Paul, you’re such a silly person. I’ll repeat what I said in my previous post:

‘Australia is the best country to live in. …… we’ve experienced alternatives’. Why on Earth would I want to leave??

Do stop the boring ‘leave’ Australia. This is a democracy, people are allowed to have a different opinion to yours. Why don’t you move to a totalitarian state of your choosing?

Banjo, I agree with you that more available education on application of citizenship would be great. But let me tell you it has improved out of sight. I arrived here in 1975. If you think obtaining citizenship is easy now, back then it was a mere formality. If you made the grade jumping through the many hoops over a lengthy period of time on education, skills, and health for immigration, you were assumed to be OK.

Many of my friends are in my age group, late 40’s to late 50’s. Educated in Australia pre MC, many highly qualified professionals. I’m sorry to report to you that their knowledge is poor.

When I arrived in Australia way back then (1975), I was amazed to discover the OVERWHELMING apathy on anything political or ANY interest to learn or know anything about Australian history, culture or government systems. The mantra back then, which I found baffling, was: Australia has no culture and little history something that has to do with convicts on which we’d rather not dwell. The cringe factor was not just a factor, it was normal body language on anything to do with this country.

Thank goodness, that has made a 180 degree turn around, because it was embarrassing. Just look at many of you now. Suddenly Australians are acknowledging there is a culture after all! That is what MC has done. Many of you started to examine your own heritages, see others and look at Australia’s history. Australia is still the best, most open society in the world. It is not comparable to any European or Asian nation. We are all our own, neither European, neither Asian, neither African, we’re Australian.

yvonne,
I do not think our views are as far apart as we both thought.

My schooling took place in the 50s and our history was nearly all Australian and it was only in high school that we got onto overseas and world history. One could not pass any history exam if you did not know Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813 (I think) and the ramifacations of this. I think the government will give aspiring citizens all the infomation with which to pass the test. I just hope our educators will do much more on our history and system of governance.

I note that more information will now be given to prospective migrants which should enable them to make better decisions as to whether Australia is for them. If they can see things of serious cultural/religoua conflict, it may be better for them not to come here.

Yes, there was a long period of cultural cringe, but I found that mostly from the academics and the arty crowd. Your arrival was after we had been brow beaten about MC and virtually told we had no culture.

You could be right about MC making us consider our own culture more. If so it is one good thing MC has given, but I am not quite ready to concede that just yet. More thought required.

I hope the new policy of integration will give us the cohesion that MC failed to do. Perhaps it was the way MC was implemented.

Banjo, Australia was not brow beaten on MC in 1975. It was in its infancy. Whitlam, ousted in November 1975, was not in office long enough to create a massive turn around of cultural perspectives.

I had no contact with academics or the 'arty' crowd. I lived in the very middle class Anglo Saxon Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I was the most exotic thing most of my new friends had encountered.

To divide Australians into 'academics' and 'non-academics' or 'arty types' and 'non-arty' types is in itself curious. Education, the search of knowledge and research are not unpatriotic pursuits. Neither is the pursuit of art. Culture also includes art and knowledge. This is another type of cringe factor.

Australia has produced a singularly impressive number of important inventions and discoveries. For a relatively small number of people we are up there with innovations and ideas. The rest of the world appreciates it even if many Australians don't.

Australian culture and history is not only about trekking through this vast continent on camels. It is not only about 'battlers' who are good mates through thick and thin. It is also about that engineering marvel the Snowy Mountains hydro electric Scheme, the combine harvester, the bionic ear or the cause of stomach ulcers, to name but a very few.

Now we are proud of who we are. Maybe we can now also stop cringing about Australian academics and our universities and acknowledge the wealth of expertise we have. Like Australian culture and lifestyle previously, these are still only mainly appreciated by others.

Now, why is it that Australia is such an innovative place that produces so much do you think? I think it is because we are not bogged down with deeply held class structures and codes of specific behaviour that exist in ponderous, old slow moving monocultures.

Australians are open, curious and not nearly as judgmental as people in many other places. Though, when reading some of these threads, I fear that there are moves afoot to destroy this truly Australian value.

Dorothy the feminist found herself in a strange land, following a storm called Multiculturalism.

"I don't think we're in Western Civilisation anymore" she said to her dog Toto.

Skipping down the road, she saw a stranger.

"Hello, I'm Dorothy the feminist.
I don't have a brain. I lost it in the storm.
So I'm off to see The Wizard Of Anti-Discrimination, who I've heard helps minorities.
Who are you, friend?"

"I'm Ali, a Muslim cleric. And I don't have a heart."

"Oh dear." said Dorothy, "Would you like to join me?
Maybe the Wizard can help your minority too."

"Okay, but you'll have to cover your head" said Ali.

"Jiminy Crickets!
What an odd request!" said Dorothy.
"Well, alright. I guess I need all the friends I can get right now."

So Dorothy the feminist and Ali the Muslim cleric skipped arm in arm down the road.

Suddenly, in cloud of smoke, a Witch appeared.

"Don't be fooled by him, my pretty.
He'll only be your friend while he needs you.
When he gets enough political power, he'll throw you away like a pair of old slippers!" said the Witch.

"Don't listen to that mean old witch." said Dorothy.

"Fetch me a bucket of water." said Ali.

"I'm not your servant, Ali.
And what's the magic word?" said Dorothy.

"NOW!" said Ali.

"Ooh, you aren't being very nice at all!
I don't think I want to be your friend anymore." said Dorothy.

"Told you so." said the Witch.

Just then a creaking noise startled them.
It was a Tin God.

"Help me Dorothy, the storm rusted me.
I can't move to the left. I can't move to the right.
Whatever I do, I'll offend somebody."

"He doesn't have any courage" said the Witch.
"Tin Gods started the storm that destroyed your home!".

"There's no place like home, I wish I could go back" said Dorothy.

"Come with me, Dorothy." said the Witch.
You don't need the Wizard. You've had a brain all along!"

So Dorothy joined the Witch's coven and found her brain again.

Poor Ali still had no heart.

Don't quit your day job, Shockadelic.

Look at moe! Look at moe!

Poor old Slic.