the federal level.”
Perhaps the memo to me about the imminent death of multiculturalism is still in the post? Nor have the multicultural communities I am associated with seem to have received it. Needless to say, multiculturalism is still very much alive and well in Australia’s key government and social institutions.
But Dr Jupp doesn’t need to wrestle with such facts. Such outrageous statements alone are enough to sure up fear, and to give the impression that there is dire need for additional funding for multicultural projects and university departments such as his.
While we have a government funded broadcaster dedicated specifically to multiculturalism, and while the overarching themes in Australia’s national school curriculum remains ‘Australia’s place in Asia’, ‘Indigenous Australia’ and ‘Sustainability’, it doesn’t look like multiculturalism is going to be under threat anytime soon.
What does however, seem to be barred under the present regime, is the celebration of Australia’s Western cultural heritage and tradition – the culture which gave birth to, supported, and funded multiculturalism.
But as a friend of mine quipped recently this current brand of multiculturalism means that ‘Everyone except Anglo-Australians have, and are allowed to celebrate their culture.’
Indeed, it appears so.
