Muticulturalism doesn't have to be such a divisive issue, ultimately I think human beings are human first and representatives of their 'culture' second. It is possible to live together without having to conform to one cultural norm as long as there is a uniform respect for the law of the land one chooses to live.

Multiculturalism and immigration are two different discussions. You can still have immigration without multiculturalism and you can be multicultural without changes to immigration levels or while striving for an optimal population, whatever that might be.

There is nothing wrong with multiculturalism when it works it is only when there are ethnic tensions that it comes under scrutiny - such as Cronulla where there was clearly racist frenzy on all sides. We tend to cherry pick the worst of these tensions and make that the benchmark for multiculturalism while ignoring the shining examples of when MC works well.

Mixing very different cultures can be challenging and it would be foolish to argue there are no issues. I might be wrong but the main tensions tend to focus on the rights and status of women and perceived morality or religious differences. The second being the tensions and historical hatreds that are bought with some to their new homelands. Time generally heals all those wounds, paling into insignficance with each generation.

There were issues with European migration and with Vietnamese boat people. These groups eventually assmiliated well and later generations are no more or less Australian than those with an Anglo heritage.

RHIAN..yep..the ethnic gangs (police words..not mine) are as diverse as you could ever wish for :)
In fact.. the 750 Sudanese who turned up to fight each other (yep..I said 750 .. verified with police) at Keysborough a year or 2 back are a wonderful example of 'diversity'.

Have you been out of the loop for the past few days ? Or ..I guess you don't live in Sydney or Melbourne.

Rhian, perhaps you could contacy my son. You just may have a bit of a problem convincing him of your more enjoyable society, you claim multiculturalism hs given us.

You see, he is still waiting for the operation to recrack his skull. This to fix the damage done [skull carcked in 4 places] when a gang of 4 multicultural, [Lebs in fact] gentleman attacked him as he walked home from the train home from work.

They had jumped out of a car to rob him. Fortunately a couple of other cars stopped, & the multicultural scum fled, before he had been turned into a vegetable.

Of course the apologists tell us this is nothing to do with religion, or race. Well I suggest you tell it to those living near the enclaves of this human filth our multicultural & refugee policies have given us.

Then we need to get rid of these senior academic cops, who are more interseted in & have more knowledge in criminality than criminals, & coppering. Many of us don't give a damn about reaching out to ethnics, we just want to walk home, safely.

Hasbeen
When I was growing up in a very blue collar town, it was the white anglo saxon bikie groups that were feared. You would not want to walk home at night on your own even in the 70s.

I am not excusing the fact that some of today's street gangs are of ethnic origin, but why are the children of these ethnic groups succumbing to the lure of street gangs.

Part of it has to do with identity, bonding and security. If those needs cannot be met in the wider society then gang culture is where they will find it.

I think we should be looking more at how we can embrace all youth and provide opportunities for them to improve their lives before they are pulled into violent crime.

I am not excusing this behaviour in any way, but to fix a problem it is first necessary to understand it.

Mohammed may be able to provide more insight into the factors that influence these young men and what might be done to foster better relations.

Hasbeen

I am very sorry to hear about your son. There is no excuse for what was done to him, and I understand why you feel as you do. I know that my own positive experiences with migrants and refugees will not count for much in your eyes against your own experience and that of your son.

I hope the perpetrators are caught and punished.

I will not try to persuade you to a different point of view, only say that my experiences and observations of living in multicultural Australian have been very different from yours

Rhian,
You say "Though the economic and environmental issues are important, it’s good to be reminded that the most important benefit of multiculturalism is that it gives us a richer, more diverse and more enjoyable society and culture and brings to Australia people who make great contributions to our collective wellbeing".

Now that is a pretty broad sweeping statement, designed to be warm and fuzzy, but I would like you to be more specific. What exactly are the benefits of MC that gives us 'a richer, more diverse and more enjoyable society'. As I said earlier, apart from more eaterys. Just where are the tangable benefits for Australia and Australians. You say they are 'most important'.

Pelican,
By it very nature multiculturalism divides people into groups, each group pushing their own culture. It is a philosophy which fosters seperate development, a federation of ethnic cultures, not one community. A philosophy which rates original culture ahead of national loyalty.

The biggest lie told to us is 'Unity in Diversity'

The Serbs and the Croats openly fight in the streets, the Lebs get on with no one and now various groups of Sri Lankens are fighting which included an acid attack. Today there is police revelations that gangs of Somarlis or Sudanese are bashing people in Melbourne. There may have been some 'bodgee' gangs around in the 50s and 60s, but never knife fights or the use of machettes.

Many that support MC ignor or do not see the baggage that comes with some cultures.

How do you put a stop to entrenched cultural practices such as forced marriages and FGM, without stopping entry of more of these groups