Multiculturalism Ends in Oz

Finally the AXE comes out - in Australia at least.


Multiculturalism Ends
Gerard McManus
January 24, 2007 12:00am
Article from: herald-sun


MULTICULTURALISM as an official Federal Government policy was quietly killed off yesterday.

And if not quite dead yet, it is being slowly asphyxiated by the Howard Government.
In a subtle rebadging of a key portfolio, Prime Minister John Howard changed Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Multiculturalism has been a key plank of government policy since the Whitlam and Fraser Governments.
It spawned, among other things, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS radio and TV) and a host of colourful festivals.

But critics have argued the policy has become an expensive exercise in social engineering, with some claiming it has created ghettos, inter-racial violence and a cover for radical Islamists.
One of the architects of multiculturalism, Prof Jerzy Zubrycki, yesterday described the change as a "deliberate act of trying to stamp it out".

"But it won't die. It should always be within the purview of government," Prof Zubrycki said.
Multiculturalism was first adopted by Canada's government in 1971 to address the clash of French and English cultures.
But it was rapidly adopted around the world, including Australia where it replaced "assimilation" as the best way to accommodate the influx of migrants.