Social Cohesion In Australia Essay

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During the late twentieth century, ideas of cultural diversity and equality gained prominence as a response to the rising trends of international migration and globalization. Beyond migration patterns, to accommodate diversity and citizenship, the diaspora of cultures and identities have translated into the need for more sensitive policy approaches. While this has resulted in the formulation of multicultural policies in different countries to varying degrees and conceptual depth, there has also been growing discontent and disillusionment emanating from cultural conflicts and integration issues. Nevertheless, among the different experiences, Australia is considered to be one of the most successful examples in multicultural affairs.

This paper will attempt to assess the state of cultural diversity governance in Australia by looking at the status of multiculturalism as a national policy and the community engagement programs implemented to address cultural differences. This paper will argue that while the Australian case of multicultural success is the result of a pragmatic and adaptable governmental approach to migration within a top-down dimension, the current social cohesion programs within the …show more content…

It will then provide a brief account of Australian multicultural policy. The second part will proceed to analyze the particular programs implemented to address social cohesion from the Howard Government onwards. This will be focused on the ‘Living in Harmony-Diverse Australia’ programs and the ‘The National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony, and Security’, both currently under the ‘Social Cohesion and Diversity Program’ (SCDP). The last section will direct attention to the governance problems presented by the social cohesion programs in the second section and explain why it is necessary to fill these gaps in order to enhance the governance

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