Multicultural Australia

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Multiculturalism in Australia

Reprinted with the approval of IDP Education Australia, Sydney, written by David Medhurst from IDP Education Australia (IDP)

'Multiculturalism' is a term that describes the cultural and ethnic diversity of contemporary Australia. It recognises that Australia is, and will remain, a culturally diverse country, which seeks to ensure this diversity is a positive force in our society.

The Australian Government is committed to a policy which manages the consequences of this diversity in the interests of individuals, and society as a whole.

How we became Multicultural

Until World War II, Australians were predominately of British and Irish descent. However, large immigrations from Greece, Italy, Yugoslavia, Lebanon and Turkey followed the war, and more recently immigrants from Asia. There are also about 230 000 Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia.

In 1989, the Commonwealth Government endorsed the principles of the National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia. The three key points of the multicultural policy were:

cultural identity - the right of all Australians, within carefully defined limits, to express and share their individual cultural heritage, including their language and religion

social justice - the right of all Australians to equality of treatment and opportunity, and the removal of barriers of race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, disability, gender or place of birth and

economic efficiency - the need to maintain, develop and use effectively the skills and talents of all Australians, regardless of background.

These principles apply equally to all Australians, whether they come from an Indigenous, Anglo-Celtic or non-English speaking background, or whether they were born in Australia or overseas.

Principles of Australian Multicultural Policies

Australian multicultural policies are based on the premise that:

all Australians should have an overriding and unifying commitment to Australia, to its interests and future, first and foremost
all Australians are required to accept the basic structures and principles of Australian society - the Constitution and the rule of law, tolerance and equality, Parliamentary democracy, freedom of speech and religion, English as the national language and equality of the sexes and
that the right to express one's own culture and beliefs involves a reciprocal responsibility to accept the right of others to express their views and values.

Racial Tolerance

Australia has an enviable international reputation for being a racially tolerant and culturally diverse nation. On 30 October 1996, the Government formally reaffirmed its commitment to racial tolerance. The former Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, moved a Parliamentary Statement on Racial Tolerance in the Australian Parliament's House of Representatives.

The statement was supported by the then Opposition Leader, Mr Kim Beazley, and carried unanimously.

To read this statement in full, please refer to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship web site. The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs operates a national telephone inquiry line (131 881), for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.

If you are overseas, please contact your nearest Australian diplomatic office.