Multicultural Australia was built under a Liberal prime minister. The current party should take heed
- Written by: Gwenda Tavan, Adjunct Associate Professor of Politics, La Trobe University
Multiculturalism first made its way into Australian political dialogue in the 1970s, with the idea that the country could, and should, be home to people from all over the world.
Inevitably, there was backlash against the idea, with opponents arguing it was the creation of political elites, such as academics, bureaucrats, the “ethnic lobby” and left-wing politicians.
Critics have been particularly vocal in recent times, arguing those in favour of multiculturalism champion an “ethnic rights” agenda at the expense of national cohesion.
But this perspective ignores the important role that politicians of the right played in its development. In Australia, one stands taller than most: Malcolm Fraser.
As Liberal prime minister from 1975 to 1983, Fraser made a series of decisions that would forever change Australia’s social fabric. His multicultural agenda would also become a defining feature of his political legacy.
Importantly, his government abandoned the White Australia Policy, which disallowed non-white immigration. It implemented a universal admissions system instead.
A speech by Immigration Minister Al Grassby, called “A multi-cultural society for the future”, is often viewed as a defining early statement on multiculturalism. Several important initiatives emerged: the national Telephone Interpreter Service, English-language education centres, some state-based ethnic community councils and a fledgling ethnic broadcasting service.
The Racial Discrimination Act was introduced in 1975, making it unlawful for a person to discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, descent or national and ethnic origins.
Diversity, not division
Liberal Malcolm Fraser had been extremely supportive of multiculturalism from opposition. As opposition spokesperson for labour and immigration, Fraser released a paper in 1974 that referenced multiculturalism. He was among the first politicians to adopt the term.
As prime minister, he championed the policy fiercely. Fraser was an economic dry and a social liberal who supported mass immigration. He shared Whitlam’s belief that cultural pluralism was an asset to be fostered in the pursuit of social cohesion and equity.
His government supported the recommendations of the 1978 Galbally Report. This acknowledged the “extensive cultural and racial diversity existing in Australia”, advocated for welfare and social services to be significantly expanded, and advised:
ethnic groups themselves must take on the task of advising government of the need and priorities of migrants and ensuring that ethnic cultures are fostered and preserved.
If Whitlam dismantled White Australia in theory, the Fraser government did it in practice. It accepted some 200,000 migrants from Asian countries, including nearly 56,000 Vietnamese people who applied as refugees.
After decades of government-mandated European migration, this was a monumental change to Australian society.
Multicultural programs also expanded significantly during the Fraser years. The Immigration Department became the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. Translator and Interpreter Services and language education services expanded.
The research-oriented Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs was established. Ethnic broadcasting evolved into a permanent service, SBS. Migrant resource centres assisted refugees and migrants with all aspects of settlement.
The Federation of Ethnic Communities Council was founded, a publicly-funded umbrella organisation for the state-based Ethnic Communities Councils that mediated relations between governments and ethnic groups.
Together, these programs constituted a uniquely Australian “ethnic rights” model of multiculturalism.
Yet, as Fraser emphasised, there were limits to how much cultural pluralism a cohesive society could tolerate:
multiculturalism is about diversity, not division […] It is about cultural and ethnic differences set within a framework of shared fundamental values which enables them to co-exist on a complementary rather than competitive basis.
Lasting change
In the years that followed Fraser’s prime ministership, multiculturalism changed shape.
Public criticism mounted during the 1980s, with a report at the time referring to the policy as “social engineering which […] invites injustice, inequality and divisiveness”.
The Hawke Labor government moved the emphasis from ethnic rights to citizenship. People could express their cultural identity, but only if they had an “overriding and unifying commitment to Australia” first.
Political attacks increased after the 1996 election of the socially-conservative Howard Liberal government. John Howard later admitted he wanted to “end the divisive features of multiculturalism and place […] greater emphasis on those things which united us as Australians”.
But decades on, Australia remains a highly multicultural nation, even as the politics around the policy shift.
The key multicultural institutions set in motion by Whitlam and cemented by Fraser still remain, such as the Racial Discrimination Act and SBS. Successive Labor governments since 2007 have pledged their continuing support for multiculturalism, including the Albanese government.
Five years before he died, Fraser named multiculturalism as one of his biggest achievements. The 2015 obituaries show how synonymous Fraser became with the diverse Australia we have today.
As it reckons with a resurgent One Nation and attempts to formulate a new immigration policy, the current Liberal Party could do to remember its multicultural history, championed by one of its most successful leaders.
Authors: Gwenda Tavan, Adjunct Associate Professor of Politics, La Trobe University
