A Statement of Principles by the Chinese Australian Forum

Building a Stronger Australia Through Successful Multiculturalism

A confident nation does not fear diversity. It draws strength from it.

Recent calls for Australia to become a “monocultural society” have prompted an important national conversation about identity, social cohesion and our shared future. The Chinese Australian Forum welcomes respectful debate on these important questions. We also believe this discussion should be guided by Australia’s history, national interests and lived experience.

Australia’s success has never depended on cultural uniformity. It has been built on shared democratic values, the rule of law, equality, freedom, mutual respect and the contributions of people from many backgrounds.

We respectfully disagree with the idea that Australia would be stronger as a monocultural society.

Australia is already one of the world’s most successful multicultural nations. This is not only a demographic reality. It is a national achievement and a strategic advantage.

Our diversity creates jobs, drives innovation, expands trade, deepens international understanding and connects Australia with the world. The skills, languages, enterprise, cultural knowledge and global networks of Australians from different backgrounds are national assets. They should be cultivated, not feared.

Successful multiculturalism is a partnership. Australia welcomes the strengths that every community brings, and every community embraces Australia’s democratic values, laws and shared future.

This partnership carries both rights and responsibilities. English language proficiency is essential for full participation in civic, economic and community life, and migrants should be supported to learn English. Respect for Australia’s laws, democratic institutions, equality before the law and the rights and freedoms of others is fundamental.

These responsibilities do not weaken multiculturalism. They are what make multiculturalism succeed.

We understand that many Australians are concerned about social cohesion, national identity, integration and community harmony. These concerns deserve serious discussion. But the answer is not monoculturalism. The answer is successful multiculturalism: stronger participation, better English language support, shared civic values, equal opportunity and mutual responsibility.

Australia does not become stronger by asking people to leave their heritage behind. It becomes stronger when every community contributes the very best of its heritage to our shared Australian future.

Every culture has something valuable to contribute. The purpose of multiculturalism is not to preserve every tradition unchanged, nor to separate Australians into isolated communities. It is to allow the best qualities, talents, values and experiences of different communities to enrich the wider Australian story.

Every Australian deserves to be treated with equal dignity and respect, regardless of race, culture, language or faith.

Recent remarks by Senator Pauline Hanson calling for a monocultural Australia and singling out communities who speak Mandarin, Arabic and other languages are inconsistent with Australia’s multicultural reality and our national interest. We oppose the idea, not for political reasons, but because it offers the wrong answer to a real national question.

Australia’s future will not be built through fear or cultural uniformity. It will be built through confidence, shared values and contribution.

CAF supports practical measures that strengthen social cohesion, promote mutual respect and combat racism in all its forms. We support the National Anti-Racism Framework developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission and believe every individual and every community in Australia deserves equal protection under the law, free from discrimination, racism and vilification.

As one of Australia’s longstanding Chinese Australian community organisations, the Chinese Australian Forum is proud to contribute to this shared national story. We stand with Australians of all backgrounds who believe that our diversity, when united by common democratic values, strengthens our nation.

Different cultures.

Shared values.

One Australia.

One future.

*Appendix One: Historical Reflection

From the White Australia Policy to Modern Multicultural Australia

At the time of Federation, many Australians feared migration from Asia. During the debates surrounding the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, Alfred Deakin argued that some Asian migrants were dangerous not because of their weaknesses, but because of what he described as their strengths:

“...their inexhaustible energy, their power of applying themselves to new tasks, their endurance and low standard of living that make them such competitors.”

More than a century later, Australia has learned a different lesson.

The qualities once viewed with suspicion, including energy, resilience, adaptability, enterprise and determination, are now recognised as qualities that have helped build modern Australia.

This does not mean social cohesion can be taken for granted. Every nation has a legitimate interest in encouraging English language proficiency, protecting democratic institutions, strengthening civic participation and ensuring respect for the rule of law.

Modern multiculturalism acknowledges these responsibilities.

It is not about separate societies. It is not about abandoning Australian values. It is about building a shared national identity while drawing upon the strengths that people from different backgrounds bring to our country.

Australia cannot and should not return to the thinking of the White Australia era.

The lesson of our history is clear: diversity does not weaken Australia when it is united by shared democratic values, mutual responsibility and equal opportunity. It becomes one of Australia’s greatest strengths.

**Appendix Two: Why Australia’s Path Is Different

The Question of a Monocultural Australia

Some have pointed to Japan as an example of a successful monocultural society. We respect Japan’s unique history and culture. But nations are shaped by their own histories.

Unlike nations whose cultures evolved from a largely homogeneous population over many centuries, Australia has never had a single inherited national culture. Australia’s identity has been built through First Nations heritage, shared democratic institutions and the continuing contributions of successive generations of Australians from many backgrounds.

This raises an important question: if Australia were to become a monocultural society, what would that single culture be, and who would have the authority to define it?

First Nations peoples are the original custodians of this land, and their cultures are central to Australia’s history and identity. They deserve recognition, respect and preservation.

Modern Australia is also built upon democratic institutions, the rule of law, parliamentary government, citizenship and the contributions of people from many cultural backgrounds.

Australia’s national identity therefore cannot be reduced to any one historical culture.

Rather than asking Australians to conform to a single inherited culture, Australia has developed a different model: one that unites people through shared democratic values while allowing our national culture to continue evolving through the contributions of all Australians.

Perhaps the better question is not whether Australia should have one culture, but how Australians from every background can continue building one nation based on shared values, mutual responsibility and a common future.