After the London Underground bombing of 2005
Peter Costello was troubled by the fact that
young people born and raised in a democratic
society would turn to terrorism and kill their
fellow citizens in the name of Islam. He gave a
speech at the Sydney Institute in which he
argued that freedom and tolerance can be protected
only within a legal framework that is accepted by
all. I think it is appropriate to include it
in this discussion - because in my opinion, it sums
up rather well what a Multicultural Nation Australia
means:

"...Outside Australia's Indigenous people, we are all
immigrants or descendents of immigrants - some earlier
than others- but all with an experience of immigration
during the foundation of modern Australia. Australia is
part of the New World the world of immigration, not
part of the Old World, or the places they embark from. This
is why we are suspicious of inherited titles and privileges.
Nobody can afford to get too precious about their position
of entitlements in this country because we all know that
position and entitlements are comparatively new."

"Australia's immigration experience is also a broad one.
Originally it was Anglo-Celtic but after the war our
immigrants came increasingly from Europe. In more recent
times, Vietnamese and Chinese and other immigrants have grown
increasingly in numbers. And all these immigrant communities have
made successful contributions to Australian life."

"Australia is often described as a successful multicultural
society. And it is, in the sense that people from all
different backgrounds live together in harmony. But there is
a predominant culture just as there is a predominant
language. And the political and cultural institutions that
govern Australia are absolutely critical to that attitude of
harmony and tolerance. Within an institutional framework
that preserves tolerance and protects oder we can celebrate and
enjoy diversity - in food, in music, in religion, in language,
and culture. But we could not do that without the framework
which guarantees the freedom to enjoy diversity."

cont'd ...

Lester1>> Keep Australia white, it's our traditional culture and is the reason why we're so prosperous<<

Poor choice of verbiage Lester.
Keep Australia modern and forward thinking suits better.
We do not want sharia or any other social engineering platform that takes any existing rights and laws away from us.

I also include all the nanny state legislations meant to keep us safe or controlled.

cont'd ...

More from Peter Costello's speech:

"The Australian Citizenship Oath or Affirmation tries
to capture the essence of what it means to be
Australian. It reads as follows: "From this time forward
(under God) I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its
people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights
and liberties I respect and whose laws I will uphold and
obey." To be an Australian citizen one pledges loyalty
first: loyalty to Australia. One pledges to share certain
beliefs - democratic beliefs - to respect the rights and
liberty of others and to respect the rule of law."

There's a lot os sense in this pledge. Unless we have a consensus
of support about how we will form our legislatures and an
agreement to abide by its laws, none of us will be able to
enjoy our rights and liberties without being threatened by
others. Costello says that, "We have a compact to live
under a democratic legislature and obey the laws it makes. In
doing this the rights and liberties of all are protected."

>To be an Australian citizen one pledges loyalty
first: loyalty to Australia>...by Foxy

Australia's intelligence agencies believe that more than 100 Australians have travelled overseas to fight with groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria. A Brisbane man is believed to have become the first Australian suicide bomber in Syria in a truck bomb attack earlier this year.

Representatives of the group, who are aged from 17 to 40 and come from suburbs stretching from Lakemba to Penrith, have spoken out about the crackdown, saying they are outraged at the infringement on their human rights.

Wissam Haddad, owner of the former Al Risalah Bookstore in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown, who has not had his passport cancelled, but knows many of the men, said there was nothing to link them except their religion and their reputation for speaking up about discrimination. Mr Haddad said they knew of each other, but had little in common, and did not attend the same mosques or prayer halls.

Fifteen of the men have instructed lawyer Zali Burrows to seek a review of the cancellations. ''I anticipate it will be a battle,'' said Ms Burrows.

Mr Haddad said ASIO attention on their communities had increased since the death of popular Sydney sheikh Mustapha Al Majzoub in a rocket attack in Syria last year, while carrying out humanitarian and charity work in the conflict-torn country.

An ASIO spokesman said that under the Australian Passports Act 2005, ASIO may request on security grounds that an Australian passport be cancelled or an application for an Australian passport be declined.

“Multi Cultural Nation”?

Kat

do not want sharia or any other social engineering platform
sonofgloin,
To achieve that we must first rid ourselves of the cause that brought us to this stage, PC.

In my view, Australia is already a Multi-Cultural nation. Generally, most structured immigration has proved quite successful with some notable exceptions.

Unfortunately, many of those from Islamic countries will not easily assimilate into the Australian culture, and some individuals, never ! Nor do these people have any intention of embracing any component of our unique Aussie lifestyle, as most of us are already well aware.

Moreover there's empirical evidence from my sources, indicating substantial growth within some Sydney suburbs, of a renewed strategy of total Islamization, and introduction of strict Sharia law, within their lifestyles.

Further, growth of this Islamic militancy is apparent by media reports that several hundred individuals have now left Australia for either Syria and/or Iraq to engage with rebels in their attempt to overthrow the governments of both those countries ? So serious is this exodus from Oz, President Obama has singled out Australia specifically, for this very unhealthy proclivity of our young Islamic Australians, pursuing this humiliating course of conduct ?

So is Australia a 'Multi-Cultural Country' ? Well, I suppose we are. 'What does it mean' ? In the case of a burgeoning incursion of Islamic émigré, a very unacceptable feature of our immigration policy.