Multiculturalism in Australia Research Paper 2022

Running head: MULTICULTURALISM IN AUSTRALIA
MULTICULTURALISM IN AUSTRALIA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
The term multiculturalism recognizes and commemorates the different cultures in
Australia. After the end of the second World War there were various changes in the policies of
the Australian government. The evolution of multiculturalism came much later when Australia
finally started accepting people from different cultures into their country. Cohabiting with
different cultures meant to respect each other’s rights and privacy and to live in a peaceful way
and maintain peace and harmony in the society. The public policy that came into force in the
Australian democracy ensured the safety of its citizens and it also aimed to respect the cultural
heritage of the individuals who were living in the country (Roose & Possamai,2015).
This paper briefly discusses the concept of multiculturalism in Australia and the reasons
for it being related to or associated with anti-immigration sentiment. This paper also discusses
the current immigration policy of Australia. Apart from these topics it also talks about the
impact, multiculturalism has on the operations of various schools with the help of examples.
Discussion
There was a rapid change in the perceptions and views of several countries after the end
of World War II. The countries were trying to come up with new policies and treaties in order to
avoid such horrified destruction that took place due to the two World Wars. After the end of the
World Wars many countries tried to escape from the clutches of the British Empire and develop
independent nations. According to the authors Kamp, Alam, Blair and Dunn, (2017), in their
article discussed how cultural diversity proved to be beneficial for the nation. Australia tried to
break free from being labelled as a white nation. It no longer desired to be a white nation because
the country as a whole did not want to stay behind. Thus, after a while they accepted the concept

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of multiculturalism, recognized different cultures, tried to welcome them, and started being open
to cultural diversity. However, after critical evaluation, the most recent survey suggested the
prevalence of racism in spite of support given to the culturally diverse individuals who were a
part of the nation.
The concept of multiculturalism has been a topic of debate for a long time. According to
the author Ivison, (2016) in his article stated that the reason for Australia being open to the
concept was because of its low population which was a strategic movement made by the policy
makers in order to create an impact on the economy of the country. However, after examining
the fact it was found that the political motive for introducing the concept was that the nation was
more focused on developing good relations in the foreign market. The concept of
multiculturalism was introduced to increase the cultural diversity. Immigration in Australia has
always been a political issue. Australia is the land of aboriginals and several people who are
from the overseas stay in the country (Jakubowicz, 2015).
The immigration policies are constructed on the willingness of the countries to accept
immigration. Generally, there are three categories of immigrants like the independent class, the
refugee class and the family class (Beine, et al., 2016) . New measures are being implemented
and few changes have been made on the immigration policy and the federal government of
Australia have tried to lower the intake of migrants as immigrants are flooding Australia ( Peter,
2015).
The government have tried to improve the immigration structure by providing new visas
to people who are keen on working and living in regional Australia. There have been two
provisional regional visas, which have been introduced by the government, which are Skilled
Work Regional Visa and the other being the Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa. The two regional

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visas that are introduced by the government are for the individuals who aspire to live and work in
the regions of Australia. The people who are holding these particular visas are essentially
required to spend some amount of time in the regional areas in order to be eligible for permanent
residency in the country (Wright, 2015).
Another policy which has been introduced by the government is the New Parent Visa,
where the residents who are permanent citizens of Australia have the opportunity to become
sponsors but they need to be approved. After, being approved the parents of those residents
would be able to apply for a visa which would allow them to stay in the country up to five years
where they would be allowed for a renewal once (Wright, 2015).
Another significant change that was made by the government in the immigration policy
was the abandonment of the regulations, which would make the immigrants wait, in order to
prove that they have English proficiency before the immigrants could apply for the citizenship in
Australia (Wright, 2015).
A new initiative that has been taken by the government that is considered as a recent
change in the immigration policy is the temporary graduate visa which includes an additional
year after the completion of studies for any kind of post study work. These are to be given to the
students who have been a graduate from any university in the country under the following
conditions. Firstly, the university has to be a registered institution. The graduate has to maintain
a residence in the country while holding the Temporary Graduate Visa. These are some of the
facilities and rights, which are given to the international students. These are some of the few
changes that have been implemented recently regarding to the immigration policy in Australia
(Wright, 2015).

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The cultural diversity in the education system is prevalent in Australia as the country is
considered to be the land of aboriginals where different kinds of individuals cohabit and coexist
together. Australia as a nation has tried to improve its education system in the light of
multiculturalism by implementing certain strategies (Wilton, 2017). The education system aims
to provide students with knowledge and skills, which would help them, be a part of the culturally
diverse society (Carmon, 2016). It also aims to provide specific attention to students with
different language background and help those students by teaching them the language. The
system also provides certain anti- racism measures, which is to benefit the culturally diverse
students. The education system in Australia are dedicated to ensure a safe and bully free
environment in the schools (Race, 2015).
For Instance, the teachers or the educators are considered to be one of the key
stakeholders of the education system. According to the educators, they try to provide with better
learning facilities and gives special attention to the students who have difficulties in adjusting to
the environment. The educators are one of the key stakeholders who cater to the needs of the
students. Thus, the educators provide knowledge and skills to the students which would
successfully teach them to be a part of the culturally diverse society.
For instance, the parents are also one of the key stakeholders in the education system as
they invest in the schools for the education of their children. According to the parents they try to
ensure the safety of their children. In a culturally diverse society the students have the chance to
be subjected to racism and bullying. In order to prevent such activities from happening the
parents need to communicate with their children and if a child is facing any kind of problem the
parents report to the administrators and the educators to take actions against such an activity.

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Apart from the above-mentioned stakeholders, the administrators are also considered to
be the major stakeholders as they are a part of the education system. According to the
administrators, they come up with new initiatives for the welfare of the students, they come up
with initiatives like anti-racism measures and anti-bullying measures, which are necessary in
such a culturally diverse society.
An example of one such school would be that of Maranatha Christian School which was
established in the year 1970. The school promotes multiculturalism and its main focus is on
student’s well-being. The school tries to come up with various techniques events and programs,
which would help the students in knowing each other and the parents would also try to learn
from different cultures. Various sports activities and multicultural programs are initiated so that
the students are able to learn various skills and become active in co-curricular activities. Thus,
the education system takes care of the safety and health of the students without any
discrimination.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded, that multiculturalism in
Australia happened after the end of the two world wars. The concept of multiculturalism means
people recognizing culturally diverse people, welcoming them into the country, and trying to
cohabit and coexist together. The immigration policies were revised and changed for the benefit
of the individuals. Multiculturalism was prevalent in the education system where the key
stakeholders were also interviewed. Therefore, it can be noted that there are various changes in
the immigration policies which are laid down by the government for the betterment of the
individuals. The concept, which has been brought into this country, overlooks various aspects
like respecting individuals privacy and culture and maintain peace and order in the society.

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References
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(2016). Comparing immigration policies: An overview from the IMPALA
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