‘How national multicultural legislation would strengthen Australian society‘, The Conversation, 5 November 2015
The author looks at 40 years of history of how governments, state and federal, have dealt with multiculturalism. He finds they have lacked ‘the courage to draft, debate, test and pass legislation asserting and implementing Australian multiculturalism’. In recent years, under Howard, Rudd and Abbott, multiculturalism has been marginalised.
Given the sustained avoidance of legislated multicultural goals and practices by governments and the evident consequences in pockets of alienation and fragmentation, it should be time for a debate on what form of legislative framework Australians would like to see in support of their desires for a fair and multicultural public sphere. This means an Australian Multiculturalism Act, and a ministerial remit for the whole of government.
