Like everyone else in this room I was aghast at the news of a terror attack in the heart of Paris. While initially my thoughts were with the victims, they soon turned to the possibility of a similar attack occurring here in Australia. While I had always thought of Australia as one of the safest, stable and prosperous nations on Earth, the reactionary rhetoric I saw on television, YouTube and print media made me question my convictions. I began to see threats where I never did before. For the first time I was genuinely displeased with the Australian parliament for their inability, and their disregard to address a threat. No I am not talking about Islamic extremism. I am not even here to talk about the countless atrocities . I was disappointed in my governments refusal to tackle the increasing Anti-Islam protests, parties and policies in the wake of a horrific attack which, instead of uniting Australians and the world, has divided ordinary Australians along lines of racism and prejudice.
Australia has international obligations to combat racism, which require enacting hate speech legislation. Hate speech is a public expression of discrimination against a vulnerable group (based on race, gender,
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Hate speech is immensely destructive to society and to its victims. Enduring discrimination as of a result of others prejudice over years can limit people’s opportunities, isolate them from society, push them into poverty, lead to loss of self-esteem and depression, and endanger their health and safety. Indeed it is both ironic and unfortunate that victims of hate speech often turn to the very extremism that they have been copping abuse for, despite a lack of association. It is wrong to diminish the dignity of some individuals just so others can freely spout hate against them. Leading perpetrators of hate should be prosecuted for the dangerous rhetoric they
These facts have been supported through a plethora of sources derived from numerous non-bias outlets and outline Australia’s willingness to fight
The notion of responsibility for actions is also exemplified in Pearson 's speech, as he presents an argument that the Australian community should take responsibility for Australia 's past injustices. Pearson expresses the need for the Australian community to have a sense of responsibility through pathos and repetition as he subtly instils a sense of guilt within the Australian community. Furthermore, Pearson continues to respond to the audience 's pathos in the use of irony, "For how can we as a contemporary community in 1996 share and celebrate in the achievements of the past, indeed feel responsibility for and express pride in aspects of our past, and not feel responsibility for and express shame in relation to other aspects of the past?” His statement is hard-hitting and causes the audience to reconsider their neglect towards the idea of holding responsibility for Colonial Australia 's actions. These speeches were able to reflect the statement that significant and valued speeches are able to transcend its immediate context as they have become a stepping stone in Australian society by influencing a change to reflect our values, evidently seen through former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd’s
After Paul Keating left office and the 25th Prime minister being John Howard openly declined to apologise to the stolen generations and to, accepting the ‘Brining Them Home Report’, he strongly believed that it wasn’t his responsibility to apologise for something that he did not do but the past Prime Ministers did. On the 13th of February 2008 our 26th Prime minister being Kevin Rudd took it upon himself to take responsibility for what the past Prime ministers did to those of the stolen generations, for the lives that were damaged and for those who are still suffering from
Regrettably, the impacts of colonisation have had detrimental effects on the Indigenous cultures remaining within Australia, being effected largely by media stereotypes and false accusations. Understandably, a mistrust for the government has developed throughout generations within Aboriginal communities, as years of slavery, pain, grief, depression and sorrow were caused by the Australian
Australia is the only country to have a system of mandatory detention where every single parent, man, woman, child who arrives here without a valid visa or illegal visa must undergo immigration detention immediately. The issue with the refugee treatment and mandatory detention in Australia is that their minds are so vulnerable and stressed after leaving their country. Detention can harm asylum seekers and refugees because they are indefinite meaning the government can detain people for the course of their life which has severe effects on a person’s emotions and wellbeing. Studies have shown that refugees who have come from a warfare filled country have and increased chance to undergo depression, self-harm and even attempt suicide when under a type of imprisonment such as immigration detention.
Introduction Australia is said to be a multicultural and multiracial country. So why can’t we, as a country and as a nation, say yes to immigrants fleeing from a different country? As immigration to Australia is supposably apart of our history and it would be wrong not to continue on with the actions of our ancestors. Paragraph 1 As of 2014 – 2015, Australia accepted 13,750 refugees in total. Paragraph 2 • What are refugees and asylum seekers?
Described as “Australia’s Martin Luther King moment” Stan Grant as part of the IQ2 debate series attempted to confirm the legitimacy of that “Racism is destroying the Australian Dream”. Grant pronounced that racism was not only eroding the Australian dream, but lay at its very foundation. Beginning his speech, Grant references the recent controversy involving former AFL player Adam Goodes and the racist butchery which lead to his eventual retirement. Grant talks inclusively about the incident inciting that "When we heard those boos, we heard a sound that was very familiar to us ...
We are one, but we are many These lyrics from Bruce Woodley’s iconic song ‘I am Australian’ encapsulate the essence of the Australian identity: unity, equality and a fair go for all. However, underneath the surface of our seemingly egalitarian society, the statement ‘we are many’ is the only one that remains. We are a nation divided. Divided by the historic mistreatment of the first inhabitants of our land.
Australia has been labelled as the country of mateship, fair-go and tolerance, but the mistreatment of Asylum seekers in Australia denies these values. In our anthem we sing “For those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share”. It ironic isn’t it? As when Asylum seekers arrive in Australia we do not offer a hand of mateship instead we use punitive matters such as sending them to mandatory detention, which shows how xenophobia is manifested in Australia (Ariyawansa,
This analysis looks at refugees and the social justice issue of Australia’s discriminatory treatment of refugees traveling to Australia seeking asylum. Australia’s current treatment of Asylum seekers includes taking them from an already extremely stressful environment and detaining them in remote detention facilities where they have limited interaction with family and friends. In some instances, this includes children and young people. The University western Sydney (2016)
In Australia, refugees and asylum seekers are treated like the enemy in a war: the target of a highly resourced, military-led “deterrence” strategy complete with arbitrary detainment, detention camps, guards to terrorise them, forced deportations and the violent suppression of those who protest. Australia is failing to meet the standards required when regarding the treatment of asylum seekers. It is fact that asylum seekers make up less than 3% of Australia’s annual immigration yet the idea is being distorted to that of which they will overpopulate a country that prides itself on being a multicultural society. I want to shed light on the misconception that asylum seekers are not ‘legal’ when in actual fact it is a human right to seek freedom.
The poem “Australia’s Silenced History” was written by Nola Gregory from Western Australia in November 2016 as a response to a powerful and provoking video called “Stan Grant talking about racism and the Great Australian Dream.” The poem was written so that our nation would not forget that Australia has a dark past. The subject of the poem is Australia’s dark history and how it impacted many people. The theme is the importance of respecting and acknowledging our history so it can be dealt with. The subject matter of the poem Australia’s Silenced History is about the shameful history of Australia.
The purpose of this report is to address ethnocentrism and Islamophobia in Australian society and how it can be reduced. This report will cover three key points. The history of ethnocentrism in Australia, how extreme versions of ethnocentrism such as Islamophobia is effecting Australian society, and how it can be resolved. This information has been drawn from peer reviewed academic journals and online newspaper articles. ISSUE History of Ethnocentrism
The discussion of hate crime has been very delicate over the past few months, from ISIS to police brutality. In this paper situations involving hate crime will be discussed such as the background; history of hate crime like the holocaust; special groups and genders that get “hated” on such as blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, and Jews; examples of hate crime; prominent figures like Donald Trump and his anti- Muslim and anti-immigrant policies as well as news pieces of hate crime; groups for and against other races like the black lives matter movement; statistics of hate crime and hate groups in the U.S.; the argument that
The term racism is when people from different cultures are treated differently based on their race. Racism is a disease with endless consequences . Over time it’s shocking that people think that others are different to them only because of their skin colour and culture. Racism has been and still is a prolific evil in the Australian society. Evidence of this includes The Stolen Generation, migrant treatment and social media.