Cronulla Riots: Racism In Australia

From the Cronulla Riots to attacks on Aboriginal football player, Adam Goodes, to racist policies embedded into Australian laws, is Australia the racist country it is perceived as overseas?

The day that shocked the nation. Over ten years ago the Cronulla Riots stained Australian headlines as a group of Australians demonstrated the racial tension that had been brewing in Sydney’s South. On December 11th 2005, approximately 5 000 people flocked to the beachside suburb of Cronulla for what the rioters dubbed as ‘Leb and Wog Bashing Day’. The day descended into a maelstrom of chaos and racially motivated violence, but not before illustrating the fact that racial discrimination is becoming a prevalent factor in Australian society.

Racism is a violation of human rights. Racist attitudes and beliefs are often founded on the fear of difference, whether it be different customs, religions, traditions or appearance.

This issue is very controversial in Australia because there is a culture of denial when it comes to racism. Until recently, racist policies and practices were embedded in Australian laws. This is evident in The White Australian Policy of 1901. The Immigration Restriction Act led to the restraint of non-European migration. Consequently, this caused hostility and

It is impossible to measure. On one hand the Cronulla riots and the racial attack on Aboriginal football player, Adam Goodes, plagues Australian headlines. On the other hand, there is Australia’s cohesive, multi-cultural society that has high rates of successful immigration. It is evident that there is genuine acceptance of multi-culturalism and according to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Australia has resettled more than 800,000 refugees and displaced persons since 1945. This causes Australia to consistently rank in the world’s top three resettlement countries. Therefore, the spectrum of racism in Australia is large and diverse, nevertheless, it does