Cosgrove speech highlights need for a broad debate about racial and religious differences

Mr Sam Afra, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) said the mixed response to former Defence Force chief Peter Cosgrove’s Australia Day address showed that “an honest and thoughtful debate about issues of racial, cultural, religious differences was long overdue in this country.”

 “General Cosgrove is to be commended for – in his words – ‘not beating around the bush’ when it comes to confronting the various ‘shades’ of intolerance that exist in Australian society,” Mr Afra said. “And while no individual perspective on these matters can ever be considered the absolutely correct and universally definitive one, there is much in General Cosgrove’s speech that warrants further exploration.

”Mr Afra said he agreed that Australia cannot afford to take it for granted that “we’ll always remain the ‘lucky country’” and that new ways need to be found to help new arrivals feel welcome and be a part of society.However, he cautioned against influential figures at the local and national level using incidents of unrest as an opportunity to sow seeds of fear and distrust in the community.“Yes, there are some unsavoury elements within our diverse society that demand urgent attention, but this should not be waved about as evidence of the failure of multiculturalism in this country.”

 “On the contrary, we live in a country which encourages the retention of cultural and religious heritage within a framework of laws, regulations and rights and has benefited immensely from the skills and ingenuity of migrants from around the world.”

 “We should not forget that overall, Australia has a strong community and we don’t want to derail all the efforts of those who’ve gone before to build a harmonious and successful society,” Mr Afra said.

 Mr Afra acknowledged that migrant communities were deeply distressed by the recent spate of crimes directed at ethnic minorities and reiterated his call for authorities to be equipped with the necessary resources to investigate and apprehend offenders and prevent further crimes.

 “As General Cosgrove noted, Australia has not evolved to the stage it is today without weathering the challenges that come with being a dynamic multifaceted society populated by millions of individuals with different needs in a world rich in complexity and contradictions.”

 “We will do so again by staying true to the principles of affability, adaptability and a fair go that help define us as Aussies, no matter what we look like or where come from.”

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