Hasbeen,

Why stop there...why don't you call for Oz to wrap itself up in warm fuzzy blanket and block all possible outlets to the rest of the world....just like you've done with your psyche.

We could change our name from Australia to "Insular".

(You're a hoot!)

I think the author of the opening post thinks this forum is British based!

Personally, I don't care what they do with the schools in England, but one thing is for sure, in Australia I would never advocate turning over the running of the schools to the parents.
We have teachers for that job. If you want to control everything your child learns, teach them yourselves at home.

Hasbeen, there were many native languages in Australia, and English is only a recent one.
Maybe we need to push our kids to learn some indigenous languages?

It is none of anybody's business whether, what and how other parents teach their children, including languages.

However, those who wish to have children and have them educated by others, should pay for their education themselves (or find other donors who will fund their studies).

Although I dont agree with the original post I do feel a bit like a hypocrite because I remember in the 1960's the classes in Italian and Greek and the worship of Catholicism for the recent Italian and Greek Catholic migrant kids

It seems to me that today these 1960's Catholic Greek and Italian kids assimilated long ago and Im betting that the 2010's Muslim kids from the Middle East and South Asia will eventually do the same.

The only way forward is to welcome these people and include them in our day to day lives rather than to shun them and exclude their beliefs and cultures from this country..it worked in the 1960's with the Greeks and Italians and in the 1970's and 80's with the Vietnamese and Khmers and it will work today with our new recent migrants.

Crowie,

The people that you mention were not indoctrinated from a Sacred Text that tells them not to mix with their neighbours.

Have you not heard of the Koran?

Dear Is Mise,

<<The people that you mention were not indoctrinated from a Sacred Text that tells them not to mix with their neighbours.>>

But suppose they were indoctrinated that way - what then is your issue about it?

If their Sacred Text told them not to mix with their neighbours, that would surely include not shooting or bombing them, nor would it allow trying to convert their neighbours or asking them for welfare or any other services or favours.

Had this been the case with the Koran, then I wouldn't see why your objection!