A moment to reflect how far we have come

The Australian ^ | 26 January, 2009 | The Australian

[James C. Bennett]

AUSTRALIA Day marks the real start of the year in this country: once tomorrow's holiday is out of the way, the nation gets down to the serious business of work and school after the summer break. This year, the celebratory mood is likely to linger longer thanks to the upswing in the economy and a growing confidence in the future after a year of living anxiously in the shadow of a global downturn. The year begins with real hope that economic stability and strength will nurture the social coherence and health that must be the core goal of any modern society.

But our national holiday becomes an empty affair if we ignore the real challenges facing many of us. This is particularly the case for indigenous Australians at a time when, despite government commitment to practical development in areas such as health, education and housing, so many still live in appalling conditions.

Twenty-two years ago, at the Bicentennial celebrations on Australia Day, the nation was trapped in a painful historical debate that denied the real issues facing indigenous people, particularly those in remote areas. The often fruitless arguments over whether the country had been invaded or settled 200 years earlier served to polarise rather than educate white and black Australians over their shared history. Today, that debate has been largely replaced by an awareness that our indigenous heritage must go hand in hand with improving the health and education chances for Aborigines and ending the dysfunctional behaviour, violence and sexual abuse destroying many communities. The nation has come a long way in two decades in recognising the rights of indigenous Australians to decent housing, education and jobs and the Rudd government has committed to improving outcomes. There is room for optimism, albeit tempered by the realisation of the challenges caused by generations of welfare dependency, drug and alcohol abuse and a failure of the education system to teach basic literacy to so many Aborigines.

Twenty-two years ago, there were 16.6 million people living here. Today the figure is 22 million and by mid-century we will be 35 million. This is a dramatic and desirable increase: The Australian is excited by the potential for vibrant social and economic growth based on a bigger nation. But we need clear plans about absorbing that growth without threatening our economic wellbeing or, given that part of the increase will come from immigration, our social integration. The demographic time bomb of a bigger and older population must be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat, with taxation, superannuation and environmental policies based on reward as well as responsibility. The integration of more ethnically diverse Australians must be carefully guarded, something that Tony Abbott alluded to in an Australia Day speech delivered on Friday. In this context too, it is important to note the recent debate about racism and the role it may have played in violence against Indian students, especially in Melbourne. Racism has no role in Australia which, since the abolition of the White Australia Policy in the mid-1970s, has built an enviable reputation as a tolerant and welcoming nation. This must be protected, not only by stamping out criminal behaviour against any Australian or visitor here, but by an open and transparent approach from politicians and police. There is nothing to be gained by a politically correct refusal to acknowledge the real tensions in some sections of society. Australians are right to resist the racist tag being applied to them, but there is no room for complacency as they are asked to absorb people from different backgrounds. Australia Day - marked by citizenship ceremonies around the nation - is a perfect time to affirm belief in a mature and single society that also accommodates difference.

Finally, no Australia Day passes without a thorough examination of the national mood for a republic. This year we note that while the affection for Prince William and respect for his grandmother is obvious, those feelings would seem to have little or nothing to do with Australians' support for a republic.

In the short term, as we head back to the office and into an election year, Australians have every right to feel that, no matter how big the challenges of population growth; immigration; and the pressing needs of indigenous Australians, we have the capacity to continue to build a stable, open and purposeful society. In his speeches leading up to Australia Day, the Prime Minister has focused on our economic future in a clear acknowledgment that the job of governments is to facilitate an economy that delivers to all of its citizens. The primacy that Kevin Rudd has given to productivity, controlling the deficit through tight budgetary restraint, and the importance of efficient infrastructure highlights the central role that economic wellbeing will - and should - play in an election year.

There's more to life, of course, and the Australia Day celebrations draw attention to less tangible questions of community, social tolerance, and national identity. It is a day when we can enjoy being Australian and acknowledge a lifestyle both industrious but relaxed, underpinned by an economy well-placed to exploit our mineral wealth and position in Asia in order to lock in prosperity.

[James C. Bennett]

Happy Australia Day!