I'm so sick'n tired of this racist crap. Face up to reality ! many people of ALL races are racist & just as many aren't, period !
The personal feelings & peoples' attitudes can not be regulated by mere policy. What could be done but isn't (because many bureaucratic careers would be jeopardised) is to stop treating people differently because they don't subscribe to others' mentality. On one hand there are policies to treat everyone as equal but as soon as we do that some moron screams racism or discrimination or whatever term is in vogue. Stop the pussy-footing & make people responsible for their actions & not blame some innocent bystander. Reverse this dumb trend of locking up good people but plea-bargain with the crapheads. I live in a place where you're not allowed to speak the truth full stop ! And, yes I'm in Australia. Racism flourishes here because of the law against speaking the truth and minorities are allowed & even encouraged to exploit the loopholes of democracy caused by incompetent Public servants. Just today I was told I am responsible for the action of an indigenous bloke who works in my organisation on the good ship ANNA with Capt. Bligh at the helm and yet I'm not allowed to say that he is totally unqualified. Now that is racist but when I & an indigenous bloke said the same about a white bloke it wasn't.

This article does not tell the full story.

Governments have done much in communicating to the Indian Government and other Indian groups about what they are doing about reported attacks on Indian students. What is it exactly that the government can do, that they have not already done, to stem the increase in violence on Melbourne's streets? It is not a racist problem but a social problem. This is a game of politics to appease potential Indian students who might reconsider Australia as a destination. Chinese students have been attacked in the past, with less media attention and reporting.

Let's be honest here. The reason attackes on Indian students have increased is because violence has increased, particularly in Melbourne.

The little that has trickled out from police reports reveal that many of the attackers are youth from disaffected ethnic groups.

One of the problems is foreign students are not as aware of how to move around and travel safely within Australia, particularly not exposing signs of wealth on trains late at night - iPods, mobiles, laptops etc.

Violence in Melbourne (and Sydney) has increased over time, and victims come from a variety of ethnic groups. Many of these attacks occurred outside hotels, in parks and railway stations late at night.

We all have the right to be safe but we need to ask who are responsible for these attacks and why - and when we know we need to ask what can we do as a community to combat the increase of violence on out streets?

The solution would have to lie with a mix of:

- increased law enforcement presence and providing information to foreign students on safe behaviours while in Australia.

- much of the violence is being conducted by marginalised and disaffected ethnic youth (based on reports) and we need to look at WHY and HOW we can embrace these youth to ensure they become fully responsible and participating adults in their communities.

- harsher sentences for those who break the law. Zero tolerance for criminal behaviours that involve assault.

One tiny step in the right direction would be to allow the law-abiding to have some means of defence.
As things stand now it is an offence to carry a stick for the purpose of protecting oneself against savage dogs.
No person in Australia is allowed to have anything for defence.

Is it also acceptable for Indian Dr's to dress up and poke racist fun at black people?