The Federal Government is out of touch with Australian values

The Federal Government has shaped our nation into one that goes against the Australian values it promotes, writes Bilal Cleland.

NATIONAL ABORIGINES and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week this year was marked by government rejection of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander flags in the Senate chamber.

Meanwhile, our first law officer, Christian Porter and the Minister in charge of our Australian Values Statement, Alan Tudge, were the subjects of a Four Corners program on harassment accusations from female members of their staff.

The need for clear Australian values

Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge’s first major speech in March 2018, widely reported in regional newspapers, warned: ‘Multicultural Australia at risk.’

Fearing ‘ethnic separatism’, he stated that ‘Australia risks replicating ethnic unrest in Europe unless the Government intervenes’.

The Federal Government would not pass its own values test

The Federal Government has revamped the citizenship test by adding a “values” section, featuring principles our own government would not pass.

He also claimed:

“We have also got a general diminishing capacity or capability of the English language being spoken by new arrivals to this country over the last decade.”

This seems to be an echo of the 1939 ANA Congress in Warrnambool, worried about the entry of “aliens” into the country, with their inclination to form enclaves and not speak English.

The requirement

The Department of Home Affairs announced on 17 September 2020 that the updated citizenship test will comprise 20 multiple-choice questions, including five questions on Australian values:

‘A person will be required to correctly answer all five of the questions on Australian values, with a mark of at least 75% overall, to pass the test.

From 30 October 2020, most new visa and citizenship applicants will be required to affirm the updated Australian Values Statement (AVS).’

Then, on October 30 2020, the Home Affairs website announced:

‘From today, new applicants for most visas will be required to sign or accept an updated Australian Values Statement, with a greater focus on values like freedom, respect, equality and the rule of law.’

The reality

Since 2013, Home Affairs has been promoting Australian values very like those of 2020, including egalitarianism, mutual respect, rule of law, equality of opportunity.

The statements do not accord with reality.

Although we are one of the richest countries in the world per head of population, ‘The number of children living in poverty had gone up considerably in the last decade’.

Alongside this, we have 40 companies earning some $348 billion, which paid the least tax on the most income earned:

‘The top tax rate paid by any of them was less than 4%. Sixteen of the 40 paid no tax at all. If the 40 had paid 25% tax... the tax take would have been nearly $27,000 for each of the three and a quarter million people living below the poverty line.’

So much for egalitarianism, mutual respect and equality of opportunity.

As for the rule of law, Tudge chose to disobey an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on freeing a refugee and kept him in detention for an additional five days.

Federal Court Judge Justice Geoffrey Flick said that “the Minister has engaged in conduct which can only be described as criminal”.

Attorney-General Christian Porter defended Tudge, leaving him, as first law officer of the nation, open to the accusation that he had supported the right of ministers to break the law.

Then in June, Justice Flick had to threaten Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton with contempt of court over granting an Iranian refugee a protection visa.

The vilification directed by government members and their collaborators in the Senate towards Muslim Australians and towards First Nations people is also a matter of public record.

The AVS of ‘rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association and equality of opportunity for all people in Australia’ remains on paper so far as this ruling coalition is concerned.

By the way, there are doubts about the eligibility of Tudge to even sit in parliament. According to John Wren, he could be Canadian.

Alan Tudge's eligibility in question over possible citizenship breach

Immigration Minister Alan Tudge's Parliamentary eligibility is in question over an alleged dual citizenship matter.

Bilal Cleland is a retired secondary teacher and was Secretary of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Chairman of the Muslim Welfare Board Victoria and Secretary of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.