Governments in many parts of the world are starting to realise protecting cultural heritage, in various forms, is as important as any national flag or fireworks display.
Globalisation and easy access to international travel and electronic media can tend to blur people’s sense of where they came from — and where they are now.
With that in mind, the Australian National University is hosting an international conference next week looking at how nations can better push cultural diversity.
The convener of the three-day conference is the director of A-N-U’s Sustainable Heritage Development Program, Dr (mr) AMARESWAR (am-AR-esh-wa) GALLA.
He says it is a chance to show senior government figures there, including the health minister, (mr) TONY ABBOTT, multiculturalism is not an enemy of the state.
F268-a GALLA 33 secs
For a long time, the moment you say, “multicultural,” people immediately assume, “Oh, this is to do with welfare. There are services that need to be provided, because there are gaps, whether it is income or social services.” And people have ignored, to a large extent, cultural and linguistically diverse Australians. And, secondly, the contribution that cultural diversity actually brings — in the workplace, in terms of the economy, in terms of GDP* — these (are the) things people have ignored, focusing only on the deficit side of service delivery.
Mr GALLA has helped local and national governments understand the needs of indigenous people and new migrants worldwide for more than 20 years.
Working in places like VIETNAM and INDIA for the United Nations, he has led the call to make regions World Heritage Sites for their indigenous cultures.
Traditionally, those sites have been picked for their environment or their buildings.
In QUEENSLAND, the state’s local-government body has begun giving local governments information on how to approach diverse communities.
(ms) NATALIE KENT has been heavily involved and will present a paper on QUEENSLAND’s efforts at the conference.
F268-b KENT 29 secs
We have a document called “Embracing Cultural Diversity,” which is an action guide for councils in community relations. And just recently, we were working as a partnership between the state government, this program and the federal government on a resource called “Settling Migrants: a Guide for Queensland Local Government,” allowing councils to have all the knowledge and the access to information to try and settle new migrants into their community, so, therefore, increasing the diversity of communities.
An Aboriginal activist and Vice Chancellors Fellow at MELBOURNE University, (ms) LILLIAN HOLT, is opening one of the discussion sessions.
She says the local level is where people and communities truly feel the impact of any claims of AUSTRALIA’s diversity.
And she says everyday voices must continue to be heard.
F268-c HOLT 33 secs
I think that local government is at the cutting edge of a lot of things, and it’s certainly dealing more with the local community, so they’re in a position to do that, to do perhaps much more than other areas that are much more remote from them, from the local community. I would, therefore, like to see a more holistic language used, and I also think we need the language of the heart, not just the head. I’m a very big advocate of that, because Aboriginal affairs is about a lot of bureaucracy, and it just strangles the spirit and the process.
As convener, Mr GALLA is excited the conference is bringing together national and international academics and local-government workers.
He, too, says local government, and local councils, is where the greatest work is being done, and says he looks forward to hearing about their designs.
F268-d GALLA 21 secs
They are all addressing using this kind of cultural-diversity planning approach, especially in the last five years, almost making it imperative in their planning process. But this is the first time that we are coming together in an interdisciplinary forum, to reflect on what we’ve achieved and where we go from here.
Sometimes, the people at local-government level feel they only help their small communities.
But Ms KENT aims to pass on designs QUEENSLAND has developed to encourage Indigenous and migrant groups to come forward and celebrate their diversity.
F268-e KENT 45 secs
Even though we have to work in a very practical area and we have to put rubber on the road,* I think the thinking, that transitioning to where we get to, has actually been responsible for a lot of work that academics have done, how diversity has impacted the community and community attitudes — and the change in community attitudes to diversity. I think Australia is, more and more, every day, embracing the diversity we have in this country. And, certainly, Chinese New Year, for one, is a good example of where ordinary Australians have really embraced that. There’s probably nearly more (other) Australians at Chinese New Year than there are (people) of Chinese orientation.
That widespread celebration, says MELBOURNE University’s (ms) LILLIAN HOLT, is the great aim of the three-day conference.
She says, by showing all forms of government — local, state, national and international — how to show off diversity, everyone can experience the beauty of it.
F268-f HOLT 38 secs
This is the challenge of it, isn’t it? To look beyond our own definitions of what faith is, of what community is, et cetera. I’m finishing off my speech with a wonderful quote with Dietrich Von Hoffa, the German theologan who was executed by the Nazis, and he talks about “community is never a grey uniformity, but a colourful participation where male and female, rich and poor, abled and disabled, can find a common but diverse life together.” Now this is what it’s all about, really. How do we do this? He talks about community as being a fellowship that celebrates harmony, rather than conformity.
###
* GDP — gross domestic product, the amount of money a country makes in a year.
* putting rubber on the road — a saying for “we just have to do it”.
