LETTER

Australia unmasked

As a Sri Lankan who has lived in Australia for over 25 years, I am appalled by the inaccuracies and half truths in the article, ‘Secrets of Australian immigration history’ by Sanjeeva Wickremasena in Daily News, (March 7, 2011).

Australia does acknowledge its racist past and makes no secret about it. The worst racial atrocities Australia committed was against the aborigines for which Australia has made public apologies and commemorates them at ‘National Sorry Day’ events.

Australia recognises ‘White Australia’ policy as a disgrace of its past. During the 2011 Australia Day celebrations, SBS - a national media channel aired ‘Immigration-Nation’ documentary series on Australia’s shameful immigration past. The denial of citizenship to Asians who toiled in the development of the nation, injustices to the Pacific Islanders and Eastern Europeans were exposed. These issues are very much in the public discussion and are popular subjects of research.

The dismantling of the ‘White Australia’ policy cannot be credited to Malcolm Frazer but to the labour movement of the 1960’s including Al Grassby and Gough Whitlam who instigated the public agitation against the policy.

Charles Perkins who kidnapped the Fijian girl Nancy Prassad (not Kathy) was not a politician but an Aboriginal activist and a public servant. Australian Police did prosecute the culprits of recent crimes against Indian students in Melbourne. Yes, Australia failed to recognise these attacks as racially motivated because there was no convincing evidence to support it. In fact, Indian migrants have swelled in numbers in recent years and so have other Asian races.

The Cronulla riots were against Lebanese men who themselves have racial attitudes considering them ‘extra Europeans’, superior to other fellow Asians.

Australia today is a different country and has proven its policy of ‘fair go’ to everyone.

Today’s Australian engineers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals are mostly second generation Asians. Asians no longer are the coolie class but they are among the most affluent in the country. This does not mean that there are no racist Anglo Saxons, who may still display a ‘we are full’ sign.

Migrant numbers have grown steadily and today 50 percent of the population have their parents or themselves born overseas. Australia also has an overly sympathetic attitude towards the asylum seekers and bogus Sri Lankan Tamil refugees have hugely benefitted from it. In spite of many asylum seekers who received protection visas being caught visiting Sri Lanka - the country they supposedly fled, Australia still keeps entertaining these claims.

Mandatory detention is no longer applicable to women and children who now live in community towns and children attend mainstream schools.

Australia recognises the contribution of non Anglo Saxon migrants and they all share and enjoy the wealth of the nation in a peaceful manner.

- Rohan Bandarage

Colombo 8