Agree substandard performance results are due poor parenting, failed educating, peer-group pressure - both upon students and parents, and an inability to accept responsibility for own behaviour.

Why reward substandard performance results ?

Biggest problem is very poor government - with government so busy measuring the flavor participation than actual results.

Those who achieve education for selves or children become subjects of institutional racism - mostly from within own communities :-(

Those failing exams do so because they do not do the homework, do not pay attention when needed, are disrespectful to teachers indeed anyone whether in authority positions or better educated.

Instead of challenging these core issues, government grossly and repeatedly concentrates on making victims feel better whilst remaining victims.

Many communities retain problems by denial to those who seek improve things - for selves or community, are denied basic tools to do so like valid leases.

Without valid leases many communities restrict residents ability to protect "their homes", still deny them otherwise basic rights like the right to have their own visitors without needing wide-town approval, without such leases how do they achieve stability to develop how they wish to develop ?

Without such leases who is prepared to risk their own money to improve things ?

Until all the corporate land trusts held to same accountability as other corporate landlords little will improve, government still expected foot bill$ for everything...

Those who educate themselves for a future will leave their communities to achieve their future...

Dan, thanks for your views on censorship of people whose views you disagree with .. no thanks, OK?

"This author shows us the value of thinking as against resort to prejudice, cliches and slogans." and attempts at censorship by bullying.

Excellent article Tanveer, thank you. It's pretty difficult to capture the complexity of this issue in an opinion piece but you've succeeded!

I just think we think of the concept of racism quite differently here than people do in the UK and Europe. I've always thought that Australians generally don't have a problem with race - it's simply not the first thing Australians think about when they think about other people. Identity "markers" (and I guess it's debatable whether there is such a thing or how significant they are) such as where you live, your profession, whether you attach yourself to some sort of social subculture/religion, gender even, are far more salient than is "race" - which I would almost say is a non-word in Australia. We just don't use it, except when talking about racism.

However in the UK, where I've spent a bit of time, I just found that race differentiation was everywhere. People would go to great pains either to emphasise, deny, or over-compensate for it. When you apply for a job in the UK, you're presented with an "equal opportunity" form to fill out, which asks whether you are (in this order) white/Anglo, black/African/Caribbean, Arab/Middle Eastern, "Asian" (meaning India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Sri Lanka), "Chinese", or "other Asian". Supposedly this is in the interests of ensuring that a person's background doesn't influence selection, or even that the right "mix" is achieved, but is one example of how the concept of race is just in your face all the time. And in France, wow, the quite significant Middle-Eastern and north African communities are quite blatantly treated as second-class citizens.

And I think it is through this lens that the "racism" in Australia is perceived. I was gobsmacked to hear at a public lecture at the LSE, an expert on China describe Australia as a "very racist country" - But I think this perception stems from the fact that the UK views China-Australia relations primarily through the lens of race, whereas we would describe the difficulties we have in doing business with China as stemming from disparate political and cultural systems.

And before anyone is tempted to say so, yes I am aware of the irony of speaking about "Australians" and "British" in generalised terms, but it must be said, the Brits are completely potty!

Good article.
A couple of points on a subject from the post of which I have some direct knowledge:
I've asked a lot of people about the Indian student attacks in Melbourne and from what I can gather they were a lot more frequent,more serious and reprisals by Indians against other groups were also a problem.
The author identifies several of the factors involved but from what I gather the attacks were also being carried out by otherwise "respectable" people from Middle Eastern and African backgrounds, the reason?
Indian students were driving down prices for labour on construction sites and in the courier, Taxi and hospitality industries by working illegally for as little as $40 a day.
Third world migrants rely to a large extent on these unskilled and casual jobs to support their families, they took exception to fly by night Indians taking away their income and wrecking the labour market.
I've heard stories of Indian cab drivers being dragged from their cars and bashed by other drivers at Taxi ranks, a big all in brawl at the airport between African and Indian drivers and reprisals including a stabbing by Indians.
There's a tendency by White Australians to take an "orientalist" view of Indians, to a lot of people they are meek little fellows with a side parting, a knitted vest and an amusing accent.
The young men who made up the bulk of the Indian "student" body were behaving much like men of any race do when their mothers, wives and siters are far away...running amok, getting drunk, fighting, harassing young women and generally aggravating their neighbours.
Given that these poor areas are home to many very conservative, religious and in some ways chauvinistic migrants conflict was inevitable.

Sam Jandwhich,

I resent the implication that the Brits are 'completely potty'. The British have contributed more to the betterment of mankind than any nationality I can think of. Mind you, the English are an entirely different story :-P