Politicians can bring out the best and worst characteristics in a community at election time. They play to our fears and our hopes. One of the great orators of our time, Barack Obama, gave Americans a taste of hope and it won him the Presidency of the United States. His optimism was infectious and energising for a nation tired of the politics of fear. The challenge facing Obama now is to translate his audacity of hope message into outcomes on the ground as impatience grows in a nation desperate for more rapid recovery from deep recession. Our leaders should learn from this experience.
Back in Australia the politics of fear infects the 2010 Federal election. Imagine if hope was on offer. What might that look like?
A hypothetical open letter to Australians from Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott
Fellow Australians,
There are moments in history when we must come together as a nation and re-affirm our humanity - our collective commitment to a just and outward looking Australia - an Australia that welcomes migrants and refugees and celebrates the contributions that they make to the nation. In doing so we enrich ourselves and enrich the world we live in.
As a nation founded on migration few of us can claim Australia as our ancient ancestral home. We must acknowledge the hardship that colonisation inflicted upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Though it took too long for the words to be uttered, the apology provides a moral foundation for reconciliation. Much more now needs to be done in partnership with the first Australians in the decades to come.
Founded in an ancient land, Australia is a young country at the beginning of the journey of nationhood. In just over two centuries our population has grown to around 22 million. Many of our ancestors were the first boat people, arriving in a land that had changed little over 40,000 years. The parents of your leaders were migrants to this great nation - a nation propelled by the economic, cultural and social contribution that they and thousands of others make. This contribution remains central to our prosperity, particularly as our population and workforce ages.
Over decades to come we will rely more on immigration to help ease some of the consequences that flow from population ageing such as labour shortages that often flow from rising workforce retirement rates. At the same time, attracting migrants to Australia is set to become more difficult as global competition for skilled migrants intensifies.
We recognise that immigration is a foundation for Australia's future economic, social and cultural development. New migrants energise the nation through their skills, investments and hard work. Our commitment to humanitarian and refugee entry to Australia is an extension of the mateship that we cherish - extending welcoming hands to those beyond our shores who need our support. We must remember that the boats that approach Australia with men, women and children in search of refuge do so as a last resort. They flee persecution and hardship. We should be proud that we respond to this need by granting refugee status to around 11,000 - 14,000 people per year - representing about 10 percent of our total migration intake. The vast majority of asylum seekers arrive in Australia by air while less than two percent arrives by boat.
There are no queues for the orderly processing of asylum seeker claims in many strife-torn countries. There is the threat of persecution if officials become aware that you intend to seek refugee status. This forces some asylum seekers to resort to the dangerous option of a clandestine boat journey towards our shores. Their difficult journey resonates with those of thousands of our fellow Australians who have fled war and persecution in search of a safe haven. We all deserve safety and security in our lives.
We are a prosperous nation in the most dynamic region of the world. Our future prosperity is tied to consolidating our links with the Asia Pacific region. Our cities, towns and regions are the beneficiaries of these relationships.
They offer a high quality of life to many Australians but we must extend this benefit to all. Over coming decades this will be realised through a sustained commitment to infrastructure modernisation and urban and regional development. The nation is no stranger to this challenge. The post-war baby boom was accompanied by transformative investments in new transport, electricity, telecommunications and social infrastructure to support the development of new communities. As our population continues to grow so must our investment in infrastructure. The pace of modernising and extending Australia's infrastructure has been accelerated by the global financial crisis. Planning rather than crisis will now drive this radical overhaul of our physical and social fabric.
We must forge a vision for a 21st century Australia - for a nation that is ambitious and outward looking, one that mobilises the ingenuity and energy of all to tackle and solve the great challenges that we face. We refuse to succumb to the paralysing politics of fear. We can be more than hopeful of a better future when we confront the challenges before us.
The measure of a great nation is not what distinguishes it physically from another, but the recognition within it of a borderless humanity that unites us all. A great nation celebrates the wonders and richness that flows from cultural diversity and extends a welcoming hand to those that come to our land in hope, particularly those seeking to escape fear and persecution.
This article appears in the August 2010 edition of The Adelaide Review.
To access the original issues piece visit the Adelaide Review website.
