IGNOU MPSE-012 STATE & SOCIETY IN AUSTRALIA Notes In ENGLISH Medium

1. Discuss the characteristics of multiculturism in Australia.

Answer-

Introduction

Australia is a multicultural country, which means that it is home to people from a diverse range of cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Since its introduction in the 1970s Australia's policy of multiculturalism has shaped Australia's identity and supported our development as a multi-racial, harmonious and cohesive society. While the concept of multiculturalism has been subject to debate and review over time, Australia's non-discriminatory migration system supports cultural diversity. A commitment to multiculturalism to manage this diversity, within the framework of Australian values and laws, has had the broad support of Australian governments for over thirty years, history of Australia's multiculturalism and the migration trends that define our cultural diversity.

Characteristics of multiculturism in Australia.

1. Cultural diversity: Australia is home to people from over 300 different cultural backgrounds, and this diversity is reflected in the country's food, music, art, and other cultural practices.

2. Multilingualism: Many Australians speak languages other than English, and the country is home to speakers of over 300 different languages.

3. Religious diversity: Australia has a diverse range of religious beliefs and practices, with the largest religions being Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

4. Multicultural policies: The Australian government has a number of policies in place to promote cultural diversity and to support the integration of people from different cultural backgrounds into Australian society. These include initiatives to promote linguistic diversity, cultural understanding, and intercultural dialogue.

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Our cultural diversity: a brief history

• Australia is a multicultural nation- with a strong record of peaceful settlement of migrants from all parts of the world. Within the framework of our inherited British legal and political system, cultural and linguistic diversity remains an ever-present feature of our cultural and national life.
• Ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity- has been a feature of Australian society from the beginning of British colonisation in the eighteenth century. Post settlement migration included Malays, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and Afghans, as well as Irish, English, Scots and Germans. Prior to this, the Malaccans and Melanesians had traded and periodically co-located over centuries with Indigenous Australians in the far north.
• The end of World War II- triggered large-scale migration across the globe. While the foundations of the White Australia Policy were laid down in 1901, principally to prohibit importation of Pacific Island sugar workers, Australia's need for labour and an increased population led to the mass settlement of displaced victims of Europe's war.
• Since 1945 approximately- seven million people from over 180 countries have migrated to Australia. That is, around one million migrants each decade since 1950.Australia's economy has increased six-fold over that time. Over the last decade migrants from India, China, the Middle East and the African continent have featured, contributing to Australia's cultural, linguistic and religious diversity.
• At 2010, Australia was one of the world's top three culturally diverse nations. -When Australians with one or both parents born overseas are included nearly 45 per cent of the population has a close overseas connection. Today, over 260 languages are spoken in Australia, by people of 270 different ancestries.8 Census data shows that more than half of recent arrivals since 2006 speak both another language and English either very well or well. This language diversity gives Australia a competitive edge in an increasingly transnational world.

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The foundations of Australian multicultural policy

Australia has an enduring history as a successful and productive multi-racial community. What has changed over decades has not been the fact of Australia's population diversity but the different policy frameworks developed by government to develop and interpret that diversity.

Multiculturalism is a coordinated long-range response to migration patterns that have resulted in diverse people and cultures occupying the same locality, who share the aim of making a home for themselves and their families in a community within a safe, stable and cohesive nation. The demographic fact of cultural diversity a set of policies, programs and services; as well as a concept that articulates normative ideals about society.

Australia's first national policy of multiculturalism followed the recommendations of the Galbally Report (1978).

The report was compiled for the Fraser Government as part of its review of migrant services and programs.

Key principles enunciated in the report were:

• all members of society are to have equal opportunity to realise their potential and have equal access to programs and services;
• every person to be able to retain his or her culture without prejudice or disadvantage and be encouraged to embrace and understand other cultures,
• migrants' needs are to be met by mainstream services, but special services and programs are to be in place at first
• There be full consultation with clients in design and operation of services with a focus on migrants becoming self-reliant quickly.

The policy represented a distinct shift away from the assimilation approach which had dominated in the 1940s and 19505.16 Assimilation demanded surrender of language and cultural heritage and a fast integration into mainstream society. The new culturalpolicy recognised that migrants could retain their cultural identity and successfully integrate with support over time.

Conclusion

Overall, multiculturalism in Australia is seen as a positive force that enriches the country's social and cultural fabric and helps to create a more harmonious and inclusive society.

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