Welcome to Australia

Shame on Australia. This is a country which I definitely won’t like to visit. How inhuman people can get!

I knew there was racism against the aborigines, but I guess I didn’t know how bad it was. Really awful.

After watching this documentary there isnt much suprise to me. I have been living in this country for ten years and I have seen how Anglo Australians have treated the Aborigines. It is very upsetting because rightfully this is their land. Who are we to make judgements to the people who we should be thanking and showing some dignity and respect towards? I love the Aboriginal culture and people. By the way im a Muslim and I’ll be damned if anyone was to call me a non- Australian.

Interesting. I’d like to know what has changed since this documentary was made (10 years ago).

Great Doco!!! One that all Australians should see… There is a huge problem in this country that needs serious attention. There are so many incredible qualities to the Indigenous Australians. They are the most successful culture to ever walk this earth (to our knowledge thus far). Their navigational skills in some instances were more accurate they any western technology up until the mid 80′s! Their music, instruments and art have spread and are enjoy all over the world. They ARE the true owners of this country and should be treated with the the despect.

I knew that there was racism in Australia but not this bad! I was floored on seeing the details of this documentary. A few years ago, my sister visited Australia and was shocked at the snikers and behaviour she and her friends received whilst touring Australian cities because they were tanned and not fair skin. I have had people who have told me or someone I know, that whites would stop their cars and shout, “Go back to your own countries or go back you ********!” I have relatives in Australia and they say that normally one has to have a good support from one’s own community to live in Australia. There is pretty much a division by race. I know of friends who are studying in Australia who are Asians, and they have told me that whites would only sit among their own and would never sit among especially, the Chinese, in the Universities. They are pretty rude to Asians. It is very sad that in this day and age, such discrimination exists. But if I come to think of it, why wouldn’t there be discrimination when they can’t even treat the natives of Australia with human dignity then why should they treat all races other than the white race, any differently? Haven’t they forgotten that it was never their land to begin with? Racism exists any where you go in this world, even in Asian countries and there is very little anyone can do about it. Laws deal with the problem superficially but only God can deal with this problem from the heart!

Come to Australia and get beaten up by an Aboriginal when they don’t get what they want off you.

I got the feel that this doc was reporting 10 years ago on issues a decade or two before that…. Whilst I am a huge fan of Pilger I didn’t get a feel for his usual level of objectivity. This was worst case scenario reporting.

“Enlightened”

You have basically called me and Ed liars. Perhaps you should travel to Australia and do your own research. Perhaps you should come and live in England for a few years and see how things really work here. What worldly experiences and “enlightenment” have you has entitled you to such a grandiose claim for people to TRUST you?

Enlighten us

Australia and America are the most racist 1st world Countries in the world. The way that we treat people and call ourselves civilised?

This is Australia and Earth saying that it’s their fault they are segregated? Wow that’s is the “true blue” Aussie way isn’t it? I am ashamed to come from such a Country, that doesn’t listen to EVEN the basic human rights complaints of a people that we almost WIPED OUT!

I am disgusted by ‘my’ people and how they think they are the default human beings, that everything they think and believe is the only path to the final destination; that we would deny their suffering still.

Australia needs a wake up call and a swift re-education!

@ Karen don’t make ANYTHING that any native feels any less than another! Our problem (by that I mean white people) is we don’t listen, we expect evryone to just follow what we say and it’s the only way!

All natives of all lands that we destroyed, that we discriminate and try to change; don’t diminish how they feel by pitting them against each other. ANY suffering is the same and equal, it’s time to stop ignoring the truth and take action for ALL HUMANS! If this doesn’t make you sick there is something wrong with you! If you stand up for the people in power who DO this to humans you ARE a sociopath! How can anyone look into a human beings eyes and judge their worth and vaule on their skin colour?

Old documentary – I know we have progressed since then.

Generalisations are such dangerous things to make. I have lived in Australian communities where there were terribly racist indigenous people who treated me badly when I was trying to do my job – and I had to put up with a lot of poor treatment from them that I would not have put up with from others for fear that I would be physically assaulted (I am a paramedic).

Likewise, I have met some terribly racist people who were not indigenous and who I also feared for one reason or another. I am insulted by some of the comments above suggesting I am in any way racist because I am an Australian, and should feel shameful because of the behaviour of others.

To suggest one nationality is any worse or better than the other is wrong, and to suggest that Australians are any worse or better than people of any other country is narrow minded, short sighted and racist in itself. This issue is far too big to discuss in a forum like this, and far too complicated to make generalisations about.

I too am a white australian and i am ashamed of the skeletons that are in our countrys closet.
i am glad that our government has finally said sorry but until we start to teach our children about the reality of our countrys history then we will never truely stop racism.
i love this country and we have come a long way since this doc was made but we still have such a long way to go.
we need to stop looking at our history through rose coloured glasses, we are not all racist but a lot of us are in denial.

in the 1960′s we gave the Aboriginals equal rights to alcohol.
before that it was illegal to serve or sell an aboriginal alcohol. This was called a racist , patronizing policy. It was changed, now we have a huge alcohol problem amongst Aboriginals who live in the extremely isolated settlements.
There is one island with a small population of Aboriginals and no jobs, no industry and no future. The Govt spends 96 million dollars a year on welfare payments so they can continue to live on the island with no hope, but plenty of Alcohol !.

I’ve conducted research on the persecution of the Aborigines after watching this documentary I obtain a avid depiction of the condition of this native group. Murdock monopolizes the media outlets in Australia and now he is trying to do the same with his fox new network. I can’t put my finger on this but I know the Murdock have a lot of blood on there hands as well as his close partners. But a higher power will bring judgment to you spineless creatures, your kind do not deserve to live amongst mankind. Dam you !!!!

hi all,
i’m an aussie expatriate. and i do love the place and plan to live there again. so hopefully i can avoid the wrath of stephen.

haven’t watched this for ages so i forget the specifics.
but racism “is still the issue” in australia, and palestine.
@ enlightened.
racism has obviously decreased over time in the places you mentioned. and will continue to do so with education.

i’ve seen senseless violent raciscm against aboriginies in the outback, and had my door kicked in by 12 year old aboriginie kids in redfern. (lol weak door). and concur, there are many racists of all skin colours in australia.

but to put it in historical context, things are gettin better. 200 years ago we were rounding’em up and shooting’em, like in the case of tasmania where all aboriginies were wiped out, with guns’n'germs.
50 years ago we had the white australia policy, whereby the door was shut to all the rest.
today, anybody can buy their way in.
Kevin Rudd made an official worthless apology to the aboriginies, and people are generally against using words like “bung, abo” at least in the cities.
the solution to racism lies not in God, as someone said above. but simple discussion, education and empathy.

@Ben I’m not concerned with the correct spelling of Rubert Murdoch that is beside the issues the bigger point at hand is the mistreatment of the natives. I won’t point my finger at Australia because I’m aware of systematic racism of groups people throughout the globe. From Africa, the America’s, Europe, China, its everywhere. So don’t think take me for a misinformed American, I’m fully aware, my personal vendetta with Mr.Murdoch has to do with a more sinister agenda that is bigger than racism, Murdoch is the prime example of the problem with capitalism, he is a the product of the capitalism machine. It easy to accuse people of being racist Ben, its harder to admit you are, its harder to apologize for actions. I don’t use apartheid to justify the mistreatment of white in south Africa, because discrimination is wrong. Justice for all or no one.

Nichol – yes, that is a wise decision you did not come here, because we do not tolerate narrow minded and racist (against Australians) individuals such as yourself.

This documentary is over 10 years old and even then it was largely inaccurate – have a good think about the impact of your words before you slander an entire nation on the Internet.

You are a very irresponsible individual and I continue to be amazed and shocked by the immaturity of many of the comments on this particular video!

You people seem to see a few highly emotional scenes placed together to elicit a particular emotional response from viewers and you fall for it hook, line & sinker without actually considering that the entire video may be biased. There is far more to just about every situation than meets the eye, and this is no exception.

This IS what we teach our children here in this so called rotten no good for nuthin’ racist backwater …

Have a read then consider on the WHOLE, how racist Australians really are .. ??

Australia’s cultural diversity

Information in this section is primarily derived from 2006 Census data as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australia has a unique history that has shaped the diversity of its peoples, their cultures and lifestyles today. Three major contributors to Australia’s demographic make up are a diverse Indigenous population, a British colonial past and extensive immigration from many different countries and cultures. Today, Australia’s population of about 20 million is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the world.

Although the majority of the population are Australian born, more than 50% of Australians identified with an ancestry other than Australian in the 2006 Census. About 2% of Australians come from Indigenous backgrounds and about 41% have at least one parent who has born overseas. 22% of the population were born in another country. Of the overseas born, the major countries of birth are England, New Zealand and China. About 14% of Australians were born in non-English speaking countries[1]. In all, Australians come from over 200 birthplaces.

Collectively, Australians speak over 200 languages. Languages other than English are spoken by about 16% of the population with about 56,000 people speaking an Indigenous language. Other than English, the most common languages spoken today are Chinese, Italian, Greek and Arabic. There are over 50 Indigenous languages and Australian creoles actively spoken by Australians.

The major religion in Australia is Christianity with about 64% of the population identifying as Christian. This group comprises over 70 different Christian denominations with the major denominations being Catholic; Anglican; Uniting Church; Presbyterian and Reformed; and Eastern Orthodox. Other major religions represented in Australia today include Buddhism (2.1% of the population), Islam (1.7%), Hinduism (0.8%) and Judaism (0.5%). About 5,400 Australians practise Aboriginal traditional religions. About 19% of Australians have no religion.

Racism in Australia

In Australia, racism is inextricably linked to the history of colonisation and migration.

The original inhabitants, Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people, were dispossessed of their land and were discriminated against by the first British and European settlers. For some Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, the process of colonisation has been perceived as invasion. Racial discrimination has continued to influence the lives of Indigenous Australians in the two centuries following white settlement.

The migration of peoples from all parts of the world led to the increased cultural and linguistic diversity of the Australian population. Prejudice and discrimination have been directed towards many groups who arrived in Australia, in particular towards groups from language backgrounds other than English, despite the fact that many government migration schemes invited people to settle in Australia.

Until recent years, racist policies and practices were also embedded within Australian laws and institutions. The most telling examples of these were the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and the denial of full citizenship rights to Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people. Similarly, the White Australia policy aimed to restrict immigration by people from non-European backgrounds. Historically, rises in unemployment have often led to calls for immigration restrictions and in some cases led to the scapegoating of people who were seen to be different to members of the dominant culture. While legislation now exists to protect the rights of all citizens, there is a continuing legacy today from the effects of these racist practices.

As Australian society has become more diverse with continuing immigration, expressions of racism in Australian popular culture have changed over time. Racist language and attitudes that were common at the end of the nineteenth century are no longer acceptable one hundred years later. However, racism continues to find expression in new ways, reinforced through the popular media.

Contemporary expressions of racism which have emerged in recent years relate to notions of nationhood which are seen as incompatible with diversity. These racist beliefs may be expressed in various stereotyped views of who the ‘real’ Australians are. This form of racism is based on an ideology of national culture in which minority cultures are regarded as alien and a threat to social cohesion. It consists of pervasive cultural assumptions where the customs and beliefs of the dominant group in society are presented as the norm. As a result, the status and behaviour of minority groups, particularly those who are more visibly different, are defined and judged with respect to the dominant group of largely British and Celtic backgrounds.

These attitudes are widely discussed in the media where they are presented as reasonable and common-sense and reflected through media images that do not accurately portray Australia’s cultural diversity. In this way, racist ideologies are expressed and reinforced through a process of group interaction and thereby absorbed into popular culture.

Racist beliefs are also at the core of the resentment expressed by some people at measures taken by governments to address the disadvantages of particular groups of people. Affirmative measures and positive discrimination are frequently seen as the preferential treatment of one group at the expense of another rather than the means of redressing the disadvantage inherent in society. Examples include opposition to Aboriginal land rights, calls for the removal of special benefits for particular groups and resentment towards the provision of English language support to migrants. These beliefs are compounded by the notion that treating all people in the same way equates to equity and social justice when in fact not everyone begins life with the same opportunities.

This resentment often finds expression in the belief that ‘reverse racism’ is occurring. The notion of reverse racism is that people from the dominant culture are being discriminated against or not receiving the same benefits as people from minority groups. It needs to be understood that there is no such thing as reverse racism. At an individual level, all ethnic or cultural groups are capable of both discriminating against other groups and of being discriminated against, although minority groups are more likely to suffer from institutional racism.

Racism affects everyone. It damages communities by limiting the contributions of its members and disrupts peaceful co-existence and co-operation between groups. It damages individuals by destroying self-confidence and preventing them from achieving their potential. It is particularly damaging for children as it hampers social development and limits educational opportunities. The consequences of racism – social injustice, a less productive economy and a divided community – are clearly detrimental, not only for its victims but to society as a whole.

Racism and the law

Australian laws make it illegal for people to engage in racist activity or to encourage, incite or permit racist acts to occur and are aimed at protecting individuals who make complaints about racism.

It is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race, colour, nationality, descent, ethnic or ethno-religious background. Discrimination against a person on the grounds that the person has a relative or associate who is of a particular race is also unlawful under Australian legislation.

Commonwealth and State laws relating to racial discrimination generally cover discrimination in employment, the provision of goods and services, education and accommodation although there is variation between different acts. Sanctions exist against both direct and indirect racial discrimination. There are a number of criminal laws that apply to physically violent racist behaviour.

The Racial Discrimination Act (1975) and its 1995 amendment the Racial Hatred Act are the Commonwealth laws relating to racial discrimination. In addition, all Australian states and territories have anti-discrimination laws that cover racial discrimination. Australia is also a party to a number of international conventions and declarations which impose obligations in regard to racism and racial discrimination when ratified in Australian law. The Commonwealth Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act (1986) gives effect to several international conventions and declarations such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990) and the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981).

Some people mistakenly believe that the public expression of racist attitudes is a legal and acceptable form of free speech. In Australia, as internationally, the right to freedom of speech carries with it certain responsibilities and restrictions which protect the rights of others against open hostility and discrimination. Australian law expressly prohibits incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence on the basis of race.

Australian legislation relating to racial discrimination covers many aspects of racist behaviour but not all forms of racism. While legislation makes racism unlawful in several contexts, legislation cannot address the underlying social issues. Education together with effective legislation provide the best hope for developing a society free from racism.

Source – http://www.racismnoway.com.au

Thanks Ben I did not consider the time frame of which this documentary was filmed.

For the record I am not racist, but my comment must have hit a nerve with you all as you are very quick to jump the gun with the name calling. My comment may have been a bit broad, but since this is a forum I guess you can retort as ignorantly as you would like.

I am sure not all the Australian people are racist as I can assume that they are not all hot headed either. I do appreciate your comments and explanation with hawkpork though and in the future I will try to put the documentaries I see here in context.

I hope to interact with you in another forum under a more positive banter.

I wanted to add that I do not think that Ben is a racist or a bigot. I think he explicitly loves his country. I wanted to visit Australia on a contract around seven years ago. I can expect that times have changed, as they have in every nation under the sun. I do think my comment was a bit too broad, but I also think that yours was also a bit harsh.

Ben I want to add that there are a lot of social ills associated with disinfranchisement of others based on things that they cannot control like skin color, nose shapes, hair texture. Even though these people can modify their culture, they can never change their physical appearances and it is a horrible condition to find one’s self in a predicament where you have done everything you can to be apart of something and be rejected based on nothing that truly matters. Of course, times have changed and the ignorance of the past can be connected with the future generations as the world becomes smaller due in part to the the wonderful World Wide Web. I am glad to have talked to you because you are right, I know absolutely nothing about Australia. And, and, and, I got to speak to you who is from Australia.

Thanks.

I’m so glad to see I’m not the only one to get ‘lose’ and
‘loose’ confused … but I guess one would want to loosen it before they lost it!

:)

lol stephen,
yes well i have an excuse, at least one hehe. my spelling has gone to hell from living in denmark so long. always using dictionary.com to check basic english spelling now. kinda frustrating.
but on the other hand i can spell/speak another language now too.

“loosen the hate!” could be interperated as being synonymous with “release the hounds” or “give’em hell” lol. which was obviously not my meaning. ahh the naunces of english.

“one would want to loosen it before they lost it”
yes, deffinetly advisable. but it seems stuck fast to some.

I think you might have a bit too much pork on your fork Mr Hawk .. not quite right regarding the eg;

“that anyone with a students visa can now buy property in australia and keep it for life?
has made it harder for working class aussies to be able to afford a home. as many rich asians buy and raise the prices.”

Here is what the Sydney morning Herald had to say on the issue, then see below what FIRB (foreign investment review board) has posted on its web site …

SMH

Clampdown on foreigners buying property

April 24, 2010

AAP

The federal government will again require temporary residents to sell their houses when they leave the country following mounting complaints about foreigners driving up prices.

Travel details and ownership data will be matched to catch cheats, and the public will have a new hotline – 1800 031 227 – to dob in foreigners they suspect of breaches.

Those leaving Australia must sell their properties and the government will claw back any capital gains made by foreign investors who breach the arrangements. Real estate agents will face new penalties under civil law that are being developed.

Assistant Treasurer Nick Sherry issued a statement on Friday night saying he would reinstate restrictions on foreign property investment scrapped in 2008 and impose new measures and tougher penalties to further tighten the system and improve compliance.

“The Rudd government is acting to make sure that investment in Australian real estate by temporary residents and foreign non-residents is within the law, meets community expectations and doesn’t place pressure on housing availability for Australians,” Senator Sherry said.

“The new provisions announced today will mean that anyone trying to flout Australia’s strict foreign investment rules will face tough new penalties that will be fully enforced.”

Treasury is reportedly investigating 50 cases of suspicious residential property purchases by foreigners in Melbourne, contributing to rising property prices.

Under reinstated regulations, temporary residents and foreign students will be screened by the Foreign Investment Review Board to determine if they will be allowed to purchase a property.

Foreign residents without temporary visas cannot buy existing houses, and may buy property only if it adds to the housing stock.

If buying land, they must build within two years or sell it to stop “land banking”.

FIRB

Changes to Foreign Investment Policy – Residential Real Estate

On 24 April 2010, the Assistant Treasurer announced changes to the screening of foreign investment in residential real estate. From 24 April, temporary residents need to notify the Government and receive approval before buying residential real estate in Australia (these changes were confirmed through regulations, which commenced on 26 May 2010 – see Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Amendment Regulations 2010).

But hey thanks Hawk, I had no clue about this issue till I looked it up … learning, learning, learning – I love it!

Personally I feel that Australia is a very large island, so big its also a continent, with a land mass almost as big as continental US, that has a relatively small population of around 20mil … sometimes I feel a little greedy and wonder if not that huge mass of people in the upper hemisphere might one day start the world spinning arse-over-*** instead of round and round like it always has?!? lol

As to the ‘rich Asians’(??proof please) profiteering from driving up housing prices … Umm, since when was capitalism a purely ‘Asian’ trait in the western world?

I hope I’m not smelling racism in said quote either Mr Hawk?

That would be very bad form.

Mr Hawke ..

I agree you may be right regarding the ‘smell’ I did have cabbage the night before, so something silent but deadly may have been ‘emanating’ from one of my ‘orifices’ for sure (hopefully my bum – or I’m in big trouble!).

That does not negate the fact that you singled out a minority – on several levels – then heaped shite (blame) onto said groups for something that is not even true. Which could then be misconstrued by the naive or ignorant.

You said – “did you know for eg; that anyone with a students visa can now buy property in australia and keep it for life?
has made it harder for working class aussies to be able to afford a home. as many rich asians buy and raise the prices.”.

Minorities singled out in my opinion were – students, working -class Aussie’s, and Asians.

As we know now this statement is untrue, lets assume for a moment it was true. Student visas are part of a group known as temporary visas, of which they are PART of the 25% of visas which are not non-business visitors or tourists, which make up 75% of all visas granted in Australia. Of the remaining 25% which consist of Business Visitors, Overseas Students, Working Holiday visas and Skilled Long Stay Temporary Business visas. I cannot fathom why you would pick on students alone? Surely business related visitors would be more fiscally based to invest in property?

As to making it “harder” for working class Aussie’s to buy a home – what don’t the poor count or is it just the working class and affluent that have a right to buy land or own a home? Not that you heaped any shite on this group, but your statement could incite feelings of resentment.

Again I cannot fathom, why you would single out Asians as being the main culprits of this market fluctuation in real estate prices, when the Aussie bureau of statistics states the 3 top offshore visitor grants are from the UK, Japan and US.

Mr Hawke, it is not that I think you are racist by any means, your use of the English language may appear to imply such, as with a vast majority of those who use the English language, it can and oft be mistaken or indeed bent to suit the opinion or perspective of the receiver.

I agree with you totally about immigration too, under a Liberal Government the Affluent have their cake and eat it. Thank god we get a break with Labor every now and then.

As to the “profiteering”, your right, I think I was reading to deeply into that one for sure! See, even I can bend meaning to suit my perspective and be totally wrong.

Thanks for inspiring me to look up the bureau of stats to find the above info, again I really had no idea till I looked.

Have a happy weekend mate! ‘Oi.

I love the people commenting on what a racist lot us Aussie’s are. How about the Americans and there treatment of Black people or there treatment towards the Indians, how about white South Africans and there treatment of the Black South Africans, or maybe that group called the “Christians” who insist on converting every one to there faith ? Maybe you should take a look at the cr*p in your own backyards before you comment on the cr*p in ours. I find it funny that a country as racist as ours is one of the first places refuges and boat people head to.

The way I look at it we are no different from anywhere else, there are those who want to and do better themselves and those that want everything handed to them on a silver plater for doing nothing at all, and both groups contain representatives of all races.