a multicultural Research Library

Making multicultural Australia

Search the complete site: ... Sitemap » ... Links to other sites »

multicultural Audio »

Category: Audio Interviews »

Subject: Immigration »

thumbnail

FitzGerald Immigration Policy Review, 1988

Colin Rubenstein.

Dr Colin Rubenstein dicussing The Report on Australia's immigration policies.

Created:

1993

Date Added:

27 June 2002

Source:

"What is Wrong with Multiculturalism?", University of Adelaide, 2 December 1993

Format:

mov (Quicktime);

File size:

--

Length:

47 secs

Transcript

DR COLIN RUBENSTEIN
Former Senior Consultant, Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs

The Report on Australia’s immigration policies under the Chairmanship of Dr Stephen FitzGerald, which was tabled in June 1988, argued that diversity must never threaten harmony in Australia, and while applauding diversity, stressed that newcomers had to be made to fit in, and specifically that multiculturalism was an obstacle to national unity. Of course, the Report went on to sort of argue that the problem is not the policy as such, but that the term is misunderstood, and I think FitzGerald went on to propose the term cosmopolitan. Not surprisingly and in the end, Prime Minister Hawke strongly rejected that conclusion, that multiculturalism was divisive, and went on to bigger and better things in promoting multiculturalism.

From “What is Wrong with Multiculturalism?”, University of Adelaide, 2 December 1993.