Advance Australia Fair?

“I struggle with celebrating a day that a bunch of ‘boat’ people came and took over a land – sorry to our indigenous brothers and sisters – and then now won’t let any other ‘boat’ people come ashore – sorry to our refugee/ asylum seeking brothers and sisters. I’m still very happy to be an Aussie, just not as proud of it today”.

The above is a quote from my sister Cath. It was her Facebook status yesterday. She’s allowed me to use it here.

She has summed up my sentiments about Autralia Day perfectly. I’ve been trying to write an Australia Day post for weeks, but couldn’t find the words. And then she summed it up succintly. Just like that.

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Now here’s the post that I’ve been trying to write…

There are many things I love about Australia. I love our wide open spaces. I love our freedoms and rights. I love our opportunities. I love the Aussie larrikin. I love our broad sense of humour.

I have romantic notions about our country sometimes. Much like that Qantas ad, you know the one with the Australian Girls Choir singing “I Still Call Australia Home”… images of sandy white beaches, the Opera House, stunning desert lands. There are even images of white kids running with indigenous kids. Utopian harmony!

But I know this is just an ad. Not exactly reality. Just a sentimental view of our best bits. Unfortunately there are ugly bits too. Not physical ugliness, but an ugliness of heart in some of the inhabitants.

One of the ugliest things that I have observed is the persistence of xenophobia – “the unreasonable fear of foreigners”. It’s also known as racism. It seems to have been here since white man arrived. Not sure why it has to hang around for over 200 years. Can’t we shake this disease?

Newsflash: Unless you are an indigenous Australian, you and I are foreigners. We’re guests, we’re squatters,we’re convicts, we’re immigrants, we’re boat people!

Can you feel the irony? Most of the xenophobic masses are people who, by history’s definition, are foreigners to this land themselves. They were once immigrants. They once came by boat to this land (or airplanes in later years). And these very same people are now bulging with self-entitlement, declaring that immigrants- especially ‘boat people’ – are not welcome.

I don’t think every Australian is racist, but I recently discovered how rampant racism actually is. A few people will admit their racism, but most will say “I’m not racist, but… {insert racist phrase here}”.

Here’s a few examples that I’ve heard.

• “I’m not racist, but Aborigines are a bunch of drunk people who don’t help themselves”
• “I’m not racist, but asylum seekers should go back to where they came from and join the queue”
• “I’m not racist, but boat people should be locked up until we sort out if they’re genuine refugees”
• “I’m not racist, but refugees just want our welfare payments and won’t get jobs”
• “I’m not racist, but what if they take all our jobs?”

If you’re not convinced that there’s racist elements in our culture, all you have to do is Google ‘Aussie Pride’ and find some shocking groups out there. I am deliberately not linking to them, because I don’t want to invite that sickening vibe back into my blog. Or you can check out this blog. It is dedicated to exposing the overt racist remarks people make on social forums like Facebook or Twitter.

Racist attitudes are propelled by scaremongering and misinformation. They spread like wildfire through the population because they are convenient to believe. The fuel of the fire is fear. And ignorance. But it’s more than ignorance, it’s wilful ignorance. If you choose to swallow the line of of racism, you have chosen to not examine the facts.

Here’s some myths and facts: (The following is quoted from this link:  Myths and Facts about Boat People).

Myth: Boat people are not genuine asylum seekers.
Fact: Those who risk their lives in attempting the perilous journey by boat are more likely to be genuinely in need of protection. While only around 20-40% of plane arrivals are found to be genuine refugees, the proportion for boat arrivals is 85-90%.

Myth: Mandatory detention is necessary for border security.
Fact: Australia is one of few nations in the world which locks up asylum seekers who arrive without visas.  Not only is the detention mandatory, it is indefinite as well. At present, it is averaging around 2-3 years. Australian practice has shown that asylum seekers allowed to live in the community while their asylum claims are processed are highly unlikely to abscond. This is because they have a vested interest in cooperating in order to gain full protection rights.

Myth: Stopping the boats will save lives.
Fact:  For people who are desperate, people smugglers are their only escape route.  Cutting off a person’s last line of escape is no great favour. And if you are killed by the Taliban, you are just as dead as if you drown. Since there is no ‘queue’, refugees deterred from a boat trip are also effectively prevented from ever gaining resettlement in Australia. This is the real reason behind the ‘stop the boats’ mantra. It’s not about saving the lives of asylum seekers. It’s about keeping them out of Australia.

Myth: Refugees do not contribute to society.
Fact: By definition, refugees are survivors. They have survived because they have the courage and initiative to do so. These are exactly the qualities we value.  Refugees express immense gratitude and dedication to their new country.  There are many refugees in this country who have gone on to do great things and have served us well in the fields of medicine, science, the arts, politics and much more.

We can also expose ourselves to facts by reading good material. One of the best things I’ve read for awhile is Charlie Teo’s Australia Day address. It’s a long read, but so well worth it. He’s shines!  He’s a fine example of the value that immigrants bring to our country.

So when Australia Day comes around I struggle with feeling patriotic. Nothing wrong with patriotism. But I find that this day tends to bring out a particularly obnoxious form of it. And in some instances it is thinly veiled racism. This day tends to highlight the unattractive traits of “the typical Aussie” – like arrogance and boorishness.

When Australia Day comes around I struggle with celebrating it. Because I wonder what we are celebrating. As a nation I think we have unresolved baggage. Our history is steeped in conflict with our indigenous population, where no solid reparations have been made. Our policies are saturated in hypocrisy, where we promote cultural diversity yet both sides of politics are hellbent on imprisoning asylum seekers.

I think Australia Day could be a glorious day. A truly beautiful day.

I think it could be a day where we celebrate our unique heritage – a rich blend of cultures and traditions from all over the globe.

It could be a day we respect each other no matter what religion or creed we follow.

It could be a day we make amends with our indigenous brothers and sisters, symbolically or practically.

It could be a day we welcome those who have fled danger, those who by sheer bad luck were born into repressive regimes.

It could be a day that we celebrate our freedom by giving other people their freedom.

It could be a day of compassion. It could be a day of healing.

It could be all of these things. But at the present, it is not.

I am grateful to call myself Australian. And I am hopeful that one day we can call ourselves a fair nation. But until we sort out our dirty laundry, I struggle to feel proud.

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Before I go, here’s some words from the lesser known second verse of our national anthem. I hope we can live up to it.

For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.

*Image 1: Freedom is Expensive by ‘S’ – courtesy of Refugee Art Project
*Image 2: We want Freedom – courtesy of  Refugee Art Project

The Refugee Art Project was conceived amongst a small collective of academics and artists of who are united by a shared concern for the plight of refugees to Australia and the asylum seekers who wait in Australian detention centres. As a source of therapy, they have organised art classes for asylum seekers in Sydney’s Villawood detention centre and for some who have recently been granted refugee visas and are settling into the community.

Tagged as: asylum seekers, compassion, freedom, social justice