THE AGE TODAY...... Petro Georgio slams Migrant Test.

Point 1
"Georgiou comes to the battle well armed. He's the son of migrant parents. As adviser to Malcolm Fraser, he helped craft the then PM's multicultural policy"

COMMENT Is it possible that Mr Georgio is simply arrogantly and selfishly seeking to protect his own political heritage turf ?
He contributed to the now disastrous "multi-cult" -uralism policy and does not want we earthlings to tamper with it. (better take your vallium now Petro, because the shock is coming)

Point 2

"Where, he asks, is the evidence showing who doesn't learn adequate English and why they are not doing so? The Robb paper claims detailed citizenship testing will help social cohesion and integration, implying this isn't happening now, but no evidence is given, Georgiou says."

COMMENT
Mr Georgio, I will GIVE you the evidence. The same paper which published your anti Australian diatribe, also published a story about a Greek Cultural festival in Melbourne, where a 3rd generation Australian woman of Greek ancestry (the correct terminology) was asked how she felt. Her reply:

"I'm so PROUD to be....(wait for this.. after 3 generations) GREEK !"

So, Mr Georgio, there is your evidence (yes, anecdotal but reflective yes ?) of lack of integration, where a person who's parents and grandparents were born here STILL calls herself GREEK !

I'm sorry, but this is not acceptable. It is certainly UN Australian, and I'd call it RACIST IN THE EXTREME.

So, Mr Georgio, the sooner you leave the Coalition and join the Greens or Democrats the better. I'd prefer to see people in the coalition promoting harmony, integration, assimilation and social cohesian rather than a "I'm da best, cos I'm Greek" kind of racism, which you are clearly, in my view promoting.

Mr Georgio shows that a man with an ethnic migrant background in political office can abuse their position to promote ethnic interests over Australian. SHAME.

BD, I thought you'd have a broader perspective than this ol son.

If asked about his heritage would you expect Petro to say 'I'm not proud to be a Greek"

C'mon get a grip bD.

Its like its ok for people to say they are proud of being Anglo but NOT Greek or Italian, or Russian?

My ethnic mates get asked all the time 'so where are you from mate” usually from whitefella Australians. (They being natural born immigration officers and ethno-biologists and all)

And they respond with the same answer “I’m blah blab blah "

Next question "so how long have you been in Australia'?

Answer " I was born here, so were my great grandparents.

It seems that only 'white' Australian (meaning Anglo's) can truly claim to be true blue Australians and have the god given authority to determine who isn't OR is being Australian or UnAustralian. LOL

I reckon you should rethink your post BD, it’s a bit rough and not like you at all.

Yeah Petro the pedestrian parliamentary who is always threatening to walk across the floor doesn't impress me but he's entitled to be proud of his family and where they came from. It doesn't mean he's racist lunatic. (Unlike many posters here in OLO)

`·.. ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.

Not sure if 'race' is a physical state or a state of mind. People of the third generation still identify themselves same as their original ancestors? Why then did they not go "home" where they belonged?
I have a nephew in law whose parents are Italian born. My nephew is proudly Australian with nothing extra added .
Petro Georgiou is neither one thing nor another. He who has a foot in both camps is in danger of a painful split. [ouch!]
I do not think such a person has a right to be in our Australian government, maybe the Greeks would be glad of him.

Dear Rainer
you should know me by now mate... I am NOT 'proud' to be English/Scottish...... Not even proud to be Aussie, though there are many admirable things about Australia.

Don't you remember that article which received quite a bit of attention, I think Mercurious wrote it.. about 'admiration' and 'pride'.

There are 2 types of 'pride'.. 'arrogance' and 'admiration'.
I don't think there is any reason to be proud in an arrogant sense about our ethnicity or roots. I also feel we are treading on very quicksandy soil when we speak 'proudly' (in the nicest way) about such and such discovery made by 'our' mob... Its just a bees dick away from 'racism' and true 'we are superior'ism :) (excuse my colorful language.)

I prefer that we view all people through the microscope of 'the best well being of all and for all' and to me social harmony is one such characteristic.

I've noticed the stares of 'white australians' who clearly take a dim view of 'White Aussies' being married to 'Asian women'.. I've also seen the dissapproving glances from white women.

Sliding into 'ethno/social groupings' is just about the easiest thing in the world. I've noticed even with my Mrs, that she gravitates more easily toward Asians. Be they Laotian, Viet, Chinese, etc. Its so easy also to slide into 'mutual dependancy/support' social groupings along these lines. Its not a superiority thing, its just the 'line of least resistance'. I should also mention that when a cross cultural couple in our church, where the wife was aboriginal, she also gravitated to that lady. Each time a cross cultural couple arrives in our fellowship, its like two pieces of a jigsaw coming together.. we quickly greet them and get to know them. "Line of least resistance" :) I think also, there is a sense of shared experience.

We 'notice' cross cultural couples immediately they walk in, for obvious reasons. But I can easily forsee a situation which could create social resentment if we obviously gathered with the cross's each week and we became a clique. I totally understand this.

I reckon one of the great things about being an Australian (and this is not unique to Australia, but not necessarily present in every country) is that you can be culturally both Australian and something else. Of course, you can hold dual nationality as well, so you can in fact be a citizen of two countries. And presumably some people who are no longer Australian think of themselves as Australian, say Rupert Murdoch.

I'm proud of my English, Scottish, Irish, Cornish, Italian (I think), Dutch heritage - does that make me a multiple racist?

Graham.... I can understand 'awareness' of ethnic background, but for the life of me I cannot understand 'pride' in ethnicity.

I'd love to know what particular 'thing' you are proud of in your rich ethnic make up ? Perhaps this is one area of life where it is better to put it in the negative "I am not ashamed" to be this or that. Nope..that doesn't sound right either...

When you say your are 'proud' of those ethnic components to 'you' .. be more specific please ? This is my problem. I cannot see anything in different ethnic backgrounds which is substantially different from others apart from cultural.

As I'm often being reminded in this forum (Usually just after I've been called a racist) "There is only one race...the 'human' race" but I don't agree with that.. there are many races, yet we are all human, and equally so.

But equality of human-ness does not give us a licence to substantially alter or manipulate a host culture in terms of that which is of primary benefit to just our own. (when we migrate there)

I just cannot imagine migrating to Italy, and my grandchildren thinking of themselves in any other way than as 'Italians of Australian ancestry'. I also cannot imagine myself trying to maintain a little slice of 'Australia' in my own family or among a few other Aussie families who migrated to the same place.

I've been though the process of adapting to another culture. When I returned from Malaysia I actually THOUGHT in Malay, after just 8 yrs.
Once we learn the cultural equivalents and signals... it become so much easier, feel more relaxed and are more accepted.

I long for the day when all migrants come here to be 'Australians' first, without reference to ethnicity.

David if immigrants become Australians first,then they can't use their ethicity as leverage to gain advantage.We would be then infringing on their rights to be viewed as disadvantaged.

It does make you wonder who the real offenders of racial discrimination are.

Amen Arjay....

a lot of what goes on in the name of 'MultiCulturalism' is in reality the politics of discriminatory social advancement.

Banjo said: (other_thread)

[The concept of MC was foisted upon us by Grazzby, Whitlam and Fraser and has been used by politicians to give money, and jobs, to ethnic 'furhers' in exchange for votes.]

...and this is the real problem. All communities see the world in terms of their own community. This is not a problem for a homogenous community, who tend to see themselves in relation to the world, rather than introspectivly comparing groups within.

So, we have 'Ethnic Councils' which are 'promoted' as 'serving the needs of Ethnic groups' or.. another way of looking at them is "Lobbying for social advantage for ethnic communities" such as...seeking to influence immigration policy to make it easier for the loudest ethnic voices to obtain familiy re-union privileges. Possibly extending them to 'polygamous' families. This actually WAS the case, (Refer Kaysar Trads situation) but apparently (they told me) it has been since tightened.

Ethnic councils may also seek to influence foreign policy in ways which advance ethnic interests over the mainstream ones. Then there is the whining about the need for 'ethnic community centres' which are tacked onto the 'Cronulla' deal, and portrayed as being a solution.

Ethnic Migration has always been about, and will always be about some kind of political angle. Labor probably favours 'ethnic' migration, the Coalition probably favors 'British' ?

But one thing is sure, our 'nobility' (the rich and well placed) will continue taking the line of least resistance in the fulfillment of an economic agenda.

PROBLEM:-Lack of Training/Education resulted in a skills shortage.
SOLUTION:-Bring in Skilled migrants.

PROBLEM:-IT workers cost too much in Australia. (code for the CEO wants his performance bonus this year)
SOLUTION: Outsource 300 IT jobs to India and then claim "We can't find enough trained people here" but in the next public realtions breath say "We need a competitive advantage" duh

Graham,
'I'm proud of my English, Scottish, Irish, Cornish, Italian (I think), Dutch heritage - does that make me a multiple racist? '
No- a better description would be a new-age trendy.

Gerogiou & his little cliche of likeminded pretenders ought to be forthright enough to leave the protective cover of the Liberal party & stand as independents.
If they did, I think their political careers would come to an abrupt halt.

Arjay,
So whats your ethnicity? ("Australian" is not an ethnicity, its a nationality)

You have difficulty understanding this because:

You can avoid spending time with people whom you were trained to mistrust.

If you should need to move, you can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which you can afford and in which you would want to live.

You can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that you will not be followed or harassed.

When you are told about our national heritage or about "civilization," you are shown that people of your color made it what it is.

You can be casual about whether or not to listen to another person's voice in a group in which s/he is the only member of his/her race.

You can arrange to protect your children most of the time from people who might not like them.

You can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to your race.

You are never asked to speak for all the people of your racial group.

You can criticize the government and talk about how much you fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.

If you declare there is a racial issue at hand, or there isn't a racial issue at hand, your race will lend me more credibility for either position than a person of color will have.

You can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.

If your day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it had racial overtones.

You can choose public accommodation without fearing that people of your race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen.

You can be sure that if you need legal or medical help, your race will not work against me.

If you have low credibility as a leader you can be sure that your race is not the problem.

But you say you don't have an ethnicity?

Dear Ranier....
nice to hear something from the heart ! (at last)

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal 3.28

Cheers mate.

"nice to hear something from [Rainers] heart ! (at last)"

WHAT HEART?

That isn’t a heart, it's a black (sorry,colourless) hole!

Dear Horus, normally I think I agree with you, but not this time about Ranier.
Having watched his posts and asked for so long for him to tell us 'what do you WANT'...finally an inkling emerged in the post above.

I have the impression that Ranier is caught in a very human construct about life. I don't know if its some kind of identify struggle due to a possibly mixed heritage, but I do understand that it is real for him.

He is cherished by God as much as u and me, and through Christ, Ranier could find liberation from all the things he mentions above.
He would not find a perfect Church, but he would find a perfect Saviour, and that would set him free from the things he cries out about above.

The same goes for Marilyn Shepherd.

On topic, I was chatting with an English bloke at gym yesterday. We discussed how easy it would be in the UK to stir up racial/ethnic strife between English and Welsh. When an English bloke walks into a pub in Wales, the Welsh who have been conversing in English up to that point, will revert to Welsh language when the Pom enters.

Emphasizing difference is never the pathway to social harmony, and Petro Georgio will have a lot to answer for based on his work under Fraser cobbling together the policy of "MultiCulturalism" which to me was like giving the Fox the task of designing the chicken pen.
You can be sure that fox would design into the pen adequate 'access' points so he can later come in and snatch the hapless chickens.

David,
You are right - I think Rainer is basically a good guy.
I was baiting him-but he never took it up( & points to him, for that)

Though I wont go are far as endorsing Marilyn
I need to give that one a bit more thought.

Horus... I'm gradually gaining an insight into Marilyn and others...

Ranier is not of their ilk fortunately.

Tony Kevin, Marilyn Shepherd, Bob Brown are increasingly looking (to me) like a seditious gang.

They are not choosing issues which are of great national importance in view of our history. They are focusing only on issues which they feel will reap for them the greatest damage to the government and our institutions, and raise the profile of their political agenda.

They have adopted a 'take no prisoners' attitude, and as time goes by I may increasingly respond accordingly.

Anyone can choose an issue which suits them, then claim all manner of 'compassion', but to do so on issues which are so low relatively speaking (Siev X thread) on the priority list, demonstrates the base and immoral political agenda they are persuing.

They have picked issues such as the Siev X rather than justice for Indigenous people in Melbourne or Queensland. Why ? I can only think that they see political advantage in it. Why would you see a list of historical issues, and choose just number 27 out of 30 with 30 being the lowest priority, rather than number ONE.

Again, it gets back to simple politics. The more you stick up for 'Arab/Muslim Assylum Seekers (granted, there are others among them) the more likely you are to pick up VOTES from the Arab/Muslim community.
Translate this into 'marginal seat outcomes' and you have the real agenda they are pushing.

The 350 asylum seekers who drowned are simply another 'weapon' in their arsenal. if they were not, they would be focusing their energies on much higher priorities.

The Georgio's of Australia epitomise all that is wrong, stupid and self-destructing about multuculturalism. Greeks are always Greeks, even if they have never been near the country of their ancestors. Howard's recent statement that other immigrants should take a leaf out of Greek immigrant's books when it comes to settling into to Australia was complete and utter nonsense.

After that court case that stopped the One Nation parliamentary member for taking her seat, I was very crooked on duel citizenship as the other MPs showed their hypocracy by not revealing they also had duel citizenship and a precedident had been set so they should step down.

Now I am not so sure as duel citizen could work to our advantage. Now a citizen cannot by deported for any crime committed, but if we legislate to be able to withdraw citizenship then those criminals with duel citizenship can be deported, if we so desire.

Having that capability may not be a bad thing