A very well balanced post, Paul.
I first encountered migrants as a "call boy" (no! not what some of you are thinking!) at the old Locomotive Depot at Enfield and I found it fascinating to meet, as workmates, people from many other cultures and many of them became friends.
They assimilated well,but there was one big difference, they didn't have some of their religious leaders preaching hatred and running down the local culture and it is for these reasons that some of the current problems will continue beyond the grandchildren of today's generation.

Dear Is Mise,

Thank You for raising this very valid point.

Ignorance is one of the major causes
of unpleasant, or criminal, disconnects between people.
In extreme cases, terrorism aimed at killing fellow
humans exists and has to be explained. The lack of
exposure to other cultures leads to narrow-mindedness
and, worse, to an "us-them" divide.

Education is the answer.

Foxy is quite right education is the answer, but it too is the problem.
Are we trying to look good here, posting nice views we thought long and hard about, like putting on new clothing?
I hope most are not, sometimes the truth has more value.
Paul looks nice, a mate of mine he dressed up for the kill.
But why the MARICKVILLE LUNATIC anti Jewish campaign lead by the most radical fool in his party the Greens, find a way to say it is not the truth!.
It equals the racist assault we speak of here.
Now education, surely some understand bad or no education is the first tool in a racists tool box, along with hate.
Those foolish young men may be pillars of their community one day.
They unlike adults like the Marickvile Dill can learn.
Go back look again how would we tell of this event?
Elderly Jewish men assaulted but leave out how did it because to report the truth is racism.
Paint your pictures of my racism, but know it is weird stuff.
Any one assaulting folk of this age are less than nice.

I needed to add this in life we must not blind our selves nothing can ever be perfect.
And in response to those who want a leg in both camps, to say the assault was bad but talking of what divides us is racism.
To not understand a basic, we must in every part of life stride for better, is to forget it can only be by free speech and true debate we can change anything.
Hiding racism can not work.
Just as surely as racism is always bad it come from minority's too.
And they like all racists should be bought to task for the actions like this threads event of interest, do not put the rent on any of them being sent away for this.

Foxy, "Ignorance is one of the major causes of unpleasant, or criminal, disconnects between people.....The lack of exposure to other cultures leads to narrow-mindedness and, worse, to an "us-them" divide."

You would be one of the very, very few people on Earth whose rigid authoritarian Left idealism (to put the kindest possible tag on it) makes the vulnerable, uninvolved victims of terrorism responsible for the terrorism that is waged against them.

The victims themselves are blameworthy in your weird world because of their 'disconnects' with the terrorists and their 'lack of exposure to other cultures' and their 'narrow-mindedness' that you say causes a 'them and us divide'.

You would 'educate' the victims as well apparently. That is very nasty stuff.

The benefit of the freedom of speech that authoritarian Left bigots like Nicola Roxon tried to censor with restrictions on the media is that sooner or later the political extremists are uncovered and usually through their own utterances and behaviour. Even so, the Trotskyist Greens Watermelons have always managed to fly under the radar. You seem to be always talking their talk and walking their walk. But last election an exasperated public caught up with them, which is a good thing too.

Dear Belly,

I'm glad that we agree on this issue.

I've just come across a link that may be of interest.
I'd like to quote a bit from it:

"As Australia's population grows and becomes even more
culturally diverse, government will need to be increasingly
proactive to ensure that racism is kept in check and that
social cohesion is nurtured. Australia's national
anti-racism strategy needs to be strengthened and integrated
into the education curriculum, not only in civics and
citizenship, but also in core subjects such as history,
geography, and English literature."

"Now is also not the time to water down Australia's laws
against incitement to racial hatred. On the contrary, the
incident in Bondi illustrates that the current review by the
NSW government of the criminal law against serious incitement
to racial hatred needs to be given high priority."

"According to the 2011 census, some 140 linguistic, cultural or
ethno-religious groups are represented in the Australian
population with more than 300 ancestries. For more than
40 percent of Australians, one or both parents were born
overseas."

"If we are to keep Australia safe and free, racism is an evil
we can no longer avoid tackling head on."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/28/antisemitic-attack-bondi