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In recent years, multiculturalism has been a highly controversial topic around the world. According to Chu et al., (2016), multiculturalism is the presence of various cultures, including races and religions, expressed through the thinking process, values, and communication. Most people would agree that Australia is a multicultural country. For me, multicultural Australia is a thriving Australian culture and identity; nonetheless, some people would blame multiculturalism as a failure.
Some people would claim that multiculturalism includes too many things. That can cause many problems, especially at the national level, where the government is expected to treat people from different backgrounds and cultures equally. For example, Kymlica (cited in Carvalho 2016) found that this policy, without intention, may lead to cultural oppression by overly focusing on minorities instead of the vast majority. According to the stated definition of multiculturalism, it completely lost its meaning in existence. Multiculturalism, consequently, is defined by some politicians as a failure that, over time, has slowly strengthened ‘inter-group segregation’. (Gul-Rechlewicz 2015) Multiculturalism can put stress on people as well. In recent years, the population in multicultural societies, like Australia, has felt a little bit of anxiety. Smolicz (1997) pointed out that how a group determines otherness depends on that group’s view of the manifestations of its distinctiveness that is perceived as cultural markers. New immigrants with all core values, which some different from what Australians believed as their identities, are all counted as Australians. These too many cultures, from a significant number of immigrants, make some Australians think that they have lost several social values they perceived as identities of Australia. (Short 2018) With all the listed reasons, some people feel that this failed policy should be reconsidered.
It is not the first time that Australians have questioned multiculturalism, but its benefits are tangible. The first period was between the 1880s and 1960s when the Australian government adopted the White Australia policy, officially known as the restrictive immigration policy. Jupp (1995) claimed that this policy aims to assimilate and create ‘an ethnically homogenous society’. Until the 1970s, multiculturalism was introduced to Australia and was used as a base idea to underpin other policies such as the guideline about the immigrants’ right to maintain their original cultures without prejudice. The second period is when John Howard became the prime minister from 1996 to 2007 as Henry and Kurzak (2013) clarified that he ‘did not refer to multiculturalism as Australian identity’. Except for these two periods, Australia exists as a multicultural nation. Reconciliation Australia (n.d.) pointed out that Australia, with 270 different indigenous languages, has been a multicultural continent since before the European invasion. I agree with Soutphommasane (2016) that multiculturalism should not be considered a failure because of its advantages to Australia. One of those was a well-recognized moment from the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when Cathy Freeman won a gold medal. During her victory lap, she carried two flags: an Australian flag and an Aboriginal flag. It showed not only Australia’s effort in reconciliation but also the importance of multicultural society as a fundamental human right that allows people to hold their original identity. (Andrews & Jackson 2001) Lower birth rate and an aging population are current Australian population trends. (Healy 2016) That can be a problem because there will be fewer workers and less economic growth combined with burdens to provide necessary infrastructures, such as hospitals, for an increasing number of older people. Ng and Metz (2015) explained that multiculturalism helps Australia solve this problem by attracting skilled workers. Moreover, these immigrants are also encouraged to still connect with their birth country resulting in facilitating trade between their origins and Australia. (Ng & Metz 2015) Supporting both Australia’s economy and society, multiculturalism is a success story.
Australian identities, like other forms of cultures, are dynamic—and changeable—so, Australians should hold multiculturalism as their core value. The population living in the same area often share the same sets of traditions because of the culture they have or believe in. However, those perceptions are created by humans. In other words, they are social rules in just a period; they can be changed. In a series of investigations conducted by Boumankhar (2011) at the Melbourne Museum, 96 percent of people believe in multiculturalism and that people can retain their cultures. However, some Australians may still face difficulty dealing with multiculturalism, because what they think as their core is changed. I would suggest they hold multiculturalism as their identity instead. That is because multicultural culture makes people respect other cultures. They will not see different cultures as extraneous matters, which can replace their identity anymore. Most Australians, for example, believe themselves as immigrants, although they are the third generation by defining themselves as Australians of another origin. (Boumankhar 2011) This result supports the study of Asian Australians by Clark (2007) that ‘the expression of cultural diversity’ does not affect a sense of belonging to Australia. Those who may be concerned can prevent their minds from breaking down by holding multiculturalism as their proud central identity. That will allow them to keep more than one identity at the same time.
Multiculturalism is a great success as an identity of all Australians. Some people would be convinced that multiculturalism is a failure because they might think that their characters can be replaced or differently shaped by other cultures. They can prevent mental collapses, from dynamic core values, by counting multiculturalism as another identity. In the political sphere, multiculturalism is often seen as a failed public policy. That can happen because of the different definitions of multiculturalism and assimilation. Despite segregation between groups from different backgrounds, which can be solved by careful administration and legislation, multiculturalism has many advantages in terms of human rights, economic growth, and an aging population. Multicultural Australia is also internationally praised as a great case study that can be adjusted in each country to make the world a better place to live.
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