Australian business leaders gathered in Canberra at the Trade Policy Advisory Committee last week to discuss Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party. Several major companies are worried about export markets to Asia suffering due to Hanson's anti-Asian rhetoric which attracts considerable international attention.
Put simply, it's: "we may lose money if we don't shut her up." Hanson is controversial but the reality is she represents a proportion of the Australian population who feel they are not being acknowledged by the major parties. During the last month the One Nation party has been influential in two state elections, Western Australia and Queensland. Since 1996 when Pauline Hanson entered the political arena the issues she has raised have not been solved. The fundamental issues revolve around Asia, immigration, trade, Aborigines, land rights and welfare payments.
For Australia to discuss these matters honestly is akin to an individual confessing that he or she needs psychotherapy. Yet this may be what's required, time on the analyst's couch. The appeal of One Nation lies in its ability to project issues and to conceal the root of the trauma. Keeping Hanson quiet cannot heal the nation's psychosis. Australia must face up to reality and, if it is bad for business, it must decide if it is prepared to make sincere changes integral to the fabric of Australian society.
Regarding Asia, Australia has wallowed in its vision since the departure of the Labour Party in the mid-1990s. Where once Australia promoted relations and encouraged diversity, the Liberal Government led by John Howard has represented a more cautious approach toward Asia. This has coincided with a rekindling of Commonwealth ties and a reaffirmation of the British monarchy at the electorate
When One Nation first stepped into the political scene and began attracting public attention, Howard failed to confront the challenge effectively, preferring to take a non-committal stance. This neglect confused both One Nation supporters and defenders of multiculturalism. What emerged was a perception in the international community, especially Asia, that Australians were racist.
The dramas could have been avoided if Australians were honest as a nation and said, "Yes, in many ways we are and have been since we were founded as a British colony."
It has been too difficult however, because it raised all sorts of issues that we didn't wish to discuss. Primarily, Howard has been unable to offer the reconciliation apology sought by Aboriginal groups. Concern for land rights and the effect on mining companies of such an apology froze him into avoidance.
Imagine. Once Australia confesses to its racism against Aborigines it could then have accepted its feelings of animosity towards Asians, which is so often based on fear. The "Asian Invasion" -- locust plagues of Indonesians sweeping across northern Australia is hard to fathom while that country has its own internal crisis and our military forces possess superior weaponry. Yet for One Nation and many Australians it is real. Possibly it is a hangover from World War II and Japan's bombing of northern Australia. For many supporters of One Nation, the war against Japan and the experiences of Australian prisoners in captivity are unforgivable and a good reason to continue hating not just Japanese but all Asians in general.
Asia was not important economically to Australia at that time.
They fought under the Commonwealth to defend Australia's privileged lifestyle and they are concerned by what they see as the growing number of Asians in the community. These are the elders of white Australian society and their sacrifice at the time should be acknowledged. Unfortunately, the reality of most of Australia's aged population is an isolated life in a retirement village separated from their children and grand children. Their involvement in political life has been minimal until One Nation began voicing their concerns. It is difficult in this day and age to admit that many elderly Australians feel this way but it is the truth.
Another problem we must address is our fear of competition. When it comes to sport this is fine. Australia is a vain macho culture that embraces physical things. However, intellectually, we are worried that Asians are better at doing business. We think they are brighter in the classroom and are paranoid that overseas students are taking all the places in university, will get all the top jobs and buy all the land.
The reality is that sporting success is more greatly admired and respected in Australian culture than academic achievement. In the State Library of Western Australia, Perth, on a Sunday, you will see that the overwhelming percentage of students who are studying are Asian. When final results come in for University entrance, the top-ranking students are frequently Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants. Yet in the popular media the positive contribution they make to Australian society is ignored.
Hard work, long hours of study, strict saving practice, less leisure and a high degree of self-sacrifice are the ingredients for success. As a nation we must ask are we prepared to forsake our days of lazing on the beach, and drinking beer with friends, in return for more hours at the desk, in the library or the office, doing things that aren't pleasurable immediately but ensure future profit for oneself, one's family and the country in the long term?
Australians don't want to sacrifice their hedonistic lifestyle so they guard it with an extreme paranoid conviction. Fear of refugee boat people taking jobs or sucking the countries finances in welfare benefits are usually founded on ignorance. In the south west of Australia immigrants and tourists on working holiday visas do the majority of the work. An Australian can claim more than A$350 a fortnight from the government in unemployment benefits and for many this is more enticing than manual labor in the countryside.
A familiar comment by overseas visitors to Australia is the hours kept by most businesses. After 5:30pm most shops close down. On Sunday only a few places are open. One also sees large spaces of undeveloped land in central business districts often remaining empty for years. This lack of vibrancy in the Australian domestic market appears acceptable. The culture celebrates leisure. We don't want to compete with foreign markets if it means we have to adjust to foreign work conditions and styles of practice.
The effect of so much space cannot be ignored. The majority of Australians live in large one-story houses. As a country we have so much land that we don't know how to use it productively or to maximize its potential sustainably. There are vast opportunities for development and small enterprise that are not yet utilized. However, many Mediterranean and Asian people have managed to make a success and white Australia holds an underbelly of resentment.
These issues are all prevalent in Australian society today. They won't disappear by trying to keep Pauline Hanson quiet and they cannot be solved by pointing the finger at someone else and turning our back on our closest neighbors. No matter how difficult therapeutic intervention may turn out to be, Australia must make the changes necessary to compete on the world economic stage. Admitting we have a problem with ourselves could be our biggest challenge.
Brendan John Worrell is a freelance photo-journalist based in Western Australia.
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