The debate about the perceived benefits and detriments of multiculturalism in Australia has been occurring for years, though never at a more crucial time than now. With serious problems raging around the globe, our chance to forever shape the world for the better here in our own backyard has arrived. If we in Australia can embrace the beauty of a culturally diverse society in which we all understand each others’ differences and enjoy the shared cultures on offer, the results would be astounding. Ethnic violence would plummet and social cohesion would strengthen, leading to a more improved Australia.

Cohesion basically refers to how various people within a certain community come together to live as one. Of course, we all have traits that differ with another person’s. When observed from an outside perspective, the factors which cause friction are actually quite ridiculous. Someone had an annoying accent, their food smelt weird, they were wearing funny clothes and the list goes on. A quick search on Facebook reveals the ever predictable, a racist group titled ‘F*** Off, We’re Full.’ Naturally, it includes a tirade about how people need to conform and assimilate. What people with these beliefs fail to understand is that they are actually going against their own beliefs without realising it. How? True Australians assist those in need and hardship without question. It is what has made this country great. The Victorian Bushfires and natural disasters in Samoa, Indonesia and other parts showed this. Remember when Melbourne packed the MCG for a charity cricket match post the Tsunami disaster of Southern Asia? Point proved. An interesting quote from the group is: ‘This idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.’ Our sovereignty is supposedly now at stake? Maybe it’s the army of Indian accents, or the kebabs and pasta as weapons? This claim is nothing short of delusional.

A question raised here is what does it mean to be Australian? Being Australian isn’t built on the premise of what colour your skin is, religion you believe in, food you eat, language you speak or anything else like that. Australians are made what they are by their sense of community and mateship, respect for the law, acceptance of others, values of democracy and a fair go. For all I care, you could be called John Smith, Stefano Mancinelli, Stavros Papadopolous, Sunil Singh or Linh Ngyuen. You can go home and eat pasta, curry or souvlaki. Your skin can be black or white. You can be whatever religion. Quite frankly, who cares? These things do not alone define Australian identity. Anyone of the aforementioned characters can be just as Australian as anyone else.

What these issues require is education, pure and simple. Ignorance causes a person to judge another based on nothing but their skin colour or accent. Would any fair minded Australian deny the contribution made by extraordinary people of foreign heritage such as NSW Governor Marie Bashir and the array of State and Federal Cabinet ministers around the country who were either ‘born abroad or have at least one parent born overseas’, remembering that this category covers 40% of Australian citizens? Let’s look at some of the names in the Victorian Parliament: Theo Theophanous, Hong Lim, Liliana D’Ambrosio, Jude Perera, Nicholas Kotsiras, Telmo Languiller and Nazih Elasmar. These cover South America, Europe, the Middle East and South-East Asia. Given the fact that these individuals work in elected public office for the service of their community, the argument that those who come from other nations are unlikely to contribute is rendered baseless.

Initiatives such as the Harmony Walk and establishment of bodies like the Victorian Multicultural Commission are effective measures, however understanding and acceptance of other cultures needs to be incorporated into the education system. Without these skills, it is impossible to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world. This being said, it needs to be done in a fashion where students themselves work out the splendour of intercultural appreciation so that they can completely benefit from it, rather than having it forced into them. Visits to religious places such as synagogues, emphasis on learning foreign languages and ‘show and tell’ sessions whereby students from different ethnicities promote their cultures and give their peers the opportunity to experience it are some examples of promoting harmony in the community. Horrors of conflicts based on ethnicity, such as, on a serious level, the Cronulla Riots and on an extreme level, the Holocaust and the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides. While Australia alone cannot prevent conflict, we can do our bit by providing the world with an positive image of Muslims, Asians, Jews, Catholics, Africans and everyone else living together in unity and respect, and this can assist efforts to make the world a better place. This increased understanding will help to ease tensions which could prevent conflicts. As Martin Luther King made clear, “I know that justice is indivisible; injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice anywhere.”

Let us come together as one undivided nation that not only accepts everybody for what they are, but celebrates what they have to offer, because then again, ‘For those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share; with courage let us all combine, to Advance Australia Fair.’ If we follow our national anthem, this country could be paradise.