The May 2025, federal election in Australia is already underway, given that today was the first day of early voting, and once again, sadly, multiculturalism was not discussed, during this pre-election campaign.
It is only federal and state governments, multicultural bureaucracies, ethnic professionals with vested interests, and a few academics, that/who initiate or raise relevant policy issues, from their own perspective of course. The various ethnic communities established and new, their organisations, their media, their “leaderships”, do not seem to be able, or interested, to attempt to co write multicultural policy in Australia. They appear to be content with a few pre-election pledges for grants, that do not always come their way…
With active multicultural policy involvement out of the way, what is left, is political lobbying coming from “ethnic professionals”, who run ethnospecific organisations, or lobbying from various faith groups, advancing specific causes. The parallel microcosms of ethnic Australia, do not seem to be able to produce an overall visionary statement of principles, on behalf of all ethnic communities, like the Uluru Statement from the Heart for example, of our indigenous brothers and sisters.
As long as this is not happening, the migrant story for example, won’t be able to become part of the national narrative of Australia.
As long as this is not happening, governments, political parties, media and other institutions of mainstream Australia, will continue to mistakenly define social cohesion only in terms of cultural diversity.
As long as the ethnic communities of Australia do not attempt to produce, after having discussions, a joint values statement on behalf of all of them, Australia’s multiculturalism will continue to be superficial, tokenistic, celebratory and stereotypical.
