Shockingly, Australia Day festivities have been cancelled in London due to ‘sensitivities’! As a proud Australian, I believe that politicians should do all that we can to unite people, not divide them. Unfortunately, not everyone shares this desire.
On October 14 the Australian people overwhelmingly voted to reject the government’s plan to permanently enshrine an Indigenous voice to Parliament within our Constitution.
It wasn’t a close-run thing. Every single state voted resoundingly against the proposal.
The rejection of the Voice to Parliament wasn’t merely a vote against constitutional change. This was a wholesale rejection of continuous efforts to divide Australians by race. In the privacy of the ballot box, Australians made clear what they dare not say in public for fear of retribution from far-left Marxist extremists.
Australians sit politely through ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremonies but I’m sure everybody is thinking the same thing. Why are we being welcomed into our own homes? It’s as nonsensical as it is insulting.
Australians privately mock officials who get up, one after another, in a Conga line of political correctness, trotting out the acknowledgment to elders past, present, and emerging. What does that even mean? Usually, no one knows who the emerging elders are, not even the person regurgitating the acknowledgment. Often there aren’t even any Indigenous people in the room, but what if there are? Do we want to live in a country where the colour of our skin establishes our importance rather than our achievements? Is that the sort of society that we want?
I’m not disrespectful of Indigenous culture or tradition but insisting that the most important thing about a person is their skin colour rather than the content of their character or their achievement is wrong. It’s insulting to Indigenous people, it’s insulting to non-Indigenous people, and on October 14 more than 60 per cent of Australians said they’d had enough of being welcomed to the country in which most of us were born and all of us call home.
Enough of the acknowledgment of country as if we were hundreds of separate countries rather than just one, Australia. Enough of this divisive, pointless ceremony that undermines equality at the beginning of every government function by implying that all Australians are equal but some, by virtue of race, are more equal than others.
The people of Australia have sent a clear message to their political leaders, they don’t want a nation divided by race, it’s as simple as that.
God knows there is enough to divide people around the world right now without public officials doubling down on ceremonies that separate us rather than unite us.
It is worse than foolish for federal and state governments to persist with these divisive rituals. They should be ditched. In our increasingly fractured world, federal, state, and local politicians should be looking for ways to unite our nation. Federal, state, and local politicians should be emphasising what we share in common and what brings us together. To begin every public meeting by pointing to differences is not only contrary to the will of the Australian people, it’s dangerous. As the Bible says, a house divided will not stand.
Our national anthem begins, ‘Australians all let us rejoice for we are one and free one.’ It doesn’t say, ‘For we are many and some have more rights because they have different skin colour to others.’ That is a recipe for disaster.
Every time I travel abroad I am struck on my return by how lucky we are to live in Australia. Australia is blessed with great natural beauty and a wonderful climate. Our continent is a treasure trove of natural resources and their development gives us a standard of living that is the envy of most people on Earth. Compared with almost anywhere else we have a great healthcare system that ensures we can get first class medical treatment without bankrupting either the individual or the state. We also have generous welfare to protect the elderly and the vulnerable and to ensure nobody lives in absolute misery.
What makes this country special is the society we have created, a society that allows individuals to flourish in an atmosphere of tolerance and peace. It is therefore not surprising that millions of people have chosen to say goodbye to their country of birth and make Australia their home.
My family did it and it was the best decision they ever made. What shocks me is the people who come to Australia and insist on bringing with them all the hatred and violence that ruined the country they left behind.
This makes no sense. If you want to march in the streets shouting vile abuse or assaulting peaceful citizens you do not deserve to live in this country. If you want to continue to wage the wars that ravage your homeland why are you even living here? No one will stop you from taking a one-way ticket back to the bloodshed you left behind.
Australia has welcomed people from all over the world and many of them have fled violence, torture, war, or tyranny. Despite or perhaps because of the hardship that so many have fled, Australia has become a haven of peace and prosperity. The reason is simple. Almost everyone who comes here leaves behind the hatred that poisoned their existence and commits to our peaceful, democratic way of life.
To those bringing violence and hatred to our streets, my message is simple. If you want to live in Australia, you are welcome to become a part of this great nation and to make it even better.
But leave behind your feuds and vendettas. They have no place in this beautiful country. And if you want to pursue them, neither do you. We are one people, in one nation, all equal, and united in a common wish to prosper and protect our country and our freedom.
