...Multiculturalism will ever live by following the “will o the wisp” mysterious lights of unreason off into the swamps of “never land” accompanied by Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys, further into unknowns of Lar Lar land, the land of disconnected reality.

...Contrary to Academic opinion, True Blues are not the stupid morons or transvestites portrayed by Barry Humphries, and actually possess a brain suitably proportioned to distinguish fact from fiction, Lie from reality and plain old fashioned rip-offs of forced sugar coated racial integration policies. Australians are losing their culture, country and any hope of a future under the “domination” of the madness of multiculturalism and unrealistic immigration policies that hold any connection to real life and real people called Australians!

How racist were Australians when Hanson was flying high and what has changed?

We were not particularly racist, and nothing of any significance has changed.

NOTHING that Pauline Hanson said, was racist, IMO. Her concern about too much Asian immigration was a perfectly legitimate thing to express and put out there for public debate.

Those who condemned her as racist for those comments are the ones that need to be condemned as being anti free speech, and for trying to stifle subject matter that is of national importance and that SHOULD be freely debated.

< DIAC's Diversity and Social Cohesion offers these two aims in a program that opened in August and closed to applications in September 2011.

Aim 1: To promote respect, fairness and a sense of belonging for Australians of every race, culture and religion. The aim primarily focuses on promoting inter-community harmony and understanding.

Aim 2: Develop the community capacity building skills of specific community groups under significant pressure due to their cultural, religious or racial diversity. This aim primarily focuses on supporting specific communities with the purpose of building their social cohesion capacity and/or to promote their positive contribution to Australia. >

Dear oh dear!

Firstly, the title should be: Social Cohesion and Diversity. The most important thing is social cohesion. The level of diversity should be dependent on maximising social cohesion. As it reads now, it appears that diversity is all-important and social cohesion runs a poor second.

The first aim surely should be the preservation or improvement of social cohesion, and the imperative that any increase in diversity be undertaken with this in mind.

The question is not broad enough. Racism is only one ingredient of prejudice. A better question would be "How prejudiced were Australians etc." Racism is not the only prejudice. There exists great religious prejudice in Australia promoted mainly by fundamentalist Christians who demonstrate aganist Shariah while supporting fundamentalist chaplains in the schools and laws that favour their religion and who demonstrate for Israel while trying to wipe out Jews by converting them. To be concerned about racism while ignoring fundamentalist religion which is only too often a partner to racism is ignoring a more basic problem. Of course other religious fundamentalisms are often as bad as Christian fundamentalists, but Christian fundamentalists are more of a problem in Australia than other religious fundamentalists. They are not necessarily racists but all too often reinforce racism.

Australians are no more racist than anywhere else. We have a long history of effectively integrating people from all over the globe into the Australian community.

The 'racism' referred to by the author is often more a clash of cultures caused by the poor planning of Governments who lump people of very different lifestyles together in the same communities with the ridiculous expectation that all will be well. When it isn't someone cries 'racism'.

In addition, many of the clashes are between immigrant groups themselves who we dare not call racist for some unknown reason. The title is reserved for Aussies only.

Pauline Hanson received a lot of support because she expressed the 'integrative stress' in the community brought about bad Govt planning rather than a rejection of people from another country per se.

david f

Yes watch out for those wicked chaplains who have to minister to fatherless kids, abused kids, drug addicted kids due largely to the totally failed secular dogmas. And of course be careful of that salvation officer who houses the homeless thanks again largely to secular dogma. These guys really are worse than the 'racist' ones. Just happens that many of the fundamentalist Christians are Africans, Chinese, Islanders and Indigeneous (oh that exposes your bigotry). Christian hating secularist are generally the most intolerant and violent towards those who oppose their godless views and dogmas brainwashing their kids.