Exploitation of students by employers, rogue colleges mistreating students, landlords demanding high rents for a small room only, racial attacks involving Indian students followed by an Indian student protest in the heart of Melbourne and outrage in politics while students in India burnt the Aussie flag. It all sounds very `Unaustralian`. But it happened last week and it could happen again. A lot has been said about the robbery and assault of Indian students in Melbourne and please read this great blog from Ben about the recent events. But the main question remained unanswered: Is Australia a racist country and unsafe for foreign students?

 

During the Beijing Olympics I remember buying a phone-card from a Chinese woman in Melbourne. We chatted about the Olympics and I asked her about the great achievements of Chinese athletes. She seemed annoyed by the question and in broken English she replied: “No, me not Chinese, me Australian!” It is a great example of how immigrants in this country assimilate and proudly feel Australian within a very short time. Unlike many other Western countries where immigrants feel left out and not part of society. Why do Aussie immigrants in general feel safe and at home? What makes Australia different, apart for the wonderful climate, great beaches and easy lifestyle?

 

Australia is a multi cultural country. In 2007-08, the number of new migrants who settled permanently in Australia was 205,940. In 2007-08, the top 10 countries of birth of permanent settlers (onshore and arrivals) were: United Kingdom (30,841); New Zealand (27,619); India (22,688); China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) (21,208); South Africa (7,762); Philippines (7,382); Malaysia (5,139); Korea (4,953); Sri Lanka (4,824); Thailand (3,384) comprising 66% of the total. The remaining 34% of permanent settlers were born in over 190 other countries. Opening immigration to people from a large number of countries has resulted in a great diversity of established and emerging ethnic communities in Australia. But has it also led to a racist society where non-white people are under greater danger of being exploited or attacked? Well for a starter, the short history of this country is not particularly filled with of stories regarding tolerance and equal opportunities.

 

For long, Australia officially practiced a `white Australia` policy, running up till the 1970’s. After World War II, fear relating to becoming an Asian dominated country led to a pro Western Europe migrant policy making it difficult, if not impossible, for other races to receive citizenship.

 

The treatment of the first Australians, the Indigenous people, has been appalling for many years. In the first half of the 20^th century, black children were systematically taken away from their parents and raised in orphanages by `white nuns` to make sure they would adapt to a `white culture`. And even now there are clear disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia across all indicators of quality of life. Indigenous peoples generally experience lower standards of health, education, employment and housing. They are over-represented in the criminal justice system and the care and protection systems nationally compared to non-Indigenous people. Life expectancy is on average 17 years less than other Australians, infant mortality rate is twice as high as average in Australia and unemployment was 16% in2006, compared with less than 4% average.

 

The Cronulla riots of 2005 were a series of racially motivated mob confrontations which originated in and around Cronulla, a beachfront suburb of Sydney. The direct reason for the riots was a confrontation between a group of Middle Eastern men and some local Cronulla beach surf lifesavers. Police had earlier stated that they believed this previous assault had been racially motivated.

 

Under the former Howard government, asylum seekers who were caught trying to illegally enter the country were detained for many years on small islands or in prisons way out in the desert, without trial.

 

Above are just a few examples of racial problems within Australia in recent years. Social and cultural tensions sometimes even turn into violent confrontations. Shameful as they are, the examples are maybe not so different from recent racially motivated violence in Birmingham (England), Paris (France), Los Angeles (US), Naples (Italy) and many other countries. It seems to be an awful consequence of `our fears and need to belong to a culture`, magnified by Globalisation, and should be taken very serious by governments around the world. Some policies by the Australian government point at change. After the Rudd’s government official `Apology to Indigenous People`, there is new hope for improved living conditions and equal rights. Wide spread protests led to a more humane treated of asylum seekers, while Australian Muslim organisations have openly condemned orthodox leaders’ anti feminine and intolerant speeches leading to more understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

 

Official Australian crime statistics do not show any signs of a higher percentage of immigrants being victim of assault or robbery. If anything, it is risky to be a young male, as guys between 18 and 24 are many times more at risk to be robbed or attacked as other demographics. A United Nations human rights committee noted with satisfaction that serious acts of racial hatred or incitement to racial hatred are criminal offences in most Australian States and Territories. It particularly welcomed, in this regard, legislative developments in Victoria and Queensland. It also advised Australia to: “Consider adopting a comprehensive plan of action for human rights education including training programmes for public officials, teachers, judges, lawyers and police officers on the rights protected under the Covenant and the First Optional Protocol. Human rights education should also be incorporated at every level of general education”.

 

It seems there is still a lot of work to do to make Australia a better place, but as a foreign student, I believe there are not many safer and better places in this world to live or study.