A New Deal for Australia's Future

From a position of international respect for its achievements on workers' rights, social welfare, multiculturalism, on refugees, and on human rights generally, Australia has retreated to being a follower, aiming for the lowest common denominator and displaying what can only be described as embarrassing levels of sycophancy in its foreign policy. Far from taking heed of Roosevelt's admonition about fear, this government has actively set out to use fear to achieve its political ends without regard for the results - the inevitable erosion of our enviable record of social cohesion, inclusion and acceptance. Who would have anticipated • the children overboard matter; • the federal government's fridge magnet campaign encouraging suspicion and reporting; • refugees and their children being detained for lengthy periods in conditions akin to prison camps; • a culture within a government department - encouraged and condoned - which has enabled up to 20 Australian citizens to be held in detention for lengthy periods; • proposals to excise the word "multiculturalism" from Australian government policy documents in an attempt to replace notions of diversity with those of integration and assimilation - this despite the overwhelming success of the policy over the last 30 years; • the introduction of citizenship tests to ensure that newcomers to this country have apparently embraced "Australian" values; • the infringement upon fundamental freedoms in the passing of anti-terrorist legislation and also anti-union legislation following the Cole Commission into the Building Industry; such that union members who are questioned under its provisions must not even disclose to their families the subject matter about which they are being interrogated under threat of imprisonment and fines;