Thread: End of Multiculturalism

End of multiculturalism
January 23, 2007 12:00

PRIME Minister John Howard officially scrapped multiculturalism today as he sacked Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone and renamed her old department.

The trouble-plagued Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) will now be known as the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, with former Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews the new minister.

Mr Howard defended the change, saying Australians believed that immigration should lead to citizenship.

“I think the title of the new department expresses the desire and the aspiration, and that is that people who come to this country, who emigrate, immigrants, become Australians,” Mr Howard told reporters.

“That's what the Australian people want.

“This is not designed to kick multiculturalism, it's designed to better reflect the pathway to becoming an Australian inherent in a vibrant immigration program.”

Labor has two portfolios dealing with the area – immigration, integration and citizenship, held by Tony Burke, and multicultural affairs, held by Laurie Ferguson.

Mr Burke said Mr Howard had no-one in charge of multiculturalism.

“You only had to attend any barbecue over summer and people are talking about multicultural affairs and integration and how well it's working or not working,” Mr Burke said.

“They have concerns about it and are wanting government policies to make integration work better.

“Labor has seen the importance of these portfolios – kept multicultural affairs but added a specific focus on integration – the government has left no-one in charge of these areas.”

Mr Ferguson said Mr Howard had always wanted to scrap multiculturalism.

“Mr Howard is historically a person who questioned Asian migration, a person who expressed great amazement when the first Italian moved opposite his house and he saw them tiling their front patio,” Mr Ferguson said.

He said Mr Howard might claim that his actions were a strike against political correctness, but it was in reality the opposite.

“This is going to force certain rules, force people down certain lines, and force people to have some sort of conformity which is just not viable,” he said.

Mr Andrews is the fifth minister or parliamentary secretary in two-and-a-half years to have responsibility for citizenship.

The Australian Democrats said Mr Howard was treating the portfolio like “leftovers”.

“This is nothing more than an election year stunt showing up the narrow vision of Mr Howard and his willingness to use shallow nationalism to achieve his fantasy of imposing a mono-cultural vision on the reality of a modern multicultural Australia,” Senator Andrew Bartlett said.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 21,00.html

“I think the title of the new department expresses the desire and the aspiration, and that is that people who come to this country, who emigrate, immigrants, become Australians,” Mr Howard told reporters.

Doing what is right for the people of Australia, good job!

“That's what the Australian people want.

Wow! imagine that! a government actually DOING WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT.

I'm with you guys. A politician actually working for the people. Imagine that?

He said Mr Howard might claim that his actions were a strike against political correctness, but it was in reality the opposite.

Must be part of the OBL...

“This is going to force certain rules, force people down certain lines, and force people to have some sort of conformity which is just not viable,” he said.

Not viable? Perhaps what you mean is that some/many do not want to assimilate? Want to bring their country and their ways to displace yours.

I say good for Mr Howard and good for Australia! Hopefully we are paying attention and heading in the same direction.