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

friction between people and therefore created divisions in society, destroyed cohesive communities and tainted the principle of equality. As Australia’s views on immigration and multiculturalism has changed over time so has racism, as conveyed by popular media outlets. Racist language and propaganda that was used 100 years ago may no longer be acceptable, however, it has found new ways to express degrading and destructive viewpoints.
But is Australia a racist country?

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

exist.
Contemporary ways of expressing racism has become predominant in Australian society. The phrase ‘I’m not racist but…’ is used to degrade people without having to deal with the backlash of a racist statement. There is a stigma that surrounds refugees in Australia. There are people in the country that believe refugees will overrun the nation, take their jobs, are free-loaders and more extremely, are terrorists. Yet, the Human Rights Commissions states that, in the first ten years of settlement, it is estimated that migrants contribute over ten billion dollars to the Australian economy.
In 2005, just weeks before the Cronulla Riots were splayed across newspapers, TV reports and social media, Khoa Do, son to two Vietnamese refugees, was praised for his work in Australia’s youth community. He was later announced Young Australian of the Year.
Racism exists in Australia. Ironically, it does not discriminate. Racism is not restricted to any particular age group, gender or demographic profile. For years, politicians and the media has drilled into the public’s mind that it doesn’t exist in our country. But, it does and the first step to become the Australia that the media portrays us as, is to acknowledge racism. Together, Australians must recognize what to fix in society in order to strive for a better way of life, nationwide.