7 January 2010

File photo: Australian flag at the cricket (Getty Images: Mark Dadswell)

Racism does exist in Australia

This week has seen tensions between Australia and India escalate, following yet another attack on an international student. Indian authorities have issued a travel warning about increased violence in Melbourne. The Australian Government is in damage control.

While police investigations into the fatal attack of accounting graduate Nitin Garg in Melbourne and the discovery of the body of an unidentified Indian student in NSW are ongoing, the motives behind these attacks remain unclear.

What is certain however is that there is growing disquiet about the way our international guests have been treated. Yet, our Deputy PM, and the acting Premier of Victoria have been quick to dismiss the possibility that racism may have been a factor in why these young people were targeted, attacked and killed.

While it's too soon to determine exactly what happened, to simply rule out the possibility that racism was involved is neither good leadership nor smart diplomacy in an environment of increased violence.

The Australian Government's indignant dismissal of the suggestion that racism exists in Australia, can only be seen as inflammatory in India, where emotions are still running high. And for those in Australia who have been on the receiving end of racial intolerance and abuse, it must simply be ignorant and insulting.

The state and federal Government's parroting of PR-lines on these attacks has increased the perception of government indifference. The response to the attack on Shravan Kumar last May, the young Indian student who was attacked with a screw-driver through his skull, while strongly condemned by politicians and Government officials, is a case in point.

If Government officials are to be believed, Mr Kumar was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The attack was "opportunistic" and it was not Mr Kumar's race that made him vulnerable, but rather the fact that he inadvertently walked into harm's way.

As the Senator responsible for establishing the Senate Inquiry in the safety and welfare of international students last year, I have spoken to many of these students about their experiences here in Australia. Most of them are extremely positive, but some have told me that after finding themselves victims of physical abuse they had been told by authorities to not carry iPods with them and to avoid speaking in their own language on public transport. What the?

Since when was it the victims fault that they were attacked by 'opportunists'? Since when do we say that victims of violent assault and fatal attacks were simply 'in the wrong place at the wrong time', or carrying one too many iPods?

Can we honestly say that racism does not exist in Australia? You only need to spend an afternoon listening to talk back radio to understand what I'm getting at.

Not everyone holds intolerant views of people from other cultural backgrounds or race, and out of those who do, very few would act on it. But nonetheless, some people are just bigots. It's true. Narrow-mindedness and racism do exist in Australia, and it's wrong.

We know this racist sentiment is unfounded and stems from an irrational fear of the unknown. But we can't address this, if we pretend it doesn't exist.

Some people are racists and politicians are kidding themselves if they think that by denying this, these people will somehow go away, or no one else will notice them. Every country has its fair share of morons; people who commit acts of violence against others simply because of the colour of their skin, their gender or their sexuality. Sadly, Australia is no exception.

Only by exposing and repudiating racism wherever it exists, are we truly able to move forward as a harmonious and unified community. Ignorant views fester, when we turn a blind eye. Racist ideas only flourish in the shadows, when they are not held up to the light of public scrutiny.

We need leaders to be honest enough to address the issue directly rather than sweep it under carpet, doing so under the guise of the 'new political correctness' that says we can't mention racism because it will whip up a Pauline Hanson style backlash. Yes, racism does exist in Australia and it is wrong. Australia is not immune from morons.

Unfortunately, if you identify racist attitudes in Australia you are all too often accused of being unpatriotic. I love my country and it is for this reason I know we can and must do better. Isn't the quest to be the best country we can be, at the heart of patriotism?

Surely, our political leaders should be mature enough to call a spade a spade and start challenging the views that should hold no place in a modern and tolerant democracy like ours. Only if we do this, can we rightfully market Australia as a prime destination for international students and visitors.

House Rules

359 comments

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oneflewover :

08 Jan 2010 10:07:53am

Xenophobia in Australia is skin deep.
Sarah Hanson Young makes a solid case for visionary leadership to address racists attitudes and acts
Xenophobia is skin deep.

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binon :

08 Jan 2010 10:00:38am

racism does exist in Australia but I don't think that is what is going on here. Racism or prejudice about Asian people, particularly Chinese, and now middle Eastern or Muslim people has clearly simmered below the surface or above the surface for a long time, but Indians? It doesn't make sense. I have known all my life that it is not safe to walk through a dark park at night, and that catching trains at night can be dangerous, especially alone and in particular areas. Perhaps newly arrived people have too many assumptions about Australia being safe? Many young Indian men do seem to work in late night service stations and food outlets. Are there employers ensuring that they can arrive and leave work safely? We have well documented cases of violence in Australia, Ivan Milat backpacker murders, Anita Cobby's murder, and every day men and women are bashed and raped. I don't know what the profiling is for other cases, they don't make it into the news in such a sensational way. Unfortunately I do think that the publicity and claims of specific victimisation Indian people are making may now make them targets. Perhaps Indian students need more education about the level of safety in Australia, particularly younger people who may take more risks. There are some very cazy and violent people out there at night. As a white Australian woman I suffered from violence growing up in this country, inside my home and outside, sometimes because of risk taking behaviour that placed me in locations that were obviously not safe. It was not my fault that those things happened to me but it was not surprising and I now would never put myself in those situations.

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versadee :

08 Jan 2010 9:59:26am

Well from reading the comments here one would have to say the there is a general consensus that Australia is permeated by racist attitudes. But what are the consequences of this?

One of the worst effects of it is on our foreign policy. Can anyone explain our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan except as a result of this underlying racism? Not one other country in our region got involved. Just one illustration of where racism gets us as a nation but there are lots of other negatives associated with it.

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Inquisitor666 :

08 Jan 2010 9:46:14am

Racism.
The vilification,insulting,victimisation,deliberate deprivation,myth perpetuation etc.

Whatever you call the pathological disdain mainstream Australians have for those 'not of their kind'-is the spinal cord of this nations society.

It is no wonder it is denied by those most guilty of it.
It is something people 'enjoy' doing/being-they just don't like being told.

This is a white anglo paradise.Why do you think white South Africans are flocking here and getting front row seats by the immigration system?

Our atrocious record on indigenous issues bolsters their decision making process.

Racism is one thing,but Australia's denial of it a a far worse cultural cancer.And it is not curable.
RIP community cohesion.

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Counter productive :

08 Jan 2010 9:44:12am

It is one thing to admit that there are examples of prejudice, discrimination, and petty racism in amongst the microcosm of a society like ours.

But at the cost of big-noting herself, this article is entering into the dangerous territory of saying that Australians, and in particular Australian politicians are sanctioning by their silence, racist pogroms, and ethnic cleansing at targeted groups, akin to the KKK (as depicted by the Indian media), the Balkans in the 1990s, or worse, WWII Europe.

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meg :

08 Jan 2010 9:34:14am

Racism exists within every family unit, every social group, every community, every nation - on one or more levels. It is only the (current) social restraints that keeps it in check or at bay. Only a thin social netting, easily damaged - holds core attitudes nad values at bay(refer Lord of the Flies...doesn't take much to bring out the animal survivalist attitude in any of us really). having said this:
I dont believe there is any evidence to suggest that these recent deaths were in relation to a individual being of a certain race. Clash of cultural values may have played some part in creating a misundertstanding or argument, but I suspect in the case of the person being stabbed in a Sydney Park late at night was an opportunistic crime and certainly not the stuff worthy of a KKK label. I fell very sorry for these loss of lives but I have to ask: the reports from friend of stab victim said 'he was already in fear of his life having being mugged before', why oh why then was he walking though a park at night(in Sydney)???I would go round the long way to minimise the odds against me in this or any other city (including Calcutta, Dehli etc)around the world. I think its called either 'protective behaviour' or common sense. Was the death of that Aussie girl found floating in a bay in that other country a racial murder - I think not. The later the hour, the darker and less open area you are in, the possible involvement of drug or alcohol intoxication of either party puts the odds in favour of harm coming one's way. In a democratic world we are not as 'free' to do what we want - much as we would like to think this is our RIGHT

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Scott :

08 Jan 2010 9:16:02am

I agree with most of Sarah's opinions expressed here, particularly that we must expose and repudiate racism wherever it exists.

However, the person who murdered Nitin Garg has not yet been arrested. Julia Gillard and the police are right to dismiss speculation on the motives of the crime until more information is known.

The speculation in this case gets attention because it is linked to Australia's largest service export market (education) and embarrasses us on the world stage. Would we see the same amount of attention given to a young gay man beaten and murdered on his way home at night?

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Simon :

08 Jan 2010 9:00:39am

Ok, lets assume these attacks are the result of racism. Surely the attention then must turn to
Why only Indians? Who/what is targeting Indians across two states?

This would imply some kind of organised action?

Faced with the choice of a f@#k up, or a conspiracy, back the f@$k up! Particularly in the absence of hard evidence to the contrary.

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DocMercury :

08 Jan 2010 8:59:19am

There is a balance against prejudice between species.

The lesser species convert the higher species into food.

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Alex :

08 Jan 2010 8:51:29am

Making disparaging comments about an entire nation is clearly racist.

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mbc :

08 Jan 2010 6:49:54am

Why you should wait for the facts.

The unfortunate man who was murdered and his burned body found by the side of the road in Riverina district was indeed Indian. A student of the word perhaps, but rather a fruit picker. Over the years plenty of migrants and Australians (is there a difference) have earned wages from picking fruit and vegetables. Can it be seriously believed that a person would come from India to pick fruit?

The situation with immigration is a visa scam. Many people, including Indians, are brought to Australia through immigration agents, who are then supplied through labour hire firms as contract labourers. A modern form of indentured labour. The only visa available to such a person is a student visa - so it becomes necessary to establish a course that this student can accomplish - but still be able pick fruit for a living.

Now it appears that this man died as a result of an altercation concerning wages - not because he is Indian.

An Indian ( or is that South Asian?) man is murdered in Australia as a result of a policy on immigration rather than racial hatred.

A number of closely linked factors are at work here:

* Immigration policy
* Contract labour
* Labour hire firms

These three factors are linked because of one simple need - low cost labour. The exploitation that is happening is that of workers. How one of the exploited is an Indian with a pretense of a student visa - Sarah that's an answer that should come from your Senate Inquiry.

The idea of a racial murder is a cop out.

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Steve Mount :

08 Jan 2010 6:32:13am

Having re-read the comments here, I am intrigued by the way that the term "racism" is thrown about, presumably meaning racial discrimination. We can find the technical description elsewhere, but what do commentators perceive when they ponder the word "racism"? To comment on a subject, as people have here, requires a mental image of what it means. Firstly, it must surely conjure up imaginations of "different", otherwise the thought process doesn't even begin. The term "racism" has become so loosely used that it is meaningless to me for use in the context that it was originally intended. So what is the "different' that fires the imagination? Is it the skin colour, the racial background, the ethnic background or the cultural background? My instinct suggests to me that it is the last of these that becomes the stumbling block in this complex issue. Are cultural values necessarily tied to any of the three preceeding? Certainly not. When we meet people that can be decribed as different by the first three terms is it not easy to move through them with little effort only to find that cultural values become the barrier? Obviously, language is the immediate problem in cultural values. If we can move beyond that, then do we not confront other barriers which might impede any formation of common ground, such as religion, or dietary habits ? I proffer that "racism", in terms colour, race or ethnicity is not the problem but culture surely is. Perhaps the time is right to move towards the term "cultural discrimination" to have any hope of resolving this vexing problem.

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Peter B :

08 Jan 2010 4:20:38am

X202Brat and Steve Rhodes pretty much sum up the state of things between them.

Racism is a particular form of a dislike of people (or other animals if you prefer it put that way) who are different - different skin colour, different face shape, different language, different social mores, different religions, different philosophies, different views on racism, et al ad infinitum it seems.

Racism exists because people dislike others who are different. So as we all espouse an aim to be more humane, more altruistic, fairer in our treatment of others (perhaps all is a bit over the odds), racism and other negative isms, and phobias, must be guarded against and limited.

(An aside - the way of guarding against and limiting racism is not, as Hanson-Young does, to brand anyone showing a racist inclination a moron. That attitude is in a way as bad as racism itself in its denegration of other people because they hold different views, albeit what one feels are quite stupid views.)

Unfortunately, as Steve says, there seem to be more than a few of our countrymen who love, actually walow, in the ignorance and bigotism that is a feature of racism. They unfortunately are not a recent phenomenom as I can well recall similar attitudes amongst all ages from the fifties when I was a nipper - it was something that my parents detested and were at pains to instill that same detestation in me and my sister; successfully dare I say.

I note that both the other two respondents and myself have worked overseas for a year or more. Marvellous experience - except that it really opened the eyes to the blinkered, parochial attitudes of, it seems at times, the majority of Australians. This lack of perspective amongst Australians arises from our isolation and one feels is abetted by the nationalistic jingo that so often accompanies the commercial press' reporting of overseas news, and especially sports news. It was enough that I many times avoided the company of other Australians in my twenty plus years in the Middle East and SE Asia - there ignorance and joy in it were so often too evident for comfort. (Nearly as bad as US Americans.)

Australia needs its immigrants, especially those of non-European background, to show that a larger world exists otu there, and to give some guidance in how to be part of it. So limiting racism is essential.

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Cecilia :

08 Jan 2010 2:48:48am

That is what Ms Hanson-Young stated in her article, Mr/Ms 'Lauga' i.e. racism exists in EVERY country. She is simply making the point that some of us are denying its existence in Oz and we need to acknowledge this problem before we can progress. Otherwise we are still living in the dark ages!

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Matt :

08 Jan 2010 2:05:57am

1. You are a racist if you think someone has lesser intelligence or abilities, or is born to behave in certain ways that are no good, on the grounds that they are of a different 'race' - a category of biological appearance - to yourself. It is one way of being a nature (nature vs nurture) thinker.

2. Racism is non-scientific thinking, and thus a bad thing, because clearly we all have the same brain - a brain that allows us to manipulate our bodies in any way we see fit on the basis of the information that goes in it, the most primitive Yanomomo thinking around is nature thinking. Or, the idea that people are born, as groups (black, white, male, female) and individuals (rich, poor, gay, straight), with different levels of intelligence and ability, or to behave in different ways. And/or, the idea that we are all born to behave in any particular way, such as to breed until selfishness is a better idea than altruism, and our world is a cesspit, or to be â€˜racistâ€™.

What makes us evolutionarily successful is that we can change our behaviours to deal with changes in environment without having to wait for the slow, hit-and-miss mechanism of genetic change (knowledge, or thinking, is the basis for our behaviours, we learn and change). This allows us to disperse across space (to live in every environment), as well as to survive across time. Not to mention to have a consciousness, or experience the miracle of existence, to predict the future, to plan for the future, to create technologies, and, if we would only let it happen, to build the perfect world for ourselves. Clockwork behaviours are a disadvantage, sure some animals might be kind of clockwork; the point is, but, we are leagues ahead of other animals, that is because our ability to coordinate our behaviours on the basis of knowledge â€“ when we have it â€“ is the final arbiter of our behaviour. Natural selection selects intelligent behavior, it is against the rationale of the theory of evolution to say that the probability is that we are clockwork animals.

Moreover, because thinking makes us everything we are, of course the combination of genetic material (the essential us, slightly variable in terms of specific composition but homogeneous in terms of what capacities to replicate itself the machines it builds possess) that builds the human race as the factory to reproduce itself equips us all with (functionally) the same brains â€“ the one that serves it best, and the only one it can build anyway.

If someone evolves a better brain, after sufficient time it becomes the only one around because of sexual reproduction. It was so long since this last happened no such difference currently exists.

3. Nature thinking is popular because it says stratified society (the social pyramid) is â€˜naturalâ€™, not a product of things people at the top do. It also makes people down the bottom feel better about the sad parody of a life they live.

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Lionel hurst :

08 Jan 2010 1:28:57am

My family and my relatives are not only a multi-racial, multi-colored mix but also have a diverse variety of religious (or not) beliefs We all get along well with each other and most other Aussies. Having said that I will argue that the majority of comments that are labelled as racism in Australia are really an indication of public discontentment at successive Federal Governments' immigration and refugee policies, not inherent bigotry. I would not want my house suddenly surrounded by any ethnic group be they Islanders, Middle Easteners or Asians. Our Federal, state and local authorities allow these enclaves to happen because they have no plan to cover it. I believe my feelings are common to all Aussies, black and white - that we are given no rights in the population make-up or mix of our country. I sincerely believe that boat people who can pay tens of thousands of dollars to be smuggled into Australia cannot be called refugees. They should all be barred and we should put all non-citizens on a maximum two year visa and then tell them to leave. Migration should cease as should welfare payments to Australians who choose to live permanently overseas. There are so many young Australians and families really struggling that the Government must put their needs first. With the multi-billion dollar debts Rudd, Swan and their gang have accumulated in only two years, Australia can't afford to be philanthropic while there are thousands of Aussies homeless.All those people who think we should take in migrants and alleged refugees should volunteer to put them up in their own homes and support them without public assistance until they can be shipped to a safe venue. How many would volunteer do you think?
Our Government should work on solving all our people's problems before they worry about looking good to foreign powers who don't give a damn about us.

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LAUGA :

08 Jan 2010 12:20:56am

GEE REALLY?? RACISM exists?? Racism is in EVERY country Sarah, not just Australia.

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the viking :

08 Jan 2010 12:07:41am

Tony Abbott and his former liberal colleagues in government promoted racism as a means of gathering support by instilling fear about illegal immigrants and the war on terror. (its ok to lie about people throwing their children overboard etc. if it wins votes) but having said that I personally wouldnt walk around the streets of suburbs like footscray alone late at night. Even in provincial towns like Mackay in north queensland You run the risk of encountering alcohol or drug related violence,probably even more so if you are from any minority group.

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UK Nair :

07 Jan 2010 11:35:24pm

As an indian..i dont think so the attacks were racist.From my point of view this people were at wrong place and wrong time and would have been an easy target..

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JVS :

07 Jan 2010 11:26:36pm

Undoubtedly there are racist elements in Australian society but are we so different to any other society?
It really irks when that bastion of equality, the US, can pontificate about OUR racism.
Hasn't it taken them 300 years to elect a black president?. And then one of their first fears was that a redneck would assassinate him.
To my knowledge, we've never had an organisation remotely like THEIR KKK.
Didn't they shoot Martin Luther King?
Didn't they draft a disproportionate number of African Americans to fight in Vietnam?
Didn't Muhamed Ali say 'no vietcong ever called me nigger'?
Give me a break. HYPOCRITES!!

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Social Anathema :

07 Jan 2010 11:20:41pm

Of course we are racist here in Australia. Why are we suprised about it?
One of the underlying factors of racism is stereotyping.
Under the previous regime, particularly, every element of my life, from the motives of my ancestors arrival here as refugees, through my place of residence, the ethnicity of my children, my social/marital status, to my age, was given a dehumanising label and demonised, in order to justify some aspect of the government's policy.
Is it any wonder that the examples set by that way of thinking is now bearing unsavoury fruit in the general community?

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maxwell :

07 Jan 2010 10:50:27pm

Racism knows no boundaries, class, religion, race - they are implicated, it has nothing to do with education, but everything to do with culture and a whole lot to do with population generated greed.

That's right, look again - the answer is not the cure!

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Reidar :

07 Jan 2010 10:50:27pm

I agree with Bruce Jefferson, one dispairs of the Greens ever becoming significant in Australian politics, like the Democrats before them, they ride an initial wave of hope and new direction, then fade into the 'fairies at bottom of garden' mode. This sycophantic mea culpa dribble is not logical; thuggery and racism are global problems, not especially an Australian invention. If you have a solution, let's discuss.

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Peter :

07 Jan 2010 10:40:04pm

There's no such thing as collective guilt.

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RF :

07 Jan 2010 10:18:41pm

Australia is racist. It has a racist heritage and is still hungover from the "White Australia era", which only "officially" ended in 1973. There's alot of people around who were shaped by the law, pre- 1973.

The only way to seriously address this issue is to clearly identify what it is to be Australian.

The current doubt and ambiguity (it's a "spirit", it's a song about a thief, it's Ned Kelly, it's meat pies, it's a way of life...) means that the interpretation of being "Aussie" as being anything you want, which could be white, drunk and stupid, can get tremendous traction, because you can't argue with these idiots, they're right. You can't say, what you are doing is NOT Australian, being an Australian is... um, a song or whatever. The Australian culture is a house built on sand.

And we've been doing this for a while. We said it to the poor ole Aborigines, that if they went off to fight, for Australia, in WW1, WW2, Malaya and Vietnam, that they would be classed as Australian and maybe even people. Nope. They fought and died for this country, which one could argue is a fairly good indication of being "Australian" and did not even get citizenship, or the vote! And I'm not sure who else has such a stake in being "purely" Australian then the people who have been here the longest!

And we're still doing it today. You can have citizenship, serve in the Army, pay taxes, vote, be employed, support what Australian culture exists (sport...), but if you have a Turban, you're not Aussie.

We must define the Australian culture and we must define what it is to be Australian, in order to knock this stupidity off and get on with things.

Two years, full time service in the Army would be a good start.

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Kingbast :

07 Jan 2010 10:16:31pm

What is it called if it turns out this tragic stabbing of the young Indian chap in Melbourne was committed by another Indian? Is that racism also? Or in the minds of the simpletons like this author, who equate a non Caucasian victims automatically with racism, is the racism cancelled out because the offender was also non Caucasian? What if the offender is non Caucasian, but the victim is Caucasian? Is that racism too? Such statistics are never made available because if the true picture was made public it would upset the multicultural apple cart. Yes there is racism in Australia, but I think you will find that much of it is committed by people from ethnic groups other than the standard Caucasian who seems to get blamed, either explictly or implcitly for every act of violence involving victims from another culture or country. This is usually accompanied in the media by nasty pictures of Australian National Flags and the Cronulla riots to reinforce the false notion that Australians and their flag are racist by defintion, and are therefore in need of change. It is high time we moved beyod such facile attempts at social conditioning and admitted that we have a growing problem of ethnically based violence in this country, fuelled by irresponsible and unchallenged social engineers such as the elitist author of this article, whose denial of such reflects either an astounding naivete or worse, deliberate dilution of our values by implied dimunition. What makes it so unpalatable is that she is part of our legislature.

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karate :

07 Jan 2010 9:51:47pm

I guess to a certain extent, I have racial views and these mainly relate to immigrants who take up residence in our country but refuse to become Aussies. If they don't wish to accept our way of life they should be deported, no questions asked. That's my opinion anyway. Racial conflicts, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug addiction all seem to be connected in one way or another where violence is concerned.

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Jeffrey :

07 Jan 2010 9:47:45pm

Great article, why can't we have more politicians with the guts to speak their mind on a growing problem in this country? You are correct, we do have many morons and a lot of them frequent the house on the hill in Canberra. We need more pollies like Sarah.

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Steve Rhodes :

07 Jan 2010 9:11:40pm

You bet racism exists in Australia , big time . It exists in the sneer , the racist joke , the indifference to others who are 'different' .
I am a white , working class tradesman and 6th generation Aussie but I spent years in the 80's living and working overseas . Having seen the world throughg the lens of different cultures , I see my own culture for what it is : Easy going veneer with a strong streak under the surface of ignorance and intolerance . The thing that strikes me is the LOVE of ignorance , it is positively a status symbol here . Heaven forbid that a book should get between a bloke and his beer . It makes for cultural myopia requiring rose tinted prescription specs .

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fairgofolks :

07 Jan 2010 9:05:46pm

The only people who would deny that racism, discrimination and bigotry are commonplace in Australia are those deeply entrenched in it and those with a vested interest in fueling it. Teachers like myself with more than 30 years of interaction with all sections of society can easily describe how every level of our society has contributed to our current malaise. The behaviour of our test cricketers is just one example; at times such attitudes and behaviour have made me feel ashamed to be Australian.

Except for our indigenous peoples Australian society has been relatively recently derived from overseas. Some of what we see is 'the great melting pot' at work but that doesnâ€™t mean we should be accepting of xenophobia or tolerant of ignorant, offensive or discriminatory behaviour.

Alarmingly, our judicial systems are failing us badly. Practical policing has been rendered impotent by judges, law makers and courts pre-occupied with esoteric aims and pre-occupation with the rights of perpetrators of crime and antisocial behaviour. It is long overdue that offenders should be dealt with swiftly and firmly - by our Police and without interference from our politicians and the threat of ruination via our courts.

Since the advent of popular media in Australia journalists, cartoonists and editors have ensured maximum exposure for incidents and issues prejudicial to social cohesion and harmony. After all, controversy sells newspapers and air time!

In summary, individuals may be the actors but our racist scripts are written by our politicians and lawyers and actively promoted and publicised by our media.

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Richard Insider :

07 Jan 2010 9:00:45pm

Racism - of course it is alive and well in Australia. For goodness sake our country was founded on it! Let's not forget that racism is everywhere (as other have noted). Let us also not forget the concept of ethnocentricity and not confuse it with outright racism.

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peace_broker :

07 Jan 2010 8:41:36pm

Well written Sarah. If Australia was truly democratic then hopefully those sitting in Parliament will take keen interest in ensuring the constitution and the judiciary system is honored! It is a shameful act of disrespect and devalues all residents in Australia.

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grahamr :

07 Jan 2010 8:23:16pm

Of course racism exists in Australia - the denial by authorities that the recent murder was racially motivated proves the point. How would they know - when no one has been arrested yet. The ready denial was a tactic to ward off what may more than likely turn out to be true and buy time to let the outcry settle.

Cronulla riots are a clear case in point that racism bubbles around in our society. Then the treatment of Dr Haneef photographed cowering in the back of a police van - justice and compensaton have never been finally offered to this man - he is still racially discriminated against. Who cares, he's a Pakkie?

Finally, the hate that Australians had for Indian Call Centres, which took Australian jobs, and annoyingly harrassed us in our homes will not dissipate easily.

Of course we are racist - not everyone - but enough of us are to give us a bad name on the world stage.

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John Wilson :

07 Jan 2010 8:13:07pm

Anyone who does not think racism i behnd Indian bashing has to be eitherblnd, stupid or living in London.

Police who say racism isn't bhind the bashing are just not in touch with the reality of what is happening n the streets.

Young Ausralians gather together as gangs when not playing football and then seek out 'curry muncher and 'turban heads' to bash for thrills.

Australians are famous for being youg thugs when overseas.

Someone has to wake up and see it for what it is and not paly 'Peter Garrat' roles of denial when hungering for power but beng highy reluctant to act on what normal Austaians see a dodging issues or the sake of political expediancy

Before being elected Garrat believed in going against the political grain, now he is in it for th powwer and money, not his origina beliefs.

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Jasmine :

07 Jan 2010 7:56:53pm

Agree with DR's comment that "new arrivals...need to do odd jobs/late shifts to survive. They have no private transport or friends / family who can help. They however work / study hard to establish themselves & pay their fare share of taxes/ fees ."

The Senator is just wading inexpertly into the middle of the storm for attention - pulling together the race card and the underlying social and economic issues. A bit beligerent.

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Joe Pike :

07 Jan 2010 7:50:28pm

Marvelous to see so many of your friends here tonight, Sarah.

I agree, racism exists in Australia. However, you might want to broaden your horizons and live for a few years in other countries, as I have, and see for yourself that racism is not unique to Australia - it is a part of the human condition - and indeed what we see here is not inherent but the exception.

I wouldn't play the patriot card with you Sarah, but I would point out that trashing our society when you have no real experience of the world and cannot see that things are pretty good here is rather gauche.

However I agree with you 100% that racism should be exposed and repudiated in every instance. But let's first ensure we have our facts straight and not leap to conclusions in regard to these horrible events in Melbourne.

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Chi :

07 Jan 2010 7:28:23pm

I think there was a survey in the last few years that came up with a figure of 60% racist for Autralians. I wasn't suprised by the figure. Foreign backpackers sure seem to notice it and very much appreciate person to person interactions.
I'd say two things contributing to prejudiced attitudes are: firstly a baseline lack of awareness, underwhich fear and loathing are easily aroused; secondly that the easily aroused fear and loathing has been used by politians for decades, well forever I suppose.
I'd also say that we're not long past a period when foreigness was tragicaly prostituted by politicians, thereby corrupting the morales of the country.

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Reeper :

07 Jan 2010 7:14:53pm

More twaddle than a universal twaddle filtration plant could handle. Racism is alive and well across the world and Australia doesn't even make it to the second division in the racism league. Respect is two way!

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Karlen :

07 Jan 2010 7:13:32pm

Racism is not really a recent or new thing in our society. The first act of it actually occured back in 1788 when the first fleet landed in Botany Bay, declared the country Terra Nulius & then proceeded to kill the first aborigine. The rest is a very well documented history of atrosities. Since then, other nationalities have had to endure tags such as, wogs, geeks, wops, gooks, krauts, yids, micks, prodos etc, these last two being very interesting in that the anglos are quite capable of being racist toward one another. Does it exist here? You can bet your last dollar on it.

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Michael Wild (Bunbury WA) :

07 Jan 2010 6:55:21pm

This piece was sensible and balanced. What a shame that it has to come from a small, minor party (euphamism for politically irrelevant). I don't however, buy that the police were "blaming the victim" by giving sensible, practical advice on how to avoid another assault, even if it may seem insensitive. It's like the silly failure to think about what words mean when people say a young woman was "asking for it" when she was sexaully assaulted. Of COURSE the perpetrator is always morally responsible and belongs in jail. In my 47 years I'm yet to meet a redneck who really believes a raped women is to be blamed for the high publicity blizt rapes by strangers. But there is nothing wrong with prudence and a lot of terrible experiences could be avoided by using more of it. And I'm yet to meet a angry feminist who doesn't believe that there are many times when prudence is a very good thing. 99/100 times the disputants actually agree with each other. But alas, that's politics.

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Steve Mount :

07 Jan 2010 6:18:21pm

Earlier generations may indeed have been participants in, and victims of, rasism. I personally think that by now most realise that "race" has little impact on the abilities or sensibilities of any individual. My own experiences and reflections tell me that it's not "race" that matters, but culture, and I think many would discover the same. To generalise, I believe most folk don't care what "race" their neighbours are, as long as their cultural values are similar. It's not so much the genetic makeup of those we consider "different", but the cultural habits they carry. Perhaps it's more about the accepted current definition of "racism". This, I believe, is a matter that requires much more exploration of thought. I have no concern of any other "races", but some large cultural schisms certainly grab my attention.

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DocMercury :

07 Jan 2010 5:57:24pm

To spare any quantitative or qualitative value judgement, it is easier to simply dislike ALL people no matter where they were born and where they live.

Most are dirtier than termites and deadlier than a pestilence.

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DocMercury :

07 Jan 2010 5:54:49pm

ALL humans are beneath my contempt.
Consequently racism is impossible.
One bipedal clown is pretty much as dysfunctional and degenerate as all other bipedal clowns.

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DocMercury :

07 Jan 2010 5:52:58pm

Racism can only exist when someone is deluded enough to believe that some humans are less crappy than other humans.

Which has to be more myth than meaning.

I can't see it.
Animals of any other species are generally better than ALL humans.

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atomou :

07 Jan 2010 5:35:09pm

So!
All you lot better vote Greens, next time or I'll be very, very angry!
They're about the only pollies who say and do anything sensible!

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DesiOz :

07 Jan 2010 5:26:21pm

Sarah you have the guts to speak the truth. Racism is bad for all countries.

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Houda Thunkit :

07 Jan 2010 5:20:11pm

Racism is alive and well here in Australia, our previous government put in twelve years of concentrated effort to ensure that our young people grew up in an atmosphere of mistrust and fear of strangers and anyone who is not a "blue eyed, blond haired Aryan". As long as polititions continue to capitalise on the most baseic human emotions of fear and greed, racism and race hate crime will flourish. It is easy for polititions to stir up hatred in order to get elected but its very hard to stop the avalanche once it starts rolling.

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CE :

07 Jan 2010 5:01:17pm

The advantage of not belonging to a major party is you can say and do what you like because the consequences are minimal. Would you rather that our politicians claim all attacks are racist, until they prove they are not? Racism does exist in Australia and is practiced by all ethnic groups, but the accusations thrown around by the Indian media, Indian students, the FISA mouthpiece (wonder if he is angleing for a career in politics), and Indian Politicians is that Australia is a racist nation and therefore all Australians are racist (read white Australians only). Until the murder the conversation in Australia has quickly turned around from violence to Indian students demanding cheap housing and free travel which means that these so called fall fee paying, and self supporting students want a tax payer handout (I also would love this). This was also brought up by the Indian High Commissioner as soething that we should do. I work with Indians, my wife and children are of Indian descent, but when ever I criticize an Indian, or disagree with their performance it is because I must be racist. Dealing with large numbers of Indians, and having spent large amounts of time in India, whenever an Indian does not get what they believe they deserve and a non Indian is involved it can only be because we are racists and are jealous of all Indians.

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swinging voter :

07 Jan 2010 4:57:57pm

Maybe there is more than one reason for Indians being targetted for violent crimes - if indeed they are being (I have yet to see the quantitative evidence but lest assume that it exists).

If the attacks were purely racist then why Indians and not Aboriginals, Maori, Africans etc ? Maybe the latter would be less atractive targets as they may not have as much to steal and would be more likely to fight back - my experience in Australia and India has been that Indians are often gentle people.

So if the factors were that Indians were more likely to be in vulnerable places, carrying valuable things and were less likely to fight back does his make it a racial attack ?

I don't think that people should need to be agressive, not carry iPods or be in train stations or parks late at night but if you haven't diagnosed the cause accurately you may not introduce the right solution (eg teaching everyone to be tolerant may not reduce the current problem if it is racial profiling as a form of targetting by criminal groups)

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Saurabh from Sydney :

07 Jan 2010 4:51:47pm

If Australia doesnt like Indians, DO NOT send your universities and agents to our country.

We would be more than happy to spend the $1 billion in Canada or elsewhere.

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Ummm :

07 Jan 2010 4:49:28pm

A lot of us desperately want this country NOT to be racist but the fact is, there are some people who are racists. They are usually of the redneck variety, who have not travelled overseas and have always been told that this is the best country in the world. Whilst it is, in a way, other nations also have their beauty. I have travelled to India several times. It is an ancient country, pulsating with spirituality. It is rich in colour and history.

It is really a reflection of a person's ignorance when they are racist. They haven't travelled or tried to understand anyone else's culture.

I was once asking some workman if they had seen an Indian man who worked for the local Council. They called him 'a curry'. At first I didn't know what they were talking about. Then I twigged. Stupid sniggering idiots. Anyway, I love a good curry. Beats a pie and chips any day.

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Mal :

07 Jan 2010 4:42:08pm

'Call a spade a spade'???? Are you serious? Was this deliberate or just ignorant?

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rotteneggs :

07 Jan 2010 4:41:27pm

Well written, thought provoking article. However........ You base the entire foundation of your comment on two highly publicised and public murders. Go on to say they are unsolved, investigations are ongoing, and motives are unclear. But then go on to use the clandestine assumption that they were racist killings. What if, in either or both cases, these unfortunate people were killed by people of the same race as themselves? Surely they wouldn't be filed as "racist" crimes then. Both the issue of these crimes,and the greater problem of racism deserve this sort of quality article. Just not the same article.

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Christian :

07 Jan 2010 4:39:45pm

I remember ...

- Approximately 10 years ago, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt alive in their car by Hindu extremists in Orissa.

- 2004, Australian tourist Dawn Griggs was robbed, raped and murdered by two taxi drivers after arriving late at night at Delhi airport.

... What I don't remember is the Australian public claiming Indians were commiting racist hate crimes agains them.

By the way, has anybody seen Puneet Puneet yet, the families of the two Melbournians he ran over and killed would like to know - I don't believe they've called him racist yet either.

The street goes both ways.

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Have a say :

07 Jan 2010 4:37:01pm

Forget this word "Racism", what we are actually talking about is a product of "Natural Selection" which has been a strong part of us as ever we were evolving as a race. We have a strong "natural" instinct to be suspicious of people that are different from us and no amount of pretense (or veneer of civilisation) will make that not so. Australian are no more racist than anyone else. It is part of the strong instinct for survival that we all carry as humans.

Using words like "racist" and in fact many of the terms we attribute to political correctness, is simply censorship and a method of controlling those you may not agree with.

The problem of course is population pressure brought about by successive governments who see gain for themselves in opening the flood gates to all comers, for one reason or another. It's population pressure that causes the friction here and the problems and unfortunately I see it only getting worse.

In saying what I have said, I no way advocate violence as a means of resolving the problem, in fact I am utterly against it. Less people is the answer.

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a gutful :

07 Jan 2010 4:32:40pm

Of course racism exists. People are people, everyone different, each with their own beliefs. As a whole, Australia is a country that embraces a multitude of cultures. Our own culture is a culmination of many. I have travelled around the world and have inhaled as much forgeign culture as I can. I am fascinated by the differences between each country and want to learn more still, however, I myself am finding it bothersome that so many of one particular race are flooding our shores and seemingly taking over our fast foods, phone lines, tech support, customer service etc. In talking to people I know and people I meet, there has been a change in attitude toward those of indian decent. Why? Because of a certain level of arrogance. I take each person as an individual. I will judge that individual based on who they are, not where they are from but as a whole, I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to Indians. I would never hate someone because I know they are Indian, that would be very small minded of me but I do resent the fact that Australian companies are outsourcing to India, Singapore etc for the fact that it is cheaper than to support Australian jobs. With that comes a lack of quality be it in repairs, or customer service. Qantas? Problems arose due to outsourcing to save a buck...which in turn costs more money to fix these problems and of course damages reputations as well as potential loss of lives. My biggest issue however, is telesales and customer service/tech support. I lknow I'm not alone when I say that all I want is to talk to someone who's first language is English. Firstly, I can understand them, they understand me and my needs. Whatever happened to good old fashiponed Aussie service? It has gone down the drain in favour of a higher profit margin. In my dealings with Indians, I have been met with beligerance 95% of the time. We have trouble understanding one another, they will argue everything you say and generally, you hang up more frustrated than before speaking to them and the problem is still unresolved. If this makes me racist, thats a shame as I have always prided myself on being open to all walks of life. But at the same time, I'm sick of being abused for no reason. If they were polite, helpful and friendly, I wouldn't have a problem. While I don't agree with violence, in fact, I find it to be dispicable, perhaps, the frustration I feel and what everybody I know has expressed to me is the cause of this racial issue. Perhaps, we need to put a limit on how many people we let into the country before peoples anger leads to more tradgedy. Perhaps more people should write their frustrations rather than using violence to hurt innocent people.

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dave noir :

07 Jan 2010 4:30:27pm

Ken Kerrison has it right. Ms Hanson Young is valiant in her attempt to win a few votes but Xenophobia is a human condition. Long before our great civilization existed we were tribal beings and were fearful of other tribes killing us and stealing our women.It is not just the people of Australia or Melbourne or Indonesia or China or Israel that are Xenophobic and if you search deep enough into your psyche you to will find a tingle that is related to the fear of others.
It is not just morons that are racist either. Tony Abbot and his cohorts in the liberal party have education and experience enough and still they wish to take us back to the 1930s as Malcolm Frazer so rightly suggests

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James :

07 Jan 2010 4:25:15pm

What about the inherent racism in expecting that Australian Government give special preference to one nationality over everyone else? Why should our Government make a special representation to the Indian Government when one of their students are murdered? Because they whinged the loudest? What about other visitors to our country who are hurt or killed in Australia?

Bad things happen to people - claiming racism because it happens to an overseas visitor is sickening.

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Trevor :

07 Jan 2010 4:13:52pm

I'm sure that, as some correspondents have mentioned, racism is worse & more overt in many other countries compared to Australia. Allies & enemies alike.

But that doesn't legitimise racism. What it does is shame those nations.

In the Howard years racism was used cynically as a political tool. Hanson was never condemned & allowed a national voice. Boat people were demonised. Our own indigenous people were ignored, abandoned & then invaded in a bid to keep votes.

A generation grew up as slavish jingoists flocking to both ANZAC Cove and Cronulla.

This shames Australia.

And now we reap.

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ant :

07 Jan 2010 4:09:14pm

You're right Terry but you also have to remember that the kids who become racists are in many cases disadvantaged in terms of education and potential for future advancement themselves. They get their information from far right nutcases because they've never been taught any better and the education system has totally failed them on every level.

The racial bullying that goes on in schools is utterly disgraceful and completely avoidable if teachers did their job. All bullying is, in fact. The Howard government did a lot to create a two tier society and it really only became obvious with two events:

1. The creation of Work Choices which was blatantly aimed at disadvantaging working class Australians.

2. The riots on Bondi Beach which were the logical outcome of too many people fighting over too few crumbs and the constant demonizing of Muslims by the Liberal Party and the media (or is that a tautology?) which was basically the only policy the Liberal Party had for its entire term in office. The fear and loathing ticket worked for them until they went a bridge too far with Work Choices.

Australians had to actually see financial disadvantage staring them and their children and grandchildren in the face before they woke up. It's the old story of if you let them do it to others they will eventually do it to you. This needs to be remembered at all times and in all contexts. Solidarity is not just a Polish catchcry.

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KP :

07 Jan 2010 4:06:59pm

I don't think it's wrong to say that racism exists in every country, but some commenters seem to be using that as some kind of excuse, which is what I don't understand. Just becasue racism exists elsewhere doesn't mean it's OK, and we shouldn't try to do something about it!

I live in regional Victoria, and I can tell you racism is alive and well here! Of course no one admits to being racist, and will in fact tell you they aren't and then in the same sentence make a racial slur. You know, the old "I'm not racist but ..." statement. My partner used to work in a large retail store, and was horrified to find most staff would go to great lengths to avoid serving any non-anglo customers, even to the point of being openly rude.

So yes, there are plenty of racists in Australia, and everywhere else, but ignoring it and excusing it only means that nothing will change.

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wmc :

07 Jan 2010 4:06:16pm

The Liberal Dark Ages under Howard, Abbott and Co had a negative and lasting effect on Australia.

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Uncle Fester :

07 Jan 2010 4:03:38pm

Yes, racism exists in Australia, as it does in every country of the world. No, this does not mean that you are a member of a country that you are by definition a racist or any other form of bigot or xenophobe.

As a result of this it would be foolish to jump to a conclusion that these attacks are or aren't racially motivated. It would be racially motivated if the common factor between the assaults was that the victims were Indian. Therfore every assault in Australia in the last several months has been against Indians. I am sure this is untrue.

Perhaps this can be looked at from another angle. The Indian news media tends to have a particularly hysterical tone to it - a bit like Today Tonight + A Current Affair + talkback radio. Facts don't matter much so long as you have sensationalist rhetoric. And of course the politicians are ready to jump on this bandwagon, and claim the easy cry of persecution because it is politically expedient and convenient to do so. It also puts diplomatic relations on the backfoot so it looks like you have the upper hand - hence the Aussie pollies heading over there on bended knee to beg forgivess. Politically clever tactics.

My understanding is that this issue started with cowboy educational institutions not delivering appropriate services to Indian students - and this has been a threat to Asutralia's economy. And yes it is right to fix these problems.

So what reasonable advice does the Indian government have for Australia in order to rectify our problems with racism? Or if they don't have them, is this all just a bigoted attack?

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jules :

07 Jan 2010 3:53:22pm

I was once the target of rascism. I don't hate Australia for that. I AM Australian and I love this place, that would mean hating myself too. Us aussie's are always quick to put the boot in when it comes to ourselves.This country is big and wide and full of many different people. And many different attitudes. Like the many groups of middle eastern and indian men who ogle my daughters as if they were walking vaginas. But i would never deny their right to leer at unprotected women. It's their problem.I teach my daughters to pretend they don'texist.It would be rascist to complain to loudly so we go on with our own lives and ignore their attitudes. Now, i am posting a rascist comment here! but its a true one. I know it;s supposed to be unspoken. Sorry. But i wouldnever ever wish to deny the right of those men to liveas they wish, believe what they wish. Because they are human, and equal to me and my daughters. i don't have to shut up my opinions and i'm adult enough to walk away from thiers

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RayS :

07 Jan 2010 3:48:37pm

Describing the victimisation of vulnerable minorities as racism is just legitimising the victimisation, as can be seen by the majority of racist responses here today. It should be described as cowardice to stab a student in a park at night and it's irrelevant where the student comes from. Such cowardly violence is a threat to us all, even the earlier immigrants who think of themselves as "true blue".

In addition, the Indian government and media are indulging in racism by stirring up racist sentiments against foreigners (ie, Australians), no doubt as cover for their own failures in policy or governance. How long before their rabble rousing causes violence against anglo expats or tourists by mobs in India?

As has been pointed out by others here, assault against Indian students is actually below the national average for assault per capita, however murder of an unarmed person walking to or from work should never be justifiable and calling it racism lends an air of patriotism. Everybody who knows anything about this cowardly crime should cooperate to bring these curs to justice.

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Marilyn :

07 Jan 2010 3:48:21pm

It's not that long ago that we killed off the white Australia policy but many of our policies are still very racist.

Like the way we treat aborigines and refugees, many migrants have a really tough time and we gloat that we want these students to screw to prop up our education economy.

While we continue to lock up refugees and pretend it is about border protection we are being racist.

Full stop.

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Rob theredneck :

07 Jan 2010 3:48:21pm

Don't know about i.pods and speaking their native language, but. I have noticed that Indians and Sri Lankans, in particular, seem to wear excessive amouts of gold jewellery. This may well be a contributing factor in attacks. Must say that whe I',ve travelled overseas, I have always tried to ''fit in'' wherever I am, by dress, speech, and minding my own business.
I don't think the majority of Australians are any more rascist than other nationalities. But as other nationals do in their country of residence, people in general do like visitors to adopt their language and custom on a temporary basis.

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Travis :

07 Jan 2010 3:48:21pm

I think these are racist attacks, I am a young white male, haven't experienced any racism myself, but have seen Indian students harassed on trams called names usually with the word curry in it, and even provoked into getting into fights, once by two mid age white woman too my amazement, these people embarrass me and ashame me, I am not proud to be Australian anymore.

By the way I have got a few foreign friends who came here hearing that Australians were a kind non racist people. that is why they are here!! boosting our economy with the cash they bring.
Most regret their decision and wish they chose another place

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Paul :

07 Jan 2010 3:39:32pm

To the Badger. I find your statist views bigoted and offensive....

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Bruce Thombo Jefferson :

07 Jan 2010 3:39:23pm

Ever so often one is reminded why the Greens are still on the lunatic fringe. I do not think that anyone denies that there is racism in Australia, just like everywhere else its part of our species but its sort of mixed and not aimed at Indians specifically unlike say Apartheid was aimed at black Africans or in Israel where it is aimed at indigenous Palestinians. In those societies being of either of those two races would probably set you in harms way by itself. Here there may be some people who do not like Indians but for the Indian government to assume that Australia is bristling with the equivalents of Barend Strydom and Baruch Goldstein looking for Indians to slaughter is ludicrous.
That it ludicrous is the essence of the narrative that one must communicate to Indian society. Otherwise the Aussie Indian slayers narrative will take on a life of its own and we will never be rid of it because you cant fight a chimera.

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jules :

07 Jan 2010 3:37:49pm

The murders commited were horrible. It takes a sick person to do that.Why do we give rascism power by naming it as the cause for the murders? By focusing on what 'caused' the perpetrator to murder we are forgetting that it takes a criminal to kill. we are creating rascism as a 'force' by all this media atention, and the more we focus on it the fatter it gets. Why are we giving the murderer the respect of a cause by all this attention on the supposed reason? The murderer is SICK. so are his attitudes to other human beings.Of course rascism exists here(and everwhere on this planet)

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Mike :

07 Jan 2010 3:29:58pm

name me one country that isnt racist? Other religions are very racist against us in the west are they not.

It doesnt justify bad behaviour on our part neither does it justify terrorist attacks on innocent westerners.

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AUZ well wisher :

07 Jan 2010 3:27:07pm

Everywhere there is racism. The problem starts when it is stimulated.
What my suggestion is, students have to concentrate on studies rather than making money, otherwise the law wil take away the right to work. In another way, recession and unemployment will activate racism.

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Katie KaBoom :

07 Jan 2010 3:26:00pm

I am glad this article was posted. The wider media has focussed too much on the sensationalism of the word 'racist'.
If you put the words 'Australia' and 'racist' in a headline you are surely going to get people to buy your newspaper/ watch your t.v news/ listen to your radio show. All this does is inflame dormant racist attitudes (and ratings) untill the next national issue.
A Herald Sun editor once told me that when they are out of front page story ideas they put an article about Collingwood F.C on - people either love them or hate them and buy the paper. This is the same, either you agree or you don't.
The point is there has been few productive discussions either way. If International Students think some of these crimes are racially motivated, then why not explore the possibility, find out the truth and fix the problem at the source.

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seajae :

07 Jan 2010 3:25:30pm

there is racism in australia but it is not restricted to the white population, as a multicultural society we have many different nationalities living in this country and many of them have also brought along the dislikes of other nationalities/people as well. It is just as common to be called a f###ing white bastard or similar as it is for others to be called names as well, unfortunately we do not own the right to be racist, every different culture has their own problems.Trying to tie it in to one specific nationality though is wrong, even one of the head indians in this country says the same thing(shown elsewhere on abc), doing so only instigates more problems but from who, last time they were blaming an ethnic group, seems to me no one knows who is actually causing this so maybe people are just jumping the gun until such time as it can be proven. We are just like all other countries except that we do not have a caste sytem here and we do not stop people from doing as they want.

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Jason Cleeland :

07 Jan 2010 3:23:08pm

I'm starting to get tired of all this.

Here's some basic logic for everyone before they all explode in a frenzy of "racist/not racist".

1) All frogs are green
therefore
2) All green things are frogs

We should all take a deep breath.

There is, without any doubt, racism in Australia. It is our obligation as a modern, peaceful, multicultural nation to eradicate racism where-ever it affects the civil liberties of people who reside in Australia.

There has been, without doubt, crimes committed against Indian nationals in Australia, and Australian citizens with Indian heritage.

Some of these crimes may be racially motivated.

But that doesn't mean that every single crime that is committed against an Indian national in Australia, or an Australian citizen with Indian heritage is racially motivated.

Anyone who immediately jumps on any crime that was committed against someone with Indian links, and claims that was a racist attack, without any detailed knowledge of the crime or the motivations of the criminal is - quite frankly - an idiot and ought to shut up until they get their hands on more facts.

They are making all those who are working hard to make Australia a less racist country (and who have, frankly been extraordinarily succesful but who have more work to do) look like fools and undermining their case. Anyone with the slightest sense of objectivity can immediately see the logic flaw in claiming that every crime committed against someone with Indian links is racist. So it looks stupid.

And, of course, it brings out the racist trolls too - because it's so obviously dumb and so bloody easy to see that it's a reactive biased response.

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David :

07 Jan 2010 3:20:38pm

No racism in Australia? Are you sure about that. There is skinhead groups based on all major cities in Australia. You can view this groups on internet and they have a online radio as well. Just listening them will be enough to understand where we are since 2nd world war. You can do a google search, you will find lots of links how racist Australia is.

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Sarah :

07 Jan 2010 3:20:38pm

Article really talks some sense, as felt by me and many Indian friends who finally see someone with intelligence telling the people who take shelter of denial to save themselves from racial blame. Thanks Sarah for bringing some light in darkness.

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robert jaworski :

07 Jan 2010 3:17:50pm

police visibility must be present to avoid such crimes.

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bob :

07 Jan 2010 3:17:20pm

This page is crap. It edits out pretty much any one who doesn't agree Aus is racist - like my previous post.

Why even bother to ask for comments.

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Ryan :

07 Jan 2010 3:15:33pm

what sarah is tring to express here is that although the death of that India student may or may not be the case of racism, we can't simply say that there is no racism in this country and we will need to do something to fix this problem. Apart from that, we will also need to think about the public safety in this country, and ask ourselves: since when walking at night could easily cost one's life, and since when policemen who are helping our communities get killed more than ever before.

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Hermit :

07 Jan 2010 3:15:12pm

Ms Hanson-Young appears to reason as follows:
1. the victim was Indian
2. Racism exists in Australia

There is a great divide between those who think rationally and those who can't or won't. There are no prizes for guessing my views on Ms Hanson-Young.

People who carry out these attacks know a soft target when they see one. There may well be a greater proportion of soft targets among some ethnic groups, but picking out such a target is an act of cowardice NOT racism.

Until you have evidence of the attackers state of mind Ms Hanson-Young, please refrain from inflammatory statements.

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kym horsell :

07 Jan 2010 3:10:01pm

I've read that 8% of young Australian males are victims of assault in a typical year c2008. If there are approx 150,000 Indian students and 3/4 of them are male, then unless there are 9,000 assaults per year the group is very much safer than the comparable group of Australian nationals. I can find only 14 cases Australia wide reported in the media for 2009. Many of the headlines would then seem to be fiction.

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pfft :

07 Jan 2010 3:06:48pm

u never hear about the Aussies who get bashed and left for dead but god forbid its someone from a different country and BAM were racist... before us Australians get called racist visit an Iraqi terrorist and then whinge to people about racism

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Donna :

07 Jan 2010 2:59:50pm

I just need to say that I think it is quite extraordinary that anyone can conclude any kind of motive given that, as yet, the police don't even know who perpetrated these crimes. It is even more extraordinary for another country's government to act without the slighest indication as to whether their actions are appropriate or not. Certainly a reaction is warranted however won't the Indian government look silly if they find out it is one of their own that has committed these heinous crimes? Lets hope they are quick to issue an apology to all Australians if this turns out to be the case.
P.S. It is also interesting that they have been resoundingly silent about the death of an indian woman at the hands of her husband (also Indian)here in Australia. Does this mean that the deaths of Indian citizens at the hands of another Indian citizen in Australia is acceptable to them? Or does it mean gender violence is acceptable to them just not racial violence? Or does it mean the Indian government is playing the race card cos they have an ulterior motive -maybe wanting to get some of that education money for themselves or divert it elsewhere for favours? Who knows? Certainly their reaction appears selective, inappropriate and unsophisticated for a country that generally is capable of mature and reasoned dialogue.

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John R :

07 Jan 2010 2:59:04pm

Lets see... Perhaps groups X,Y,Z are racist against the Indians. Now, should we really send the message to X,Y,Z that we hate them because they hate the Indians? Is that really the way to spread mutual trust and understanding? Do we really want the media to portray racism as being a normal part of Australian life if we want to show people to take it out of their lives? Portraying everyone as angry, unjust and mistrustful doesn't help the general sense of goodwill in a community.

Perhaps one of the ways to fix this problem is simply to keep it out of the minds of the general public as an issue, and get on with policing to deal with the problem individuals.

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Andrew Smith :

07 Jan 2010 2:57:26pm

I work in Australian education industry based in Europe and there is no denying that there have been racial undertones in attitudes toward and violence against Indians and those Australians of Asian background (we have been hearing this from our European candidates in Australia especially past 2-3 years).

If Australia is the clever country how is it that past 10-15 years of dog whistling, and veilled or nuanced racial targetting from academia, lobby groups, politicans, media and society have not been taken into account?

It's curious the deafening silence from the tolerant and welcoming silent majority of Australians who are obviously not empowered to do anything.... or cannot be arsed..... also beholden to bigots and losers in marginal electorates?

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Jason :

07 Jan 2010 2:56:55pm

I agree that racism finds its way into all societies at some level, and Australia is no exception. However, I think there is a big difference between an obvious racially motivated attack, such as the Cronulla riots, versus an attack on a person walking alone through a park, at night, in the inner western suburbs of Melbourne.

It seems Ms Hanson-Young is just as eager to jump to conclusions for the motivations of this attack as she claims the federal government is.

While I also agree we should definately not rule out the possibility that it was racially motivated, if we must jump to a conclusion prematurely, perhaps it would be prudent to jump to the most likely conclusion; wrong place, wrong time.

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Paladin :

07 Jan 2010 2:52:32pm

You mean we are not treated as different in other countries, to the point where we feel less secure than in Australia?

You have to be joking tongue in cheek, or taking the high moral ground.

To me its the high moral ground. For you end by saying we are a tolerant democracy. That is exactly the stand the leaders take, and yet it's not good enough for you. viz we are tolerant, if racism is involved its not the Australian way. Thats the starting point we make to our neighbours, we are multi cultural. The attacks may not have been racist.

If you want us to say, look every country has its racist morons, then say it and have the other countries agree on that. That is the big problem after all, we are not a racist country! Can you see how you are arguing against yourself? Morons exists everywhere, you said that. I assume you mean racist morons.

Moron is your word for them, not mine, i am far more tolerant than that LOL

Now when the facts show that racism is involved then and only then can the morons be dealt with. Pontificating wont solve the problems morons have.

When the evidence is there to show that racism was the motif, do we line the offenders up against a wall and shoot them? deport them? punish them with prison. Will that stop them being racist? It may stop them being morons over it, but it rarely stops the racism, rather (and especially in terror related racism), punishment will feed it.

Please where are your answers? its not enough to say we have to admit racism exists, when we all know the problems are the racist morons that exist. That doesnt make this tolerant country a racist country! There are people who would sooner cut you or me, than look at us. Thats the case regardless of who we are or where we are from, or where we are in the world. So you change the world if you can with your committees. I am saying that you cant do it.

Racism in Australia cant be a problem of the magnitude you suggest, if we marry them so often as happens, (and we have been doing it for a very long time). We are enjoying them in our lives as our doctors, our teachers our friends etc.

So its more than we are just tolerant, tolerating them. Rather most enjoy them for who they are, normal loveable people.

Our tourists are murdered in other countries. Some times its racist sometimes its for money Or to cover another crime such as sex related.or just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or we are infidels or carry an Ipod they want. Or we have $1 they want. if those are the facts those are the facts.

What gets me about it is that Rudd and co and news readers, are voicing the comment that it is threatening a very lucrative industry, all in the same breath as announcing a student death. If stopping Indians coming in as students, stops Indians from being murdered,and wrecks the billion dollar industry, then Im all for stopping Indian st

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Kris :

07 Jan 2010 2:38:28pm

Are you kidding? Do you know what 'spade' is? do you not know where this expression came from? Is this some kind of lame attempt at sarcasm? I am not black but that is just crass.

Why is it that the goverment always just says there is no proof that it is racism but we need to be careful because of the $10 billion revenue.

As an Indian what I want to hear, "We are sorry that one of your kids was killed. It might have been a racist attack but we are not a racist country as a whole. Try to be careful when you go out." Not this dismissive comment and definitely not one word about the 10 billion dollars. You don't know anything about our country and how my people are exploited all over the world .. Do you know that the world's tallest building in Dubai was built by Indian workers but they were heavily exploited. We don't expect anything better from them but we expect better from our friends.

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Nathan :

07 Jan 2010 2:37:52pm

There are certainly ugly attitudes in Australia in response to foreigners, but being an expat myself I've been on the receiving end of it as well. Decrying racism and playing victim is just weak.

What happens is this:- Drunken yobbos and bogans who are bored like trying to hock smokes or money out of people late at night because they are bored and simply want to see if they can get away with it. If you don't give them anything, they'll typically try to attack you for something to do. Australia is so big, and the police can't be everywhere. Walking around late at night in Australian cities can be dangerous. I don't look Indian at all and yet I've been threatened on more than a few occasion myself. I manage to avoid escalating these situations into a fight by running away first. You can't reason with a drunk who wants to fight because he is bored.

I know a lot of these Indian students look to settle in Australia after their study is done, and with so many of them around, the chances of one of them running into a late-night yobbo simply increases.

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Rod :

07 Jan 2010 2:31:05pm

Hi my name is Rod, I'm a white male born in Australia. My parents and grandparents were also born here.

My best friend of many years was also born in Australia, but his parents both came from Sri Lanka. My wife was born in Taiwan. My friend's fiance was born in Australia but her parents are from Hong Kong. I live in an Australian city, not far from enclaves of recent immigrants and students.

Having been associated with people of different race I think I understand race and what racism is. I am racist. I don't know a single person who isn't "a racist". If I could imagine a person who isn't racist, they would be someone who is phsycially incapable of determining what race is.

Honestly, I'd like to see some more interviews of our Indian student friends. What do they understand of racism?

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Macka Tacka :

07 Jan 2010 2:28:03pm

For over 40 years in my work I have traveled to may different countries. Well over 60 in fact and on a regular basis. I can tell you from real experience that Australians are far more racially tolerant than most. Does racism extist in Australia? Yes is the answer, but we are not definitely not on our own. Asians truly are the most racist group of people in the world today. They vehemently hate each other (mainly because of jealousy and history) let alone Europeans or European types of countries.

I can tell you that on balance, nobody in India is worthy enough to criticize Australia or anybody else for that matter. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

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Owen :

07 Jan 2010 2:25:17pm

Those who go into higher risk areas such as a public park at night are more likely to be victims of crime. This is particuarly the case in regions that are historically more likely to be dangerous based on statistics of violent crime.
Anyone who tries to see a race based linkage for the victims may themselves be a moron.

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Mal :

07 Jan 2010 2:24:00pm

A well written article. I agree with you Ms. Hanson Young. I respect Australian people and admire many virtues about them. But unfortunately my experiences in the past six years clearly show that there is racism in Australia (and everywhere in the world for that matter). But the only difference here is the way the Parliamentarians are handling the issue. I do not think that denying the existence of racism is the best way to handle a sensitive issue like this, especially when the truth is out there for anyone smart enough to see it.
My prayers are with the families of those young Indian men whose lives have been mercilessly taken away. Trying to justify these inhumane killings through this forum is simply barbarous.

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Kiche :

07 Jan 2010 2:23:55pm

I may be absolutely condemned by saying this, but I have a right to say it, so here goes. Perhaps the authorities should consider the possibility that multiculturalism isn't working, and that racism between two different cultural/racial groups usually works both ways. Yes, I'm saying that many Indian people are often critical and scornful of Australian in general - I, as an Anglo-Saxon Australian, have often found myself on the receiving end of racism at the hands of Indians, without provocation, might I add.

Australian people may be resentful towards Indians because it seems as though our government is ignoring them in favour of Indians, who provide a source of economic income. There is racism around, but instead of just writing it off as "stupid" and "ignorant" etc, perhaps look at the reasons as to why it can arise. Entire streets, suburbs, no longer speak English, people who don't want a part of Aussie culture. It is intimidating, and yes, for some, it will give rise to racist attitudes.

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Candy :

07 Jan 2010 2:19:18pm

Consider this before labeling Australia and its government racist.

We have, along with Canada, the highest legal immigration quota on the globe! Per capita too.

Student visa application and consequent places at institutions and PR visas come from around the world. While refugees, well - are treated as pests, while middle-class youth have, a number of rights in Australia as overseas students. There are SOOO many places for foreigners, locals are struggling to gain entry to their own national unis!!

Australians are being silenced to voice out about this and related topics by being called 'racists', when it cannot be summed under racism! So - if a local wants to go to uni and can't because of less local places, is that racism? Could be, because they're only a local. Consider that???

And before young people, often professionals in their own countries migrate, they study, live and work here on their student visas. Yes, work, and legally too. Other countries might not allow that. What great freedom! Being able to work while you study. And even for many "Oh, Australia is so very racist". Many Indian nationals work here, no worries. They wouldn't GET the jobs in the first place if Australia were such an intolerable nation. They get approved for housing by landlords, so it's up to locals in the end to accept them.

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Dave :

07 Jan 2010 2:19:14pm

I'm a Caucasian Australian and I would be bashed and robbed if I walked in those suburbs - are Melbourners rascist against white people too?

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Pablo :

07 Jan 2010 2:18:11pm

Okay, "the motives behind these attacks remain unclear", "While it's too soon to determine what happened", but you go on to say "those in Australia who have been on the receiving end of racial intolerance".
It sounds like you have already made up your mind about these attacks based on sensational media articles. Unfortunately Australia, like the majority of nations, has violent crime. To automatically leap upon this and call it racist is irrational.
Where do you get the idea that anyone that speaks out against racism is labelled unpatriotic? Where have you been? We have discrimination laws in Australia. I would have thought that an elected official would know that.

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John R :

07 Jan 2010 2:18:02pm

We continually see articles questioning whether racism is a factor in attacks, but never any that look at research studies that actually probe the real motives in each of the cases. If it's just "normal" racism, before getting to the stage of murders there'll be many verbal assaults and bullying, which we're not generally seeing reported. It's also odd for widespread racism against a specific race coming out of nowhere. The whole picture is one that there's more to this that is being kept from the public.

In one of the incidents, initial reporting pointed to tensions between specific cultural groups, but later it was spun more to just plain "racism", perhaps to cool off the hostilities in that situation. Overall though, there must be people who know some factors behind what's going on here, but for some reason we're not being told.

If it is racism, it begs that there's more of a story to tell, and perhaps that's the one that people are afraid to tell the public.

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ken kerrison :

07 Jan 2010 2:11:20pm

Xenophobia - they even have a word for it and it is universal - not only to humans but to all species. Experience and education can erode, but never destroy it. So we are all racist to some extent.
Having said that, my strongest feeling about dead and damaged Indians is the absence of any shred of information on any of the attacks. Anyone who suggests racism (Xenophobia) does not exist in Oz is in denial. But, equally, anyone who attributes the incidents to racism without any evidence is just pain stupid.
Then there is the fact that most of the 'incidents' occurred in Melbourne...

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Adam :

07 Jan 2010 2:10:52pm

You took the words right out of my mouth! Finally a politian who's not afraid to tackle the big issues.

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Karen from Qld :

07 Jan 2010 2:07:36pm

Yes there is racism in this country and it is growing every day. Many of the migrants that come to this country simply refuse to leave behind their hates and prejudices towards other nationalities and religions. And it is passed down through the generations. Previous Australian Tennis Opens and inter club soccer matches are a testiment to that. Many of those that took part in the violent clashes were born here but were acting out their parent's racist ways.
Ms Hansen-Young where were the Greens' protests over the murder of the Steins family in India because of their religion?????????

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Lafayette :

07 Jan 2010 2:07:29pm

Well done Sarah! We need more politicians like you! Thanks for being willing to speak out on this and so many other tough but important issues. It is not unpatriotic to want to change your country for the better.

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granny :

07 Jan 2010 2:07:18pm

Racism does exist in Oz, but it is generally thought to be in the lower economic groups. I had arranged an appointment with my bank manager, we were having a general chat, he was shuffling some papers in his filing cabinet. Halfway through he muttered something like "bloody ragheads", I was stunned, I had known him for a few years. When he asked me how he could help me, I asked him if he had a withdrawal form, and withdrew my dough out of his bank. He coughed and spluttered and his face went red as I explained that I could not deal with his attitude.

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DR :

07 Jan 2010 2:06:04pm

It is finally good to hear someone accepts the fact that racism does exist in Australia. I have lived in Melbourne for 19 years . Even in the early 90's, people of Indian background were racially abused. There were rare acts of violence but then the Indian community was very small.In the past few years with the surge in the Indian student/migrant numbers, the situation has deteriorated drastically. I have called the Police on 4 occasions for help but they showed up only 2 times ( too late the first time & offered little/no help the second time). Fortunately I am well built & have not been a victim of violence , but I feel extremely sorry for the poor new arrivals. They need to do odd jobs/late shifts to survive. They have no private transport or friends / family who can help. They however work / study hard to establish themselves & pay their fare share of taxes/ fees . They should be entitled to the same protection /security as other
Australians. Whilst the majority of Australians are friendly, peaceful, funloving , generous, compassionate & helpful; there are some/not many
who are arrogant,illiterate, evil creatures disguised as humans & they cannot be easily identified . The task we have as a nation is to
stop such people from ruining the reputation of Australia as one of the best multicultural countries in the world. We don't need vigilantes, just a very strong & effective Police force and a judicial system that removes such criminals from society forever. Let Love & peace prevail ,God bless Australia & the world we live in

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The Badger :

07 Jan 2010 2:02:07pm

Australia has its fair share of morons no doubt, but West Australia has more than it's share of racist morons. I'd swap this lot for a load of Afghan refugees any day.

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Terry :

07 Jan 2010 1:57:08pm

Governments and oppositions have been dog whistling to our morally ambivalent citizenry for political gain for 15 plus years now. Is it no surprise that a generation of young Australians with nasty attitudes ferments?

Rather than sweeping such racially charged issues 'under the carpet' as you mentioned, 'leaders' have used our tacit racism to drive political agendas and to further entrench subtle xenophobic inclinations.

In the light of refugee events, illegal immigration and Aboriginal affairs, notions of 'a fair go for all' and 'Australian values' are cynical slogans at best approaching doublespeak.

All one can do is call out racism whenever it presents in your own day to day life. That, as I have discovered is hazardous behaviour.

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pharsycle :

07 Jan 2010 1:56:52pm

I have been to the subcontinent three times over the last eighteen years and each time have experienced some form of racism. For India to stick its head up and accuse Australia of racism is laughable. Clearly these loud mouths have never been to China, racism extremis.

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Grammar Nazi :

07 Jan 2010 1:46:33pm

Is this a speech? Because you've got way, too many commas in there mate :)

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ashman92 :

07 Jan 2010 1:45:58pm

great article, honest and correct. it seems to me that our present government is more interested in PR exercises and overseas visits than resolving the real issues here. Although once they do admit there is a problem to fix i am certain they will build another web site like grocery watch, fuel watch etc.
it is outreagous to me that any person be discouraged from speaking their own language.
Unfortunately we don't have a good track record on racism issues in the 60's & 70's it was the europeans who copped the abuse, in the 80's & 90's our asian friends were the victims and now it is our indian friends turn.
Technology has evolved to extroadinary levels but unfortunately we as people have not. the mistakes are being made all over again.

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AL :

07 Jan 2010 1:43:59pm

Bravo. Irrespective of the circumstances of this most recent attack, there is clearly a proportion of our society who judge people based on their race. You cannot begin to realistically address a problem until you openly acknowledge it. Witness Howard's refusal to acknowledge the blatant racism of the Cronulla riots, surely one of the most shameful events in our recent history.

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Sky :

07 Jan 2010 1:43:12pm

I have to agree. To say racism is not there in Australia is a naive statement. Just because these politians are not victims of racism it does not mean that the same goes for everyone else. The attacks on the Indian community are not random, if they were, I doubt there would be any protests or concerns in the first place! Rather than making excuses for the offenders, the government needs to accept and find ways of combating the problem.

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growler :

07 Jan 2010 1:40:32pm

Racism will always exist as most people of a common type will always want to keep things like resources (e.g. jobs, money, land) and sexual partners to themselves, to further the success of their own type within a particular environment.

What some people will do is realise that these basic instincts do not require violence against potential interlopers. They realise that a certain amount of give and take will be required in a world that is becoming increasingly crowded.

What some other people will do is work under established frameworks (e.g. old boys clubs, religious groups) to exclude those that are different from having the opportunities to take away their resources.

What some ignorant people will do is resort to violence to protect the patch that they think is theirs and theirs alone. Based on the falling numbers of Indian student enrolments, it appears that they have made some impact.

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Stranded :

07 Jan 2010 1:38:18pm

There is a chance that these attacks are being perpetrated by immigrants to Australia.

Does this still make Australia racist as a country ?

If yes, then we need to start screening out immigrants and refugees for racist attitudes. How many immigrants especially refugees are not involved in racists conflict in their country of origin do you think ?

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Sharma :

07 Jan 2010 1:36:03pm

Good article. I think politicians state of denial hasn't helped at all. Whatever the problem is, the leaders of country should try to come out with solutions. Every sensible person in the world will support their efforts, if they do so.

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pabs :

07 Jan 2010 1:32:36pm

I emigrated to Australia about 15 years ago, and I have had only positive experiences whist being here. This does not mean that racism does not exist. I always spent all my time relating to all australians and not just those with whom I share a background. I am from a non-English speaking background but I have learnt and I speak quite good English now (albeit with a slight accent). I am sure not everyone would have had such a positive experience as me, especially those that keep to their communities and language groups.
I mostly agree with your artcile - leadership will be evident when politicians acknowledge that even though Australia as a whole is not inherently racist, we have racist elements within it, which need to be dealt with - but that is a complex issue.

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Utpal :

07 Jan 2010 1:32:30pm

Sometimes we find a lotus blooming in very unlikely place. This is how I will describe the author and her article. Speaking as an Australian Indian. If only few more Australians could get their heads out of the sand. Australia could really be a wonderful country. The general xenophobia and disrespect for people of different backgrounds has been always here. Possibly due to the geographical distance from Europe, from where majority of the Australians originated. Australians are more like a kid separated from parents, and who does not know whom to trust and whom not to. Anybody different in looks and accent becomes an easy target of their ridicule.

The world has changed since the end of the of second world war. The cold war is history too. America and Europe have lost their shine, through their own stupidity. Powers like China and India, hold enough Ballistic missiles to annhilate the world many time over. But majority of us still have not come to accept that the world has changed. Many of the senior citizens still tend to bask in the glory of the British Raj.
I think the media could only help in educating the masses.

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PaulD :

07 Jan 2010 1:29:03pm

I suspect we are asking too much of our politicians.

Can they legislate to criminalise certain thoughts and opinions?

Perhaps ugly racist views held by a minority of our citizens is the inevitable price we pay for having a society that values freedom of speach and personal liberties.

Politicians can, and do, legislate to criminalise certain acts carried out by people with these racist views.

The violent thugs in our society attack people for a variety of reasons. For example: "he was looking at me funny", "I didn't like what he said about..,", "he was hitting on my girl", "I went in to the fight to help my mate out", "he ripped me off" etc.

I think the raw crime stats would suggest that violent attacks as a whole in our society are rarely motivated by the victim's ethnic backgound.

That is not to excuse racist attacks for one minute, but let's get some balance into the debate.

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Schtef :

07 Jan 2010 1:24:28pm

Thankyou for a honest and downright sensible article.

I've Chinese and have grown-up in this country and consider myself Australian. I agree that on the whole we live in a tolerant society but there are always exceptions. In the last 20 years and I've been spat on, called racist slurs and heckled, all for the way I look. I still love where i live and it doesn't happen often, but to ingore the issue? Denial.

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Concerned Melbournite :

07 Jan 2010 1:19:35pm

Racism will always exist in societies to a greater or lesser extent. Acts of senseless and unprovoked violence are committed against people both regardless of race, gender or orientation and because of it. However, the outcry by the Indian community to the latest attack could have been triggered by a deeper rooted issue of ongoing discrimination and racial vilification. Attempts by politicians and police to downplay or deny such issues are probably having the unintended effect of reinforcing such perceptions.

For authorities to tell anyone 'to avoid speaking in their own language' while well meaning, does not quite match the official view that racism does not exist in Australia.

Whatever the case, we need to openly discuss this issue and not shy away from it. Great article Sarah, we need more politician's like you!

Evil prevails when good 'people' do nothing - Edmund Burke

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eurobin :

07 Jan 2010 1:18:11pm

"Surely, our political leaders should be mature enough to call a spade a spade .."

An interesting choice of words in this context of race discussion and political correctness.

Of course racism exits in Australia and every other country on earth. Let's remember though that (checking various dictionaries) for dislike to be racism it much involve hatred. Is dislike low level narrow band hatred? Is the word racism clearly understood and even useful in discussions like this?

Am I a racist if, in my experience, I consider that Indians often, not always, display certain elements such as greed, process mania, responsibility avoidance, classism or deceit?

Maybe I am. Let's discuss. Do you like Indians?

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SHAKSHI :

07 Jan 2010 1:18:08pm

At least please call a spade an agricultural implement. Politicians are calling it a feather duster!! Racism should not be tolerated or endorsed in any country...all are equal in the eyes of God and humans... in any religion...even atheism.

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PotentiallyRacist :

07 Jan 2010 1:17:56pm

Has a person committed any greater crime by murdering Nitin Garg because he was Indian rather than because he wanted his iPod? No, either way, he committed murder.

Of course there is racism here, show me one person anywhere in the world who can honestly say they don't at least have pre-conceived ideas about people based on their heritage and I'll show you an angel come from heaven.

For those that truly and unconditionally hate those of other races (a more reasonable definition of a racist) then I'd say they are undesireables by any culture's standards and should be weeded out where they are found. Which, unfortunately, would again be in every country and culture of the world.

Justice is best served for the victims and their families by focusing on solving their murders and the problems that lead to their murders.

Trying to make them the poster boys for prejudice in Australia which exists no more and no less here than it does anywhere else in the world just to further some other agenda does not make them martyrs. It distracts people from the true tragedy of their deaths and does them and their families an incredible disservice.

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NUFSAID :

07 Jan 2010 1:14:48pm

Racism is alive and well in ALL countries,why should Australia be any different, there will always be the morons who believe that aggression towards anything different than themselves will make things better for them.
Criminal acts are not defined by race. Everytime someone is attacked and injured by another in recent times the attackers have just as likely been of non Australian race, statistics will bare this out. Have Australians gone and screamed 'Racism', no!
India in particular should have a good long look at themselves before they start pointing the finger and threatening other countries.
As I can recall many abusive and annoying and threatening phone calls from people of Indian accent trying to sell me something on the phone.
Australians in general are not racist, nor is there a bigger problem in Australia than anywhere else. It is those that do not want to integrate or accept the Australian way of life that are the problem and the racist's.

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Shanks :

07 Jan 2010 1:13:22pm

Well said Sarah. The root cause of most problems is the fact that we do not address the truth. Our leaders will have to accept that there are morons in the society who are racist, and we should do everything to expose them.
The same problems exist with our International Education System, which looks at the money first, rather than providing quality Education for fee paying international students. This in turn has festered anger amongst International students, lowered the quality of our intakes and in-turn has caused all these problems in the first place.
Look at US and its International Education System. They try to attract the best and deserving students from all over the world. Then they would provide scholarships to most deserving and poor students, who otherwise cannot afford to study in these universities. This way they keep the standard of International student intake very high, while developing a natural brain-gain for the US economy. Today Indians are the most vibrant and economically strong community amongst all US migrant communities. But you will not see Indian students going to US to study Hair dressing or Cookery. They study Engineering, Medicine or IT.
It is a fact of today's human migration and settlement scenario that 90% of students from developing who go overseas to a developed country for higher studies ultimately settle in their adopted countries. For most developed countries this is a natural gain in terms of immigration and for the economy in the long run.
Even we in Australia have an increasing Skill shortage, and compete with other developed economies to attract productive migrants. So why not, raise the standards of our International Student intakes, and attract the best brains by offering high quality education, and then retaining these students as our migrants, who will effectively contribute to the economy in the the long run.
Such a policy will get rid of all inherent flaws in our current International Education policy, improve our immigration intake and above all increase the reputation of Australia as destination for the bright and the best, thereby improving our economy and standing the league of nations.
Our International Education should be revamped, seats should be offered on a comptetive basis, with scholarships offered for the best. Students should be offered accomodation in campus, and the main aim of their stay in Australia should be to study (not work part-time). After completion of their studies, they should be integrated to the Australian community, if they wish to stay on, with an attractive immigration policy.
The main segment of our International Education intake should be undergraduate students (say 60%), followed by post-graduate or higher education students (20%) and then only should vocational and TAFE college intakes be considered - not the other way round, as it exists now.
So, let us take this oppurtunity to look in the mirror and set right our flaws -

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Clairesy :

07 Jan 2010 1:10:33pm

Racism exists everywhere...it's definitely not exclusive to Australia.

India is based on a caste system which is just as bad as any form of racism.

Prejudice is prejudice no matter what you name it.

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SapperK9 :

07 Jan 2010 1:10:33pm

To get criticism from a nation constipated in caste and the perpetrator of name calling racism against one of our sportsmen, Roy Symonds, I will not accept lightly. Some short memories here. We should read the Indian press over this incident.

eg: http://tinyurl.com/yehqozm

Murder and injury in the suburbs is to be deplored, but its labelling as something to do with the social construct of "race" is another issue yet to be proven. This being a separate issue from Australia's poor education in and on issues of ethnocentrism.

I find the whole "race" thing to be skewed by ignorance, on both sides. For instance, the human genome project and the American Anthropological Association have eliminated the attribution of fact to "race" and further, called on the administration of the USA to stop even using the word. This would be a great start to the debate if our administrators could stop using the word!

"Scientists today find that reliance on such folk beliefs about human differences in research has led to countless errors."

See: http://tinyurl.com/lptg5

And critiques from "pure" left idealism can only be the proposition that one may grasp a turd by its clean end? We live in a real world, and feeding myths and ideas unsupported by science leads inevitably and historically to the dirty end of the turd, no?

For how many millennia was the world perceived and believed to be flat, unchallenged! Likewise the earth as the centre of the universe? I am reminded; "In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." - Galileo Galilei

Somewhere, someday, some thinking sentient has to cease and desist in the use of the social construct "race", and to refuse to accept its use by others.

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Justin :

07 Jan 2010 1:04:42pm

Senator Hanson-Young has done a disservice to this country by banging on the drum of anti-white racism on behalf of a cynical and very clearly racist Indian media. I have watched with despair how meekly and embarrassingly Australians have tolerated an extraordinarily aggressive campaign of anti-Australian hysteria by wealthy guests and their powerful friends in their home country. Unfortunately, no open and reasonable discussion can take place in the Aust media about this issue because of the oppressive and anti-intellectual culture of political correctness.

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Kevin P :

07 Jan 2010 1:03:34pm

Racism is inherent in all humans. Look around the world. Indians vs Pakistanis in the Indian sub-continent, Malays vs Chinese vs Indians in the Malaysian peninsula, Americans vs Canadians, English vs Irish, Serbs vs Croats, Israelis vs Palestinians.

Humans are racist. It's how we deal with this inherent racism that marks the maturity of a person and of society. So, Racism is in Australia. Let's not try to hide this fact. We wouldn't be human otherwise. The question is how do we deal with this racism. Sweeping it under the carpet will not solve the problem.

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PK :

07 Jan 2010 1:02:53pm

Racism is still alive. While the majority of Australians accept multiculturalism, there is still a significant minority who want to go back to the days when Australians were largely Caucasian. This has been an issue for a long time but other mniority groups tend to keep quiet about racism. It is now being raised because Indians, coming from the world's largest democracy, refuse to accept racism quietly.

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Bob :

07 Jan 2010 1:01:25pm

Of course the attacks are racially motivated ... but that doesn't mean that Australian idigenes are carrying them out. Only when we stop kidding ourselves that Australia is a big happy melting pot, and police tell who is carrying out the attacks (native Australian or otherwise) will the problem begin to be sorted. Unfortunately, that could be "racist", which is politically incorrect, so it won't happen.

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Hudson Godfrey :

07 Jan 2010 12:58:56pm

Look of course racism exists in Australia, just as it exists in every other country around the world. But Australia is not a racist country, because we start from a position which acknowledges that racism is bad and undesirable and seeks to do better to reduce its influence in our society.

If our accusers started from the same position then they would work together with us on the exigent issues surrounding recent attacks on Indian students rather than tossing about useless epithets. Appealing to special treatment for their own infers racial deference that is equally counter productive.

Fealty within our communities is the positive opposite side of the coin, but we can and should realise by now that regardless of accidents birth or ethnicity people can come into our lives with a lot to contribute. People in this country need to realise that racism, xenophobia, tribalism and patriotism are all aspects of the one veil of tears. They're based upon an unfounded superiority complex that denies all of humanity is created equal. It seems we're just not ready to be told that by foreigners yet.

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Filz :

07 Jan 2010 12:58:40pm

A fair enough article, but one must first of all define exactly what they mean by the word "racist" in a given context. If by "racist" you mean someone that would willingly harm someone of another race and goes out of their way to do so, or do them some other injustice, simply becuase of that person's race, then the offender is definitely a racist. In my view, it is NOT racist to harbour private thoughts along the lines that "I don't have to like everyone, even though the government tells me I should". It is natural that birds of a feather flock together and if you don't believe that, go to south-west London - plenty of Aussies there! Similarly, other cultures/races gather in defined areas simply because of their common cultural interests and identities. Are they racist? Of course not.

Some countries have immigration policies which means that Australians (or other peoples) cannot migrate there, but are welcome as "visitors". Are they being racist, or just super-sensitive to their own culture?

The trouble with racism is that too many play it as a card and once that card is played, one's opponent can only be on the defensive. There is nothing noble in standing up for a racist.

I believe that the majority of people throughout the world are "racist", not elitists, not overlords, but ordinary perons who just want to go about their lives without someone else's doctrines being forced down their throats. If that means that they don't racially intermarry, is that necessarily a bad thing? After all, it's their choice. They might not want to live in a "coffee-coloured world" or a world of any particular colour. THey simply want to make their own decisions about what affects them.

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Joh :

07 Jan 2010 12:55:28pm

Judging one by their skin colour is redundant- it doesn't tell you anything valuable or relevant about the person inside it. If only they understood...

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Ryan :

07 Jan 2010 12:55:15pm

Well said Sarah. The victims shouldn't be blamed for those attacks because they are given the word that Australia is a SAFE place before they move here.

I myself is a jounalist as well, and I can tell you that the government is lying on the issue of public safety. I once interviewed a police officer in Perth and he told me that our society, culture, safety and moral has been in a long decline in the past 10 yrs.

However, the government want money from international students and migrants, so from federal to states, each government just keep lying by saying that Australia is a safe place - but remember, as Sarah said, 'Do not carry iPod'.

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Reinhold Messner :

07 Jan 2010 12:53:12pm

Sarah please advise who has been attacking the Indians - in particular their ethnic background. You apear to be assuming that they are generally White Anglo Saxon.

Such assumptions are every bit as racist as assuming that African immigrants are generally responsible for disease in this country or that Indigenous Australians are generally drunk.

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reg :

07 Jan 2010 12:53:09pm

The reason is not racism but a steady degeneration of the culture and society in Australia since the 70's.

There is a violent sub culture thriving in urban Australia driven by alchohol, drugs and broken families. Australia is increasingly a dysfunctional society.

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Jalal Anis :

07 Jan 2010 12:52:40pm

Well, it was ok to talk about it. The more we talk the better. Australia just recently opened their door to the international community. So as a beneficiery of this relatively new policy, I must welcome that. it will take some time for the Anglo Australian to accept these newcomers, even though it's a bit bizzare. Because, people with dark skin have been living here for thousands of years. The white people only came here couple of hundred years ago!

I think as long as media is controlled by racially motivated people, these things will continue. What do I mean by that? - Well when boat people come to this county, it bocome a news. Why? Because the media people, like the politicians, know, it will give them popularity. We need honest people running the media. Then, only then, we can eradicate racism, may be not completely, but a lot better.

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Paul :

07 Jan 2010 12:51:54pm

A fair point.

I wouldn't expect a politician to come out and agree though (Maybe privately). They are in a difficult position.
What about the Mumbai attacks? Rascist?
There are places in India I wouldn't go with my skin colour.

That said, I can't stand rascist comments or people. (The "N" word makes me cringe more than any other)

The one thing worse than rascist comments or rascist people are those "Your rascist, No I'm not your rascist" conversations.

Thanks for the article.

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peter hawthorne :

07 Jan 2010 12:51:31pm

Yes, Miss Hanson-Young their is racism in this country. Your and my forefathers built and defended this country. So you could have what we have today.Your education,nice job and a opinion.
You live in another world to the people you are describing.In your world of political correctness things like this should not happen.
If you choose to call people who dare to call it like it is racists then don`t be a coward and name who are doing the attacking and murdering.
If you summon the courage, go and do your job of reporting the facts not your socialistic ideas.
Find out why law and order in this country has gone down the tube.
And why the offenders are still on the streets .
Do all that and you be looking at your lecturers at the Uni you went to, your employee ABC,Media, Magistrates and people with opinions such as your own.
You may think me and people like me are off our heads and you could be right but I manage and mentor these offenders. We get them right in an environment with out alcohol and drugs, dysfunctional families, hunger and sexual predators. And then we release them to a community where they have no boundaries and they do it all over again.
I know these people and the way they think and you are so far off the mark.Walk in my shoes for a while and that will give you a right opinion about this problem.

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Shane :

07 Jan 2010 12:50:22pm

I agree with many issues raised in this article, but I can't think of a more tolerant society in the world than this one. So, maybe in it's imperfect way, this is as good as it gets, and no matter what politicians or police do, there will always be racially motivated attacks made by these losers.

A lot has been stated (in my view overstated) about this problem, but little has actually been said about solutions to this problem.

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anonymous non-racist :

07 Jan 2010 12:49:02pm

Your comments would only have a small amount of validity if the majority students you mention came to Australia with the honest intention of studying. Unfortunately they do not.

You supply no facts to support your opinion and as such are a complete disgrace to the profession of journalism.

Further, you are walking an international political minefield. If you do love Australia, you should cautiously consider the greater things that may be at stake prior to making such rash ill-informed statements on behalf of the ABC.

This is not the tabloid press... lets stick with facts!!!

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thebenda :

07 Jan 2010 12:47:08pm

Of course he is racism in Australia just like there is racism in India and every country. Education is the key, but we must remember there are intelligent people who are racist, sometimes people have just enough knowledge that makes them dangerous and to their thinking right on all points.

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rayy :

07 Jan 2010 12:46:47pm

the trouble with these sentiments is they imply that australians?(only white causcasian)are racist.the other 100 other different nationalities that make up the (australian) population are without any racist behavior? perhaps the author should investigate the attitude of these people in the country of origin.it is hardly likely all their predudices dissapear on arrival.a read of the daily papers sometimes shows a variety of names associated with offences suggests different.

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Edison Yongai :

07 Jan 2010 12:46:18pm

Maybe Australia thinks it is not getting much from the racism race and therefore wants to redouble its efforts. Well, to win the racism crown, you must be more racist than the word itself.

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Well Travelled :

07 Jan 2010 12:45:18pm

Unfortunately this statement, "We know this racist sentiment is unfounded and stems from an irrational fear of the unknown" reveals the same politically correctness that the rest of the article disapproves of. When the arrogant hypocrisy displayed by many foreign visitors (to Australia as any other country) is the foundation of much of the racism in that country it is not a fear of the unknown, but a disgust of the known.

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Blunt pencil :

07 Jan 2010 12:44:00pm

The ramblings of Sarah Hanson Young caught my eye a few years ago. The reason for that was I though she was a wee bit of a loony and should not have been given much public exposure.

It is amazing what some experience and maturity does for people.

It is great to be an idealist but it isnâ€™t much use until you permit it to be tempered and honed by society.

Keep going with it Sarah, to my reading of your public output, it seems you are becoming less of a loony as time goes on.

The only comments I would here make are:
Indian students should not be singled out. We are all in this together.
We all should be able to carry iPods.
There should be no such thing as the wrong place at the wrong time other then a Her Majesties Facility.
Be careful with patriotism. It has been the root of a lot of unpalatable stuff.

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Alex :

07 Jan 2010 12:43:12pm

Does Australia have a problem with racism? We need only google 'Cronulla Riots'. Unfortunately, racism is a human trait based on fear and hate and therefore is present globally.

The growing level of racism in Australia, involving more hostility and attacks against non-white Australians, is a matter of concern.

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Bruiser :

07 Jan 2010 12:41:45pm

Yes - racism exists in Australia. However, it exists in all countries of the world to a greater or lesser degree. The Indian government should be careful of throwing stones when living in a 'glass house'.

Australia has a good record of assisting migrants and overseas visitors, most of whom have contributed to our national identity and way of life. If you don't think we have advanced over the years, cast your mind back to the post WW2 years and the 'welcome' many European migrants received. Or read accounts of the treatment of aboriginals and Chinese workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Don't paint us all racist just because of the actions of a few.

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vickram :

07 Jan 2010 12:41:39pm

Thanks for a well put article....racism exists in Australia, as it does in most countries....I am of Indian origin and I've experienced racism first hand in India, in my 20yrs of upbringing. But the xenophobia that is costing lives here...which is what is wrong...this extreme seems to be prevalent in Melbourne more than anywhere else....whatâ€™s going on Melbourne? Perhaps the 'study' warning for international students should be for Melbourne only! An opportunity for educational institutions in other states and territories!!

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Rastama :

07 Jan 2010 12:41:39pm

It is hidden truth that recism exits in Australia. It is on streets, shops, hotels, offices and shopping malls. I have seen shopkeepers( Myer) run towards Asian (to help!!) as if they are stealing something whereas rest of the customers donot need help.

Migrants are required to get their qualifications assessed, Unibersity assessed and what not. They should come with the degree and English language test passed. Once you are in you will be employed along with Australian born and educated in(TAFE)fitters,technicians,who cannot even write proper english having narrow minded technology approach. They will then your boss and Australia will grow.

Most asian countries are technically far more competent that Australia. Only problem is they are are lacking social developments. Look at US/UK respect people, race, knowledge. Let Australia sit with countries riding technology base, manufacturing.

Australia cannot sustain on its own, Australia needs migrants, goods, skills, brains to grow.
Politicians need to lead the country in right
way not ignoring the people. It was done initially with MEASTERNS) then with Indians. I donot see this can go a longway. Create strong sense of belonging, respect, love by accepting facts and act on it ( Jai Hind).

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Dean Pantio :

07 Jan 2010 12:37:59pm

Of course racism exists in Australia, just as every other country on earth has racist people. We're not alone in that regard, but herein lies the difference:

Australia is one of the most multicultural countries on Earth. It has one of the highest rates of intermarriage on Earth. It certainly does not have an entrenched caste system.

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And the point of this :

07 Jan 2010 12:36:31pm

Yes it does - everywhere in every country. You would probably be taken aback as to how alot of Indian men view western woman. Perhaps if you knew your tone would then be different.

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casewithscience :

07 Jan 2010 12:35:59pm

This article is typical of the lack of real world understanding that the Greens often display (Im a leftie, its just these guys go so far to the left that they end up back on the right).

Note the police statistics for 2008/2009 provide about 627.6 assaults per 100,000 people. The ABS records about 95,000 Indian Students in Australia, and about 47,000 Indian Student in Victoria. These students primarily live in high urban communities, participate in the usual nightlife, including travelling through high-danger areas for work and recreation. Accordingly, we should expect to see around 250 assaults against this population group in any one year - this is without considerining the additional danger multipliers.

Nonetheless, in the last 2 years, we have seen less than 100 assaults on Indians in Melbourne - well below statistical expectations.

That is the general fixture. In the microcosm, while each individual case should be assessed on its merits, and there may be instances of some racists, in order to argue in favour of an actual trend towards racist activity, you would require some evidence of collusive (directly or indirectly) activities between the attackers. Thus far, police reports indicate that the attackers in various assaults are caucasian, but also, asian, pacific islander, aboriginal and even indian. Thus, the insinuation of a particular group conspiring to attack another group (ie, racially motivated crime) would require an implication that such a group was itself multi-racial. Thus, we would have a multi-ethnic, racially tolerant racist group - does that really make sense?

Unless some actual evidence of racism and collusion can be established, the cries of racism are unfounded. Why is it that politicians like the author of this article think they know more about the situation on the ground than the police intelligence services?

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Jill :

07 Jan 2010 12:35:51pm

I am deeply ashamed and very embarrassed to admit that I was not only exposed to some of the worst racism I have ever come across in person just last week, but further that I am related to the three people who sprouted it. :(

Despite the genuine pain of this admission, I think it's worth mentioning as a reality check.

Incredibly, amazingly, shamefully, I am not exaggerating when I write that I actually heard an Uncle use the term "nigger" to refer to Australian Aboriginals. He was not joking in anyway. He probably sits to the right of even Pauline Hanson. He puts the 'red' in red-neck. I'd guess he is as racist as they come short of violent hate crimes.

The only consolation is that, with any luck, these attitudes will pass with their owners.

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Adam Griffin :

07 Jan 2010 12:34:53pm

It would appear as if Indian students are targeted in part because they are deemed easy prey for muggings. Perhaps one could argue that this is more a case of racial profiling by the various scumbags who are responsible rather than a racially motivation hate crime but it's a very very fine line. The fact is that Indian students are suffering from a significant number of attacks and their government is right to be concerned. Being a young Indian in Australia right now is difficult and our own government needs to acknowledge that. This latest dismissal is a typical "she'll be right mate" attitude that allows too many Aussies to get away with some rather offensive attitudes. I think the fact that someone has actually died because of this situation is reason enough to put aside our defensiveness and admit simply that something needs to be done.

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bulldogbill :

07 Jan 2010 12:32:42pm

Too many things are placed into the catchall "racism"...the problem we have to face up to is "culturism" and it has to be explained to incoming migrants of every description that they need to modify their world-view to fit in with our culture. As a person who has traveled overseas I know I had to fit in to the culture I was in. So it is not racism to suggest that our culture has a heritage of christian values and work ethics which some migrants are not able or willing to comply with...if that is the case, they should not be admitted...and the almighty dollar for the educators is not a good reason to turn a blind eye to this very strong reality...remember, we cannot be ignorant of, nor at crossed purposes with, ultimate realities without suffering injury or loss...

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hak ka king :

07 Jan 2010 12:31:58pm

The police and the politicians are in denial about these senseless attacks on the innocent Indians. I think this is done to deceive other countries that there is no racism in Australia. Of course there is and we all know it. This denial can also be construed as condoning bigotry. In the practice of management of change you have to first recognise the problem before moving onto the next few stages to effect the change (for the better). If the authorities remain in the denial mode, there will be no progression and the attacks on the Indians and other darker colour people will unfortunately continue to recur.

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POD77 :

07 Jan 2010 12:31:55pm

Great article and spot on!

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Beau Wetini :

07 Jan 2010 12:31:49pm

Thanks for the article!

Of course Racism exists in Australia - as it does in practically every nation on earth. Ive seen it myself.

With regard to this attack being racially motivated - I think the recent publicity over indian victims in the last year, has caused a sort of attraction to indians, by the idiots of society, who prey on vunerable pacifists.

Politicians cant just sweep this under the rug and say "Australia isnt a racist nation" -- because it does exist here - not everyone is racist - but it does exist - like it does in every other country. Ive seen enough "F*** off, we're full" stickers on cars to know that there is an attitude out there that affirms the existence of racist tendencies.

The government is worried that if Australia becomes perceived as being racist, they will lose one of their largest and most profitable export markets -- International Education.

Canada, England and New Zealand are becoming increasingly desirable in their candidacy of hosting international students....for Australia, to lose a large portion of these students, is not only bad for our economy in terms of financial benefits (billions per year), but it is also bad in terms of the richness of our multi-cultural heritage -- Australia will lose what has come to be what makes Australia so rich and vibrant - the people who bring it from other parts of the world.

Hopefully, something can be done.

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Gulfbridge :

07 Jan 2010 12:30:41pm

As always, it is only the Greens who have the courage and integrity to stand up for what is just and right. Rudd's Labor is just Howard-lite, trying very hard to demonstrate that they are not 'soft' on anyone of colour, be they aboriginal or anyone else. Cannot afford to lose the 'racist vote', don't you know? Rudd is so paranoid that he might be portrayed as a 'friend' of the Chinese (by Abbott and Co.) that he goes out of his way to annoy Beijing instead. Well said, Senator! You are to be greatly admired for your stand.

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vercingetorix :

07 Jan 2010 12:29:50pm

Most of the racism in this country exists in the form of imported ethnic tensions from overseas. Using the Indian students as an example - the Indians held protests in the street in Harris Park - NOT against Anglo-Australians, but against Arabs, who they say target them. In Melbourne it was new arrival Africans who assaulted the Indians (tensions in Africa between indigenous africans and Indians is legendary). Serbs/Croats at football, shootings etc. between Tamils and Sinhalese - it goes on and on. Anyone in the Sydney suburbs with their eyes open knows that its ethnic group X vs ethnic group Y out there.

Be careful what message you are sending about "Australian" racism. Only an extreme minority of Anglo-Australians exhibit racism. Even the "angry Aussie" on talkback confines their anger to discrete issues and will be very accepting of those from other lands in a general sense.

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Curious Bystander :

07 Jan 2010 12:29:48pm

I wonder what it means to their vote bank if a
minister of the ruling party suggests any form of racism.

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Glen :

07 Jan 2010 12:29:00pm

The whole basis for your article seems to be that racism as a motive ruled out when in fact what was said was there is no evidence to suggest racism making much of your article pointless.
It is quite disturbing that you have to fear for your life in certain areas of the city or suburbs when alone or in small groups at night or even during the day for that matter. But it is a fact and Australia is not alone with this problem.
Perhaps the attack was racially motivated perhaps it wasnâ€™t, the fact remains that a young man lost his life and it does him no justice to play the race card. It was a tragic loss and no matter what the motives for his attackers they deserve the harshest of punishment for their actions.
Unfortunately once the race card is played it becomes a one way street with the victims generally believing their actions or words are justified and the other party has no right or reply which only serves to sour public opinion and whittle away whatever empathy the community as a whole has.
We need to work together as a community to stamp out racism and for that matter any anti social behaviour.
P.S. I would love to see some statistics on the number of assaults in Melbourne per annum, broken into ethnic % vs. Population as a whole.

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Georgina :

07 Jan 2010 12:28:38pm

Ms Hanson-Young, as to the question of racism in Australia, maybe we are not as a whole. We are being pushed to the limits with our generous tolerance, but the fact that these students - and massive numbers of them - are living here on legal visas and using up precious, precious resources like our citizens' right to housing and our quotas of water resources, this is no doubt causing tension in our communities. It could be thought that Asian origin students and new migrants are easier targets, and that is because they are visible.

To assume that violence foreign students are suffering is because of racism, we can't be so concluding like that. There are so many of them, up to a total of less than half a million in the country, so more equals more probability of attacks! Logical. Everyone is at risk of violence, not to mention the fact the the percentage might be the same, but with a heavy population growth increase, this is only more people to consider while the percentage remains the same.
It would be massively different if the foreign education industry had students return to their countries. But it is clear and Australians are noticing now they they are not, and students talk openly about gaining permanent residence, meaning adding to the competition for housing, jobs and no doubt education places.

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Rambo :

07 Jan 2010 12:28:37pm

The word racism can be used in many applications,and unfortunately, I feel it is used to much today in society and the news.Years ago it didnt matter what race,colour or creed a victim was ,they were merely a victim. So with publicity the way it is ,it can only aggravate the use of this word.I believe that once again the media should accept the majority of the blame when it comes to racism,and for those who believe all what they read or hear in the news,get a life.

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Who is the Moron :

07 Jan 2010 12:26:55pm

Of coarse racist insults and intimidation is wrong; and violence should be punshed severely. However, it is lazy thinking to blindly describe people who arrive at a different view to our own as "morons".

Someone such as Hanson Young has a privalaged position and her experinces in life are generally great.

She is not competing against recent immigrants for work or living space; many in our poorer suburbs are and so form a differnt view.

Our elected representatives are compounding the problem by:

1) using to much spin rather than talking straight.

2) Handing over power to unelected commisioners and tribunals.

3) Refusing to acknowledge that an overwhelming number of Australians want lower imigration levels and a stable rather than growing population.

4) Failing to remove or control various rorts in the immigration process ie illegal arrivals, student visa's, famiily reunion, spouse visa's for arranged marriages.....

5) Failing to include the propensity of various immigrant groups to contribute to a better society - intermarriage rates, un-employment rates, crime statistics and rates of adherence to backwards religious views should influence our policies regarding selecting immigrants. We can train people for technical skills, but bad attitudes are more difficult to change.

My advice to the Government is that to listen to the ligitimate concerns and act will improve things faster than simply condemning the violent miscreants who are not listening in the first place.

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SVG :

07 Jan 2010 12:25:53pm

I agree that while these attacks are appalling, it is difficult to say with certainty that they are racially motivated. What we need in order to gain clarity on this is statistics that show whetehr there is a general increase in assault-related crime against all Australians and non-nationals of Indian appearance. I suspect it is unlikely that the purpetrators would ask to see a student visa before inflicting harm.

Those who say unequivocally that Australia is not a racist country are naive. The sooner we - as a nation - acknowledge there is an undercurrent in our society of intolerance to racial and cultural difference, the sooner we can start addressing the problem. Putting our heads in the sand has so far not worked as a social cohesian strategy.

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mbc :

07 Jan 2010 12:25:41pm

I think the ABC should introducing a rating system for these articles.

Once again a poorly researched and written article.

Obviously only opinion and not to be taken as a serious discussion point.

I'd suggest that you remove the line 'call a spade a spade' - is this your idea of a joke, or your final message, the point of the article. I find the phrase offensive.

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eevolve :

07 Jan 2010 12:25:22pm

"Unfortunately, if you identify racist attitudes in Australia you are all too often accused of being unpatriotic."

It's been my observation in Australia that "patriotism" and "racism" are pretty much interchangeable. And certainly the most patriotic amongst us are racist to the core.

It's universally true that the more patriotic a person is the more damage they do to their country.

And with a flag like that it's no wonder. What does the Union Jack symbolise to me (and to most of the rest of the world) but white, racist, colonialism. It makes me cringe with embarrasment and revulsion every time I see it. Change the flag and there might be a bit of change in attitudes. The Canadians did it and so should we.

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Suzy Owens :

07 Jan 2010 12:24:54pm

Well said...couldn't agree more!

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RT :

07 Jan 2010 12:23:25pm

I agree with the views of the author. I havent myself been on the receiving end of any racism during my time in Australia but have seen it directed towards others. Not all the attacks on the Indian students could have been random.If the politicians do not accept that this is racism-the attacks could be organized, the violence could become worse and spread to other states also. The perpetrators could resort to more ghastly acts in a bid to get even more attention by the media. Julia Gillard parrots the same PR lines and surrounds herself with Indian on TV in a bid to show all is well.They need to accept that these are most likely racist attacks, stop acting like ostriches and DO something about it ot pretty soon the after effects will flow to everyone else in the country.

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Hellfire :

07 Jan 2010 12:23:04pm

One would have to be stupid not to realise that racism exists in Australia as indeed it exists throughout the whole world. Each race seems to consider themselves inferior. Hence the Chinese consider all outsiders as Barbarians and the Islamic races consider all oother people as infidels etc. I can understand this is the natural preference of each to his own kind but not violence directed towards others. I have aways considered Australia as a tolerant country in spite of the racism that exists.

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karne :

07 Jan 2010 12:19:33pm

I disagree.

I think Australians are wary of "foreigners" who settle here, simply because they end up living in giant clusters and not associating with others. They cling to the things they have left behind, they see themselves first and foremost as citizens of the country from whence they came, even if they are becoming permanent residents here. They bring their ethnic tensions and hatreds out here and continue to carry on with them.

And you know what? I don't think India has any right to complain. It's not like Australians are particularly safe over there.

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Michael. :

07 Jan 2010 12:19:27pm

Yes. It's rather a peculiar human aspect, however prejudice and fear of the unknown or xenophobia exists in every part of the world. I have travelled far and wide over the years and have seen it expressed in appalling displays of violent and less so violent ways. I must say this however, racism exists EVERYWHERE. This is no excuse, however. But let me assure you, Australia is one of the most tolerant countries I have lived in. I compare this to Europe, North America and Asia. Perhaps EVERY country needs to address the issue.

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Para Port :

07 Jan 2010 12:18:19pm

Perhaps I have travelled the world a touch more than Sarah and yet I am still to find a country or people totally free from racism. It is highly idealistic to expect anything different. However, I hold the strong view that we in Australia are probably in the top tier of the least racist notwithstanding the many immigrants who bring centuries old feuds and religious and racial intolerance to our shores. The discriminatory nature of Indian culture is well known and their blatant racial slurring of one of our cricketers brings little credit to them. Of course they will argue that this attitude is only from a few; well now, who is calling the kettle black.

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Plucka :

07 Jan 2010 12:17:25pm

Well we do not know, I think a judge would be the one to make that call. However I do agree we need to call a spade a spade. The Cronulla riots were the result of ethnic tensions being downplayed as not true. It was true but the victims racist for making that claim. Now claims are made and there is media/police/government silence and as with Cronulla, failure to admit there is a problem only intensifies the rage.

So if they are refugees, Anglo, Lebanese, Asian call a spade a spade. This not wanting to stir ethnic tensions by cover up does not work. The quicker it is dealt with the better.

Political Correctness FAIL.

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TIF :

07 Jan 2010 12:16:00pm

Australia is a democracy. We have the right to have our own opinions. Violence should not be tolerated against any person in Australia. The government cannot tell us what to think and feel about other people in Australia. People from overseas should not be given special treatment or more protection than others. If the government is to learn anything perhaps they should look at why our young people cannot go out at night and be safe - nothing to do with the colour of their skin. If the Indian government doesn't think it safe here for their students then don't send them.

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Phil :

07 Jan 2010 12:15:44pm

Disgusting piece of anti-Australian scrawl, devoid of any facts that support it's argument. As you state, Indian students are positive about Australia, but feel dismay when "authorities" blame the victim. Our useless police do this to ALL victims, regardless of race, SO WHY DO YOU CALL AUSTRALIA RACIST??? As for talk back radio, it is so easy and typically stupid for those from the Left to attack the growing immigration debate as "just racism". Drawing from gutter media to "prove" the point is dishonest and troublemaking journalism. Of course, we also have plenty of taxpayer funded ethnic radio and TV stations, also carrying racist anti-white crap, but you're blind to that, aren't you? As you have obviously been sticking your head where you think the sun shines from, let me give you a wake up call - THERE ARE REAL GROWING PROBLEMS CAUSED BY OUT OF CONTROL MIGRATION, BOTH IN THE NUMBERS AND IN THE SUITABILITY OF THE IMMIGRANTS BEING ACCEPTED. Either we discuss and fix this problem rationally, or the grass roots - lynch mob reaction will take over, as it did at Cronulla. BTW - you are wrong that the sentiment is unfounded, the Syndey racist pack rapes illustrate why some Australians have legitimate concerns (Its but one example of thousands of ethnic race-hate crimes against caucasians - but reporting of these are censored by the Leftard media). And finally, as you will no doubt call me racist too, I don't give a hoot what your DNA is, it's how you behave that matters to me. Violent cultures are not welcome here, regardless of what colour your skin. Lying taxpayer funded "journalists" that slag on Australia for fun aren't welcome either.

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isitreality :

07 Jan 2010 12:14:31pm

Why should our politicians care about racism allegations made from a country that has the caste system?

Everbody is born equal in Australia, the same can't be said for India. Everybody by law must be treated the same in Australia. Can the same be said for India?

This is hype gone mad. I am a tolerant Australian who has trouble when thee pot is calling the kettle black. Why are we in a spin over this?

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sharlene :

07 Jan 2010 12:12:55pm

i absoloutely agree. our government needs to say "ok there is a problem and we are doing our best to fix it and ensure safety". not saying "wat problem everyone is autralia is open minded and its the victims fault for having ipods and being on the train late at night in dangrspots" the only way to fix a problem is to acknowledge their is one

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Arun :

07 Jan 2010 12:11:44pm

Firstly, thank you Sarah for acknowledging the issue. What is important to understand is not all Australians are racist and there is a small percentage of people who share views that 'non-whites' are not welcome in this country. These people are like cancer spreading through our society and we first acknowledge the problem, and then together find a solution - the problem will just keep getting bigger. So lets put aside our ego arrogance and accept that we need to protect our citizens better - both Australians and those visiting for a short while. What also needs to happen is education on how Australia has benefit from migration both culturally and economically. Do we really want to create a country that no one would want to come to live or work in? I am Indian by birth but Australia has given me education, a job, a home, a family..then why should i be treated less than any other Australian who was lucky enough to be born in this country. Come on Australia..lets face this issue together and stop this nonsense once for all.

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Timothy Smith :

07 Jan 2010 12:10:40pm

Labelling complaints about racism as unpatriotic has got to be the worst way to silence that racism exists in Australia.

Racism exists everywhere and is part of human nature. So denying there are racists here is just denying our nature.

Our government can be said to be racist not just because of the hopefully dead white australia policy but also other racist policies which don't invoke many complaints as they are racist towards the majority of people.

Perhaps we need to take a good look at ourselves while we attempt to deal with these current events. Don't let agendas and personal gain get in the way of finding a decent solution to the problem.

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dude :

07 Jan 2010 12:10:17pm

First of all we need to make it clear that racism is not solely a white thing. All races are affected, in fact a huge proportion of racism in Australia doesn't even involve white Australians, yet the rest of the world just sees this country as a haven of white racist rednecks.
Racism exists in all ethnicities here and much of it is between non- euro/anglo peoples.
The people whole talk about racism in Australia and do not point this out are as guilty as the people who deny there is any racism here at all.

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Hooble :

07 Jan 2010 12:09:33pm

Personally believe racism exists in every country.

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Dean :

07 Jan 2010 12:09:18pm

Well said Sarah! We need more true patriots like you to speak up.

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GMD :

07 Jan 2010 12:06:39pm

Easier for politicians to just dog whistle, and we are in an election year after all. Been successfully done before.

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Sarah Hanson-Young :

07 Jan 2010 12:06:37pm

Yes indeed, most emphatically racism certainly does exist in Australia and in a very loud articulae form. I refer predominantly to the comments made in this article "Can we honestly say that racism does not exist in Australia? You only need to spend an afternoon listening to talk back radio to understand what I'm getting at. "

Please, can we rid ourselves first of the miserable old racists in talkback radio and put professional guidelines in when hiring new broadcasters to ensure that they do not have a racist axe to grind before employing! Only the ABC is fair and non-discriminating in their broadcasts. I see and hear racism every day, particularly amongst the educated who should know better!
Sue

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Meh Sid :

07 Jan 2010 12:05:53pm

Very good article!!!!!
Acceptance of racism in Australia is the first step towards solving the problem. There is no place for racism in todays globalized world. The sooner we understand, better it is.

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Mac :

07 Jan 2010 12:05:28pm

I absolutely agree with this article. Australia does produce racists from all demographics and until we can acknowledge this, we cannot hope to solve the problems associated. The rapid rise of One Nation in the 1990's was hard proof that the attitudes exist and anybody attending a Big Day Out festival sees it being upheld by a lot of youths. While it's true that not many people will act out, it does happen. Please don't assume for a minute that it's only white Australian's with racist attitudes. It's everywhere.

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John Xue :

07 Jan 2010 12:05:28pm

AUSTRALIA IS RACIST. Denying this will NEVER EVER obviate this FACT. Only Australian Whites will say that Australia is tolerant, open, multicultural. They, simply, do not want to own up to this REALITY. They untruthfully want to maintain this fiction, this facade to the world. Australia was born in RACISM, perpetuated in RACISM (THE WHITE AUSTRALIA POLICY), and continues to fester in RACISM.

For Australia to say that it is NOT racist is a leper denying that he has leprosy when his nose, fingers and toes are rotting, falling off in putrid disease.

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Enough Please :

07 Jan 2010 12:05:23pm

While I support the general thrust of this piece I travel overseas a bit and you are continually told not to wear jewellery or to carry credit cards etc etc ie make yourself a target. It's not about blaming the victim it's about taking sensible precautions

All countries have their undesirable elements and we are no different to any others despite thinking we are special

To be honest, go to Bali and see the drunken obnoxious Aussies and it makes you cringe to show your passport

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lynne :

07 Jan 2010 12:03:56pm

Of course Australia is a racist country. Just look for a start at the way we treat the Aboriginal population. It is a mysoginistic, homophobic country as well and we had better accept it and do something about it. No good trying to deny it, such as this government seems to be doing regarding the recent murder of the Indian man. That is the most appalling thing I have heard in the last few days, and makes one ashamed to be Australian.

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Robert2 :

07 Jan 2010 12:03:33pm

Racism is alive and well in Oz as is Freemasonary, Budhism, Catholicism and any other indoctrination.

The concentration of the scurge of it may well be apparent in some areas as against others, but I am as sure of it being a part of our culture as I am as sure the succession of governments I have witnessed in my lifetime, have, when it has suited them, played the rascist card to their advantage and effectivly stampeded a public reaction.

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VoR :

07 Jan 2010 12:02:47pm

Another politician looking to profit from violence. Same old same old.

Of course racism exists in Australia. Why would Australia be the only country in the world without racism? Even if there were some miraculous educational or medical program whereby racism was totally non-existent, we import new immigrants every day.

I think it was anti-youngpeopleism. Can we honestly say that anti-youngpeople sentiment does not exist in Australia? You only need to spend an afternoon listening to talk back radio to understand what I'm getting at. While it's too soon to determine exactly what happened, to simply rule out the possibility that sentiment against young people was involved is neither good leadership nor smart diplomacy in an environment of increased violence. If we want to market Australia as a destination for young people we need to start calling a spade a spade and be more patriotic and by the way I want to raise my profile so I look good to my political party and ....

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DGC :

07 Jan 2010 12:02:43pm

Absolutely spot on. Shaker Heights in Ohio, where I lived, was known thoughout the USA for its vigorous attack on racism and pro-active stance against racial discrimination and segregation. The first step in the process, agreed to by all parties, was to agree that racism does exist and to state this and attack it publicly. The Australian governments are over 50 years behind, still with their heads in the sand, figuring that if you deny it it will go away. It will not, you have to shout it loudly and publicly, and reveal those who practice it for what they are - ignorant thugs, albeit mental thugs in many cases.

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Rajneesh :

07 Jan 2010 12:02:04pm

Sarah
I agree with you. Closing eyes to the obvious will not change the facts. I was quite surprised by the statements on the attacks given the Australian politicians. Saying such things will only make one an object of mockery and eventual take a toll on the personal credibility.
We should all accept our shortcoming and work towards improving them rather than denying them all the time. Having said that by no means, I am trying to accuse Australia surrogatively. I have had great experiences living here but when it comes to social equality, I think that's one area we need to work on.

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itsacon :

07 Jan 2010 12:01:38pm

Yes racism does exist in Australia, we have our share of morons and a whole suite of government agencies and policies that serve people differentially on the basis of race. I shouldn't even mention our indigenous policies, which even with the best of intent are racist.

And your point is that we should discuss this openly and bring it out of the shadows, when in fact racism is institutionally entrenched and politically supported.

With all due respect Sarah you are having a vision issue with forest and trees.

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PC :

07 Jan 2010 12:01:28pm

It is foolish for anyone to suggest that racism does not exist in Australia. I don't live in Melbourne, but my experience elsewhere in this country is that Australian prejudices towards other races are no worse than other parts of the world, including India, and much better than some.

Who'd be a Muslim living in the U.S. these days?

The problem seems magnified by media beat-ups both in this country and India, but before complaining too much about a relative handful of Indians being bashed or killed in this country, the Indian media might care to complain about the 150,000 or so Indians who die annually on Indian roads.

Let's get a bit of perspective into the argument!

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Andrew Finegan :

07 Jan 2010 11:57:47am

The fatal attack of last week was tragic and appalling, yes. However, when I first heard of it, I didn't think "Oh no, another racially-motivated attack." I thought, "Oh dear, what the hell was somebody thinking, walking along through a park in West Footscray after dark?" We're talking about one of the lowest socio-economic areas of Melbourne, with an extreme crime rate.

And I know it's extremely harsh to say imply that the victim was somewhat responsible for the attack - it would have had more to do with clearly putting themselves in dangerous circumstances.

And sure, racism does exist. It's more extreme in certain places, where I daresay there are more of what you call morons (I'd use much stronger language). Perhaps it's best to stay clear of those areas, especially if you're an international student, and there's a pre-conceived notion that you're the ones with all the money.

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five fingers can't be same :

07 Jan 2010 11:56:09am

Well said, I do agree that may be only a very small proportion of IDIOTS have the racially vilified psyche.. but it is there, and the denial is as bigger a crime as committing these violent activities. But then fact is also that racism (or shall say discrimination) exists pretty much everywhere in the world. I have been in Australia for about 12 years. Never in my student life in the University or in my working life at my workplace I faced any racism, but yes while on the street, or while working at a convenience store in the uni days i have heard people hurling comments and abuses, asking to go back to your home or calling all sort of things But i have always dismissed as almost all of these came from the drunken idiots. i had comments written on my wind screen and in my parking lot. but i had to ignore that as well, as i have very many true blue friends who does not share the same ideology, so it is not wise to generalise and paint the entire country as racist but the fact that it does exist and steps to curtail it must be taken at the utmost earliest...

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PM :

07 Jan 2010 11:52:19am

Are there racist attitudes in Australia? Of course there is.
Are there racist attitudes in every other country in the World? Of course there is.
I would suggest that in every city in the world there are some areas that no matter who you are, what you look like or what your beliefs are you need to be very careful.
This does not mean that this murder was racially motivated. Only the Police, maybe the murdered person and the perpetrators know that for sure.

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SyrianPrince :

07 Jan 2010 11:43:44am

True enough article... racism is based in insularity fear and ignorance and that's a significant part of Australian life; but to expect a politician to call a spade a spade? To not do so is a politician's job! To expect leadership from a politician? Crikey girl, you're dreaming. What I would give just once to be able to vote for a politician I thought might ever be a leader. Having power is not leading.

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January 2010 Indian students and police

Turning a blind eye

293 comments

Gautam Gupta

You have to stare the world in the face although the world may look at you with bloodshot eyes. - Gandhi

It is not yet known whether the stabbing murder of Nitin Garg at a park in the inner Melbourne suburb of West Footscray was racially motivated. It appears that he was not robbed, so a racial attack remains a possibility, but it would be premature and inappropriate to draw conclusions about the tragedy.

What is clearer, however, is that the attack has further damaged Australia’s international reputation and raised questions about whether Indians can safely live here.

Either Indians in Australia have been extraordinarily unlucky over the past 12 months, or there is a disturbing undercurrent of racism in this country that needs to be held up to the light of scrutiny.

The latest deadly stabbing comes after a horror year in which a spate of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne prompted large demonstrations in and sparked fierce anger in India.

Strangely the media response in Australia for much of last year was muted.

This is worrying. The two true measures of a democracy are free and fair elections and a free press. The absence of any one of these two essential ingredients denies democracy from being. While free and fair elections are attainable, it is the second, more vital ingredient for a democracy—free press—that is difficult to achieve.

For journalism to be free, it needs to be guard itself against the structures of power. Independent journalism can — and must — use its power of inquiry to present to the public the raw and unpleasant facts and to shake a complacent and out-of-touch government out of it slumber.

But when journalists forfeit this independent role, they tie not just themselves, but democracy, too, in chains of slavery.

In Australia, Indian students feel that many mainstream journalists have given up their independence to become a cheering squad for a complacent police and government, which have failed to admit or address the concerns of international students in the country.

It was in such a situation that the onus to report objectively, and without fear or favour, the attacks on students fell on the ‘social media’ of community activists as well as the Indian media.

A cursory study of the attacks on Indian students in Australia shows how the Australian media became a mere sounding board for government excuses.

May 24, 2009, saw Shravan Kumar hanging between life and death after a vicious attack on Glenroy. News of the attack spread to the local and global Indian community via text messages. Images and details of Shravan Kumar lying in hospital soon found place in the Indian media.

Once the story broke, India and Australia were caught in an uncomfortable diplomatic rift. Incredibly enough, the Australian media took up Shravan’s story much later.

Shravan’s ordeal triggered a mass rally of more than 4,000 Indian students protesting on the steps of the Victorian Parliament. The Indian media’s reports on the rally got the attention of the Indian politicians and let the world know of Australia’s ‘curry bashing’ plague.

The Glenroy attack was the last straw for some members of the established Indian community. Tim Singh Laurence, a Labor councillor with an Indian background from the Northern suburbs said at the time, “The attack on Shravan and his friends in their Northern suburbs home was a shock for the once small Indian community. Sadly, for many years, the community has witnessed the pain and suffering of families of injured students and bashed and slain cab drivers. But in 2009, Melbourne’s fast growing Indian community was larger than the Greek community—volunteer community workers like myself hoped that the media would address the rising tide of racist attacks. Surely such a large community could not be ignored.”

The Australian media has failed the Indian community. FISA student activists have experienced the Australian media’s indifference for years.

Why does the Australian media feel the need to silence and sideline Indian students? Many Indians have been criticised by the media for the sin of complaining about being beaten or their claims have been openly doubted.

After talking to many Australian journalists I began to understand the source of their denial. No one wanted to look at the hate crimes against Indians as it showed them an ugly side of Australian culture—that racism was still alive and being reborn in a new generation. Some Australians were becoming ‘born-again racists’. The political and media elite, meanwhile, chose to remain in denial.

What is clear to those of us dealing at the coalface of this problem is that a section of Australia has embraced ‘curry bashing’, and that institutional racism in the police force and the media and political elites means Australia is ill-equipped to deal with the problem in an open, honest manner. The Australian media, caught in denial, ‘parrots’ the usual police and government excuses every time.

The Australian media’s indifference and hostility has forced the Indian students and migrants to turn to the Indian media. In a globally connected world, they cannot be silenced. The Indian media covers these ‘Aussie taboo’ news stories and holds up a mirror to the face of modern Australia.

When will the Australian media snap out of its stupor and report on situations as they happen, especially in our suburbs? Many Australian journalists have instead raged against the Indian media. Rather than shooting the messenger shouldn’t the Australian media confront Australia’s re-emerging racist demons?

With the mob attack in Epping in September last year, the Australian media again showed its bias in action and compounded the hate crime with its silence. The story was broken in India and got belated coverage in Australia. The Victoria police even failed to put out a media release and were later forced to publicly deny a cover up. Have the Australian media now outsourced their social conscience to India?

However, it can be said that 2010 may see a new year and a new dawn for media attention on what is now clearly a problem with terrible outcomes. I hope that whilst tragic, Nitin's murder stands as a landmark moment, a moment that signifies the time when the media focus on the very real and awful issues facing Asian students was treated very seriously.

This is not just about words and spin—in the absence of hardheaded local reporting and open public debate the scourge of Australian racism will grow unchecked.

House Rules

293 comments

Add your comment

digby :

07 Jan 2010 2:42:54am

A bit more on another part of the root cause:
It's time to rethink the export of education.

Reliance on international students for funding has been an unmitigated disaster, for the international students themselves, for universities and for local students.

Successful export of education should be primarily through high-quality online learning and overseas campuses. International students are not included in population estimates for town planning and public amenities. There is no provision for them in terms of housing or public transport. Universities have no responsibility in this area.

The boom in rental property in recent years had been fuelled to a significant extent by international students.

Universities too have not made allowances for student numbers: over-enrolment is rampant. A tutorial of 40 is standard in high-demand degrees. Students are routinely admitted into courses beyond the capacity of their language ability.

Between remedial education and satisfying the ever-increasing storm of requirements in international student administration from Canberra, the biggest universities are left chasing their tail. That chase is now impacting the overall quality of the student experience and academic rigour of degrees.

Who benefits from any of it?

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steve :

07 Jan 2010 1:22:36am

I still cant understand why we Australians don't accept the universal fact that racism is there in every country. Every community of the world has 20 -30% racist people in it.
We have a very strong law to fight racism, so lets accept it and fight it.

2000 reported complaint by indian !!!!
Are all of them are opportunistic ??? come on !!!

there is definitely racism present in Australia, and we have to fight it.

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Jeltz :

06 Jan 2010 11:28:25pm

I travel to India quite frequently and regardless of statistics the people there (at least the small minority with the time or inclination to be concerned about world afairs) were genuinely concerned about the safety of their citizens in Australia.

This perception is definitely hurting Australia's reputation. It may have more to do with selling media and scoring diplomatic points, but I would not discount or ignore the presence of underlying racism in Australia, or in India for that matter.

Walk a mile in another person's shoes; it is easy to get away when they want their shoes back.

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Karen from Qld :

06 Jan 2010 10:41:40pm

My very dear friend is Indian. She migrated to Australia when she was 21. She migrated because having been the recipient of a decent education she realised her prospects - particularly since she was female were very limited if she were to remain in India. She also did not want to be married off in an arranged marriage to a total stranger - a very real prospect had she remained in India. She also witnessed many incidents of lower caste servants being beaten by their Indian masters and knew of relatives who had had their children abducted by gangs who wanted to cash in on the lucrative child sex trade.
She migrated to Australia. truly assimilated and made this country her home. She regards herself as an Australian and not an Indian/Australian. She does not even want to visit India to show her children where she grew up because she says it is too violent to go back.
She is now upset and fearful of a backlash because of the hysteria whipped up by all the Indian Govt's name calling and articles such as this one.
So well done Mr Gupta and the ABC for this piece of thinly veiled smear journalism. You are doing nothing to ease tensions on this issue.

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andy kay :

06 Jan 2010 10:35:58pm

i wonder whether the indian husband who murdered his wife and tried to sneak out via sydney committed a race crime and whether this was front page news in india, probably not.

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Majra :

06 Jan 2010 9:38:28pm

Another factor not canvassed, which may also explain the shameful silence in the media, is the involvement of politicians in the exploitation of Indian and other foreign students.
Read teacher Ian Steep's comments on the Four Corners message board after the programme 'Holy Cash Cows' went to air at this link.
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=37&t=1&ps=20&dm=1&pd=2&am=6866

Crikey was the first to raise this issue in 2008 when 800 overseas students were abandoned at a college run by an aspiring politician, when it went into receivership.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/09/10/nick-berman-political-wannabe-and-his-failed-overseas-students-college/

Nothing more was reported in the media, the politician's reputation was unscathed, and the politician was shortly afterwards re-elected by means of an extremely generously funded election campaign.

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Eddy B :

06 Jan 2010 6:54:40pm

Over 100 Indians are murdered in India everyday, it has the highest number of murders of any country in the world.

Even on a per capita basis it has more than double the murder rate of Australia.

A little perspective is needed here, an Indian is safer (from murder) in Australia than in India.

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stuart :

06 Jan 2010 6:31:30pm

Interestingly Australia has a homicide rate (deaths per 100,000) of 1.3 in 2006-07 (http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/homicide.aspx), however back in India the homicide rate for 2006,was 2.82.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate)

So it appears that it is safer for Indian students to be in Australia. So if there are 250,000 Indian students, statistically there should be 3.25 deaths per year here in Australia. While back in India the same population could expect the demise of 7.05, a net saving of 3.8 people per 100,000.

Just don't take unnecessary risks, like most reasonable citizens do, such as walking alone late at night, short cuts through poorly lighted parks, and when in doubt run and live to tell the tale.

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gerard :

06 Jan 2010 5:52:50pm

Some people use statistics to prove that life in India is far more dangerous than in Australia.

Of course it is,

They don't quite concentrate as much as we do here in playing it safe. Don't hide behind curtains, drive kids to and from schools, swim between the flags, look left and right and left again, before risking anything. We generally prefer to breath in and out, staying alive to the bitter end.

India rocks though, but is not quite so safe, breathing in and out, not just to stay alive but to live.

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Goffa :

06 Jan 2010 3:43:33pm

Gee I love it when the South Asians go off! The level of pomposity and outrage is just so exciting to watch when viewed through more rational and calmer Western eyes.
Yes, sadly some Indian boys have been attacked and others killed. I am sad about that as I am for the many other people who are unjustifiably attacked in Australia and around the world.
Is it posible though that some of these situations arise because of the naivety, or conversely, the lack of street smarts by these blokes. I mean, in any big city in the world there are places you just don't go at certain times of night/day. Walking alone through a darkened park is pretty much top of my list. Does anyone ever consider giving these blokes some lessons on self protection at all? Not by fighting but just by sensible behaviour.
Which brings me around to the hysterical Indian media who seem to be positively without any concern for the millions of Indians who live in slums and die by disease and starvation constantly. Are they not dying Indians who are daily assaulted by the aggressive neglect of India? Any thoughts on that big mouthed media "curry munchers"?

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Veronica :

06 Jan 2010 3:06:55pm

How much of the racist undercurrents in our society can we attribute to John Howard's contemptible demonising of asylum seekers ("We will decide...etc."), his failure to condemn Hanson's racist absurdities, and his cynical exploitation of the "terrorist threat" for political advantage? And how much to Rudd's timid failures to challenge the now well established Howard legacies?

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Az :

06 Jan 2010 3:03:21pm

I'm not racist, I'm a culturalist.

I won't judge you by your genes, but I will happily judge the culture you carry or advocate.

There's a lot about Indian culture I find abhorrent. (There's a lot about Australian culture I find abhorrent.) I won't go bashing anyone over it.

Race and culture need to be separated so we can have a larger debate. Linking the two is pointless (unless you're invoking a bs defense).

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Felix :

06 Jan 2010 2:23:33pm

A white off-duty police officer gets hit by an aboriginal man in a nightclub on NYE and dies.

Where are the cries of racism from the various media outlets?

Imagine if it was a copper that killed an aboriginal or god forbid, an indian national?

It's this lack of consistency and biased reporting that pisses so many people off.

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Harquebus :

06 Jan 2010 1:58:21pm

I think the Indians should clean up their own backyard before criticizing others.
RIP Grahame, Philip and Timothy Steins.

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topomountain :

06 Jan 2010 1:14:53pm

There is a simple solution. Start selling Uranium to India and this isue will disapear. Guaranteed.

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Chris :

06 Jan 2010 12:41:24pm

I wouldn't agree that every attack on an Indian in Australia is based on race but to deny that a large percentage of Australians are racist would be foolish.

Over the years we've seen some disgusting behaviour aimed at Indigenous and immigrant populations.

In the past we've had Governments who have, through certain policies, inferred that a level of racism is acceptable. The current Government is not that different.

Governments around Australia are afraid to condemn racist behaviour too strongly for fear of losing a large number of voters.

Advance Australia Fair?

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Jasmine :

06 Jan 2010 12:29:46pm

Many of the young Indian men and women in my south-western Sydney suburb are hard-working people who take on late shift work in service industries and so may unfortunately be at higher risk of coming across low-lifes on their way to and from work.

Good on them for being productive members of the community. A solution may be to make shuttle-bus provisions to help keep this workforce safe. The media beat-up is unhelpful.

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Joseph3 :

06 Jan 2010 12:11:11pm

Our hearts go out to the parents, family and friends of the victim but the "beat up" by the Indian media and some sections of the Indian community in Australia and indeed some of its politicians is not at all helpful.
Recently an Australian was killed in Cambodia. The Australian media did not beat that up, there was no suggestion that murder was racially inspired, no deregotary remarks about Cambodia were made by any Australian official.
There are dozens of English and other nationalities murdered in Australia every year as there are dozens of Australians murdered overseas every year -without the 'Bollywood' reactions.
These poor unfortunates just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Let us show our sympathy and support to the family, which Australia has done. I would like to think most reasonable Indians would appreciate that sympathy and support and not seek to racialise a whole nation for the crime of one person; who may not even be Australian.

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Amethyst :

06 Jan 2010 12:05:18pm

The comment that this attack was a 'crime against humanity' was perhaps one of the most insulting piece of hyperbole uttered following the event. That snippet of irrationality ensured that I completely lost interest in the whole issue.

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Nix :

06 Jan 2010 11:56:18am

I acknowledge that racism is alive and well in some sections of the Australian community. However, that does not necessarily mean that any criminal activities against particular groups is always motivated by racism. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, its just as likely to be yet another act of senseless violence that society can't prevent.

However, I am not so sure that racism is the only factor in attacks on international students. When I was at Sydney University about 5 years ago, the uni was very active in warning students that some criminals target students, particularly at night. The Uni operated (probably still does) a secuirty night bus service to take students at night from various points around campus to Redfern station. I knew ("white")domestic students who got mugged walking home from uni at night.

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Shanks :

06 Jan 2010 11:55:54am

Does anyone know if the story of a Second Indian Student killed in Griffith this week is true? Again, I've seen these reports in the Indian media first, and has yet to see it in any Australian media outlets.
Another case to prove Gautam's point.
See .. http://www.hindustantimes.com/2nd-Indian-killed-in-Oz-Centre-issues-advisory/H1-Article1-494262.aspx

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marki_marku :

06 Jan 2010 11:02:27am

simple fact is
the chance of being Murdered in India is 2 times as high as it is in Australia.
here are the latest stats available
India: 0.0344083 per 1,000 people
Australia: 0.0150324 per 1,000 people
What about Indian on indian assaults and murders.
same day this happened an Indian man Slashed his wife's throat in sydney and went to Melbourne. do we see an outcry about that.

finally to prevent crime against indian students the Department of immigration should require that Indian students live in on-campus housing do not work while they are STUDENTS here, before being granted a student Visa they student must deposit the money they need for living expenses and university fees into a trust fund that releases money as need to pay for food and accommodation. too many indian Students arrive in this country with no money to live on and are therefore forced to work to repay debts at home and to survive here, this leads to massive overcrowding in share accommodation by australian standards

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ribald :

06 Jan 2010 10:58:15am

the thing about racism is that there will always be people (for whatever reasons) who will hold racist opinions. however, the important thing thing is that we have a strong govt that needs to wholeheartedly condemn any form of racism in all its forms, and not fuel it for cheap political mileage. unfortunately, the rudd govt has not shown much leadership on this issue. instead of umming or urrhing, rudd & co should outrightly condemn any form of racism, even if it means introducing more effective anti-villification laws. this will be in stark contrast to the previous howard govt's "dog-whistling" (ie. subtly condoning racism using cleverly coded language).

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Tony Stevens :

06 Jan 2010 10:12:44am

Is Victoria the only state capable of educating foreign students? Why aren't other states recommended for Indian students to study in?
It seems to me, considering how violent Victoria has been historically over the past ten or more years, that is should be the last place ANY migrants should be encouraged to visit, or use as a study centre.
And instead of the Indian, and general, media attacking Australian's generally, they should be focusing on Victoria.

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George :

06 Jan 2010 10:11:18am

Gautum, Australian Journalists are sensationalists not journalists. Why is there no mention of the foreigners killed in India, what about the Indian man who killed his Indian Family in Sydney late last year, I didn't hear the India government cry about that. India has a murder rate of approx 27000 per annum, don't you think that the death of one Indian in our country and the indian governments reaction as hyperbole. What about the population of Indians in our country, or the jobs they take in industries where they are exposed as easy targets by petty criminals to acts of aggression or violence which may lead to a murder.

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DocMercury :

06 Jan 2010 9:37:55am

"Bollywood" has a top knotch publicity machine, which might be why the Australian-Indian community is more vocal than are other groups (Muslim, Vietnamese, Sudanese...) in the mass media.

The actual statistics, by percentages upon a per capita sliding scale, for ALL assaults by nation of origin within Australia over a year or decade, has not been presented anywhere I've seen.

Fact is, as far as I can tell, the more people there are then the more people likely to number within the 0.01% group of truly rogue individuals.

Which happen to be rogues of any shade and colour, who never had, or lost somewhen, their asocial off-button.

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DocMercury :

06 Jan 2010 9:18:56am

Human beings are mostly tame animals, but rarely some of them forsake 150 million years of evolution and regress to something with less ethics than a crocodile.

Race has nothing to do with it.

Somewhere in the genome of our small furry ancestors which managed to survive being stood on by big lizards, there is the impetus to acquire the ethos and rules of behaviour of a grasshopper on testosterone overdrive.

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Realistic Globalist :

06 Jan 2010 7:42:30am

Wake up Australia All countries are racists in one way or another.

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Arthur 1 :

06 Jan 2010 5:50:54am

I thought the whole idea of students coming here to study,was to take their knowledge back to their own country,to improve that country's living standard.It seems that many are using the student trip to step in front of the migrant queue,and stay on as Australians,beats coming by boat.

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pamela :

06 Jan 2010 12:36:40am

Why when a legitimate issue is raised about Australia is the first response from so many, denial and justification? So many responses refusing to reflect on the number of Indian student bashings and deaths and using excuses such as violence in India to justify and excuse racist violence in Australia.
No one is condoning bride burnings or caste system but this is not the question here. We are asking why so many young black men are being attacked by Australians and what we can do to stop it.
My experience with a young African man who was locked in a bus by the driver who then called up thugs , let them on the nearly empty bus and assisted them to bash this slight young man, has lead me to question the interest of the police in racist bashings. With the number plates of the thugs cars supplied by witnesses, description and identity of the busdriver supplied - nothing happened. The driver continued to drive in an area where he was picking up Africans. Weeks later he was not even interviewed. What sort of message does this give thugs- that they can bash with impunity.
Its time that Australians shifted from self defence mode and acknowledged that something very nasty has happened in the past decade. We have moved from verbal racism often disguised as humour to brutal physical assaults.
Its time we acknowledged the diesease within and did something about it.

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Sarah Paleman :

06 Jan 2010 12:31:50am

A welcome article Mr Gupta. You are of course stating the obvious about the Australian media. It has never been anything worth writing home about, but has been in noticeable and steady decline since the 1980s. However for our politicians and the Victorian police spokespeople, there is no excuse. I've lived in the suburbs of one capital city or another in this country for all of my 39 years and it has always bemused me why my fellow countrymen (and it's almost always men) are so touchy about acknowledging that the dominant Anglo culture in Australia has a malignant racist undercurrent that bursts forth from time to time given the right combination of alcohol, heat, fear, ignorance, or encouragement from radio shock jocks and dogwhistling politicians. This is a fact, and one which many Australians seem unable to honestly face up to.

Melbourne is clearly going through a bad patch at the moment. It is not going to go away simply by the media, politicians and community and police spokespeople denying that there is a problem. Jeepers, even Gerard Henderson has said as much in today's SMH.

Banning the carrying of knives in public places is one thing, but it is an entirely different thing altogether for bigots to see and hear their leaders getting up and publicly acknowledging that we have a problem, and their leaders looking them in the eye to letting them know in no uncertain terms that it is the height of small-brained and small-penised cowardice to commit violent acts against individuals on the basis of them looking or talking differently to oneself, and that there is no place in Australian life for such stupidity and ignorant thuggishness.

We need more debates like this. I just fear that in the darker corners of the internet, the ones who should be acknowledging these truths are busily congratulating each other on the latest incident of mindless violence.

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Algernon :

06 Jan 2010 12:10:27am

A few years ago Indian neighbours wished to build a new house. I raised some objections on technical issues like the house being 1.5 metres higher than council allowed and the site coverage exceeding limits, I had no objections if these were addressed which they were. Later on he had bought gas appliances without checking to see if gas was available in the street. He sent a letter to everyone in the street asking if they would consider changing to gas as a gas connection for him was going to cost thousands. Not surprisingly those in the street ignored this request. He thought we were all racists because we didn't share is desire for a gas connection and told us so.

I have no issue with him but he treats those who live in the street contempt unless he wants something. He wants mango leaves from our mango tree for his religious ceremonies. I'm happy for him take them. In the early days he would ask, nowadays he just takes. The tree has many leaves and wonâ€™t miss them.

Down the road the old Italian man dies suddenly, the family decided to sell the house. An Indian family buys the house and takes to cleaning it. Next thing there are all these young men living there. We live within walking distance of a University. At last count there were 14 cars parked in or around the house, it only has 3 bedrooms, I have no idea how many are crammed in there.

At the local uni there are many Chinese students. Occasionally they are mugged by some from the local public housing estate. My son was mugged by the same people after making coffees voluntarily for those on the estate. Those on the estate know who they are and are scared of retribution. The the Chinese students say nothing. The police know who they are put are powerless to act without evidence. My sons mugging wasn't reported in the news either.

What disappoints me about this blog is the racial undertone demonstrated by the author; He seems unable to take the plank out of his own eye before taking the speck out of someone else's.

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Paul Gibbons :

05 Jan 2010 11:53:42pm

Does it really need to take a brain surgeon to work this one out. India is pushing this matter as a racist issue to grandstand! The investigation is still ongoing, and how many Caucasian Australians are beaten, stabbed and murdered in Victoria, or for that matter in Australia every year.

This matter boils down to a simple mineral which we have allot of, and India want's - URANIUM!

India has been after a deal for Australian Uranium for donkeys, to develop further Nuclear Arms. Although they use the same line as the Iranians - "Oh no, it's for medical and energy purposes." Yeah right, pull the other one and it will serve Chicken Korma.

So the way they get it is to make a huge issue out of this in the media (National and more importantly International) and hope Rudd will fold quicker than a Labor Prime Minister with a boat load of Sri Lankans on an Australian Customs vessel.

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richard :

05 Jan 2010 11:49:16pm

Gautum, what you and the Indian community need to understand is you are not alone. What about the white Australian Policeman killed in the line of duty on or about the same day of the tragic death of this young man? What of the white men held hostage in a Melbourne suburb since New Years day.

You see Gautum, wickedness is not race specific and Indians certainly do not have a right to cry foul.

Why not write a paper on how Indians, Pakistani, Iriaqi, Iranians and other "lower classed" human beings are treated in UAE construction sites to single out 1 country?

With respect, Indians have always been a little too "precious", I suspect this is a cultural thing. Don't be one sided in your viewpoint open your eyes and you will see all races are subjected to violence.

Are you so sure the murderer is an Australian, American, Brit or Kiwi? Heaven forbid could he or she be an Indian? Are daily acts of violence not committed against Indians by Indians in India?

To end, this is a tragic death and all should be done to catch the scum who committed this murder, this should be the sum total of your commentary.

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Premature Elaboration :

05 Jan 2010 11:01:58pm

While the author painstakingly points out that it would be ' premature and inappropriate to draw conclusions ' about Mr. Garg's stabbing murder, he has shown little such regard in drawing wild conclusions on all crimes affecting ethnic Indians as being racist.

Every individual has a racial profile. So by his logic, does each victim of crime represents a crime against his/her race?

Maybe the Australian press can be more active in clarifying the official crime statistics, but to follow the knee-jerk sensationalism of the Indian tabloid would definitely compromise, as the author puts it, any ' onus to report objectively, and without fear or favour '.

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white haired warrior :

05 Jan 2010 10:50:58pm

Just a thought. Could these attacks on Indians be a backlash to the Indian telemarketers who phone almost any one with a phone usually around meal times? If so, then the Australian companies who out source the work overseas have blood on their hands.

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Grant :

05 Jan 2010 10:45:15pm

Gautam Gupta

Someone was murdered, so what, it happens.

Some 412,600 or 54% of assault victims were male. In addition, the victimisation prevalence rate for assault was:

* higher for unemployed persons (9.8%) than for employed persons (5.5%)

* higher for persons born in Australia (5.3%) than for those born overseas (3.4%).

The statistics do not back your assertions sir.

I respect facts not hyperbole.

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Trevor Thomas :

05 Jan 2010 10:35:02pm

Race can be ruled out as a motive as Indians aren't a race they're a nationality.

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Goldcoaster :

05 Jan 2010 10:23:34pm

The death of Nitin Garg is a tragedy. The comments today of Simon Crean were unhelpful. First, he said that the main problem was that "we cannot bring this 'guy' back". What an insensitive way to refer to a man who has just been killed. Simon Crean should apologise to the family and to India. Second, he said that given the publicity around the case any action by the Indian government to censure Australia or declare Australia a 'no-go' zone for Indian students would be of no consequence. I doubt whether the education industry that relies on Indian students for its lifeblood feels so relaxed! As Trade Minister Simon Crean needs to think again about virtually goading India into education trade sanctions.

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what about me. :

05 Jan 2010 10:01:00pm

indians are in the minority of motivated attacks in this country.
i was assaulted last week, the excuse if you call it that, i left my small dog of his lead. in an off leash dog area.
6 months ago i was assaulted by an angry barman, the excuse, i parked in a disabled parking bay without a piece of plastic.
even though i have a letter from doc for ms.
both were serious assaults because of my condition,
my point is> in this country the fear and anger and rage foisted on us all by the polotics of fear, eg> terrorism/gfc/gw/stranger danger/enviroment/etc/etc add nauseum, is having an effect, rage everywhere.
fear leads to anger, just needs the excuse to let the pressure go.
indian? old man with dog off lead? no piece of disability plastic? forget to switch blinker off, the list goes on and on.
it is not just indians, it is many people, the homeless cop it all the time.
needs alot more reporting, and aculture change.
by the by, the police just simply said it was my word against theirs??

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Tom :

05 Jan 2010 9:44:30pm

You claim that: "Either Indians in Australia have been extraordinarily unlucky over the past 12 months, or there is a disturbing undercurrent of racism in this country that needs to be held up to the light of scrutiny."

I find it interesting and disingenuous of you that at no stage did you provide any statistics as to the rate at which Indians in Australia are the victims of violent crime. There are thousands of Indians living in Australia, the fact is like any country some will be the victims of crime. Your claim that Indians are either extraordinarily unlucky or the victims of racist violence is baseless unless you can provide evidence that they are over represented in victim of crime statistics.

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Balu :

05 Jan 2010 9:34:47pm

This article and posts do not accept that in any country SOME but not all people may be racist.
I live in Brisbane and have Indian friends who have nothing but praise for the help they have has since coming here-and they prefer livng here to India or their previous (western) country.
Please don't tar us all with the same brush!
My children have been brought up to believe all
races are equal, and Shama, my parents were British!

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jayjay :

05 Jan 2010 9:31:55pm

Snatch of conversation between two well-spoken elderly women, overheard yesterday in a bus----

" As long as he wasn't wearing a turban --they're the ones who frighten me"-----

caused me to wonder whether this mix of ignorance( Sikhs confused with Moslems) and fear ( Moslem= terrorist ) may be one of the causes of racial prejudice in Australia. I remember Sikh temples were attacked soon after 9/11.

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Andrew McIntosh :

05 Jan 2010 9:20:12pm

A few points -

The media seems to have been all over the assualts of Indians, students in particular, over the last year. I've certainly noticed it and can't imagine how Mr Gupta has not.

There is definately an "undercurrent" of violent racism in Australia. Every new wave of immigrants seems to face the same type of baptism before the idiots get bored and move onto the next wave.

Racism is also a problem with the police. I recall a large and vocal demonstration in Footscray a few years back of the Somalian community who where sick of being targeted by the local cops for the double whammy of being black and muslim.

It's all very well to say "you who are without sin" to the Indian media but it would be pretty strange for it not to cover the issue. If an Australian got bashed in India you can bet cash money the talk-back shows here would be off the wall about it.

Personally, though, I am annoyed that as an Australian I'm being tarred with the same brush as the violent, racist thugs who are perpetrating these crimes. I've got Indians living all around me at the moment and I'm quite relieved; they make much more preferable neighbours than some of the local Aussie yobs I've had to endure. This whole country is made up of immigrants; hope it stays that way.

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Anonymous :

05 Jan 2010 8:47:54pm

An Australian in Australia. I am surprised at the accusations of a racial motive in the murder of an Indian. There are many Indians in Australia and I have not seen any behaviour that would have attracted crimes of violence by them. So, I think there is another motive, at least I hope so. I trust that the democratic people of India can see one crime and not a nation of criminals.

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JakartaJaap :

05 Jan 2010 8:40:34pm

Why did the ABC allow such a racially bigoted article to be published? The racial assumptions, the unfounded smears, the lack of evidence appalls me. I trust someone, somewhere can bring Gupta and the ABC to account for this dreadful piece of racist, bigoted hatred. Are there no racial vilification laws in Australia?

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Ramalingam :

05 Jan 2010 8:22:10pm

Hi Gautam,
Please understand you are not a leader for 99% of Indian who live in this beautiful country.You are exploiting few Indian students.Please leave them alone.There are many other things in this country and in India you can really stand up for them.

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Y :

05 Jan 2010 8:15:41pm

To all the concerned Aussies...who say they feel bad about X thing happening to Indians...adding if, but, while etc. etc...please stop talking like passive racists. I have seen a lot of comments blaming the victims or the Indian press or the Indian nation at times for this issue of attacks on Indians. FYI there are more Indian students studying in the US and UK than in Australia...but comparatively the attacks seem to be more numerous and frequent in Australia. Accept the problem and look for a solution... denials wont help. The whole world knows what is going on except the Australians...please read the independent news from BBC, CNN if you have ever bothered reading them...

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Michael :

05 Jan 2010 8:02:36pm

I'm always a bit bemused when some citizens of Asian countries in particular, raise the racism accusation against Australia.

Pot, kettle, black...

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DannyS :

05 Jan 2010 7:54:45pm

I can't for the life of me understand why every foreign student in Australia doesn't have a personal police escort with them 24 hours a day! We could at least arrange for students to get around in groups and have a couple of constables accompany them couldn't we? They pay enough for their courses and surely that entitles them to a kevlar vest in case the cop/s on the job is/are suddenly distracted by a local committing a crime against another local. We have to face up to our responsibilites here, we locals! And the press need to smarten themselves up too. There should be front page stories every day in every newspaper around the country about every assualt, robbery and crime of violence. Mind you the paper would cost a lot more because the stories would probably go on to page 21 or so, but that's the price we will have to pay to assuage the anger felt in overseas Capitals. Are you with me Australia? Let's not drop the baton on this one! We'll be admired across the globe! We might even have a better chance of getting the next Major International Sporting Event of whichever hue! Personally, I'm all a-tingle at the prospect!!

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Glenn :

05 Jan 2010 7:52:36pm

Good to see Indians confident enough to report crime. A lot of minorities are terrified of the authorities and crime goes unreported because of it.

Helps to be morally outraged too.

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Fighting Rooster :

05 Jan 2010 7:22:58pm

Mr. Gupta is right on

I will not draw comparisons to India - like say the last three writers - because this is Australia!

There is, seemingly, a growing undercurrent, of younger people in this country, controlled â€“ it would seem by hate.

But the Australian and other media was partially responsible for cultivating a certain type of recent political agenda supported by Nationalism drawn on ethnic lines. Hmm let us call it the Howard years.

What we have now is a Howard generation. The younger Howard generation were taught â€“ via various means, that all Indians, Pakistanis, Afghanis, Iraqis etc â€“ are either terrorists or boat people (not refugees) who, also; come here uninvited, do not respect our sovereignty, take our jobs, will try to blow us up. etc.

It is that kind of crap â€“ they believe it. They are consumed, by fear and ignorance. Consumed.
But for my article we will call them ... terrorist boatpeople

The younger of the cohort of the Howard generation while at primary school, I hear, tease the younger terrorist boatpeople. That is, â€“ anyone not Smith, Jones, or Brown, suffers sortie via verbal taunt and sortie via physical action.

For example, pulling off the traditional head dress of a person looking like terrorist boatpeople.

(I was staggered when I heard this type of behaviour had been learnt by primary school kids)

The older of the Howard generation cohort openly and publicly display their symbols or rhetoric of national pride. It is a true shame that those same symbols now also represent hate and a certain hate mentality.

And just an aside, I want them restored!

I was born here. Of mixed ancestry though â€“ say, half off the island, half on. Weâ€™ll Iâ€™m white â€“ hey!, but not the usual mix of white.

Recently, in my home town, I have begun to see more of the next generation of Anglo-Saxon / Celt boys and teens openly displaying their symbols of hate. Their â€œlove it or leave itâ€ type shirts, with â€œget the f#@k outâ€ written on the back, or, others with pictures of two fists â€“ with the letters spelling ... white boy ... for each knuckle, or, the Brotherhood shirts, or the southern cross stickers, or, the postcode tats (pfft!). Maligned Australian flag. Oh woe be public education. Or, maybe someone is off rejoicing on that... a generation of media suckers

Or, the â€˜aussie born and bredâ€™ bumper sticker - on the rear of the white P-plated Holden commodore that has just pulled up to park opposite me. The four hooded youths who just sit in there - they do not get out to go shop, they stare ahead and occasionally I catch an eye in the mirrors. Oh! You mean, youâ€™ve got the mega-phone pointer at me? Me!

Or, the Camden boy done up all country bumpkin standing in line in front of me at the highway diner â€“ looks at me, turns to his dad, says â€˜I hate whatâ€™s happen to this country in the last 5

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ahmed :

05 Jan 2010 7:14:59pm

Worked in triage couple of years ago, most victims were 'Anglos' and targets of alcohol fuelled idiots.

This might prove useful for researchers:

Immigrants as victims of crime: the Australian experience - Abstract:
Purpose â€“ This paper summarises what is known about the victimisation of immigrants in Australia.
Methodology â€“ A review of the literature.
Findings â€“ Immigrants in Australia appear to be less victimised than natives. However, this may be an unwillingness of report victimisations and/or not defining certain events as victimisations. Immigrants are more likely than natives to perceive their victimisations as racially motivated and they experience higher levels of fear of crime.
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=D56F28AA625E54C70898B25E685E64D0?contentType=Book&hdAction=lnkpdf&contentId=1791231

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Merrie :

05 Jan 2010 7:13:42pm

Gautam, the worst thing that can be done in this situation is suggest one society (in this case Indian vs Australia) is more or less racist than another. All communities, and all people need to continually evaluate their prejudices for them to recede. I speak with some experience as a woman with fair coloring once living in India, married to an Indian. Racial taunts were hurled at me each day, particularly with regards to my sexual mores.

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Jeff N :

05 Jan 2010 7:09:27pm

Shallow nonsense Mr Gupta, typical of the rubbish being spouted in the Indian media.
The hysterics has got to a stage were one suspects some kind of blackmail is being perpetrated against Australia with the threat of sanctions and the talking up of boycotts of enrolments in Australian education institutions.
I'm reminded of Harbajahn Singh being reported for calling Andrew Symond's a monkey, and oh the mock indignation - India's national pride being on the line blah blah blah.
Pull your collective selves together will you?

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untouchable :

05 Jan 2010 7:00:54pm

Mr Gupta's self promotion is really quite something. With absolutely no evidence, he comes out with a "There's no evidence for racism but" comment.

Instead of whipping up a frenzy of racist paranoia, Mr Gupta would be better concentrating his efforts on promoting the many things that Indians and non-Indians in this country have to offer each other.

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Flavian Hardcastle :

05 Jan 2010 6:56:43pm

Gautam Gupta, I read on the Indian Express that there were only 100 assaults against Indian people in Australia in 2009. For a population of 90 000 students, + 250 000 permanant, that's an absolutely tiny number of assaults.

I also heard you yourself say, right here on abc, that there were only "1447 Crimes against Indians" in Melbourne last year. For 40, 000 students + 50 000 Indian PRs and expatriots, that's a victimisation rate of about 1/60. The average in Australia is about 1/20.

So please tell us, what is the basis of your claim, that Indians are being targeted in Australia?

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Phil Mayne :

05 Jan 2010 6:14:20pm

In India, it seems, paranoia reigns supreme.

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seajae :

05 Jan 2010 6:10:55pm

I am at a loss to underatand how this article even got here, are we now going to have articles for every person that is attacked and not an aussie. I amquite sure that the indian press would also make their columns available to every aussie that was pissed at their treatment in India. I find this totally ludicrous, it has been blown all to hell in India and in Australia, what about all the other nationalities that are bashed/stabbed, why arent they mentioned. Percentage wise indian bashings/stabbings are low, just as many other people are bashed/stabbed but we never hear about it so now we have to wonder if the press is favouring indian students above all others to appease India itself so that more indian students can be signed up. Every person in Australia is equal and should have anything along these lines followed up by police, why specifically talk only of indians, come on abc, give this a rest.

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Pete Verma :

05 Jan 2010 5:58:09pm

Australians are racist, thru n thru.

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VoR :

05 Jan 2010 5:54:56pm

The last time we went around this block in Unleashed it transpired that the latest attacks on Indians in Sydney had been by Lebanese youth and there were strong hints that it WAS racially motivated.

The strong implication of this article is that it is White vs Indian racism, which I think goes down a lot better in the Indian press and with the people that Gautam Gupta presumably wants to impress.

A silly self-serving beat-up. Yawn.

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sid :

05 Jan 2010 5:53:45pm

It is not just Indians. Plenty of people live in fear in Australia because of the light penalties our 'justice' system hands out.

Also check out the Indian media should they set the example for reporting?

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MJC :

05 Jan 2010 5:39:03pm

There would be maaaaaany more Australians being bashed/murdered than Indians and some of them even racially motivated.

The bashings of the Indians in Australia are just the same as the Australians getting bashed: some will be racially motivated, some won't.

Get over it.

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the yank :

05 Jan 2010 5:20:11pm

There may well be a reason why the people of the world look at India with bloodshot eyes.
I think we can safely assume that a person of Indian desent will again, unfortuantely, be murdered here some time in the future, hopefull a long time into the future.
There is no way that it can be avoided. Australia after all experience .0150324 murders per 1,000 people per year. This country is ranked 43rd out of 62 countries in the world for murders per capita.
However Indians living in Australia would be wise not to return to India.
India ranks 26th in the world, experiencing .0344083 murders per 1,000. They would be far safer moving to Qatar.
Qatar ranks 62nd and has exerienced only .00115868 murder per 1,000. However, I think it is a bit dry in that fine country.
That the Australian press doesn't drop everything and splash its headline with everything to do with India might well be because in the scheme of things India is not that important to Australia. Other then events like the Mumbai terrorist attack, where nationals and internationals were murdered depending on their religion, Australia doesn't pay attention to much more then what India's cricket team is doing. That we should is true, that we don't is kind of understandable.
Other nationalities, as well, are murdered in Australia on an all too frequent basis, sorry, murders happen.
Those countries don't make such occurrences into an international incident. They understand that such things regretably happen. Maybe India should realise this sad fact of life. Then they can go about solving the Maoist up rising in the north of their country.

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steve :

05 Jan 2010 5:11:04pm

I would like to say that all attacks are monsterous.
That said, there are many assaults on ordinary citizens in these areas that hail from Arabic,Asian,Aboriginal,Sudanese of all ethnic backgrounds.
West Footscray is a melting pot for dozens of ethnic groups.
The media don't report that an Asian was attacked today. Or that an Aboriginal was belted & robbed.
I recall on 'Insight' when police were questioned on student assaults. They stated there had been hundreds of assaults over the year and five of them were on Indians.
Just a thought.
Maybe Indian students should be given hostel accommodation in safer suburbs in Melbourne.
It seems the students gravitate to the poorer more criminally active areas. We have our criminal hot spots just as India does.

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PD :

05 Jan 2010 5:10:41pm

In all the discussion about violence against Indian students I have yet to see any actual statistics which illustrate an increase in race related crime. I'm certainly not denying that these assaults are anything less than terrible, violence against anybody no matter the ethic background or religion is abhorrent.

What I would like to see from the media is a wider look at race related assault. Has there been an overall increase in assaults in Victoria is recent years? Is there an increase in racial targeting, is the Indian experience shared by other international students? Answering these question will put the issue of "curry bashing" into context. At the moment the majority of people who I have discussed this with wonder whether race was the motivator or if they are crimes of convenience. A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Without proper context, the Indian media's reaction and the response by the domestic Indian population could be viewed as disproportionate. Lets look at all the facts and get the full information on this story

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GMD :

05 Jan 2010 5:04:16pm

Yep, Australians are all mysogynist, racist pigs. There. Happy now? Let's have some more gross generalisations we can throw around shall we?

ALL attacks on individuals are horrific, not just those which affect members of the the "indian community", which are by far in the minority compared to the total, but I do not see much comment by you on that. If the Indian media want to get involved, fine. No doubt their even handed approach will not require the burning of too many effigies. If the Indian Government want to cut diplomatic relations, then can I ask that Australia have the $18.5 million in foreign aid back please?

I find it amusing that those of Indian decent are very quick to use the "racism" term when there is a perceived injustice, whether it is warranted or not, even when it comes to sporting contests. Given what goes on in India with respect to race relations, I find it quite hypocritical.

All attacks on people are horrific, and some may even be driven by racism as the author states, but to paint the whole country as racist is simplistic and jingoistic, designed to inflame rather than analyse objectively.

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peter :

05 Jan 2010 5:03:39pm

I agree with you, Guatam, in that the Press is rather muted sometimes.

Could it be that there are not many "Journalists", who investigate and probe, just alot of "reporters" who pass the news along.

"New" news is expensive to produce, "Old" news is cheap and easily found on Google.

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Graham Bell :

05 Jan 2010 4:45:15pm

Australian journalists have been "asleep at the wheel" on a whole range of serious issues - and not just on the underlying causes and patterns of attacks on overseas students, including Indians.

Investigative Reporting has become an oxymoron in Australia.

Journalists here have become as afraid of their own shadows as had journalists in the former Soviet Bloc countries or in the Latin American dictatorships of the 1960s and 1970s.

All we will ever get from Australian journalists in response to the murder of that young Indian gentleman is the stock-standard, politically-correct, obedient sloganeering about how all ordinary Australia are just racist yobbos and subhuman knuckle-walkers.

Since Australian journalists are too scared to report why these attacks happen, let's hope some forthright Indian journalists will come to Australia, do some real investigating, ask some searching questions.

Is it the dumbing-down of the Australian school system that deprives local youth of university opportunities and so causes resentment of overseas students? Is it covert organized Racism for political or corporate ends? Is it an innate fear of a rising India?

Please come to Australia and do what Australian jounalists are too timid to do - that is, uncover what is really behind some of these attacks and tell all of us what is really going on.

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SapperK9 :

05 Jan 2010 4:40:26pm

I refuse to hang my head with any shame, especially against a caste based society that still burns brides!

Do you not recall our cricketer being called a "monkey" because of this African roots? No India, whilst unfortunate as is any suburban violence and murder, to paint all of Australia with a racist brush is just too much for this old soldier to take lying down.

Were I the Foreign minister I would have already well briefed the Indian High Commissioner about the improbability of this claim, and the inappropriate nature of besmirching Australia as any more racist than any other nation, especially one based on caste...

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ninnanuam :

05 Jan 2010 4:36:22pm

Before I make up my mind whether the attacks are racially motivated I would like to see the statistical breakdown of crimes in the general public in comparison to those of indian heritage in the areas that the crimes took place.

This is something journalists should be doing and yet I cannot find any exact numbers which is frustrating.

I tried to look this up myself, I found Vic police stats and the racial mix percentages in melbourne but without concrete numbers in regards to how many indians had been assaulted, a proper comparison was impossible.

The other question that springs to mind that after some reading last year on the subject it was found that many of the instigators of the crimes were also disenfranchised minorities, how do we fix an issue which may be racial without possibly demonizing even more races?

Im not saying we should be blind to any truths that may result from a decent analysis of the data but thought must be put into any action that would spring from the interpretation.

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fred bogotargo :

05 Jan 2010 4:33:19pm

What would happen if you took a generation of young people and set about raising them in an environment of mistrust and fear. What if you then isolated one from the other by clever orchestration of socio-economic, quasi-cultural and political policy measures. You could seed and stimulate debate about the appropriate display of customs, traditions, faith and religion and you could encourage people to opine without consequence using emerging technology applications to share their growing collective vitriol for each other and themselves. Then when it was time for them to vote, you could lie to them to keep them frightened; keep them guessing and keep you in charge. When you were done you could be satisfied of a job well done. You would naturally hope that your charges might pass on what they have learned. They could spread the word in Cronulla, in Footscray, in Glenroy, in Alice Springs.

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mbc :

05 Jan 2010 4:32:52pm

You forgot to include the Indian woman who was recently murdered - she had her throat cut by her husband. Also, most of these Indians appear to have permanent residency - that makes them essentially Australians. So you see there are other factors at work, maybe one of those factors is poverty, possibly a person who feels marginalised from the community.

For journalism to be free (don't involve Murdoch), it needs to be accurate. Did you read the report that stated on the same evening there was another man (not Indian or of Indian descent) who had been stabbed six times. Can you provide the actual figures that show Indians are 'targeted' for violent abuse.

Unfortunately you've used this opportunity to give us words and spin.

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Linda :

05 Jan 2010 4:28:47pm

The fact is that there has been a stream of black ink reports about Indian people. Coincidently, there's deathly political friction going on in India. And then bad press incites ignorant people to become angry and that makes Indian people get less support. Racism that thrives is manufactured for the mob mentality.

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Karen :

05 Jan 2010 4:24:06pm

I would like to see the statistics before being labelled racist. What percentage of attacks/robberies/murders in Australia were perpetrated against Indians specifically? Has anyone spoken the the multitudes of Chinese students to find out if they feel safe? There is no way I would walk alone at night in any capital city in this country.

No one in Australia calls India a racist country when our countrymen are murdered/attacked/raped in India. Sadly violence seems to be everywhere and I would prefer all this energy being put into educating everyone how to protect themselves and more funding into putting police on the streets to deter these stupid thugs.

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GS :

05 Jan 2010 4:21:10pm

Hi,

I agree and it is true. It is very sad to see these type of baised preference by media.

Nitin's murder news coverage did not even get a 1% that of the well known terrorist David Hicks !!!.

I am still searching for a heart which has got some humanity in it.

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chris :

05 Jan 2010 4:20:45pm

Why does the Indian media ignore the horrific treatment of Indians in places like Dubai? If tolerant countries like Australia give an inch, Indians take a mile.

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Arthur 1 :

05 Jan 2010 4:20:12pm

This unfortunate man had permanent residency.Do all students have this status.

While not good,maybe there is resentment at overseas students,seemingly to be able to stay and work in Australia after they graduate,if they are allowed permanent residency.

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Christian :

05 Jan 2010 4:18:53pm

Certainly there were some instances where there was a racial motivation, but I feel quite definitively that not all were.

Opportunistic violence is prevelant in every society, in India's too I'll wager - in opportunistic violence, the colour of your skin doesnt matter, your in the wrong place at the wrong time. They're hardly going to step away and go "Oh sorry sir, your Indian, we'll leave you be and attack some other white person"

So Australian media is muted and a slave to the government?

I could just as easily say the Indian media jumps to rash conclusions far too quickly and it's government seems to be a slave to it.

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thomas vesely :

05 Jan 2010 4:14:19pm

there would be less racism if the will of the people was listened to.go and ask 1000 australian citizens if they support moslem migration.

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PaulD :

05 Jan 2010 4:04:12pm

Again, if these attacks are racially motivated, then this is appalling, but they are crimes committed by a tiny majority of Australian society.

I just pulled this off the Government's travel advisory website about Australians in India:

"We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in India at this time because of the high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups.

Pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks.

Terrorist attacks could occur at any time anywhere in India with little or no warning.

In November 2008, over 170 people were killed and more than 300 were injured in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks targeting places frequented by Westerners in Mumbai. Australians were among the casualties. You should take particular care when visiting places that may be terrorist targets. See the Terrorism section below for details.

We continue to receive reporting of possible threats against prominent business and tourist locations, including in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Credible reporting suggests that terrorists may be planning attacks in India directed at hotels frequented by foreigners, including perceived western owned hotels.

Terrorists may be planning attacks against Indian political and security interests.

There is a continuing threat from terrorism throughout India and major secular and religious holidays could provide terrorist groups an opportunity or pretext to stage an attack.

Violent protests and demonstrations occur frequently throughout India. Australians are urged to avoid protests, to monitor international and local media, and follow the instructions of local authorities.

We advise you not to travel to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, other than to the Ladakh region via Manali, or by air to the city of Leh, due to frequent armed clashes and terrorist activities.

We advise you not to travel in the immediate vicinity of the border with Pakistan, other than at the international border crossing at Wagah.
We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to the north-eastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur because of the risk of armed robbery, kidnapping, extortion and terrorism related incidents. If you do decide to travel to these areas, you should exercise extreme caution."

Yes, Indians too welcome us with open arms in their country.

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Michael :

05 Jan 2010 4:03:38pm

Why is it when a person of Indian descent is robbed, assaulted or murdered is it always a racist attack? I would say that more persons of none Indian descent are attacked in Australia than Indians. Not everyone who is stabbed or attacked makes it on the news because it happens too often. It has nothing to do with discrimination or racism. It is not right that anyone is attacked but Indians and others who work in service industries and travel home late at night by themselves on public transport are easy targets. They are targets because they are by themselves and the people who wish to rob others in groups would prefer to pick on individuals rather than groups. That is because they are cowards themselves. Those same people would also abuse someone different to them whilst attacking them and it might be because the person they are attacking might be fat or thin, Indian or bald headed. Just because someone is attacked and is called an â€œIndianâ€ during that attack does not mean the person attacked the person necessarily because they are racists. The calling of a person names is a method of belittling and making someone feel bad that is why names are used. Unfortunately the Indians seem to be usually students and unable to afford they own transport hence the public transport. If you are concerned about racism in the community would you like to comment on what the behaviour of the Indian community in Harris Park in NSW recently? After an Indian was attacked by a group of Middle Eastern looking males a hundred or so Indians then converged on Harris Park and some of them attacked a group of Middle Eastern males who happened to be in the area. It was not known if the Middle Eastern males were involved in the attack on the Indian but they were Middle Eastern looking so were they were attacked. Whilst on the subject of racism, I donâ€™t know what it is like in Melbourne but I have noticed in Sydney that a lot of Shell Service Stations are owned by Indians who only employ other Indians in the service stations. I have a brother in law who actually worked in a Shell Service Station which was purchased by an Indian and he was terminated and an Indian replaced him. Would that be racism? I always worry about people who shout racism for everything that happens, is it because they are racist themselves and think that everybody else is a racist? Perhaps when talking about racism they should be looking at themselves. I am also trying to understand when Kevin Rudd was in India recently that he was asked to apologise for the attacks on Indian students. The federal government are not to blame or have any ability to prevent these crimes as the Victorian State government are responsible for policing.Has India apologised for the attacks on westerners in Mumbai? Is India responsible for those attacks? I donâ€™t think so myself but on the same standards the Indians are applying to Australia obviously they are. Some of the police seemed to do very little to stop the attacks and

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thomas vesely :

05 Jan 2010 3:54:35pm

have a referendum to deal with the issues,implement the outcome.ask,should we admit moslem migrants.maybe racism is a result of the frustration of being ignored as an electorate.

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PaulD :

05 Jan 2010 3:54:27pm

Australians are racist.

But no more so than the people of just about any other nation.

If these attacks on Indian students are racially motivated, then this is appalling.

But lets consider a few dark ugly truths about Indian society. I know of an Australian of Indian descent who was warned not to travel to India, because his Australian passport (with a photo of a person of Indian ethnic background) was such a valuable commodity in India that it was enough to get him killed.

Anyone have the latest statistics of Indian wives who die from "kitchen fires", or abandoned first child girls?

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Inquisitor666 :

05 Jan 2010 3:54:22pm

Australia is a racist country full of those who lie about the fact, and deny it with arrogance personified.
Their favourite targets are Aboriginals,followed by Muslims,Asians and blacks in general.
The ABC has let way too many racist ignoramises have their way on this forum and other online areas.(See seajae,Felix et al)
Unleashed has become an incubator for these foul mouthed community-destroying entities.
I would like to say racists are a minority in this nation,but that would be a lie.
The police will never find a link to this poor blokes murder and racism for two reasons.
Firstly because they don't want to. Secondly because they are part of the problem not the solution.This country is doomed to a future of violent backlashes over the self inflicted bigot soup it has proudly created.
Australia Day is where you see the true colours of the Nation come out.
Pure unadulterated parochial swill,hellbent on binge drinking and ramming their WASP attitudes down every throat in sight.
We should automatically swap arriving boat people for the dicks who feign national loyalty on Austarlia day.
I know which group will better this nation,and it aint whitey.

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Adam :

05 Jan 2010 3:53:34pm

As a final point, Australian media are notoriously bad at reporting violent crime. Mugging, bashing and knife attacks occur daily around our nation, but our media choose to ignore all but the worst. It is not something unique to the Indian community. If anything, it is an indication of the deterioration of journalistic standards. It may also be a reflection of political parties preferring to keep the community ignorant of the extent of the problem. I doubt that it is a racist plot.

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OpEd :

05 Jan 2010 3:50:32pm

The murder of Nitin Garg is a tragedy. A young life is lost needlessly, a family and friends are in mourning, and a community is accused of perpetuating racism.

Are there racists in the Australian community - yes there are, and are people from the sub Continent the target of racist attacks - yes I thing so.Is Australia an inherently racist country? No I don't believe so.

Of course Indian students studying in Australia are not to blame for these attacks, but they do have some responsibility for looking after themselves, and I am concerned that many Indian students put themselves in situations where they are greater risk of opportunistic attacks.

I work with a lot of international students, including those from India, and non of the students have expressed concerns for their safety, primarily because they are well aware of keeping themselves out of situations where they might encounter trouble (e.g hanging around train stations in rough suburbs late at night, walking through parks at night, flashing around technology like expensive phones and laptops etc).

There is also no doubt in my mind that many Indian students are victims of resentment from a small and violent section of out society, who see in these industrious and hard working young people, people who are getting on with life, while they (the attackers) are sitting around doing nothing but get angry with the world.

As for Mr Gupta's suggestion that there is a conspiracy of silence from the media - I thing that is indeed a stretch.

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Indian Australian :

05 Jan 2010 3:49:05pm

Absolutely rubbish and totally biased. How did ABC allowed this to publish? Don't they have a responsibility to only allow those articles to publish who have any relation to truth?

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Praful R Shah :

05 Jan 2010 3:48:10pm

I am Indian by birth and educated in India in sixties. I fail to understand why Indians are going to Australia? India has best schools. I am US citizen have lived 39 years without racial problems where I have never experienced problems. Quit going to Australia.

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m :

05 Jan 2010 3:48:07pm

"Australian outsourcing its social conscience to India " about sums it up , it took australia almost 200 years to admit to its appalling treatment of local Aboriginal people ,the apathy here in australia or its Corporate run media [abc/sbs included]to face up or admit to the many serious social problems [drugs ,crime , racism , anti social behaviour,debt ,gambling etc] we have an adolescent mentality that is in almost total denial ,unwillingness to deal with reality as it is,easier just to blame the victim,cheaper too. the only thing we care about or value in Australia is the price of our overinflated house prices run by our over Financialised non existent real economy, pumped up by 1.6 trillion dollar public /private debt, drugs and gambling , we're living in a vacuum , the gap between how we like to see ourselves and who we really are is truely huge,delusional & neurotic, witness public behavior on any Saturday night . it ain't pretty ?, i had a bashing take place outside my place [brunswick ]the other month ,the police did not even attend or return calls , nothing ,so much for triple '000 ' emergency number ?, i would be better of phoning 'RRR 'radio station ,at least i'd get a better response . a lot of senior detectives also carry knives [ my own father having been one ,different state]that is the reality in which we live . the legal system in australia is nothing but a 'dirty joke ' so far the joke is on our latest arrivals [ our indian friends ]who fail to accept or question , that all is not what it seems. in the absence of a true media ,i hope that the Indian Community and the rest of us who still care continue to speak out.

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Samy :

05 Jan 2010 3:44:32pm

The spineless non reporting by Australian Media is also responsible for increasing violence against Indians - both students and non-students. Are they on monthly payroll of Police and State? It is an open secret that Media works for advertisers but factual news reporting is still expected from them. However, in Australia the news is manipulated, supressed and censored. Incidently, Minister of Communications, Mr. Stephen Conroy is named 'Internet Villain of year 2009' for his efforts to censor Internet.

Australian Media needs to wake up and report objectively, timely and ina an unbiased manner. Congratulations to Guatam for writing a timely article.

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tdg :

05 Jan 2010 3:39:24pm

Hi Gautam, I heard somewhere on the TV news a figure of approximately 1400 attacks on Indian students in 2009. If this is true, it's shocking. Do you have any data to confirm our clarify this?

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Shama Pundah :

05 Jan 2010 3:38:54pm

Gautam, it has been my experience that most racism in Australia is coming from those who were either born in Britain, or whose parent were born in Britain.
The very high migration rate from Britain overcrowds the true Aussie spirit, and gives Australians a bad name.
My experiences, as a Pakistani, have been very good with those who are generational Australians. It is the ex Brits that treat us like cow manure.

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Rajeev :

05 Jan 2010 3:38:32pm

Hi Gautam,

I agree to what you have said, I have travelled to Australia and feel that the Australians have a very bad habbit of thinking that they are the rulers of Asia, they are hated in Indonesia where I previously worked because of the same reason, the whites are loosing their old status of being the rich elite and they cannot digest the fact that us previously lowly Indians are rising. They hate us and these crimes are a part of that hate. I also do not think u guys will get any help there in Australia I suggest that you stop the functioning of the Indian Embassy in Australia till they do not take it up with the Australian Govt. And I would strongly discourage any students from going to Australia anymore, no need to go to Australia, there are enough and more places to study in the world. Shun Australia ! They did this to the aboriginees and now they are trying to do it to us Indians we will not take it lying down. An Eye for and Eye is what we want.
Good luck

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Karen from Qld :

05 Jan 2010 3:38:32pm

Perhaps Gautam Gupta and the Indian Govt should stop turning a blind eye to the corruption, violence, discrimination and outrageous exploitation of children that is rife within their country. Instead of finger pointing at others they should put their time and efforts into cleaning up their own backyard. Perhaps then more of their citizens would choose to stay at home rather than seeking to live, work and study in countries that according to them are racist or are inhabitated by terrorists.

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Jan :

05 Jan 2010 3:36:09pm

I grieve for the tragic deaths or assaults of any Indian or other students in Australia, so far from home.

However we need to look at this issue reasonably and unemotionally.These crimes are being investigated and no doubt those responsible will be caught, until then hold your 'hate crime' bias. Emotional responses lead to more violence, remember Cronulla?

The statistics show India has the highest rate of murder in the world with a one in 26,903 chance of being murdered. Australia has a 1 in 72,847 chance so you are safer here.

The Indian Chief of Police is reported saying that many do not report murder/ assaults there because their complaints aren't followed up. At least in Victoria we have a good prosecution rate.

Unfortunately racial and religious crimes exist everywhere in the world but we need to have politicians and others showing a sense of perspective. Should all Australians stop going to India because of some terrorist attacks on our citizens there? No, that makes the perpetrators into winners.

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Marilyn :

05 Jan 2010 3:33:39pm

You are talking about a media who largely report the arrival of a few refugees as if we are being invaded though.

They are racist to the core sad to say.

They largely have this white superiority complex and while a small number are decent and report honestly the rest are simply too lazy.

However, when you have a PM and others demonising your cousins across the pond as terrorists then Indians here will be mistaken for Sri Lankans and attacked.

Like at Cronulla which got out of hand and anyone brown was bashed or abused because the racist shits let everything get out of hand.

Everyone brown was Lebanese that day, so they got punished.

Any first world country that not only allows but fosters the dire poverty aborigines live in is racist to the core of the white Australia policy, long gone but not lamented by many.

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Anzac :

05 Jan 2010 3:28:00pm

Yea all Australians must be racist due to the murder of one student. Just as I claim that all Indians are racist for living under an outdated caste system and for the murder of an innocent man and his two children because they were christian namely Graeme Staines. I usually loathe the term 'if you dont love it leave it' but in the case of the author of this story I would suggest he takes it on board. I mean, surely he wouldnt want to live in a country where all the citizens are racist? Or is he like many others who come here to enjoy the freedom and privilage that can not be achieved in his third world backwater of a nation.

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Adam :

05 Jan 2010 3:21:47pm

Firstly, free media, democracy and even freedom do not exist in our society, so your citation of these at the start of your essay did not fill me with hope that an objective view was to be expressed.
Second, these attacks are not a racial problem, they are a violence problem. Based upon video material and police descriptions, these attacks have been perpetrated by a large variety of ethnic groups. Aborigines, Islanders, Asians, and Caucasians have all been involved in these attacks so any claim of racism is laughable. As stated in this piece, Indians now outnumber Greeks in Melbourne, so statistically they will now suffer more violent attacks.
Thirdly, any claims of racism by a country that still supports a caste system is deplorable. India seems to be projecting its own race problems onto Australia. Indeed the most fervent of the Indian media in damning Australia appears to be the ones whose audience is predominantly lower caste, perhaps in an effort to channel anger over their own racist treatment towards Australia rather their own government. Or perhaps this is an agenda to embarass the Rudd government into selling uranium to India?
While it is true that there are some racists in Australia, to explain these attacks as completely race motivated is disingenious at best. Australia is currently suffering from a violence problem, and many people, from all ethnic groups, have been hurt by it.

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Simon :

05 Jan 2010 3:21:27pm

I think I am as suprised as anyone to hear that there is an anti-Indian element in this country. I can't think of anyone I know that has an issue with Indians. So where does this idea stem from? It's not something that the Indians I work with/drink with have ever discussed.

What I do hear is (in Sydney) there is a problem between Indians and certain muslim groups.

I agree with you that the media in this country has been non-existant for the past decade. I believe this coincided with the Howard years and fits in with the racist ideology of the Howard govt. Is it possible that the Indians are suffering a "muslim" backlash? We kick the muslims (ie boat people/terrorists) the muslims in turn kick a "weaker" group?

Sadly, as media is now concentrated into three camps in this country, I doubt any real journolism is possible. This is dangerous as there will be no voice of truth speaking for Australia. Don't forget, more Australians were murdered in India last year than the reverse.

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The Grim Reaper :

05 Jan 2010 3:19:45pm

One of the many criticisms I have of the media, is the questions and stories it DOESN'T chase after.
For example, nowhere have I read of Indian students being encouraged to study in other Australian states, as opposed to Victoria. Nor have I heard of any complaints or incidents of Indian students being attacked in other States. Where is the coverage on this? After all ALL of Australia is copping criticism from the overseas, especially Indian, media. Surely one reporter could give us a story as to how Indian students are faring in other States, in relation to their study and part time work.
Even SBS has been deafeningly silent on such stories.

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prajnaparamita :

05 Jan 2010 3:16:32pm

On the contrary, the media has given widespread coverage of these issues, from newspaers to websites to current affairs programs. If anything the issue has been exaggerated. Look at the Indian newspapers and you will see claims of race riots against Indian students and Indians being totally unsafe over here. I condemn any attack on any individual but question whether there are more attacks against Indians than any other member of our community. And how safe is it for Australians to go to India? I visited India a number of years ago and was abused and attcked three times. I didn't call for an international incident over it. I think we need to be less excitable and more prudent in our responses.

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PseudoWyre :

05 Jan 2010 3:14:53pm

indians are being attacked for a reason. The governemnt is to blame. when you have boat loads of asylum seekers coming to our shores almost every week now, you understand the desire of people from developing countries to immigrate to Australia, or anywhere in the west.

This is what its about, immigration. The passage to permanent residency and citizenship for many indian and asians is to go via higher education. And when there is a government that is willing to allow degress in exchange for PR's, then that is where the corruption begins.

I'll draw on example of the logic here. I recently enquired to the tax dept. in regards to possible tax deductions for furthering my education, as was told quite explicity that unless my education was directly related to my current profession, i will not be entitled. So for a finance profession like me, wanting to expand into doing finance for IT projects in my company, i would have to pay for post grad studies without tax concessions.

Now how does the government then explain the high percentage of indian or asian graduates who attain their degress or masters and are allowed to stay in the country while working in jobs that are not related to their profession, eg. hungry jakcs, coles, taxi driver etc.? Why do we continue to support the residency of people in this category, why should they not be asked to leave if for example, they are not able to attain a job directly relevent to their qualifications?

I thought we wanted a clever country, not a country of clever people serving fast food, all the while the money and the students keep flooding in and the government is turn a blind eye to the necessary infrastruture and housing required to support them. House prices go up, jobs become fewer, etc. The perception of indians becomes more negative, and eventually it results in violence when the lower class of Australians cannot compete with these immigrants.

The government has been running this scam for too long, marketing degrees overseas so they do not have to subsidse it. Indians know that this is an easy passage into Australia, and once in they can marry an indian wife and bring everyone over. Its an investment, and if violence was to doublt or triple, they will still come.

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Jarrod :

05 Jan 2010 3:14:07pm

Could someone in one of the many articles about Indian students being assaulted please publish some figures showing the rate of assault across the different age groups and ethnicities across Australia. Otherwise it is just a lot of unsubtantiated opinion pieces. Now that would be some quality journalism.

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DocMercury :

05 Jan 2010 3:12:07pm

I disagree.

Otherwise Gautam, I wouldn't have heard there were any.

It is a regrettable state of affairs, and a disgrace to 150 million years of evolution, whenever people fail to behave above the rational level of a starving/desperate or pathologically rogue rodent.

Even crocodile make good family members for their own eggs, and never get egg on their face.

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Nath :

05 Jan 2010 3:07:43pm

Can I just ask, and this may sound terrible, but why is it that when a white guy gets stabbed its violence but when any non-white guy gets stabbed Australia is a racist country? Idiotic in my opinion.

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Graham. U.K. :

05 Jan 2010 3:05:50pm

Being a resident of the U.K., I was hesitant about whether to offer an opinion - in view of not having much, if any, experience of Australia or its media. I am, however, of the opinion that if there is a problem with domestic racism, it's not just a problem in Australia, it's a global one. People on the whole are less tolerant. Sometimes that intolerance can be justified in the individual, and as a nation, when to tolerate a threat is dangerous, but when dialogue is possible, and ignored, it's sickening racism in all its true ugly glory. In the U.K. racism has lessened overall, although crimes of hate are sadly on the increase, I think the bigotry, thankfully, has generally lessened. In the U.K. media race/hate crimes are reported with the fairness that it demands, although hate-crimes against against the disabled are not. Around the World, I think the opinion of having 'them' in our midst is a very real one, and is, I think, often based on an uneducated, and/or poor upbringing where respect and discipline are not fostered. I think the media sometimes indulges the public's intolerant opinion for populist reasons, but also to humour their often ignorant readers. If there aim is solely to increase their share of viewers or sales at the expence of the true victims, it's only an indication of ourselves, and our tolerance towards such a mentality, and our belief that self-reflection is an insult or weakness to or off our self-image. Meanwhile, if our fellow nationals, regardless of creed, colour, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc, can't go about their ordinary, everyday, peaceful existance, without the harassment of racist scum, and a 'blind eye' is turned, that at the very least is the sort of society we and our desendents will inherit and suffer in. The interests of the indigenous people must always be catered for, but our willingness to welcome our new future fellow nationals, no matter where in the World you are, is the true mark of ourselves as individuals, and as a nation. Australia, like every other nation has nothing to fear. If the media accepts its responsibility, sets an example, then those who watch, listen and read, may follow that example. One people, one nation, with diversity the icing on the cake. Media, it's over to you!

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Evil Genius :

05 Jan 2010 3:04:19pm

OK Gupta, since you live in a glass house, I'm going to throw some stones at you.

One:

just uickly goggling foreigners murdered in India in 2009, you will see that 37, 140 committed making it number 1 on the most lethal places on Earth to be. [source Nationmaster.com] Australia comes in at 36 with 302. Was that fact presented at all?

two:

quote - "India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; internal forced labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men, women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labor working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroidery factories; women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage; children are subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups; India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked through India for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation in the Middle East."
This is because of insipd and pervasive corruption and incompetence of the highest order with the police and government.

three:

Pawan Gupta sums the whole situation perfect here:
India has been able to save itself from harmful strictures in International foray with a few legal minds distinguishing casteism from racism. But is it really? Isnâ€™t it just another form of discrimination? But hats off to us for having been able to ward off discussions on this matter at the international level, after all weâ€™re victims not racists!! In no way Iâ€™m justifying attacks on Indians that have taken place but if weâ€™re so aware of the pains that these abuses cause then we must introspect our actions as well.

The double standards which we have been maintaining for decades canâ€™t continue like this for long as international community has started to question it. Blogs are full of voices against this hypocrisy. And this hypocrisy has resulted in weakening of our case amongst the international masses. The solidarity will decrease in coming days as the voice against becomes strong. And this is going to make the Indian diaspora more vulnerable as Indiaâ€™s rise seems inevitable making others feel insecure and our track record of discrimination is as bad as it can get, providing them with a perfect excuse. We need to learn to introspect ourselves as well before pointing fingers at others." [source theviewspaper.net]
In otherwords, by crying wolf or racism, you have ended up creating a clim

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Sam :

05 Jan 2010 3:01:23pm

Why is it that noone writing these articles publishes any statistics? Presumably if there was an increase in attacks on Indian students there should be some stats out there to prove it. I'm yet to see any hard evidence of an increase in hostility towards India. I'm not saying it doesnt exist, but I am surprised that no journalists have been able to produce any relevant historical stats.

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John Ferdinand :

05 Jan 2010 2:56:21pm

This is a great column! I completely agree. If the attack happened in the United States or the UK (not so much in Canada anymore, unfortunately) there would be discussion of race, irrespective of how uncomfortable the issue is for the government or the population. I'd expect patchy journalism in India, but not in Australia, a developed democracy. Newspapers like "The Australian" are utterly terrible: no serious discussion, and more often than not giving the benefit of the doubt to the police and implying that the murdered Indian was at fault (shouldn't be walking in certain places, etc). Australian papers keep saying "we shouldn't say it's racism, too early." True. But then they do the complete opposite, and rule out racism despite not having seen any evidence. Truth is, we can't say anything yet, as you pointed out. But the fact that Australian media takes a nationalist bent on this shows it's compromising its journalistic values in favour or nationalism, and, dare I say, racism. Until Australia's media is ready to address the issue in a mature fashion (which it by in large, is not) it should be dismissed by the international community.

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Rajneesh :

05 Jan 2010 2:54:54pm

I have been living in Australia for almost and year and a half and have been shockingly surprised to see the media coverage on matters related to attacks on Indians. Nitin's murder was up there on Yahoo news for a short while when its spot was taken up by a sensational news of Tiger Wood's divorce case.
I wish the Australian media takes the above article seriously and presents public with an unbiased coverage of the happenings.

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russ :

05 Jan 2010 2:50:28pm

You don't know whether Indians are being targeted or not, and despite their denials the Police & Pollies can't hope know whether the series of attacks are racially motivated or not.

They won't see a problem as the crime stats in Victoria don't record the ethnicity of the offender or the victim.

Until we can get beyond this level of political correctness (and address the underlying issues) we'll never know the extent of the racism problem or how to fix it.

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Bruce Thombo Jefferson :

05 Jan 2010 2:47:44pm

While I hope that the Police are doing all in their power to solve the crime, independently of the outcry in India and thoughts of lost cash, I think its pretty fantastical to assume that there is an undercurrent of racism in Australia aimed specifically at Indians.
I have lived all over the world and anybody who has done that will realize that racism in Australia's capital cities is pretty low key. There is the usual generic xenophobia as everywhere in the world but its very low key. Certainly lower than in India itself. I think we can all condemn the attacks on Indian students but in the larger scheme of things we can condemn it under that more general banner of all attacks on people in Australia. For the record I too do not fit into the neat category of Australian white WASP that is incipient bad guy archetype in this narrative.
I imagine that if the Indians are getting excited about it in India it has more to do with local internal Indian interests than it does with Australian racism, just as the famous 911 has more to do with influencing Middle Eastern interests than it ever had with making war on America.
Once this sort of narrative gets loose no amount of placation by our Government is going to way lay it. One simply has to wait for saner times to prevail.

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Worried :

05 Jan 2010 2:45:22pm

Spot on! I was thinking the same thing for some time now. media's eyes are really widely shut on this issue and it is really disturbing. The first report on one of the leading Australian newspaper on this issue read "Anger in India over part-time worker murder". I am outraged by the style and standard of the reporting such a serious matter. I hope this situation will improve in near future, resulting in a fair and independent reporting.

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Alian :

05 Jan 2010 2:42:13pm

As sad as it is that this young person has been killed to have this journalist question Australias demoracy and freedoms is appalling and in many ways shameful!

How dare he, an Indian, question our countries media and democratic process when the country he lives in or should as a second rate government process based on class, rooted on the Raj mentality and frankly as corrupt as it comes even by Asian standrds.

Is the killing racial based or just another killing of a young person in what is becoming a common occurence in this country. The fact remains that racial violence is a common occurence in India - Sikh,hindu, muslim and caste based murder is an everyday happening but that gets little or no coverage.

The is a trend amongst those who are newly rich and powerful and that is to cast dispersions against those who have what they cannot even hope to acheive.

My last point is quite strong but there is a reason that most other Asians countries and cultures call indians rats, it is the pervading nature they have in ingratiating themseves into a country and demanding more than they deserve or bring to the table, don't like what we offer in Australia then go home!

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Evil Genius :

05 Jan 2010 2:33:46pm

What utter and total biased drivel!

Any voilence on anyone needs to be handled without sensationalism or hysteria yet this is what is being perpetrated here by the Indian media. Yet once against the knee jerk response is trotted out and the frenzied retort is that its all racism. Balls!

In addition, to level the accusation that there is some underhanded conspiracy by the Australian media to under report these crimes is pure deluded fantasy and the worst sort of gutter press that even the wankers of Englands Fleet street would be hesitent to sink down to. It is the typical reaction by a blantantly biased Indian media that only sees itself and its citizens as being somehow sacroscent. All people deserve the protection of the law however crimnals don't respect the law and will act accordingly...but that doesn't concern you does it? An inconvient truth eh?

Lets be blunt here - there are crimes against occuring in Australia and elsewhere around the world going on right now and some of these crimes will involve victims who happen to be Indian. Are these crimes racially motivated as the Indian media foamingly insist or, and here's the big leap, perhaps they are just that, crimes against targets of opportunity. Hard to believe isn't it that crimnals will seek out targets that present them with what it is they are after?

And lets not forget the spotless record of India when it comes to crimnes against tourists and travellers with the state of India. How many murders, muggings, rapes and assaults occur on non Indian citizens per year eh? How much is that reported in the Indian media? Hardly at all.

By writing this diatribe of utter rubbish Mr Gupta, you have lost all credibility on the matter. I dispise attacks on innocent people and those who perpetrate them must be brought to justice but what I loath even more so are people like you who pervert the truth of the matter to suit their own myopic and twisted view of the world.

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John O :

05 Jan 2010 2:33:46pm

Could it be that the incidents were not that unusual given the current climate of alcohol fueled violence seen Australia wide? Australians and visitors of all races are regularly bashed or muredered. You don't see other racial groups rallying in the streets waving flags and threatening violence after one of their number is bashed or killed do you? Travelling to a foreign country is a dangerous occupation for anyone - if you don't acknowledge that then you shouldn't be travelling. Walking through a city park in the middle of the night is a dangerously stupid thing to do in almost any city in the world.

The vast majority of Indians that travel here come from the most privileged echelons of Indian society and seem to think they have some form of entitlement above and beyond other people. What do they want - a police officer holding their hands at all times?

I have a scar on my right hand from a knife wound received from an assault at night in a large foreign city. I didn't go whinging to the newspapers afterwards. It's the cost of travel.

The deaths are tragic but blaming them on race is just as reckless as blaming them on drug sale gone wong or criminal activities which they could be.

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Earle Qaeda :

05 Jan 2010 2:33:44pm

Gautam, you infer a liason between Australian media & Police. I would doubt that either party would have the capacity to collaborate with the required discretion. More likely that our glorious media plays to the lowest common denominator in public opinion. Australians, Indians, Greeks. left wing, right wing whatever.... We all want our reporting to adhere to the guidelines of, and conform to, what we already believe. And in an embarrassingly distinct number that would begin to expose our less than desirable attitudes to those from different camps.

Like anywhere else, the media here doesn't care about India or even Australians. It merely wants to make its' sponsors happy. It does that by pleasing the most number of people.

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Mark :

05 Jan 2010 2:33:13pm

I think its a bit simplistic to say that the only reason a journalist would chose not to publish an article about assaults on Indians in Australia is that they are afraid to challenge the government or reveal to their readers something that would make us uncomfortable.

It can also be irresponsible to only report assaults on members of a particular race, because it creates the false sense of a growing pattern of racial violence which may not be the reality.

I would like to see some actual statistics on total numbers of reported assault, broken-down into different racial groups to establish whether the racial violence idea is real, or just an issue created by sensationalist tabloids to sell a few extra papers.

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Salisbury :

05 Jan 2010 2:25:49pm

While I condemn the violence against Indian students, as any right thinking person should, I often find the Indian media rather shrill.

It's easier to brand all Australians as racist than it is to analyse the detail behind the attacks or to understand the relativity of the attacks on Indians as opposed to any other societal group. It also doesn't bother with attempting to understand the likely perpetrators of the attacks.

Yes Australia has racist elements - so does every other country in the world.

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blax5 :

05 Jan 2010 2:24:33pm

For the media/journalists, to report something they must find someone who talks and can be quoted. If you do not find that someone, you cannot put it in writing. That was explained to me many moons ago when I was a cadet (Associated Press): If you cannot make a reference to a source, it would become a statement by AP, which is not what we are about.
Having said that, you can report statistics, that is if someone keeps statistics but neither the medicos who treat them nor the police, if it comes to their attention, would record the race/origin of the person so there is no way for an overview.

It is not unique to Australia to sweep attacks under the carpet to avoid decrease in business. For instance, a year or two ago, a man from the South Australian SE region was very brutally attacked in the centre of Berlin. The injuries sounded very severe, the parents flew to Berlin, and from the little bit that was reported at the time, it sounded like the young man could be disabled for the rest of his life or possibly even die. No more was reported from that case, although similar cases come up in the media often. My guess, knowing my former fellow-Berliners, would be that the Germans paid the parents to keep quiet - sweep it under the carpet so the reputation of Berlin is not tarnished. Anyone who would dig it out now would face an icy wall, I am quite certain.

We need to urgently find out what tthe motives are, through a survey which makes it possible for people to air their honest, possibly unpalatable, thoughts, i.e. word the questions in a specific way. Only when we know more about the motivations will we be able to address it.

However, the Sri Lankan asylum seekers took the law into their own hands, and that could have been a contributing factor. Unfortunately, if this is true, that could lead to media silence on asylum seekers.

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MFS :

05 Jan 2010 2:23:10pm

Nice article Gautam, and you raise several interesting points.
I don't think we really need to sit here and wonder whether there is an undercurrent of racism in Australia, when everybody knows there is, and successive governments have fanned it and tapped into it for political gain. The entire political game fanning fear of refugees is an excellent example. As was well put by Malcolm Fraser a few days ago, a few dozen boatloads a year makes NO difference to the ethnic makeup of Australia and poses little or no security risk. Compare with Spain, for example, with tens of thousands of refugees pouring across the Strait of Gibraltar every year and no major refugee problem.
Playing devil's advocate here, I would like to pose the question of whether Indian students have been clearly the targets of attack compared to other Asian ethnicities. Is there really a higher level of attacks per unit of population among Indians, compared to Chinese, for example? Or is it just that Indian migrants and students, with a western education, are not afraid to stand up for their rights, compared to people of East Asia?
I have yet to see a reputable article showing a clear trend of attacks on Indians compared to Australians in general and Aboriginal and Asian people in general.
MFS

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Karl :

05 Jan 2010 2:20:22pm

it's a bit rich for the author to claim that journalists pander or are intimidated by the government. It is the media (commercial) and journalists who are intimidating the government. I don't remember "Little Honest John" intimidating the media or journalists - he only pandered to and exploited the media because he knew full well that the media was only too happy to run with it and do all the leg work for him.

The media actively promotes conflict and inaccurate reporting over matters of migration and asylum seekers. Then when racial attacks occur the media acts perplexed, surprised and meekly stunned.

Instead of trying to blame the government or others for the attacks on asian (and other)
migrants, it would be of more benefit to humanity if the media was to reassess how in reality it conducts itself over such matters.

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JC :

05 Jan 2010 2:20:16pm

Surely any statistician worth their salt could provide an empirical answer to the question "are Indians more likely to be attacked in Australia and in Melbourne in particular". I am sure there are many of us very keen to know.

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Concerned :

05 Jan 2010 2:13:40pm

Indeed Australian media is in denial. They have a rose-coloured view of themselves being the most well-liked race of people in the world, looks like the opposite is true. All you have to do now is wait a few weeks, January 26 _Australia Day- the Bogan holiday rampage, when their true color comes out, with flags wrapped around their red necks the Howard youth will be out in force.

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Noguaranteeofsanity :

05 Jan 2010 2:02:40pm

I think you will find there are more stories about a murder on the ABC news page (search actually makes this very easy), than there is concerning the assault of someone, yet murder is not as common as assault and far more people would be charged with assault each year. Why then are we not seeing every assault victim or their attackers given the same media coverage that Shravan Kumar received? Why isn't every assault the top news story of the day, regardless of the person race or nationality?

I would suggest, simply because it is all too common and people of all ages, sexes, race and religion are the victim of assault all over the world and is just an accepted fact of life. It isnt a matter of them denying or covering up for the governement, the attackers or that racism exists, it is simply treating the story and crime like any other and is certainly not racist. I doubt the ABC even reports on any petty crimes or minor offenses, such as robberies or assaults, while has any court actually convicted someone of a racist assault on an Indian student yet? It seems to me that groups like FISA are very vocal in complaining, yet have no proof or evidence, that a problem even exists, although i have no doubt that some Australians are racist, as would a proportion of any population, anywhere in the world.

Although if one murder and several assaults on Indian students here are indicative that the entire country is unsafe for all Indians students, considering 173 people, including 2 Australians died in the Mumbai terrorists attacks of 2008, what does that say about India and safety of Australians there?

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Clive of Noosa :

05 Jan 2010 1:54:28pm

This is the saddest story I've read for some time. Sad, because it's probably true. If so, it spotlights the thin veneer that supports our illusions of living in a civilised society. That anybody should be victimised in such a society is a worry. That complete strangers appear to be subject to attack by racist barbarians is an issue that should concern all Australians.

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Ytee :

05 Jan 2010 1:52:31pm

It is abhorrent that Notin Garg was murdered, just as any murder is in any country. It is unfortunate that he had to walk where he was that night - there are few such places anywhere in the world I would walk at night.
Australia is not alone in the challenges of suburban safety and crime.
I note what Lonely Planet says about India:
"India has an unenviable reputation for crime and scams, but most problems can be avoided with a bit of common sense and an appropriate amount of caution. Scams change as dodgy characters try to stay ahead of the game, so chat with other travellers and tourism officials to stay abreast of the latest hazards.....Women have reported being molested by masseurs and other therapists, especially in Varanasi and McLeod Ganj. No matter where you are, try to check the reputation of any teacher or therapist before going to a solo session. If you feel uneasy at any time, leave. For gynaecological health issues, seek out a female doctor. Keep conversations with unknown men short â€“ getting involved in inane conversations with men can be misinterpreted as a sign of sexual interest. Questions such as â€˜Do you have a boyfriend?â€™ or â€˜You are looking very beautifulâ€™ are indicators that the conversation may be taking a steamy tangent. Some women prepare in advance by wearing a pseudo wedding ring, or by announcing early on in the conversation that they are married or engaged (even if it isnâ€™t true)...and so on."
The ever increasing number of Indian (among other cultural) restaurants in Australia, for example, hardly indicates a widespread racist attitude.
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Richard Ure :

05 Jan 2010 1:51:21pm

Five members of the Lin family were murdered in their beds. Did Chinese community spokesmen shout (widespread) racism? Were multiple ABC news bulletins led with stories about the impact on education exports to China? When a policeman was recently killed in NT, were there stories about police generally been at risk from a hostile community?

A little bit of perspective please and letâ€™s just concentrate on catching and dealing with the perpetrators on the merits of their involvement. The Indian media needs no encouragement when it comes to beating up stories with their own brand of generalisations about racism.

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Astra :

05 Jan 2010 1:50:32pm

Two stabbings happened at the weekend - one australian (born in india), one non-indian. Seems the non-indian stabbing is forgotten as we all focus on the indians.

Step back and you'll see melbourne is violent for everyone, and indians are no better or worse off than anyone else.

Stop creating hysteria - it wins you no brownie points and does more harm than good

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Stephen :

05 Jan 2010 1:48:04pm

There are a number of comments in this article which are very subjective and seem to suggest that Australian Police should provide 'special' protection to Indians here. I would have thought that Police Forces throughout Austrlia have a mandate to protect all citizens/visitors in an even-handed way according to the risk of a crime being perpetrated and not based on their ethnicity. Without wishing to sound uncaring; there are a large number of Indians resident here; statistically they will therefore suffer a larger number of unpleaseant things. Lets calm down and await a hopefully honest assessment by Victorian Police as to what occured.

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max :

05 Jan 2010 1:46:59pm

I think its crap , media has a moral responsibility as well they cant spread hate about any thing. I think media should also be a watchdog and tell the public about whats happening .

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Constable Con :

05 Jan 2010 1:46:34pm

What about the attacks on Australians by Australian?

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Peter A Hirst :

05 Jan 2010 1:45:00pm

Gautam Gupta Esq.
Your piece is entirely presumptuous about the role the media may, or may not, have played in reporting on and enquiring into some dreadful attacks on people in Australia.
I quote from your article:
"For journalism to be free, it needs to [be] guard itself against the structures of power. Independent journalism can â€” and must â€” use its power of inquiry to present to the public the raw and unpleasant facts...."
Yes to all of that! (I would have included "possibly" in front of "unpleasant facts".)
You follow this with "...and to shake a complacent and out-of-touch government out of it slumber."
Oops! Did I miss something? Where have you validated the "complacency" or the "out-of-touch" and the "slumber". Why is it the government's fault?
Your next sentence is grandiose in extreme. Or shall we say "merely overstated"? You write:-
"But when journalists forfeit this independent role, they tie not just themselves, but democracy, too, in chains of slavery."
Wow! So much responsibility on the shoulders of those ladies and gentlemen of the press!
Much of the remaining paragraphs are of similar nature. If there's a problem here it's best to check out the facts and to then report them. Mass hysteria is easily provoked by unwarranted claims and innuendo, particularly from someone, like yourself, with a high level of respect within several parts of the Australian society.
In extremis, it appears that you are denigrating a whole profession within Australia, as though it has conspired to avoid this issue. Merely claiming that something exists does not make it TRUE. Please consider the words of Frank Herbert in his "Dune" series. "Truth is a chameleon." PAH

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mike :

05 Jan 2010 1:44:43pm

Its obviously always very sad when someone is murdered. But how many murders occur in cities in India?

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Hadron Collider Esq :

05 Jan 2010 1:41:55pm

Lots of assertions here.

But of course they are inflammatory assumptions really, tinged with invective.

a)bashed and slain
b)Incredibly enough
c)stabbing murder
d)deadly stabbing
c)disturbing undercurrent
d)denies democracy
e)chains of slavery
f)failed to admit (insert anything here!)
g)hanging between life and death
h)curry bashing plague
i) born again racialists
j)failed to put out a media release. Presumably one that Mr Gupta could have written for them.
k)re-emerging racist demons
l)the scourge of Australian racism will grow unchecked.

Oh well maybe it's true. Reminds me of small town reporters reporting...well anything.

But of course the most ridiculous performance and first prize goes to:

SM Krishna, for saying that India does not have any immediate plans for sanctions against Australia.

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Jacobb Kurian :

05 Jan 2010 1:41:31pm

I am an Indian.

Are we all following the adage "When in Rome...." Till we can manage to do that, we will always face racism from others as We are the biggest Racists to start with!

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Jim Bendfeldt :

05 Jan 2010 1:41:31pm

Although I completely abhor violence of any type, I would like to also see the Indian government address the age-old issue of female subservience, which has been a prime cause leading to the harassment and sexual assault of mainly western women visiting India. Assaults have reached such a stage that Goa, in recent years has gained a reputation as the rape capital of the world.

A Times article published some Indian government statistics in January 2008, that 19,348 rape cases were reported in India in 2006, compared with 15,847 in 2005, which was an increase of 22 per cent. See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3191537.ece

â€¦and these are only the reported cases, with a vast majority, estimated at around 71 percent going unreported.

In the same Times article, Indian Tourism Secretary, S. Banerjee reminded all the participants of a commitment made the previous year to deploy tourist police at all important sites. Only 10 of the 28 states had complied by then. In Australia on the other hand, ALL states are addressing the issue of violence against Indian students.

The situation in India has been exacerbated by Goa politician, Shantaram Naik, who last month stood up in Indiaâ€™s upper house and declared that while rape was a heinous crime, ...an alleged rape of a lady who moves with strangers for days together even beyond middle of the night is to be treated on a different footingâ€¦.

See: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_goa-mp-shantaram-naik-says-some-women-invite-rape_1324134

This attitude is similar to that espoused by outspoken former Muslim cleric, Sheikh Taj el-din Al Hilaly, when he compared under-dressed Australian women, including rape victims, to uncovered meat that young men could not help but sexually assault.

I lived in the Homebush area of western Sydney for a number of years, and was appalled by the attitude displayed by a minority of Indian and Tamil Sri Lankan men toward non-Indian women at local railway stations and on the street, which included verbal harassment as well as kissing and touching without permission.

In order to stop the violence, attitudes need to change, and this must include Indian men changing their attitude toward non-Indian women.

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Enough Please :

05 Jan 2010 1:35:16pm

Aboriginals, Indians, Somalis, we're not fussy we can be racist towards anyone who isn't white

When I was a kid it was Iti's, Wops, Wogs, Chinks and Slopes. I don't know what the racial slurs are today but I have used those terms to show the depth of the problem and the intergenerational nature of it

I do know we have some very distasteful ones for our Indigenous people that are used across all generations and all socio-economic boundaries

Scratch any Aussie and you will find a racist, John Howard twigged to that with the Tampa and Children Overboard scandals and Abbot with mainstream media support is now doing it again with the furore over what is only a very few Boat People

This man is right, hang your heads in shame Australia

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Doug :

05 Jan 2010 1:35:16pm

Gautam,
You start your column with the statement "it would be premature and inappropriate to draw conclusions about the tragedy" and then you go on to draw conclusions about "undercurrents of racism", "police coverups" and "journalists ... in chains of slavery". It is a tragedy that Nitin was murdered and I don't belive society in general would wish this on anyone.
That the murder being trumpeted in the Indian press is purely parochial. Do they report murders in Australia involving any other nationalities, or of "Australians" for that matter? What about murders of Australians in India?
When the citizens of a largely peaceful and law abiding society are confronted by a large crowd of placard-waving and agressive demonstrators (4,000 in your article) it is the role of the Police to attempt to restore law and order. The fact that the crowd is composed of one ethnic group doesn't make the Police action racist - they are simply doing their job.
Don't get me wrong, there certainly are racists and xenophobes in Australia - just as there are in India - but that is what you have to put up with when you live in a country that allows freedom of expression.
May I say though that statements like those from India's Foreign Minister that "Something must be done" etc are not at all helpful. I'm sure the Police are very keen to find the perpetrators of ANY murder and stating the bleeding obvious is simply irritating.

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Utpal :

05 Jan 2010 1:24:51pm

Gautam. The media you are talking about and its high moral responsibility only exist in a Utopian world. Even the democracy and its lofty ideals have long ceased to exist. It was about few hundred years back that one American politican said that 'democracy was for the people, by the people and of the people'. But since then the democracy has been highjacked by large conglomerates, religious groups and sects and political groups.

The media has one and only one goal, that is to improve its rating. If they start reporting news item which are not palatable to Australian public, they will go out of business. The Australian politicians have to go to election every four years. I do not think any Australian politician is that stupid to commit political suicide by expressing his or her outright support for the Indian students. While criticising the voters who are going to decide their future.

This is a dog eat dog world. The only course of action for the Indians is to follow the examples of the Lebanese. Take the matter in your own hands. Remember the Cronulla riots!! The Lebanese fought back and now nobody messes with them. Forget Gandhiji and his principles. They are from an old era. We should take up Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's principles.

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Balesh :

05 Jan 2010 1:17:23pm

Great work Gautam,

There is emmence need of proper media coverage of uprising crime in Australian socisty.

Being such a multi-cultural socisty, the loacl media has responsibility to repersent common people and play its rather important role in democracy.

Being (ex)Journalist myself, I can understand the unrest in Indian journos community living here.

Without repeating you, I must agree with you entirly, and thanks to you to put up the matter in frong of some blind eyes.

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Harry Naidu :

05 Jan 2010 1:16:20pm

Having lived for most of my life in South Africa, and being of Indian origin, I have experienced the pain and anger created by naked racism. What amazes me though is the quick response from the Vic police and some Federal government ministers that these attacks are not racially motivated. Perhaps they are too naive to accept that racism is alive and well in Australia and want to protect the lucrative "education industry" created by foreign students. There seems to a deafening silence from Kevin Rudd who seems to pronounce on just about everything from global warming to international terrorism. By the lack of strong condemnation directed at the culprits of this heinous act, can you blame anyone who is not white from assuming that naked racism in Australia is being "swept under the carpet".
Perhaps, countries like India and China need to impose some type of economic sanctions against Australia like the world, including Australia imposed on "Apartheid" South Africa. Then, and only then, will the politicians and police clearly understand the gravity of the situation and motivate them to root out this scourge by arresting and jailing these bigots.

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omichael ®:

05 Jan 2010 1:14:32pm

We would like to see the police take action, meaningful action against ANY who attack anyone in the streets ,simply because they can. Political correctness is so stupidly prevelant, it is being used to protect ethnic thugs but is leaving everyone open to being attacked . Our streets are no longer safe for anyone at all.

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Mark :

05 Jan 2010 1:11:20pm

It is absolutely ridiculous to commend the Indian media's hysterical response to these attacks, that has done nothing but inflame the situation, the the Australian media's more appropriate measured response.

It seems that many of the Indian students that come here have never travelled beyond their home country (possibly their home town) before and are unaware of the most basic safety precautions. A common theme in these attacks is that the students were walking through parks or on empty trains (in non-crowded spaces) on their own late at night and, to make matters worse, many were doing this in known crime hotspots. This is a basic travel no-no.

There needs to be better education for Indian students travelling abroad, in both India and their destination country, on ways to minimise their chance of being a victim of crime.

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Hank Moody :

05 Jan 2010 1:10:40pm

Are you sure it's Australians attacking the Indian kids?

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luke warm :

05 Jan 2010 1:10:16pm

"Either Indians in Australia have been extraordinarily unlucky over the past 12 months, or there is a disturbing undercurrent of racism in this country that needs to be held up to the light of scrutiny"

As you a writing in the media, and criticising it for not investigating things better - then how about you do some research yourself and present some data. How many Indian Students are ther in Australia, and what percentage of them have been attacked? How does this compare with the incidents of assaults on students of other nationalities (including Australians)? Is there is statistically significant difference? Because unless there is, you are just sensationalising a number of abhorrent criminal activities by alleging that they are racist.

And to talk of 'a disturbing undercurent of racism' (again without facts) is again sensationalism. How many people have carried out thses attacks, what proportion of the Australian population do they represent? Do they have criminal records for other assults?

Meh - why clutter up a good rant on racism with some data?

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Grizzle :

05 Jan 2010 12:58:50pm

As you know the media are populusts now, and the perception is that the Aust public do not like being labelled as racist, and indeed do not want to think too deeply about these issues . Simply, it does not sell newspapers or buy advertising time between 6-9PM timeslot. Australia has a vocal moderate racist minority (just listen to talkback radio) and no-one wants to upset them. Media integrity and independence is dead.

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Infinitejones :

05 Jan 2010 12:58:35pm

You've made some good points about the nature of freedom when it comes to democracy and the media, and I agree with your criticisms of the Australian media in many respects.

However, I think we need to go into more detail about your implications of racist undercurrents. When you say that maybe Indians in Australia are very unlucky, there are a couple of things that need to be taken into account before automatically assuming the opposite - ie. the fact that these unfortunate killings are indeed racially motivated.

Maybe the reason so many attacks against migrant Indian students are so prevalent in the press is that they're "news". People of all nationalities and backgrounds are being killed in Australia all the time (apologies if that sounds flippant but it's true) but rightly or wrongly, the ones that whip up the media into a frenzy are ones like poor Nitin Garg. Therefore it seems like they happen more often - but do they?

I wonder what the statistics are when you look at the number of attacks as a proportion of the population? Is a migrant Indian more or less likely to be attacked than, say, a migrant Vietnamese person, or a person of European background, or people from South America?

If there's a massive spike for people from India then yes, maybe something more disturbing is going on, and of course that needs to be addressed. But if not, maybe this is one of those things that a press desperate to sell papers is jumping on, making it seem like a bigger problem than it actually is. It wouldn't be the first time.

What about socio-economic status? I'm fairly sure people in some socio-economic brackets are more likely to be victims of violent assault. Maybe people like Nitin Garg (low-income students who work late-night shifts in fast-food restaurants) are just more likely to be attacked than others people, regardless of ethnic background.

Again, sorry to sound flippant, and I'm not saying for a moment that this definitely isn't a racist problem. But everyone (Gautam Gupta and the Indian foreign minister included) needs to think about this more carefully before making accusations, direct or otherwise, about whether it's a racially motivated attack or not.

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Hudson Godfrey :

05 Jan 2010 12:54:48pm

Why not just let's catch the perpetrators before you go judging the whole nation as racist. We have our problems and we know it, but then again despite our apparently fractious nature we have at least managed to avoid starting wars with any of our neighbours. I'm sure Indians frequently wish that they could say likewise. The existence of tribalism and racial tensions in the world is something that we can all strive to overcome but only if we do so together as opposed to at odds with one another. There is a particular subtext of singular concern for Indian people that appeals to narrower self interest rather than racial equality. We need to urgently overcome this if we're to get back onto the same page in this case. Racism can at times I think be a kind of self fulfilling prophecy when the question is leading, "when will you stop being racist?" If the assumption from either side is racism on behalf of the other then the suspicion is that it "takes one to know one". It is such a lousy assumption to make on that basis that I believe the only decent route defers to the conviction that all racism is wrong and that both sides know this. We don't therefore need to accuse one another of the ideological fallacy but rather to assume the need to tackle hate crime as and where it occurs on merit and in isolation from political grandstanding and cheap shots that are neither helpful nor merited.

Australia is not a racist nation, but it has some racist people in it. Doesn't India?

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Jed :

05 Jan 2010 12:53:34pm

The Media in India maybe free and even take upon itself the role of shaking governments from their slumber, but they are guilty of the kind of sensationalism they feel is required to do the appropriate amount of "Shaking". This is where a free press serves its commercial interest rather its duty to provide honest and measured appraisals.

The Australian community has been very welcoming of Indian nationals. We have opened our wonderful universities that Indian students may recieve the kind of education that isn't available in India We have embraced the food, language, arts and culture. Suddenly, a few in our midst (not Lashke e Toiba) have decided to act illegally and threaten the safety of some Indian Students and there is a racist undercurrent threatening the moral fabric of our society? What Rott!

If Aussie kids are attacked by other Aussie kids, does this make the attacks racially based or are we saving that tag for attacks on Indians only?
The Indian media has taken a giant leap from covering illegal and brutal attacks on people in this country to levelling accusations of ingrained racism as the primary motivating factor for such attacks. It's a nonsense. If India really wants to punish us on the back of sensationalized media reports, perhaps the Indian government could invest in their nations wealth by building and providing university places in their own country so that Indian kids don't have to leave to get a quality education and thus be exposed to racially based attacks!

PS. I note that the Indian media has gievn no substantive coverage of the 4 Australians killed in India in the last 2 years. Were these attacks racially motivated? A nation with a silent caste system hardly has credibility when pointing the bone of social/ racial divides!

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Xpat :

05 Jan 2010 12:53:09pm

Please be aware that these unprovoked attacks happen to all sections of our community, not just Indians, due to inadequate policing. You are beating your own drum.

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Gesha :

05 Jan 2010 12:52:33pm

Growing up in a rural town in NSW and having some very good friends of Indian/Burmese background, I was always aware of the difference in the way some elements of the community reacted to our different backgrounds. While racism was never overt there seemed to exist an unspoken exclusion policy.

Australia has a belief that we are a multicultural country yet we post messages and chain emails about migrants 'refusing' to fit in with our culture. How is this multicultural? We see pictures of migrants and refugees, but how many of us actually take the time to meet these people? To invite their children to our children's birthday parties.

The media does not highlight this problem because unfortunately we as a community don't see this as the problem it is. We believe our own hype about being a multicultural country and this blinkered us from seeing the truth.

I applaud Gautum Gupta on his article because even as a child in the 90's, I saw how passive racism in the form of upspoken exclusion affected the self esteem of my friend. That it continues and grows worse nearly 20 years later is a tragedy for anyone who truly wants to live in a multicultural Australia.

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Gibbo :

05 Jan 2010 12:51:28pm

Yes, it's all racially motivated. Only the other day a young Woman of Indian origins had her throat cut and was killed... by her Indian Husband! He's obviously a racist.

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Duncan Wade :

05 Jan 2010 12:47:08pm

While there is growing concern over these atrocious attacks itâ€™s a little disingenuous of the Indian media to point their outraged finger at Australia. The caste system in India, which permeates their society entrenches disadvantage and poverty amongst the countries poorest. For members of the Indian Government to call for stronger action and insinuate that Australians are â€œracist and violentâ€ ignores the history and realities in the own country

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Mike :

05 Jan 2010 12:47:07pm

Where is the evidence to back up these assertions? What is the proportion of attacks against Indian nationals relative to their population and how does it compare to the rest of the country? My understanding is that it is about what one would expect! (or so says our Foriegn Minister (Simon Crean) on ABC radio this morning).

If Simon is correct then this whole thing is a beat up by an hysterical Indian press and equally nervous student population.

Australia has always been a racist country but we never had a caste system and it's probably a lot less racist than most other countries.

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Hienz :

05 Jan 2010 12:45:44pm

Same when white Australians were targeted by muslims in Sydney. The Australians were racist for even suggesting race or religion of the attackers. Police and media cowered and this supression led to Cronuall riots. Not like Indians are treated any different. perhaps better, they are not called racist for complaining.

India's government reaction though is racist. Based on no evidence and it has only incited hate and is totally irresponsible.

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Blunt Pencil :

05 Jan 2010 12:32:15pm

In March 2008 a young British girl was raped and murdered in Goa, India

Like the Nation with endemic corruption that it is, the crime was covered up for fear of bad press.

If one spends any time looking into this then it is quickly found that foreigners get knocked off at a pretty alarming rate in India. It is quickly found most murders are unsolved. Either they do not have the resources in India or they could not give a stuff if a foreigner gets topped.

This is a very unfortunate part of life as far as I am concerned. Some people like to kill each other and it does not matter which country is involved.

So, it is all very well to get on ones high horse over this but if you are an Indian and you want to pigeon hole people by race as the author has then that would be rather silly.

For starters, one really needs to look in ones own backyard before commenting about others. I can say as an outsider looking in, the Indian backyard is a pigsty.

It was also most amusing to read of the Indian External Affairs Minister weighing in on this when his own country is less then upright on investigations on foreign murders.

I believe there is a saying that goes
when you point your finger at others, there three pointing back at your self.

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Peter D :

05 Jan 2010 12:32:13pm

While the current situation relating to how safe our Indian friends perceive Australia to be is both disturbing and tragic, I feel Mr Gupta is being a bit unfair in his comments, particularly his views on Australian police, Government and media attitudes.

I don't think there is anything new in this apparent latest trend of violence towards the Indian commuunity in this country. I believe it has been highlighted and brought to the fore by the media in some type of 'showcase' reporting practice which happens with every ethnicity that we have here. For example, in the '60s it was the Italians and Greeks who bore the brunt of the 'limelight'.....then came the Vietnamese in the late '70s.....followed by the Lebanese etc etc.

No Mr Gupta, the media, police and Government are not turning a blind eye to the current situation ....far from it. The obviously disturbing factor in the current situation is the violence, which cannot and should not be tolerated in any degree. I suggest that if not for the violence, there would be no reporting in the media at all.

While we are on this subject, how are foreigners treated in other countries? U.K, U.S.A., Europe.....all of these areas have a far more seruious problem of violence towards those who are 'different' than we in Austtralia have ever had. How are foreigners treated in India Mr Gupta? I presume there is crime in India also? If not, I would be interested in escaping the hell-hole of Australia to the paradise of Mumbai tomorrow.

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isitreality :

05 Jan 2010 12:27:50pm

I am under no illusions about how racist Australia can be, and violence of any form can not be tolerated. However I am sure other ethnic groups have been beaten and murdered in Australia in the last year. Why is we only hear about the Indians? Is it they just whinge more? How many foriegn nationals come to grief in India? I don't mean to sound cruel but it seems to me the coverage of 'Indian' attacks is disproportionate to the percentage of actual crime it makes up in Australia.

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Viking :

05 Jan 2010 12:25:24pm

I think that it is fair to say there is an undercurrent of racism in Australia but name one country in the world that doesn't.
As a small mercy at least we don't have religious mobs killing each other (like many parts of the world), extreme poverty for large sections of the community (like many parts of the world) or governmental cultures of graft and corruption (I'm sure there'll be dispute on this one).
Yes it's a sad situation, but the moral of the story would appear to be don't travel by yourself in a dangerous part of town. As a white anglo male I would have stood a bloody good chance of being mugged as well.

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Trev :

05 Jan 2010 12:25:18pm

The majority of the newspaper press in this country is absolute crap. The Herald Sun might as well be called 'Police and Government Propaganda Daily' as it follows the police and government line on virtually everything and swallows all the crap it is fed from Police and Goverment Media Relations flak catchers. So it is certainly not just Indian students that feel that mainstream journalism is nothing but a cheering squad for Police and Government. The editorials in the Herald Sun show the editor to be a complete moron campaigning for a full police state. That however is one of the only points I agree with Mr Gupta on.

From the protest in India it is clear that Indian media is much the same, if not worse, and aims to turn every news item in today a Today Tonight style of headline looking for outrage and extreme comment. The images seen of the Indian protests etc. portray the Indian populace as a mob of idiots seeking to create havoc before knowing many of the facts in the case. Likewise for their government ministers to be making veiled threats to Australia in regards to possible sanctions etc.

There is much to dislike about both sides of this argument and stirring up anger on the Indian side of the fence is going to do nothing to help the situation. Urging vigilante action is only going to perpetuate the violence and further alienate people.

Leave it to the authorities to sort out the perpetrators in due course just as would happen for anyone being a victim of crime. Do not disproportionately weight the response as again it will only perpetuate the cycle.

I hope the person responsible for this attack on this seemingly hard working and responsible visitor to our country is prosecuted to the full force of the law. But not treated any more harshly because the attack was committed against an Indian.

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Derek :

05 Jan 2010 12:24:38pm

Gautam is responsible for the poor handling of this issue. He was the one who made this murder into a race issue before any determination had been made. Gautam has the international press calling us racists and now we also have a diplomatic dispute with India. The victim lived in a very ppor suburb where not too many anglo-Australians live. We would all love to stamp out racism and violence, however Gautam has only inflamed the feelings of anglo-Australians against Indians.

I find it utterly amazing that Gautam cries of racism in Australia when he comes from India, a country that tourments others of race, religion, caste and is so incredibly cruel to those of the same nationality.

Why doesn't Gautam fix racism in India first and then come tell us how he solved that problem so we can implement it here?

As for the media... Just because someone gets bashed doesn't mean it is going to make the paper - o that's right Gautam, you only care about when Indians get bashed. Racist?

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the yank :

05 Jan 2010 12:21:40pm

I resent Mr. Gupta accusation tha Australian press is any less free to express themselves then the Indian press or indeed any countries press.
That he was able to write this story should have been enough for him to not question the freedom of the press in this country.
Is Mr Gupta trying to distract the Australians from how desperate things are in India.
I feel justified in asking Mr Gupta why Indian police didn't protect the foreigners killed recently in Mummbai?
Is Mr Gupta aware that the USA government has recently alerted its citizens to be cautious during their visit to India and asked them to defer travel to Andhra Pradesh as violence continues over the issue of a separate Telangana state?
Mr Gupta you live in a glass house and I am of the opinion that you shold be carefull throwing stones.

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simonw :

05 Jan 2010 12:19:35pm

I found it rather cold to link the killing and how much money Australia will loose from Indian Students because of it. Seems to me the money loss seems to make it more newsworthy to the media (Public?) than the terrible crime itself.

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James :

05 Jan 2010 12:19:16pm

Last time i checked it was a crime to assault someone in Australia. It doesnt matter about your race, people from all walks are at risk. Drugs in our community along with social problems that follow put us all at risk particularly those working at night or using public transport in non peak periods.

With 400,000 overseas students its sadly inevitable that they will be caught up in the social problems particularly due to their work and public transport schedules. Why would they not report crime? That doesnt make sense and neither does the media beatup (Mr Gupta included) trying to make indian students appear weaker and more vulnerable than other people in the same situation.

We should treat all victims of crime the same in Australia and I'm sure thats exactly what has and will continue to happen, and when we catch the criminals justice should be served. If the media reports every assault on Indians they should do the same for all races. We would need a dedicated TV channel dedicated to publicising every assault! Ridiculous. According to the UN survey on crime trends Australia has around 141000 reported assaults per year and 300 murders. Australia has the 7th worst rate of assault in the world. Thats got nothing to do with Indian students, its a massive community wide problem.

Are Indian races disproportionately representedd in these statistics? I havent seen any evidence that that is the case, in the contrary our police and government are telling us that they are not. We need to fix the social problems in Australia not focus on one race in the media reporting. That will fix nothing

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itsacon :

05 Jan 2010 12:15:52pm

Do you really believe that the media is the best pace to discuss racism and how to deal with it? I can't just see the shock jocks and tabloids having a rational debate devoid of emotion and hyperbole, can you?

No, the media will more likely exacerbate the problem because violence and bad news sells. I can hear the shock jocks now, "Now you all know I am not a racist but .........". The fact that Australia's media is not over exposing the issue is in reality a blessing - think back to the Cronulla race riots and the incitement allegations that followed.

The media as whole has been corrupted and dumbed down, and so deals with issues simplistically, in ways that 'average person in the street' can understand, so don't expect intelligent debate and certainly not implementable solutions from them.

The ABC and SBS (aka Soccer Before Sex) are fading exceptions, so you are still amongst friends here.

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Steven :

05 Jan 2010 12:06:02pm

Excellent article. Right on the money!! I'm an American who lived in Melbourne for past 4 years and can tell you that the way Indian students are treated is nothing less than a human rights violation. What Indian cabbies have to go through driving local trash around is something that no human being has to go through.

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Big Yin :

05 Jan 2010 11:59:57am

Australian journalists asleep at the wheel? Don't think so! There are numerous assaults, everyday, where the race of the victim is never mentioned because, basically, there's no news in some 'whitey' getting pasted, because it happens a helluva lot more often to them, than any other 'race'! Get over it!

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Robust Community Debate

Find More Stories

6 January 2010

White guys should jump

28 comments

Stephen Mayne

When the left wing union bosses are moaning about not enough being done and the big end of town are concerned there is too much government intervention, you know that a sensible middle ground has been reached.

And so it is with the final report into executive pay by the Productivity Commission.

Whilst there is no single dramatic recommendation, taken as a package the reforms will make a substantial difference by improving transparency, removing conflicts of interest and focusing attention on the most important decision shareholders make: appointing the right directors to protect and manage their capital.

For instance, little attention has been focused on the proposal to ban executives from voting on their own remuneration reports.

Westfield executive chairman Frank Lowy will think twice about maintaining Australia's biggest 2009 pay packet of $16 million in future years knowing that his family will no longer be able to vote their 8% stake in favour.

Similarly, the recommendation that superannuation funds disclose their voting record on remuneration reports is an important first step to getting voting disclosure on all resolutions, as US mutual funds are required to do.

Whilst there were some noteworthy changes in the final report, the claims that the so-called "two strikes" proposal has been watered down are not sustained.

All that has changed is that shareholders will be sent a contingent resolution after the first 25% against vote, and they will then vote on whether to spill the board if a second 25% against vote is registered.

This will force boards to really think about remuneration policies after that first 25% protest vote and could even lead to boards taking action more swiftly.

Shareholders currently have huge but largely unused powers to spill entire boards. It only requires 5% of total shares on issue or the signatures of 100 shareholders to call an extraordinary meeting proposing to sack all directors and replace them with any old bunch of drunken louts.

Obviously, any such proposal would never get near the required 50% approval.

And that leads us to the biggest problem with corporate governance and executive pay in Australia, namely the self-selecting directors' club which sees incumbents re-elected with an average 96% of the vote in favour.

Over the years, these boards have been populated by a flock of ageing, conservative, white blokes and collectively they have squandered tens of billions of Australian capital.

Far too much of this lost money has been dolled out to a phalanx of overpaid rent-seeking CEOs, many of whom then go on to become professional directors themselves.

It is amazing how disconnected these CEOs and professional directors have become from their shareholders as demonstrated by their opposition to shutting down the so-called "no vacancy rule".

At the end of the day, directors are the agents appointed by the shareholders and the CEO is simply the latest hired help brought in by the board to help get the job done.

The no vacancy rule is a self preservation device for boards which disenfranchises shareholders who should be able to determine board size within a range prescribed in the company's constitution.

In my 40 unsuccessful tilts at public company boards over the past decade, I've been told on about 30 occasions that there was no vacancy. Ten Network Holdings did it just last month even though they have only 5 directors and a constitution that allows for a maximum of 11.

The effect of this undemocratic rort is to make it statistically impossible to get elected because 50% isn't good enough for victory when you have to knock off one of those incumbent directors who averages 96% in favour.

Throw in undirected proxies held by the chairman and used against the challenger and about 20 of my tilts over the years would still have failed with 100% of the directed proxies in favour. Talk about a closed shop!

The directors club is carrying on as if their ranks will suddenly be populated with various cranks and serial candidates by the end of the no vacancy rule. This is garbage at so many levels.

Firstly, since when has the basic democratic principle of majority rule been a bad thing? If 50% of the voting shares support an external candidate, they should be on the board.

As the only serial external candidate in Australia who has run for a wide cross-section of boards, my voting record proves that shareholders do know how to vote against unsuitable candidates.

After all, in my five tilts in 2009, there wasn't a single result above 10%. What is there to fear in a 50% hurdle?

And while politics in Australia sees dozens of MPs routinely thrown out of office, the top 100 ASX listed companies have never seen an endorsed director actually formally voted off the board by shareholders.

And that is the heart of the problem. If boards feel their tenure is under no threat from shareholders they will continue to behave recklessly through value-destroying ego-driven takeovers and excessive executive pay deals.

What Allan Fels, Robert Fitzgerald and Gary Banks have done on behalf of the government through the independent Productivity Commission is finally tackle some of the systemic issues in Australia's broader system of corporate governance by focusing in on enhancing shareholder rights rather than prescriptive regulation.

Whilst curbing the pay packets of corporate fat cats grabs all the headlines, some of the real mechanical flaws in our corporate voting and disclosure system will be fixed if the government has the wit and political courage to implement all 17 recommendations before the next election.

Here's hoping they also make it applicable in time for the 2010 AGM season, which starts in late September.

House Rules

28 comments

Add your comment

realist :

07 Jan 2010 1:09:06am

I guess these guys just woke up one morning and found themselves CEOs or on a board of a public company. We live in a democratic,capitalistic country which produce wealth. A byproduct of that is one of the best standards of living in the world along with a very generous welfare system. If you dont like it come up with abetter one, many have tried but we are still waiting for one that works and is fair to all.

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Rod :

07 Jan 2010 12:34:32am

Unfortunately commentators, I doubt all your protestations and concerns about the members who control the boardrooms of Australian companies will have any effect on the these decision makers, as they have the power and we the ordinary Australain citizens/shareholders do not!
But don't give up! Keep fighting for transparency and equalisation of the purse we take home to our families, for that should be the true Australian way!

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Jeltz :

06 Jan 2010 11:46:42pm

"For instance, little attention has been focused on the proposal to ban executives from voting on their own remuneration reports"

Nudge nudge, wink wink. Politicians used to vote their own pay rises, and now they leave it to public servants whose best interest is served by voting pay rises for politicians. Could these public sevants decide on a pay cut and get away with it I wonder?

What we need in both political and executive forums is for minority views (from shareholders or voters)to at least have potential to be taken seriously and provoke action without ambit and malicious claims overwhelming the system. The problem is the silent majority who do not have the time to consider and vote on every important issue, so a majority view is taken as acceptance of an issue when in fact it is probably just ignorance.

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JakartaJaap :

06 Jan 2010 11:10:01pm

It's the 'white' thing again! Why are you so racially profiling, so racially stereotyping, so racially hateful, so awfully bigoted? Surely there are laws against this in a modern, secular, multicultural Australia? I hope the ABC and its creatures become far more tolerant and non-racist soon, because I fear a backlash of lawsuits and public anger.

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Total Cynic :

06 Jan 2010 9:46:21pm

The lurks, perks and virtual theft of CEOs of public companies will not be consistently or possibly ever thwarted by shareholders because the controlling shareholdings of most of the companies are held by institutions. The people who vote on behalf of these institutions will never vote against the many nauseating excesses of the company executives because they themselves are executives of similar large companies and have and abiding interest in seeing that the amoral redirection of shareholder funds into the pockets of execs like themselves continues unabated.

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singleton2 :

06 Jan 2010 7:37:20pm

The author has consistently campaigned for the right of shareholders, democraticisation of the boardrooms and for promotion of responsible corporate practices.

His message should be respected and Professor Fells' recommenedations implemented asap. This is not a party political issue - it is a moral imperative, made necessary by the much demonstrated poor practices which have been examined by the Productivity Commission and Stephen Mayne.

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wizard :

06 Jan 2010 6:36:14pm

The closed shop director's club mirrors the closed shop ALP political club.
If the NSW government was an animal, it would be put down.
The reforms are a start.
Parliamentary reform would help with the other aspect and get snouts out of the trough.

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Blzbob :

06 Jan 2010 6:20:14pm

I heard that the top exec of the average company earns 40 times what the average worker earns, that's 4,000%.
Perhaps we could just make it a rule of thumb that company tax be 2.5% of that figure.
and watch the CEO salaries fall.

No CEO should earn more than 10 times what he pays his lowest paid worker.

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edgeways :

06 Jan 2010 5:44:36pm

Well done, Mayne, you've done it again!

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Nick :

06 Jan 2010 3:30:11pm

The ABC's en passant racism is revealing.

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Libertus :

06 Jan 2010 3:23:13pm

I don't know mush about you, but I admire your tenacity and devotion. I was about to write, you have been wasting precious years.
I take back that thought you've helped confirm like many other signs in the cosmos that it is indeed time to change.
I shall use one of your words -DISCONNECTED- they are way disconnected beyond just the shareholders, beyond wall street they are building walls the same ones America is building here & there, Iraq Palestine other countries and inside the US itself. Some are visible most are not.
Decentralizing the wall streets we must Decentralizing Jerusalem the Vatican and the UN.
In other words My spirituality is where I stand, I feed my self mostly from where I stand, and my Moral compass is where I stand connected with every conscious entity in the cosmos because that is where my experiencing is taking place. I do remain connected with all & everything.
Wall street is disconnected from every thing and so is the little circus you have there.
Having said that you have my respect. Take care.

If I am part of a corporation and I am a CEO, I am asked to invest quickly in a country that was invaded savagely weeks later blood still dripping, over a million killed thousands tortured its population violated mutilated its resources hijacked it's system shell shocked traumatized and modified to suits the needs of those very CEOs ( thats where they connect) and killing is still taking place and may be the case for generation to come . than my firm duty should guide me and stop me from becoming part of the criminal element.

You could not have a more disconnected bunch of human than that, whether it is through will or fear one moves to an other state of consciousness thats when the greater disconnection takes places politically humanly socially culturally and spiritually.
They can be part of the change but they are not the change nor do they want it. One thing is certain change is taking place at this very moment beyond all.

thank for the courage.

Reply Alert moderator
Simon :

06 Jan 2010 3:06:16pm

I fail to see how these changes will address the closed shop that directorships have always been. Renumeration for CEOs and directors should be performance based as it is for everyone one else who works. The STI payments should be withheld for 3 years to ensure that these execs have actually delivered rather than simply fudged stats or forced yet another re-org.

A good for instance would be outsourcing outcomes measured over several cycles and across the entire business.

Reply Alert moderator
John :

06 Jan 2010 2:54:29pm

The only people in any organisation or company that are paid well to fail.

Reply Alert moderator
Robert :

06 Jan 2010 2:44:15pm

Down with the Bourgeoisie up with the Proletariat!

Reply Alert moderator
Eric :

06 Jan 2010 2:35:15pm

The pressure is on and so it should be.

Money Managers, Board members have been telling us for years that they have a speciel skill ..... looking after the economy, as such they command a large pay packet.

We see on TV banks claiming to have advanced knowledge as such we sould give our money for them to look after. When we do they help themselves to what ever is gained, but they don't share in the losses. Imagine that, your super takes a dive so your money manager shares in that dive ..... now that would be worth investing in !!!

This won't happen, because they are really looking after themselves, you and I don't matter in the least.

Reply Alert moderator
Mark Hurd :

06 Jan 2010 2:18:50pm

As a Crikey subscriber, I'm more in favour of your views than against, but what else should "undirected" proxies do?

The shareholder has gone to the trouble of returning the proxy form and either put the chairman as the proxy or not specified a proxy, /and/ has not specified a vote.

The form instructions will state "all undirected proxies will vote in favour of the resolutions" or similar, and so I see no worthwhile alternative.

Disclosure: I am a Director of MGM Wireless.

Reply Alert moderator
GraemeF :

06 Jan 2010 1:58:21pm

There should also be a limit as to how many companies a single person can be a director of. How can you serve a board properly if you are on ten of them?

Reply Alert moderator
the year of the thankyou :

06 Jan 2010 1:21:11pm

Thankyou Stephen for all your work and enthusiasm.

Reply Alert moderator
Imogen :

06 Jan 2010 1:19:39pm

Thank you, Stephen, for a great read. I've been complaining about the 'ole boys club' of directors, CEO's and executives for ages. They know how to look after each other and not do the right thing for the shareholders, employees or the Australian community.

It really is time to change...on so many fronts.

Reply Alert moderator
Maria Altmann :

06 Jan 2010 1:15:45pm

Couldn't agree more! Unfortunately there is no bust....

'Australia's boardrooms are dominated by a club of ageing, conservative, unaccountable white blokes who have squandered tens of billions of Australian capital.'

and 'overpaid rent-seeking CEOs'.

Only I haven't much faith in Shareholders either except on the very odd occasion. i.e; Look at Telstra.

What we need is a theory on moral Sentiment.

Reply Alert moderator
Andrew :

06 Jan 2010 1:14:53pm

Thanks for a good piece.

One of the underlying issues is that many of the directors and CEO's actually believe they got there based on merit within a meritocracy rather than by chance or being a white man with an MBA. This therefore makes them feel smarter or more superior than the rest and feeds into the narcissistic belief they are solely responsible for success of business and its failure due to others.

This belief is of course aided and abetted by there peers and remuneration consultants. This was identified in a recent pice in New York Times.

Until we develop a true selection an accountability system that recognizes that the success of a company is a collective one and that a skilled board and CEO are dependent upon there employees as the employees on them.

This will require new ways of measuring success and the capacities of board members and CEOs. This also includes share holders understanding that companies / corporations must invest in all there staff to be successful so they may need to be less greedy about there expected returns.

Andrew

Reply Alert moderator
topomountain :

06 Jan 2010 1:05:20pm

The "No vacancy ruling" sounds like a good thing and is a long time coming. However the devil is in the detail. The undemocratic behavior of these fat cats is unforgivable.

Reply Alert moderator
Sync :

06 Jan 2010 1:03:12pm

Entrenched interest wil always resist new blood that might shake them out of a rut. It's not just the big end of town but any large established conservative group.

The RACV board is a prime example - they have moved to implement that any candidate who has lost 3 elections cannot stand again for a certain period.

The fact is that this will apply to one person only - Professor Marcus Wigan - who has edged closer with each attempt. Funny thing is that as an internationally recognised transport expert he is probably better qualified in experience and qualifications than any current or previous board member. Unfortunately he doesn't fit the mould.

Reply Alert moderator
anote :

06 Jan 2010 12:50:29pm

Hear, hear, I like it.

Reply Alert moderator
Pen Pal :

06 Jan 2010 12:34:19pm

It would be good to get some named specifics such as John Fletcher from Coles who walked away with some $57m for failing to steer Coles properly. He managed Coles out of a text book bought in America

Reply Alert moderator
Bob Lansdowne :

06 Jan 2010 12:14:28pm

This company board meeting is now in session, the Agenda...Limiting the Executive Screw...how say ye...Booooo...OK, that is considered seconded...now, how do we get around this little 'inconvenience'...any ideas...yes Percy...got a catalogue here listing a couple of 200 metre tinnies going cheap in the Mediterranean...$30 mil is about average...anyone second that motion...Raaaaah.

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Copenhagen failure 'vindicates Opposition stance

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Eyewitness: How China sabotaged climate talks

'Intentionally humiliated': Lynas says China set out to snub and shift blame onto US President Barack Obama. (AFP: Attila Kisbenedek )

A writer and environmental activist who was present at the final Copenhagen climate talks says China sabotaged the deal and ensured Barack Obama would shoulder the blame.

While China's Premier Wen Jiabao insisted his government had played an "important and constructive" role, the talks in the Danish capital ended with a political accord rather than a binding agreement.

Mark Lynas, who was attached to the Maldives delegation, described what he saw at the talks as "profoundly shocking".

"I am certain that had the Chinese not been in the room, we would have left Copenhagen with a deal that had environmentalists popping champagne corks in every corner of the world," he wrote in the The Guardian.

"The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful 'deal' so Western leaders would walk away carrying the blame.

He says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other Western leaders were visibly upset when China started "removing all the numbers that mattered" in the final talks, including emissions cuts by developed countries of 80 per cent by 2050.

"'Why can't we even mention our own targets?' demanded a furious [German Premier] Angela Merkel.

"Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, was annoyed enough to bang his microphone. Brazil's representative too pointed out the illogicality of China's position. Why should rich countries not announce even this unilateral cut?

"The Chinese delegate said no, and I watched, aghast, as Merkel threw up her hands in despair and conceded the point. Now we know why - because China bet, correctly, that Obama would get the blame for the Copenhagen accord's lack of ambition.

"But I saw Obama fighting desperately to salvage a deal, and the Chinese delegate saying "no", over and over again."

Lynas says the 2020 peaking year was then "replaced by woolly language" and the global 50 per cent cuts by 2050 were also removed.

"No-one else, perhaps with the exceptions of India and Saudi Arabia, wanted this to happen," Lynas said.

'Took the bait'

Lynas fears "the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations".

"China's strategy was simple: block the open negotiations for two weeks, and then ensure that the closed-door deal made it look as if the west had failed the world's poor once again. And sure enough, the aid agencies, civil society movements and environmental groups all took the bait," he said.

"The failure was 'the inevitable result of rich countries refusing adequately and fairly to shoulder their overwhelming responsibility', said Christian Aid. 'Rich countries have bullied developing nations,' fumed Friends of the Earth International.

"All very predictable, but the complete opposite of the truth."

He is dismissive of the role played by Sudanese delegate Lumumba Di-Aping, who negotiated on behalf of China and developing countries, accusing Sudan of behaving as China's puppet and helping to create the "perfect stitch-up".

Lynas also said China carried out a clear diplomatic snub at the talks.

"The Chinese premier, Wen Jinbao, did not deign to attend the meetings personally, instead sending a second-tier official in the country's foreign ministry to sit opposite Obama himself," he said.

"The diplomatic snub was obvious and brutal, as was the practical implication: several times during the session, the world's most powerful heads of state were forced to wait around as the Chinese delegate went off to make telephone calls to his 'superiors'."

India's stance

India has already confirmed it worked with China and other emerging nations to ensure there were no legally binding targets at the talks.

India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh earlier faced parliament for the first time since the UN talks, saying the nation had "come out quite well in Copenhagen".

"We can be satisfied that we were able to get our way on this issue," declared Mr Ramesh, who has consistently said India would be one of the countries hardest hit by climate change.

He said India, China, South Africa and Brazil had emerged as a powerful force and said the group had protected its right to continued economic growth.

Mr Ramesh said India would continue to work with its allies "to ensure that the interests of developing countries and India in particular are protected in the course of negotiations in 2010 and beyond".

Britain's blame

Britain has also said the meeting was lurched into farce and pointed the finger of blame at Beijing.

While British Prime Minister Gordon Brown refrained from naming countries, his climate change minister Ed Miliband said China had led a group of countries that "hijacked" the negotiations which had at times presented "a farcical picture to the public".

"We did not get an agreement on 50 per cent reductions in global emissions by 2050 or on 80 per cent reductions by developed countries," he wrote in The Guardian.

"Both were vetoed by China, despite the support of a coalition of developed and the vast majority of developing countries."

China, the world's top polluter, doggedly resisted pressure for outside scrutiny of its emissions.

Tags: environment, climate-change, government-and-politics, federal-government, world-politics, un-climate-change-conference-copenhagen-2009, australia, brazil, china, denmark, germany, maldives

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'Should, could, do'

Sarah Collerton reports on how 10 disabled yachties were inspired to compete in the Sydney to Hobart.

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Ho ho ho

Barnaby Joyce has a whinge about life in politics ... and wishes you a Merry Christmas.

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Economics correspondent Stephen Long on how Australia weathered the GFC.

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Delegates fall asleep at Copenhagen climate talks

'Comprehensive failure': Exhausted delegates at the Copenhagen talks (Reuters: Christian Charisius)

Professor Ross Garnaut talks on Copenhagen (ABC News)

Federal Opposition says the Copenhagen summit was a comprehensive failure and a vindication of its stance against the Government's emissions trading scheme (ETS).

The talks in the Danish capital ended with a political accord rather than a binding agreement, with developed countries required to set emissions reduction targets by February.

The Opposition says the global failure to strike a binding deal strips away Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's justification for trying to introduce an emissions trading scheme in Australia.

"The Prime Minister is, perhaps more than almost any other world leader, overstating what is a disappointing outcome," Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt said.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the outcome shows their vote against the emissions trading scheme is now vindicated.

"It does show that Mr Rudd was really very, very unwise to want to rush us into this emissions tax prior to knowing what the rest of the world wanted to do," he said.

"I know that I shouldn't sound self-congratulatory and I am trying not to, but I do think the Senate was right not to pass the legislation.

"What the rest of the world has shown in Copenhagen [is] it's not sure about the way forward either, and the problem with rushing into an ETS without comparable commitments from other countries was going to be that we would damage Australian industries and Australian jobs without actually improving the environment."

The Greens have also slammed the outcome of the UN climate meeting and say the Government's only chance of getting its trading scheme through the Parliament is to lift its emissions reduction targets and get the Greens onside in the Senate.

Mr Rudd flew back into the Australia late last night after days of what he described as the toughest negotiations he had ever been involved in.

He was upbeat about the so-called Copenhagen Accord, saying more needs to be done, but it represents a significant global agreement.

Others are not as positive.

Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce says he is just glad the Government did not get its wish to take an emissions trading scheme to Denmark.

"Well I don't whether it's an 'accord', I think it's kind of a 'D flat'. What it is is a farce," he said.

"Remember Mr Rudd said it was terribly important that we have the ETS in place. If we had we'd be sitting out there all alone by ourselves at the moment and looking decidedly ridiculous."

It is a predictable response, but the Copenhagen outcome has done no favours for a Government that is committed to reintroducing its emissions trading scheme legislation to the Parliament for a third time next year.

Greens leader Bob Brown say after the failures of the world climate summit, the Greens are now Labor's only hope of getting the legislation through, and it is time to start negotiating.

"The Government will not go beyond the five to 25 per cent reduction level that it's had flagged for some months now," he said.

"It's refused to negotiate on targets. The Greens have always been prepared to negotiate."

Senator Brown says the Greens are prepared to agree to emissions cuts as low as 25 per cent if there is no world agreement.

Bipartisan support

The Government currently has an emissions reduction target range of 5 to 25 per cent of 2000 levels. Mr Rudd will announce a final figure by February 1 next year, once other nations reveal what their targets are.

Mr Hunt says Mr Rudd will get bipartisan support on that.

"That's not an issue of fighting between the two sides," he said.

Former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull is still advocating for his party to support an emissions trading scheme.

In an internet blog he has fired another shot at the Liberal Party leadership.

In it Mr Turnbull says "we are certainly a lot closer to an international agreement today ... and the ETS as amended deserves support".

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Rudd's year of living B-minus

By Annabel Crabb

Posted 5 hours 5 minutes ago
Updated 3 hours 43 minutes ago

Barack Obama gave himself a "solid B-plus" last week when invited by interviewer Oprah Winfrey to mark his own performance as President of the United States.

It was what they call a broad-ranging interview, which also involved the First Lady and covered domestic policy advances including the White House puppy's recently-acquired ability to give high-fives.

Mr Obama said he would upgrade his mark to A-minus if he were able to get his health care reforms through the US Senate - a result which now seems likely, given the news from the States overnight.

The US President thus concedes that success is a brutal measure in politics; all the hard work and goodwill in the world are meaningless if you cannot achieve the result you seek.

Likewise, success will bring glory even if it is owed partially, or even substantially to the work of others.

This is also the story of Kevin Rudd's first term, of which two years have now flashed by. His greatest success - the extraordinary performance of the Australian economy under dreadful global conditions - is an outcome for which he makes the strongest case for an "A" grade.

And it is the accomplishment whose authorship is the most strongly contested, having been built on a strong existing base.

"My base", former treasurer Peter Costello would argue.

"No - my base!" would come the immediate rejoinder from Paul Keating.

This is what politics is like: it's a rare triumph that only claims one author.

And it's a rare politician whose successes in public life are born of his or her own efforts alone.

But any Prime Minister who can display an economy in growth and an unemployment rate below 6 per cent, at the end of the calendar year we've had, is not a candidate for flunking. Results are results, and however jealously it is debated, he'll get his A.

The global financial crisis has given occupation and structure to the Rudd Government's first term.

Thanks to the crisis, the last two years have been a gratifyingly busy blur of hyperactivity on the part of the Rudd team.

While global financial meltdown is hardly a phenomenon of which new governments would necessarily dream, it has had its compensations.

A magical efflorescence of hard-hat photo opportunities, for example.

An electorate by electorate building program of schools and railway crossings; a snowstorm of cheques.

In short, the financial crisis has given Kevin Rudd cover to be the kind of big-spending, Labor prime minister he spent much of the 2007 campaign denying he would be.

And without the crisis - what would we have to discuss?

How would the Rudd Government of late 2009 match up to the promotional material circulated by its figurehead in 2007, when he was still but a twinkle in the Australian electorate's eye?Without the crisis, it's pretty thin gruel.

"The great moral challenge of our generation" - climate change - has provoked much by way of Government process but little by way of formal advance. It has been the Government's greatest failure.

Two years of consultation, absorption and high-flying rhetoric have produced an emissions trading scheme that has only two more votes now than when this whole thing lurched off on its messy trajectory through the Australian political system.

Those two votes - from the Liberal floor-crossers Sue Boyce and Judith Troeth - are welcomed by the Government, but are about as useful as a pair of fluffy dice given that seven votes are needed to secure the passage of the bills, and two years of moral-challenge wrangling hasn't dislodged even a single Greens vote.

Robbed of a clear result from Copenhagen, the Prime Minister now flies back to Australia to rejoin a domestic debate that is made harder, not easier by the weekend's events.

The intransigence of China lends powerful ballast to the Coalition argument that if big polluters aren't prepared to commit themselves to enforceable emissions reductions, then neither should we.

For much of this year, the Prime Minister's public marketing campaign for his emissions trading scheme was occupied rather less with the detail of the scheme itself than it was with the proposition that the Coalition was an unsightly rabble of mad uncles and denialists who wouldn't care if the Great Barrier Reef boiled dry.

Behind the scenes, compromise after compromise bleached the scheme of clear purpose, which won't make anything easier for a Government now required to sell it on its own merits, on a near-deserted global stage.

Even the Government's climate guru, Ross Garnaut, finds the legislative response uninspiring.

Success is its own legitimator in politics, and it is very difficult to describe anything to do with the Government's climate change response as a success; given the dismal results, it's hard to award anything better than a C minus here, despite the elbow grease applied by Penny Wong.

Given the new vogue for "retail politics" as popularised by Tony Abbott and his heart-attack-inducing new finance spokesman Barnaby Joyce, it's worth a glance at the promotional gewgaws promised by Mr Rudd two years ago as part of his hard-sell routine, and where they are now.

Easing cost-of-living pressures on Australian working families?

Fuel Watch and Grocery Watch ended up, unsurprisingly, on the rubbish tip - cheap gimmicky toys that succumbed quickly to the inevitable and were deemed not worthy of repair.

These initiatives earn a "D" for "Disingenuous".

The wafted promise of federal command over the strife-torn hospital system?

This was a confident alarum from Opposition, but in Government it has swiftly acquired a swarm of qualifying sentiments and is now comfortably marooned in a review process, anointed temporarily with extra dollars.

Which brings us to the Education Revolution.

The Education Revolution is another entity with much for which to thank the Global Financial Crisis.

Without the GFC, after all, we would never have had the BER, or P21, both of which have given the DPM so much to talk about.*

A crippling potential shortage of acronyms has been averted through application of extensive public funds, and by happy act of intervening crisis, the Education Revolution, which was in distinct danger of not being very revolutionary at all, at least has activity to report.

Julia Gillard, meanwhile, has a creditable preparedness to take on the Labor constituency and make enemies - something at which the Rudd Government on the whole has proved surprisingly timid - on the matter of school performance assessment.

Education earns a B.

What about the other promised Bs of the 2007 campaign - Bipartisanship and an end to Buck Passing and Blame Shifting?

Well, there was a genuinely gracious moment early on during the National Apology to displaced Aboriginal children, but since then bipartisanship has been pretty thin on the ground. And despite campaign assurances, the Buck has at no point seemed at any danger of taking up permanent residence at the Lodge; this Prime Minister is as eager to point and blame and nag as all of his predecessors.

Which is not especially surprising; just disappointing, as it always is.

Overall, I'd call the Rudd Government's first term so far a B minus: Student shows a strong work rate, but it's not always well-directed.

*BER stands for Building The Education Revolution. P21 means Primary Schools for the 21st Century. DPM is the Deputy Prime Minister.

Comments (52)

Comments for this story are closed. No new comments can be added. If you would like to have your say on this issue, you can do so via the Emails section of our Opinion pages.

Roy:

21 Dec 2009 1:53:42pm

Well said Annabel.

I am reminded of Paul Keating's comments from early in the term when he suggested the Rudd Government lacked narrative. I expect that this would still be the case had the GFC not come along. It was almost as focussing for a meandering government as declaring war on someone or something!
- 21 Dec 2009 2:44:49pm
  
  B minus??? More like F for FAIL
  
  Agree (2) Alert moderator
  - the yank:
    
    21 Dec 2009 3:06:53pm
    
    Abbott and Co. deserve the F.
    Can't blame Rudd for the climate change result at home, he tried hard it was the Conservative party that ran away from the question.
    As for Copenhagen of all the pollies there he was the one who went the extra mile to get the best result and as far as I am concern he deserves an A for that.
    The other minuses are small in comparision.
    All up if Obama gets a B+ Rudd deserves an A-.
    
    Agree (0) Alert moderator
    - John O:
      
      21 Dec 2009 3:26:18pm
      
      Yank,
      
      Rudd A-? Wow you mark easy.
      
      What has he ACTUALLY done?
      
      Said sorry.
      2020 summit (hmm does that count as a success?)
      Workchoices lite
      
      The economy may or may not have had some help from the stimulus but the fact it cost people lives and homes should surely be a red mark even if it did have any impact on the economy (that's still debateable)
      
      And that's it.....
      
      Hardly a successful term at all.
      
      The list of fails is much longer.
      
      I think Rudd is in for a shock if he goes for DD on climate change and then ETS.
      
      Agree (3) Alert moderator
  - Jeff N:
    
    21 Dec 2009 3:07:20pm
    
    yeah Janeb, its a matter of opinion.
    A very subjective question, and Annabelle Crabb's very eloquent opinion has been given a platform by the tax payer through the ABC. Really it should have a big sign on it saying "this is Annablle Crabb's opinion". Giving Rudd a B- seems rather nuetral. What if AC wanted to give Rudd an A+, or an F. Betcha there would be a big sign up then, or more likely it would never be posted.
    
    I dunno...seems like more and more like the media are giving us somebody's opinion rather than news. And the ABC is going down this direction too.
    
    Agree (0) Alert moderator
EJHall:

21 Dec 2009 1:57:06pm

Gary Humphries didn't cross the floor on the ETS. It was Judith Troeth and Sue Boyce.

Agree (0) Alert moderator
- kevin's gone:
  
  21 Dec 2009 2:27:03pm
  
  Take an A for that contribution!
  
  Agree (0) Alert moderator
easymark:

21 Dec 2009 1:57:28pm

B minus is a bit generous. I wish I could get a B minus for talking about doing things with out actually doing them.

Agree (0) Alert moderator
- Filz:
  
  21 Dec 2009 2:24:15pm
  
  B minus a bit generous? I'd say very generous. After all, what has the man (and his team) actually DONE? They panicked when the GFC hit the rest of the world (remember Australia didn't go into recesssion), spent billions and continue to do so, in the best of Labour Party traditions. I must admit a grudging admiration for KRudd fixing up our roads, but did he have to do them all at the same time?? As for industrial relations, trade, etc, nothing has really changed, except that "Beacon Australia" seems to be attracting rather more illegal immigrants/refugees than in recent years. More speeches and his term will be over.....
  
  Agree (1) Alert moderator
  - Edward:
    
    21 Dec 2009 2:41:12pm
    
    Umm, Filz, one of the main reasons we didn't go into recession was BECAUSE he spent billions.
    
    Your comment could just as easily have read - You gave me all that medicine and I didn't get sick once! Same thing really.
    
    And when will people get over this xenophobic hysteria about boat people. We have over 100,000 immigrants a year. Less than 2% of that number are boat people. A higher proportion of illegals arrive on planes, but apparently if you can afford the cheapest JetStar fare then you're welcome to stay illegall without recrimination.
    
    Let's just bring them all to Australia - process them and if they're genuine refugees - they stay. If they're not, deport them. Easy.
    
    Agree (2) Alert moderator
    - TrueBlue:
      
      21 Dec 2009 3:31:11pm
      
      Edward first giving away and spending billions of dollars on unproductive things is a sure plan to make a country poor in the long term (just ask the Argentina's). The Australian economy didn't go into recession because it wasn't going to since China's demand for resources didn't fall any where near what Swan said they would. I give the Government no credit for avoiding a recession. I will blame them when Aust growth is below trend for many years due to the increased debt we now carry.
      
      As far as illegal entries trying to compare someone arriving by plane (full documents, no criminal records, full search etc etc) who overstay their visa and work (don't take welfare or free medical services) to a boat person who is trying to sneak into the country (no documentation, no medical checks, often with criminal records) looking for free hand outs of welfare and medical is ludicrous. Protecting one's borders and deciding who enters a country to ensure that they actually add value and increase the national wealth isn't xenophobia its common sense and basic survival.
      
      Agree (2) Alert moderator
- Old RSM:
  
  21 Dec 2009 2:32:31pm
  
  Rudd also likes to say sorry for stuff as well as make statements in support of motherhood, sunny days and cute puppies.... you know. It's all about the vibe.
  He does tend to go missing when the going gets tough, however (remember the whole book pricing furore when he wouldn't even bring himself to vote in cabinet. He hid in his office instead).
  Not a good look for a national leader.
  
  Agree (0) Alert moderator
  - mac:
    
    21 Dec 2009 3:08:16pm
    
    Old RSM - it's the economy stuoid! And on the economy the government has done well. The ETS is not finished yet.
    
    Agree (0) Alert moderator
- sue11:
  
  21 Dec 2009 2:43:13pm
  
  Easymark your wishes are granted. I give you a B minus for your posting.
  
  Agree (0) Alert moderator
Pedro X:

21 Dec 2009 2:01:57pm

Great piece!

A crippling shortage of acronym would provoke a smirk from anyone.

But what about Industrial Relations? Surely that is where La Gillardine has really done well, lifting the program to a B. She took on the unions to a surprising degree and got the L/NP to accept the deal.

Bad government legislation like Work Choices was a big reason the L/NP were removed. Bad government legislation like the ETS/CPRS (it was so important that it merited two acronyms) is a big reason why Rudd might need to be removed.

Agree (0) Alert moderator
- cristophles:
  
  21 Dec 2009 2:19:02pm
  
  Crippling Shortage of Acronyms...lol
  
  Agree (0) Alert moderator
rob1966:

21 Dec 2009 2:06:39pm

Personnally I'd probably go a "B" on the economy - good utilisation of available resources to pass the course, although reducing resource availability and economic flexibility for future years.

But an overall B-minus? I think you are being somewhat generous Ms Crabb (especially with at least one "D" in the assessment).

C-plus perhaps (although even that is a bit of a stretch), but I would more comfortably award a "C" overall - average performance, achieves only what is necessary to pass, no exceptional standout performances, high rate of absenteeism.

Agree (1) Alert moderator
Simon:

21 Dec 2009 2:06:44pm

"Education earns a B."

Um.. $800 million dollar budget blow out on school computers... Gillard should have been sacked.

Agree (0) Alert moderator
sally mee:

21 Dec 2009 2:08:57pm

"Overall, I'd call the Rudd Government's first term so far a B minus: Student shows a strong work rate, but it's not always well-directed."

He's obviously the teacher's pet. Most of the other kids in the classroom would have given him a C at best. But apparently this teacher awards marks to kids for "just turning up" at class. And as for the teacher's comment "....not always well-directed", is this code for "...seems intent on trying to take over the class with material hardly anyone else understands or is the least bit interested in.....". She also forgot to acknowledge her grade was mostly based on his attendance at Sunday School.
Joe Hoogland:

21 Dec 2009 2:10:02pm

I think that Mr Rudd's climate change failure has been a lack of community engagement; such a fundamental reform surely needs an explanation to the public regardless of the fact that the majority is in favour of some kind of action. The second climate change failure has been the limp wristed legislation.

When he came to power I heard Mr Rudd argue that he would assess a problem, act to fix it then measure the results. I interpreted his messages to mean he would pursue policy. His response to the GFC encouraged me to believe his argument - by any measure the policy responses were well considered and executed. In contrast, his climate change legislation shows the extent to which he has been prepared to cave in to vested interests even though he was well warned of this by Prof Garnaut.

In my view he will move from your B minus to an A if he scraps the CPRS legislation and starts afresh, imposing an efficient policy which avoids the pitfalls already learnt from the EC experience. February will tell all.

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Spinner:

21 Dec 2009 2:10:21pm

If Obama, who has achieved precious little apart from collecting a probably undeserved Nobel Prize for of all things, Peace, rates himself a B-, then Rudd is probably deserving of a D- where D stands for Disappointment.

So much spin before the last election. So much bragging following the election in which he garnered a clear mandate to actually do something, and so very little actually achieved.

Propping up the economy in the face of the GFC? Well; I suppose any political leader who threw bucket loads of money at whoever was ready to catch it (and some who weren't as well), was certain to minimise the effect of that crisis by default. And that is exactly what Rudd did. I am not sure how much credit he deserves for that.

Many of us held out hopes that he might do something about mitigating AGW in line with the philosophies of Professor Ross Garnaut who was held out by Rudd as being the guru of solutions to combat AGW. But alas! Even that has been slipped into the politically too hard basket. And still, after Copenhagen, he doesn't listen to Garnaut.

So, apart from making somewhat of a fool of himself, and Australia, on the international stage, going around slapping world leaders on the back, telling us what, and making no apologies, there have been few achievements. In fact, upon more detailed recollection, very few indeed.

I am inclined to amend my earlier rating of D- to and F- there being no mitigating circumstances to support the former grading.

I am one of those who are responsible for voting this man and his band of merry men and women into office, and as soon as there is some sign of a reasonable alternative on the horizon, based on Rudd's miserable performance to date, hope to be one of those who vote him out of power.

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kevh:

21 Dec 2009 2:10:32pm

Well written Annabel. However, I wish I had you marking my progress when I was at school, you're a soft touch.
You give Rudd an A for his handling of the GFC. Unfortunately not all assignments are in and the overall result is inconclusive. Throwing billions at the problem is one thing, managing the recovery another. One consistent theme throughout his first two years is his propensity to put off tough decisions or dodge them entirely. I say we wait for a couple of budgets at least to see whether he has the stomach for the pain he will have to inflict on those who funded his GFC response, the taxpayer. Only then can we really give him a meaningful mark.
As for climate change, he has failed miserably to live up to his own rhetoric. I don't blame him entirely for the Copenhagen fiasco, but he did have his finger stuck firmly in the pie. He should however be held entirely to account for his pathetic CPRS which would do nothing to cut our emissions and was always only a political response. He should be gettig an F on the 'great moral issue of our time".

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warshawski:

21 Dec 2009 2:11:13pm

The economy was saved by 3 things, the banking sector being better regulated than in the US and UK, the governemnt having no debt and demand for resoucses (especially from China) returning very quickly. The government response was poor in that Kevin etc kept on stating it was the greatest disaster ever without explaining that Austarlia had several advantages over the situation in the USA and Eurpoe, some of the stimulus was needed where targeted but much has been a waste. Also look at the people smugling and the Indonesean solution all it has done is cost us money and political good will with Indonesea and not contributed to a solution, overall a C minus.

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Ken:

21 Dec 2009 2:14:45pm

Kevin Rudd does not deserve an A, B or a C for the state of the economy. He inherited one of the best economies in the world when elected and he would have had to have been the most incompetent PM ever to have taken us in to a serious recession even the global financial crisis. All he did was over-react and put us in to record debt for no good reason as it is China and the Coalition that are the reason for the Australian economy being so resilient. Kevin Rudd and his comrades have done nothing but failed on almost every front including massive budget over-runs and incompetents on the BER, turned our border protection in to a sham, made our Banks less competetive, tried to hit us with a massive failed ETS tax, changed industrial relations regulations to give militant unions more power and of course more strikes (with plenty more to come), given us record debt with the resultant massive increases in taxes to come into the future just to pay the interest bill alone (won't happen until after the next election of course), etc. etc.. Kevin Rudd has failed Australia and the future of the working families of Australia and of course the main question still remains - who really is Kevin Rudd and what does he really stand for apart from making boring speeches?

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claude:

21 Dec 2009 2:16:56pm

There is a saying of some thought, 'if you can fake sincererity you have it made.' Kevin Rudd would get an A+ on that effort, that propably will explain the lack of substance to what he has achieved so far.

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Steve:

21 Dec 2009 2:20:40pm

No mention of Fair Work replacing WorkChoices, which was supposedly THE issue that got Kevin07 across the line (or was it just that he WASN"T John Howard?)
Or is that another Gillard achievement whilst big Kev was overseas? Now there's another achievement you've not noted, spending more nights O/S per annum than any previous PM, and leaving a woman in charge back home! And what about wearing out his own staff even quicker than Opposition leaders?

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- luke warm:
  
  21 Dec 2009 3:25:16pm
  
  "and leaving a woman in charge back home!"
  
  Something wrong with having a woman in charge back home is there? Not being a trifle misogynist are we? Even the Liberals have a woman (sorry, 'loyal girl') as deputy leader (of course expect that to change if Tony gets to be PM - lol).
  
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ingenuous:

21 Dec 2009 2:20:42pm

I can accept that Rudd gets points for the economy. But for continually snubbing the Greens on climate policy, at best he gets a D.

The Education Revolution mystifies me. The sort of revolution I'm looking for is to stop funding private schools. Not the sort of thing our Mr Rudd even thinks of. Give him a C.

And then there's fruitcake territory: that internet censorship is a good idea. His secret censorship plan earns him an F. It's so big an F and in such a bright slash of red Texta that it's really the only mark that counts.

Mr Rudd, rating F. Please rework and resubmit.

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- luke warm:
  
  21 Dec 2009 3:31:48pm
  
  Stopping the funding of private schools would be a revolution alright. Chaos would ensue as they started pulling out of the education system, leaving public schools to pick up the shortfall of places. Watch out for the increase in class sizes, the increase in costs to you as a taxpayer (as the govt has to build new schools or buy the private ones). Like it or not, the facts are that private schools reduce the cost of education to the average taxpayer.
  
  And there was no point in courting the Greens on climate change, even with their support Labor could not have got the ETS past the Senate, thanks to Fielding (whose engineering background does not allow him to understand scientific evidence and probability).
  
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John Clark:

21 Dec 2009 2:24:13pm

After 2 years, Kevin Rudd hasn't made a firm decision - about the ETS, about calling a snap election, about taking over the health care system from the States, or about fast-tracking the broadband roll-out. I said on Day One that he "hit the ground consulting", and I predict it will just go on. Why:-

Recall the ABC TV series: "Yes, Prime Minister". The problem is Kevin Rudd is in fact: Sir Humphrey Appleby, not Jim Hacker. So his entire career as a profressional public servant has been about "offering advice (to Ministers)", not about making decisions himself.

For as Sir Humphrey often reminded Jim: "Making a decision would be a very bold move, Prime Minister."

"Oh good heavens Humhrey, not 'bold'?"

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

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Keith:

21 Dec 2009 2:24:38pm

Good to see you're still spinning for the government Annabel.
Your grasp of facts appears to be as nominal as usual.
Why didn't you include Rudd's Lowy Institute harangue ? It is unprecedented in Australian Prime Ministers to publicly ridicule and name-call people, just because they have a different point of view on climate change. A rational person could have used such an opportunity to explain why his view point is the correct one, but no, he instead chose to belittle and bully. He scores an F for Fraud on that one, as his actions most closely align with standard fraud tactics. Once the PM grows up, perhaps he will restart the debate as one that occurs between adults. A few more failures will afford the PM of some more growth experiences - if his caucus doesn't get to him first.
And no rating for the blame game ? Just disappointing ? He is only warming up.
You should have given Wong an A for Arrogance. Her department has produced a series of incorrect and downright misleading information reports, yet this minister still survives. Many queries looking for an explanation of the methodologies and provenance of the data being used has met with total silence, from both the department, and the minister's office.
Elbow grease indeed - busily telling unsubstantiated lies can only deserve another F for (again) Fraud.

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kevin's gone:

21 Dec 2009 2:25:07pm

Generous mark for a pupil who did little other than talk? He doesn't listen, shows off, only mixes with like minded nerds and contributes very little to helping others. Some students even described him as socially retarded. I never liked the kid, to be honest, if he was in my class I'd fail the little brat. But, the consensus appears to be that about half the class likes him and he therefore deserves a C+. If only he applied himself to meaningful tasks, instead of always wanting to skip class so he can go on bus trips to the museum.

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- Felix:
  
  21 Dec 2009 3:29:30pm
  
  An A+ for your report card!
  
  Captured young Kevin perfectly.
  
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mike:

21 Dec 2009 2:26:20pm

he seems to do a lot of talking and smiling when the cameras around but cant see that he does much more...we still havent got high speed broadband and their doesnt seem to be any improvement in the hospital system...petrol and food prices haven't dropped and interest rates are on the up...combined with an increasing deficit I wonder where all this talk will get us?

I'd give him an A+ for the talk but a C- for the walk.

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Paradise:

21 Dec 2009 2:31:14pm

With a conservative opposition enjoying renewed hypocrisy and duplicity, led by a cadaverous team of retreads plus B. Joyce's one man political disco, we haven't had much needed progress on reform. The Greens are as politically stupid as they are morally righteous. We'd be better off with the gamble of a double dissolution election, hopefully giving us progress while perhaps killing off the barnacles in the senate. Rudd has worked hard, thought and planned well, but has to conjure up numbers in his favour out of a stupid and self-interested electorate on climate issues. Copenhagen was a remarkable achievement; just to initiate a world meeting of this type puts in the same category as the League of Nations, a failure in substance but an innovative miracle. The Gillard factor is valuable too. She has great capacity and will expose the fraud of the opposition, especially that of its climate spokesman, Hunt. He was a fanatical devotee of market-based solutions to climate change. If only we could have a tax on carbon to fund research and development while compensating efforts at ameliorating the on-going damage. The ETS was a sop to Turnbullites, who'll do well out of their usual manipulations. Let's give our world the health and hygeine it needs, now.

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Xron:

21 Dec 2009 2:31:46pm

The author is clearly a Rudd groupie trying hard to disguise the fact. Anyone who marked Labor's first term objectively would struggle to award a pass. However, it is the trend today to award a trophy to all participants, so as not to upset the losers, hence Rudd gets a B. Well, very soon most punters will award the guy a D as it becomes clearer by the day that he is just using the electorate for his own enjoyment. Be honest and fail the guy, because he deserves it.

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PJ:

21 Dec 2009 2:31:54pm

The author, whilst elevated from a C to an A for actually corresponding on the government rather than the alternative for the most part, has omitted two key performance indicators,

1. A certain promise about hospitals..I shall leave the grading to the author.

2. A mandatory censorship Christmas present wrapped up, once again, as children-saving-policy (CSP). The electorate are looking past the wrapping. Automatically awarded an F by 96% of pollsters.

For this the author's overall grade is remitted to a B for content.

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Manik:

21 Dec 2009 2:35:13pm

Rudd's real score will come in the polls. I appreciate your efforts at trying to balance the ledger with some positives but at the end of the day Rudd deserves a C. He has been taking the credit of others work, like the base from which he fought the GFC.

It is time for the media to start applying the same scrutiny to Mr Rudd's work as it has to the Opposition.

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albertog:

21 Dec 2009 2:37:20pm

Ony a B minus Miss..?? Obama hasn't even submitted any assessment items and he's got a B+!

You've forgotten to take account of the Fair Work legislation, which was a major Labor policy item in 2007! And what about consideration for extenuating circumstances on the ETS - i.e., having to deal with a "dip-shit" senate.

I'd be asking for a re-mark if I was Rudd.

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Bruce:

21 Dec 2009 2:40:37pm

The Armchair critics, galvanized by their partisanship, are out in force, obviously on Xmas holidays and settling in for a little "End of year" bitching! Interesting that nobody here spoke of the hostile senates that both Obama and Rudd are battling against. Rudd is often accussed of being a "Do nothing" yet the legislative program has been enormous and has been frustrated by a hostile senate who have knocked back 37 peices of legilsation in almost two years. I am not so sure it's "Kev the do nothing" as it is the "Obstructionist co-alition".

Excuse me but is the majority always drunk???

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Fingerbun:

21 Dec 2009 2:41:40pm

I think I rate Rudd lower.

On the economy the level of debt truly worries me and we've yet to see how much longterm gain we get from stimulus. Certainly his actions are not those of the economic conservative he claimed to be.

On the education revolution, same deal. I don't think new school halls are the first priority.

I think he messed up the nbn and we are not out of the woods yet with that one. And the filtering of the Internet really, really worries me.

On the whole, I think I'd say " c minus. This student has ability but has not yet worked to his potential."

And I think it may be a different ball game if Abbott does a good job. The fright might spur Rudd to greater things.

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retract heathens:

21 Dec 2009 2:53:24pm

B-minus, are we are on the same planet? This is the guy who creates more emissions and hot air through his talk, talk, talk, than anyone else in a similar role. But when it comes to producing something tangible, he never delivers.
B-minus my ar-e. Very soon the voters will award him a 47 if he's lucky and that in my book is simply a .......FAIL.

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Crash:

21 Dec 2009 3:01:10pm

U for useless.
Why wait for the rest of the world to agree on saving the planet. We could always go Solar by ourselves and lead the way. Why not. We have this huge energy source shining on us everyday. Clean and Cheap. A gift to our species. Lets do it. Why not.
The only thing this planet is lacking is leadership. Copenhagen has proved that beyond doubt.
U for Useless.

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roger .b:

21 Dec 2009 3:06:34pm

C- for the Senator CONroy and his religious filter, we now are with China ,Iran and other Big brother countries. Rudd gets a D- for his green lies, looks like the coal/oil/gas industries got to him and wrote the ETS for him.

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Mike:

21 Dec 2009 3:08:21pm

Annabel, when I was school some 40 odd years ago there were the do'ers, the dreamers and the couldnt care less'ers. Kevein rudd would be classified as a dreamer. That is the gonna do type person that has all these great ideas and does nothing. The only difference between him and the couldn't care less'ers is the shuck and jive that accompanied it. After all these years (of offering excuses for Rudds goona do's) have you not figured this out as yet? Do I have to reming you of the goona do's. The fact that Rudd makes comments about Abbott getting fair dinkum is laughable. Abbott has been behind the scenes giving of his time in many things - and you know that wheras Rudd spins his way through Sunrise escapades and hair dryer hissy fits. It is time to call a spade a spade. Talk about a education revolution - lets start by getting the grades in order first. As far as I'm concerned Rudd would barley scrape by with a D. However for spin, drama and bulldust he would get a B.

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Christopher Pyne:

21 Dec 2009 3:09:03pm

It can't be very hard to earn a B if education received one - with a $1.7 billion blow out in spending on the SSD and $1.2 billion on the CIB as part of the GGER*- one can only wonder how poorly one needs to perform to score less.

SSD is school stimulus debacle, CIB is Computers in Boxes programme and GGER is of course, the Great and Glorious Education Revolution.

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- bruce:
  
  21 Dec 2009 3:20:40pm
  
  Mr Pyne,
  
  if you are wondering what consitutes a "Fail" simply look at Howards 3 years record leading up to the last federal election. The score was given by the great headmaster "Mr/Mrs Populace" who voted Howard a total failure. In fact Howards government was so inept that the headmaster booted him out of school! So there is your measure...now..good luck!
  
  Agree (0) Alert moderator
Chris N:

21 Dec 2009 3:12:57pm

Oh goodness what a bunch of poppycock from the peanut gallery. Annabel, I agree with your summation. B- is about right. Regardless of what was or wasn't there in the first place. Rudd's Govt. has done remarkably well to stave off the worst of resession and economy. No mean feat considering.

Highly specative, but if we were living under Abbott as PM, things would be unpleasant to say the least!

CN

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DavidW:

21 Dec 2009 3:18:36pm

An utter failure over and over and over again. What an embarrassment!

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Hubert:

21 Dec 2009 3:19:39pm

B minus it is...

A+ for the stable and solid economy and for telecommunications winners with national broadband network and showing some grit in dealing with Telstra.

However marks are lost for the proposed internet filter (ultra conservatism from Labor?) and a woefully lacking ETS proposal... Better than nothing, but giving consessions to the very people who are largely to blame in the first place ?

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Eric:

21 Dec 2009 3:33:13pm

We judge our leaders based on the alternative, because we have no scale to work with. There is no perfect leader who gets 1 and an untimate bad leader that gets 10.

Therefor in the end The Rudd Government is far superior to the Liberal/national alternative. This is a lesson for Tony Abbott, he has got to see himself as an alternative, not somone who objects to everything the Goverment does. If he keeps this up, all we will ever know is what he disagrees with (but it will only be for the moment he is so indecisive).

Copenhagen failed because there are too many people like Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce around. It would appear they prefer to be dependant on the middle east oil fields. They lack imagination because they cannot imagine the effect of a billion more internal combustion engine cars on the Chinese and Indian roads. They cannot imagine the disasterous effect of the oil supply comming to an abrupt halt.

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Lex:

21 Dec 2009 3:34:03pm

Must concentrate more.

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Ita Piliu jailed for at least six-and-a-half years for the stabbing death of Pulonga He Hau Taimovai

Source Michelle Draper
From: AAP
December 17, 2009 11:24AM
13 comments
A FATHER of two who fatally stabbed a fellow fruit-picking worker after a long drinking binge has been jailed for nine years.

Ita Piliu, 59, was drinking with a number of his workmates from an almond-picking farm at his rented home in Nyah West, near Swan Hill, in November last year when the alcohol started to run dry.

But when he tried to find the keys to a van to drive into town and buy more, 42-year-old Pulonga He Hau Taimovai suggested everyone had had enough to drink for the day.

The two men, along with Piliu's cousin Kepueli Piliu, began arguing and a physical fight broke out between Kepueli Piliu and Mr Taimovai.

Ita Piliu reached inside the van parked nearby and grabbed a large knife from his jacket, which was sitting on the driver's-side seat.

He returned to the two men, who had stopped fighting, walked straight up to Mr Taimovai and stabbed him once in the upper chest, near the armpit.

Mr Taimovai fell to the ground and Piliu was restrained by his cousin and another men.

The men drove Mr Taimovai to the local police station, where he was pronounced dead.

Supreme Court Justice Betty King said the knife's blade had pierced Mr Taimovai's left lung, the left ventricle of his heart and a major coronary artery.

Justice King said there was no evidence of any animosity between Piliu and Mr Taimovai.

"This was clearly a spontaneous, unplanned killing,'' she said.

Piliu, of Werribee, had prior criminal convictions for sex offences, but Justice King said this did not indicate a propensity for violence.

Piliu, who is married with two children, migrated from Tonga in 1973.

He pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter.

Justice King ordered Piliu to serve six-and-a-half years jail before being eligible for parole.

13 comments on this story

Have your say

Comments on this story

Sid of Welshmans Reef Posted at 1:04 PM December 17, 2009

Maybe if he was sent back to Tonga after his criminal convictions for sex offences then Mr Taimovai would still be alive. Send this filth back, we don't need him here.
Harry E W Smith, E.D., AD.M. of Melbourne Posted at 1:04 PM December 17, 2009

This is a clear case of MURDER! Why accept a plea of guilty to manslaughter? I speak as a former SA police prosecutor/investigator/law lecturer and instructor (Police Academy) and knowing the law as a I do I fail to understand whey the charge was not murder. Drunkenness is not necessarily a defence as a person may still be capable of forming the necessary intent to kill as it would appear in this case. It seems that life is cheap in our so called justice system! Suspended sentences are an absolute farce. Mandatory sentencing lawa are required! But don't hold your breath with this totally inept Labor Government that has failed completely to deliver law and order to the community. Hulls promised elimination of suspended sentencing but has now reneged on that promise. Yet this inept Government will give police arbitrary powers of search without having reasonable cause. What utter stupidity! A pity we can't indict the Government for its incredible ineptness! Not one competent "Minister"!
Monique Posted at 1:00 PM December 17, 2009

A charge of murder is determined also based on the guilty mind of the defendant. There is a subjective element to this also. A guilty mind can be established for murder if the defendant was reckless and knew there was a probablity that death or really serious injury could occur. This is subjective though, and maybe it was found that Piliu did not satisy the mens rea ( guily mind ) element of murder. Hence the charge may have been reduced to manslaughter. Just a thought. Defence could have possibly made it that it wasn't murder beyond reasonable doubt, if there is any doubt he can't be convicted. I'm not saying that my personal stance is neither here nor there, just trying to shine a little light onto the legal aspect of things. I do only have limited knowledge of the law though.
Ita Piliu jailed for at least six-and-a-half years for the stabbing death of Pulonga He Hau Taimovai

A FATHER of two who fatally stabbed a fellow fruit-picking worker after a long drinking binge has been jailed for nine years.

Ita Piliu, 59, was drinking with a number of his workmates from an almond-picking farm at his rented home in Nyah West, near Swan Hill, in November last year when the alcohol started to run dry.
But when he tried to find the keys to a van to drive into town and buy more, 42-year-old Pulonga He Hau Taimovai suggested everyone had had enough to drink for the day.
The two men, along with Piliu's cousin Kepueli Piliu, began arguing and a physical fight broke out between Kepueli Piliu and Mr Taimovai.
Ita Piliu reached inside the van parked nearby and grabbed a large knife from his jacket, which was sitting on the driver's-side seat.
He returned to the two men, who had stopped fighting, walked straight up to Mr Taimovai and stabbed him once in the upper chest, near the armpit.

Read full story

Have your say

Comments on this story
chris of city west Posted at 11:39 AM December 17, 2009

A man is dead, cold blooded killing, I don't get it

Comment 1 of 13
Gary of Melbourne Posted at 11:54 AM December 17, 2009

You get 10+ years for fraud but that's ripping off the government & not killing someone.

Comment 2 of 13
MindBoggling of Melbourne Posted at 11:57 AM December 17, 2009

Why manslaughter? Should be murder and locked up for life! 6 1/2 years for murder????????????????????????????????????

Comment 3 of 13
Murphy of Melbourne Posted at 12:16 PM December 17, 2009

Um...sex offences don't constitute a propensity for violence?! On what planet?! Sex offences ARE violence. Yeesh.
alkimAN Posted at 12:20 PM December 17, 2009

The man had no intention for killing, ALCOHOL IS THE MAIN KILLER!!

Comment 5 of 13
CZ of Melbourne Posted at 12:22 PM December 17, 2009

This drunken violent man who stab an innocent person should have been convicted of murder and sentenced to life. It's soft sentences like this that help fuel the violence in today's society.I would like to apologies as a member of the community to the victims family for another failure of our justice system. "Bad things happen when good people doing nothing"

Comment 6 of 13
neil Posted at 12:29 PM December 17, 2009

Judges in Australia have no idea about sentencing or acting as a person who deters people from commiting this type of offence. Until such time as we dismiss them and import judges from Asia to clean this place up nothing will change.

Comment 7 of 13
Craig of Melb Posted at 12:42 PM December 17, 2009

Once again alcohol gets someone off cold blooded murder! Its a farce.

Comment 8 of 13
nh jan of Brisbane Posted at 12:53 PM December 17, 2009

Gary of Melbourne you're 100% right. When there's money involved, the sentences are severe, murder someone - by knife or car, even gun - and well, the sentence will be minimal. I'm sick of reading these stories, nothing has changed. Judges are out of touch.

Comment 9 of 13
Prism of Melbourne Posted at 12:54 PM December 17, 2009

Sex offenses ARE violence, just ask a victim. Maybe the judge should have a go at being a victim of such and see if they still feel the same way. it was murder. He wasn't that drunk that he could not remember where his weapon was and reach it. He was about to drink drive, and that could have killed someone. The bastard should rot in jail till his last breath for murder. not a good advertisement for immigration either.

Comment 10 of 13
Monique Posted at 1:00 PM December 17, 2009

A charge of murder is determined also based on the guilty mind of the defendant. There is a subjective element to this also. A guilty mind can be established for murder if the defendant was reckless and knew there was a probablity that death or really serious injury could occur. This is subjective though, and maybe it was found that Piliu did not satisy the mens rea ( guily mind ) element of murder. Hence the charge may have been reduced to manslaughter. Just a thought. Defence could have possibly made it that it wasn't murder beyond reasonable doubt, if there is any doubt he can't be convicted. I'm not saying that my personal stance is neither here nor there, just trying to shine a little light onto the legal aspect of things. I do only have limited knowledge of the law though.

Comment 11 of 13
Harry E W Smith, E.D., AD.M. of Melbourne Posted at 1:04 PM December 17, 2009

This is a clear case of MURDER! Why accept a plea of guilty to manslaughter? I speak as a former SA police prosecutor/investigator/law lecturer and instructor (Police Academy) and knowing the law as a I do I fail to understand whey the charge was not murder. Drunkenness is not necessarily a defence as a person may still be capable of forming the necessary intent to kill as it would appear in this case. It seems that life is cheap in our so called justice system! Suspended sentences are an absolute farce. Mandatory sentencing lawa are required! But don't hold your breath with this totally inept Labor Government that has failed completely to deliver law and order to the community. Hulls promised elimination of suspended sentencing but has now reneged on that promise. Yet this inept Government will give police arbitrary powers of search without having reasonable cause. What utter stupidity! A pity we can't indict the Government for its incredible ineptness! Not one competent "Minister"!

Comment 12 of 13
Sid of Welshmans Reef Posted at 1:04 PM December 17, 2009

Maybe if he was sent back to Tonga after his criminal convictions for sex offences then Mr Taimovai would still be alive. Send this filth back, we don't need him here.

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Can Sarah Palin lead US Republicans to victory? May be she can and may she can't: VIEW THE PEOPLE'S COMMENTS
By Michael Brissenden

Sarah Palin officially stands down as Governor of Alaska

The expansive asphalt parking lot in Fair Lakes Shopping Center in Fairfax Virginia was full and there wasn't a single Prius in sight. This is SUV territory and the campaign sticker on the back window of one big Ford summed up the mood: a play on the Obama campaign mantra of hope, this one said simply - "Nope".

There are not too many Obama fans in Fairfax but there are hundreds of people prepared to line up for hours in the snow for a chance to meet the one political figure they believe might still be able to rescue the nation from "socialised medicine", "Liberal intellectuals" and "elitist" newspapers like the New York Times.

Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue is the publishing sensation of the moment here.

Tens of thousands of people have turned out as the carefully choreographed book signing tour has worked its way through a few dozen small cities and towns of middle America, carefully avoiding the bigger metropolitan centres of the north east and west coasts. The hype is real enough but it's left many observers wondering if it's the start of a bigger political campaign or just a money making exercise. Will she be a presidential candidate? Will she be a talk show host?

Is Ms Palin a politician any more or just a celebrity in a celebrity obsessed society? She is quite deliberately not ruling anything in or out. For the moment she's almost both of the above and that alone tells us quite a lot about the state of conservative politics as we approach the first anniversary of the end of George W Bush's presidency and of course the inauguration of Barak Obama.

The people lining up for a brush with fame see Sarah Palin as representative of "ordinary values" and an expression of their own beliefs - a "down to earth, real conservative who's not bought and sold by anybody", a woman "just like us".

But while Going Rogue will tell you more about the life and history of the woman who energised the Republicans' 2008 election campaign, it won't bring you any closer to actually knowing what Sarah Palin's specific policy positions might be in any future tilt at political office.

Here's just a snippet of the review in the New York Times:

"In Going Rogue Ms. Palin talks perfunctorily about fiscal responsibility and a muscular foreign policy, and more passionately about the importance of energy independence, but she is quite up front about the fact that much of her appeal lies in her just-folks "hockey mom" ordinariness."

But how ordinary are the "hockey moms" she says she represents?

Polls taken before the book tour began showed she had considerable support among committed Republicans but very little among the so-called independents in the centre of the spectrum. Still, whether you're selling books or political ambition there's plenty to be said for a slick publicity machine and a high wattage smile. The tour has see her ratings improve. The latest CNN poll shows that 46 per cent of those surveyed have given her a favourable rating, up from 36 per cent in November.

Much of her appeal rests in the way she has positioned herself as an outsider opposed to big government and the political class. She's even portrayed herself as outside the Republican Party. Her book savages the McCain campaign from the 2008 election and in particular the chief strategist Steve Schmidt who she says "put into motion a plan to destroy my reputation".

Whatever her intentions are the other big conservative names know that she is a potent political force and they know they have to at least be seen to support her publicly. John McCain himself has been effusive in his praise.

"I enjoyed the book", he said recently on one of the Sunday political talk shows. "We had a wonderful relationship. We need vigorous discussion and debate in the republican party and she's going to be a big part of that debate in the future."

The fact is the Republican Party does need to have a serious discussion about where it's headed.

Sarah Palin is becoming the most prominent face of the opposition to Barak Obama but she has so far failed to produce any substantive policy proposals apart from broad platitudes about the evils of big government and the inherent greatness of America.

At the moment the conservative voices making the most noise and defining the conservative battle lines are the shock jocks like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. They are never likely to appeal to the swing voters - or independents as they're called here -that are needed for any party to chart a course back to government.

Comments (99)

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mewl:

22 Dec 2009 9:43:41am

After the mess America will be in once they finally realise Obama was a mistake, Palin will start to look real good to the independents in the middle. Unless the leftist media embarks on another deliberate smear campaign of distorted facts and straight out mocking of anything Palin says, she'll start gaining heaps of momentum as Obama's "drive-america-into-the-ground" policies start to hit hard.

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Cap'n:

22 Dec 2009 10:06:29am

"After the mess America will be in..."

And their last experience with conservatives could be considered a success how?

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Mandy:

22 Dec 2009 11:38:25am

Sarah Palin, America's answer to Barnaby Joyce.

Lead the Republicans to victory?

To quote that other Republican sympathiser: "Never ever!"

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Stephan:

22 Dec 2009 1:13:03pm

Have Barnaby Joyce and Sarah Palin been seen in the same room at the same time?

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Andrew:

22 Dec 2009 10:18:50am

And who exactly got them into that mess again? When Obama arrived the American economy was already toast - the big bailout actually was done by Bush, not Obama.

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Peregrine:

22 Dec 2009 10:58:53am

The origins of the credit crisis trace their way back to Carter policies re affordable housing and compulsory lending to low income earners imposed on the banks. Both sides of the political spectrum mismanaged that aspect of the economy badly. The Republicans are going to appeal to people by saying government shouldn't intervene to subsidise social policies all the time using the credit crisis as proof they are right. This is why they may scuttle universal health care.

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the yank:

22 Dec 2009 11:33:00am

Wrong, to state that actions that were taken in Carter's time would cause a problem 30 years later is to misunderstand the problem.
The problem was cheap money throughout the beginning of and well into the 21st century. this was made worse by a removal of regulations by both Clinton and Bush which lead to unchecked greed in the financial industry.
The expansion of mortgage credit from 2002 to 2005 in subprime zip codes occured despite sharply declining relative (and in some cases absolute) income growth in these neighborhoods. In fact, 2002 to 2005 is the only period in the last eighteen years when income and mortgage credit growth are negatively correlated.
That US financial insitutions were then able to flog off these dubious loans especially to England and other parts of Europe was the base of the problem.

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ingenuous:

22 Dec 2009 11:35:39am

Nonsense! Financial institutions found a way to turn poor financial products into (seemingly) first class assets using complex financial chicanery. Financial institutions duped each other with these things and when they started to go bad, the cascading failure brought down the whole system.

Certain sorts of people like to blame the poor for being a bad credit risk. The blame for incorrectly calculating this risk should be put squarely on those in the expensive boardrooms of large financial corporations. The poor are victims. Again.

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Allan Byrne:

22 Dec 2009 1:20:30pm

Don't go blaming the Bush Administration on the downfall of the economy, From memory was it not a democratic congress that allowed this to happen?

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Marilyn:

22 Dec 2009 4:10:15pm

No Allan, the repugnicons had control of the senate from 1994 onwards and the collapse goes from 2002 onwards.

Bit hard to blame any democrats for that.

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the yank:

22 Dec 2009 10:57:28am

Bite your tongue mewl, I can't believe anyone would want Palin. Wasn't the last Republican President enough for you for awhile?
Have you any idea what a mess Palin left Alaska in before she slipped out the back door?
Obama accomplishments after 10 months in office include; a new health bill (years over due if you knew aythjing about the present state of USA health coverage), movement on climate change, a thought out approach on dealing with the mess Bush left in Afghanistan, the removal of troops from Iraq, the closure of Gitmo, the revival of the trashed American economy, improcvement to education and road infrastructure and an attempt to engage with the rest of the world instead of name calling.

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j0n0wee:

22 Dec 2009 11:26:00am

Just to clarify, Obama's foreign policy towards Afghanistan and Iraq pretty much mirrors GW Bush's proposals, only then the [D] stamp of approval was too faint.

Hardly a progressive that mainstream media tries to portray brother Barack as.
Can't even find the time to put forward Dawn Johnsen to head DOJ OLC, no where as speedy as or with an sense of urgency he or the hill managed with Sotomayor.

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ingenuous:

22 Dec 2009 12:07:11pm

Once you are mired in not one but two preposterous unsupportable wars, how do you get out? It is galling that Republicans point and laugh at Obama for not magically fixing the insane ballsup in Iraq and Afghanistan that they created.

Did the Republicans magically fix it? No. Does being a Democrat magically make wars easier to resolve? No. Does NOT starting a war help? Yes. But we don't get that option after the fact.

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ingenuous:

22 Dec 2009 11:49:09am

It makes no sense to those of us who are left leaning. To have any chance of understanding why anyone would like Palin, you have to understand Right-wing authoritarianism. Look it up on Google and read Bob Altemeyer's explanation of how it is (essentially) based on fear. Fear of "otherness", mainly.

Fear is an incredible motivator, and right-wing authoritarianism appeals to fearful people, who accept the most blatantly two-faced leaders in order to have someone who is willing to hate the right enemy.

Madness, I know, but we are far from a cure for fear and hatred, and while they are commonly held beliefs, people like Palin will thrive.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 12:24:10pm

Brissenden pegs it when he muses about Palin as a celebrity, but only amongst the deluded.

Americans in general are quite aware of how fully incompetent Palin is- and 'the yank' nuts it succinctly.

Obama is the best thing to happen to the US in many decades, certainly in my nearly 50 year lifetime. From here in Sydney, I'll be using my absentee vote to re-elect Obama.

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Phil Tas:

22 Dec 2009 12:42:16pm

My father-in-law is American, voted Republican all his life and still has repect for Nixon, but could not bring himself to vote for Palin being a heartbeat away from becoming president. If any person even considers her to be better than Obama and his sin of trying to provide health cover for the 40 million people who currently have not got access to it, I hope that person never has a position of authority

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RCB:

22 Dec 2009 1:15:31pm

Oh Dear ,

Looks like I will be voting Democrat for the second time in my life , sigh .

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Paul H:

22 Dec 2009 1:31:13pm

' ...once they finally realise Obama was a mistake'? After George W and the Republicans dragged them into protracted wars in Iraq & Afghanistan? After the failed policies of America triggered the GFC? Deliberate smear campaign? She opened her mouth to swap feet!
When the Soviet Union collapsed from its own rigid ossification there was rightful celebration.
With the slow crumbling of the American 'free enterprise' capitalist model,from its own rigid dogma, there can also be some hope for celebration; that people and human capital will gain the ascendancy this time.

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Tim Hoff:

22 Dec 2009 9:46:30am

Anyone "opposed to big government and the political class" gets a 'tick' from me.

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Julie:

22 Dec 2009 10:24:37am

This is so simplistic. 'Opposed to big government' unless it pays for endless defence spending, agricultural subsidies and bailing out banks. Palin is as much a part of the'political class' as any Democrat. She is totally ignorant of foreign policy -
I can see Russia from my window, she said. She is a fanatical creationist. The Republicans, like the Liberals, have learned nothing from their defeat except to go even further to the right.

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Daniel:

22 Dec 2009 11:05:07am

actually she never said she could see RUSSIA from her window...i think she said you can see Russia on a clear day....mmm yeah thats what she said....typical Liberal trying to spin lies. And it was Tina Fay who said she could see Russia from my house....i have been to Alaska and yes, on a very clear day you can see the coast line of Russia.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 12:28:43pm

Funny thing about Tina Fey as Palin is that she never uttered a single original word to spoof Palin. Fey used transcripts of Palin's actual words!

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ED:

22 Dec 2009 1:54:37pm

I don't think the issue is the way she said it, but the fact that she tried to relate this fun fact to her experience with foreign policy, of which she has none.

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Roger Vella Bonavita:

22 Dec 2009 10:38:44am

What did so the called small government of Bush and the Neo Cons give the US and the world? Can anyone mention just one good thing they achieved? All they brought was profit to a few large businesses and misery to the rest of us. Bush and his neo con incompetents represent the unacceptable face of capitalism - and that deserves a slap in the face!
Roger

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Emily Sue:

22 Dec 2009 10:48:25am

What have you got against big government? Did you complain about all the extra funding the American war machine has been getting in the last decade? This is where the American government is the biggest. Defense department, homeland security, NSA (which gets lots more funding than CIA and FBI) are all very bloated and have low accountability. Palin is calling for a muscular foreign policy. So does she want a big government or not? She is a walking contradiction, her statements are scattered and her policies are as empty as a dry oil rig survey.

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the yank:

22 Dec 2009 10:59:32am

Did Bush get a big tick from you? Have a look at how Palin mess up the Alaskian economy before you make up your mind.

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Hubert:

22 Dec 2009 12:58:54pm

Oh for goodness sakes yank, do you really think a Palin supporter would bother with such "pesky" details ?

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Peregrine:

22 Dec 2009 11:00:30am

I am very pro small government, but you need that small government to be good at what they have to do. Palin does not have the intelligence or skill to administer the US government.

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peterjh:

22 Dec 2009 12:30:15pm

I'd like to see your evidence for that comment. But, yes, small governemnt by all means: lets get rid of the armed forces, oh, the police, firefighters and the ambos too. Conservatives hate 'government' until the time they need help from it. Then they'll complain that there's not enought of it.

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Peregrine:

22 Dec 2009 1:40:38pm

Europe managed quite well during the middle ages and renaissance with small armed forces. But all of a sudden mercenaries offend the delicate sensibilities of liberals. Alaska under Palin was an absolute shambles, just jump online and have a look for yourself, im not going to write a dissertation on it here.

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B:

22 Dec 2009 2:00:37pm

If you want to se the evidence look in Alaska

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M:

22 Dec 2009 9:55:25am

Palin will be president when Hell freezes over.

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Dad:

22 Dec 2009 10:16:51am

I hope you are correct. This woman is a moron but they did elect GW Bush twice.

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Tony Grant:

22 Dec 2009 12:02:05pm

The electoral system had much to do with Bush x 2!
Non compulsory voting and corruption!

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Peregrine:

22 Dec 2009 11:00:46am

Are the Eagles touring again?

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Jackal:

22 Dec 2009 3:23:31pm

you are right, when Sarah becomes president, she will make the United States a heaven like country and all liberals will be sent to reformatory concentration camp and forced to be re-educated with the bible 24 x 7 so that they will understand that God exists.

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Bearcat:

22 Dec 2009 9:57:42am

She is a private citizen who is not currently running for any political office. It's not her job to produce detailed policy positions. There is time for that later -- if and when she decides to declare herself a candidate.

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Invig:

22 Dec 2009 11:35:15am

Correct. She has no 'job'. But she <i>is</i> taking advantage of a leaderless network; positioning herself as their next saviour.

For the small sum of, what, $70?

Its a great deal to have your inner (biblical) certainty restored, and peace of (unthinking) mind returned.

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What the:

22 Dec 2009 10:00:30am

If the Liberals can have Abbott as leader, the Republicans can surely have Palin.

Both are throwbacks to the 1950s and the world is a better place without these Dinosaurs.

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Peregrine:

22 Dec 2009 11:01:46am

How are Tony Abbott and Sarah Palin really comparable? Palin has little formal education to speak of, Abbott is a former Rhodes scholar?

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Poll Hereford:

22 Dec 2009 12:06:22pm

It's the populist demagogue position at this stage which makes them similar. Palin went to four colleges to get a degree.

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realist:

22 Dec 2009 11:59:07am

Please dont show your ignorance, Palin is an uneducated redneck, Abbot is an extremely intelligent, well read and educated person with a strong grasp of reality. Palin was a mistake by the GOP, however like Hanson she will continue to hang around and demonstate her redneck beliefs. One of the great benefits of democracy is that anybody may display their ignorance

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hugh jampton:

22 Dec 2009 12:39:04pm

Abbott has a strong grip on reality? The man professes to believe that he can implement soviet-style (government intervention) measures to reduce CO2 emissions and that they will cost less than market based systems. And he professes this knowing he will never have the support of his coalition partners the Nationals for such measures. Either he is delusional or outright dishonest.

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John:

22 Dec 2009 3:29:06pm

So the drummers are comparing Tony Abbott to Sarah Palin and attacking him like a pack of hounds of the Roman Emperors let loose on Spartacus. Thats good, he has got them scared.

At last we have some-one to stand up to Emperor Rudd who now has no clothes over his Copenhagen debacle. We also have an opposition to fight against a government run essentially by a bureaucrat megalomaniac and ex-trade union officials and organisers who are bent on sending this country broke and defenceless.

It is refreshing to listen to some-one you can understand instead of Rudd goggbledespeak and Gillard unionese. I could never vote for Palin or Turnbull but Abbott will make a fine prime minister and I will be first in the queue to vote for him. Thumbs up!

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BuddyGuy:

22 Dec 2009 10:05:57am

Please! All American politicians of any importance are all in the pocket of big business. Especially Palin, she comes from Alaska, a state big businesses have a lot of interest in due to its natural resources.

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Harry:

22 Dec 2009 10:10:39am

Well, I suppose every country gets a Pauline Hanson at one time or another. Lots of fizz followed by the fizzle. Ignorance is not a virtue and complex problems won't be solved by simple solutions.

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Pegaso:

22 Dec 2009 11:08:15am

And if she does reenter Republican politics,they will have their Barnaby Joyce.

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Tony Grant:

22 Dec 2009 12:04:00pm

An Empty Vessel makes the loudest noise!

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Jay:

22 Dec 2009 10:15:56am

"Much of her appeal rests in the way she has positioned herself as an outsider opposed to big government and the political class." - Um - so don't be a politician!

Her time as Governor of Alaska proved that she does not actually follow through with those ideals...

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Ravensclaw:

22 Dec 2009 10:20:47am

Contrary to the article above, Palin has stated her position on many issues, including energy, investment, foreign policy, defense etc. If Mr Brissenden did his research he would have known that.

The questions regarding Palin I want answered are:
1. Will feminists continue to remain silent while this woman continues to be harrassed and vilified by those of the left? This is important as I'm sure men and women of the centre and right are rightfully disgusted at this behaviour from some of the left.

2. Will the feminist movement support her if she runs for president considering they would support any woman of the left regardless of the quality and character of that woman? Palin is after all getting ahead because of her own talents, rather than any discriminatory affirmative action policy.

3. How many smears against Palin will make it through ABC's sensors?

Cheers

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Julie:

22 Dec 2009 10:31:47am

I do not automaticallly support any woman because she's from the 'left'. This is about Palin's abillity, or lack of it, not the fact that she is a woman. She has got to where she is not through 'her own talents'but because she spouts the most dangerously simplistic right wing rubbish. She is not being 'harrassed and villified' by the left. It is her policies.

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RN:

22 Dec 2009 10:48:03am

Are you kidding? Why on earth would feminists support Palin? Just because she's a woman does not mean that she earns the automatic support of the feminist movement. Considering her views on abortion, she is unlikely to win any feminist supporters.

I am sick and tired of Palin and the conservatives playing the 'sexism' card. If you want equality, then be prepared to take the heat. If Palin can't handle the pressure and the scrutiny of being a political candidate, she's in the wrong business.

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Mandy:

22 Dec 2009 11:44:39am

The Liberals certainly can't be accused of denying Equal Opportunity to deputy leaders.

As Abbott said, "Julie Bishop is a loyal girl".

Ah, yes, good girl, pat, pat.

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Ravensclaw:

22 Dec 2009 12:04:11pm

RN

Leftists play the sexist card all the time e.g. Lawrence, Bligh, Kirner.

I simply highlight the irony that the "vote for a woman only because she is a women" only seems to come out when there is a female leftist candidate, and that a woman is only persecuted if she gets the rough treatment AND she is a leftist.

How about Kev's, Keating's and Beazley's views on abortion?

Cheers

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ED:

22 Dec 2009 2:00:38pm

Also Ravensclaw, I think you will find that many liberal feminists have stood up for Palin, when she has been treated in a specifically sexist manner by the media.

Case in point, the use of an image of her in her running outfit on the cover of Newsweek. The photos were taken for a Runners World profile, for them to use this as a cover image when talking about her political identity it is inappropriate and feminists agreed.

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AESp:

22 Dec 2009 10:58:16am

Palin a feminist? are you kidding me? She is a fabrication, nothing is real on this woman, she's thirst for power. Go back to read you Harry Potter book.

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Cal:

22 Dec 2009 11:24:15am

Ravensclaw - your argument is purile. Women do not automatically vote for women. the left didn't support Thatcher because of her gender. This is a myth, and such a claim shows political ignorance. There is no evidence that women vote for a female candidate in higher numbers. By your misguided logic, if Julia Bishop was elader of the Libs, she would secure the feminist vote?

Palin will not get republican nomination and will be little more than a footnote in American political history.

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j0n0wee:

22 Dec 2009 10:21:36am

As much as I hate Obama & Co., you would have to absolutely stupid to vote Palin as President. I mean really?... you want to this fringe right compilation of idealogy stuff into a hot body on "The Red Button"?

Well I guess a combination of non-mandatory voting, apathetic small-l liberals, and enough AstroTurfing by neocons she might get pass. Combine that with Obama's centre-right policies, betraying new [D] voters and depressing the liberal Democratic base; soaring rhetoric isn't going to save him when the war <b>officially</b> expands into Pakistan, and the US is forced into Lieber-RamnCare insurance mandates.

For god sake, the McCain-Palin ticket gain ~46% of the votes against "the lesser of two evils" Obama-Biden; even though knowing all the rubbish another Republican administration would put the world through, Obama didn't get an all out smashing majority.

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ingenuous:

22 Dec 2009 11:59:42am

You forget that Obama is black. Obama the person is so good that he overrode the prejudices of the average american.

Lots of the 46% you quote as Palin support was anti-black sentiment.

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John Hammett:

22 Dec 2009 10:42:30am

Whether by intent or a failure to read/hear the "Palin" message you've tagged her 'Ms' and not 'Mrs'. Sarah Palin, by example and rhetoric, is the voice of regular middle Americans. These are the no longer silent majority who distrust liberalism because it's fake, distrust politicians because they too are fake and who want common sense to return to the world of doublespeak that DC (and the ACT) have become. Where's our Sarah Palin?

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not before coffee:

22 Dec 2009 11:04:06am

"Where's our Sarah Palin"? ?

Where have you been? Our Sarah is Barnaby Joyce!

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nato:

22 Dec 2009 11:08:42am

wilson tuckey is our sarah palin

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Julie:

22 Dec 2009 11:10:18am

Who was in power for the previous eight years before Obama, then? I get tired of this 'silent majority' stuff from conservatives. If they are 'silent' it is a very noisy and insistent silence. America, even now, is dominated by the religious right and the anti government brigade, which is why Obama was finally unable to include a 'public' option in his health care plan .

You need more than 'common sense' to run the world and you need more than just simplistic rhetoric. You ask who was our Palin - it was the unlamented Pauline Hanson, although Tony Abbott appears to share many of her views.

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TPG:

22 Dec 2009 12:13:22pm

It is what decades of "lack of education does to the masses" they become "simple Simon's".
These people are "fear based" you can't talk to them....religious and angry!

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Paul Pott:

22 Dec 2009 10:58:38am

A few people here talk about the "the leftist media". I am curious to which actual publications/tv-radio shows they mean. When you consider the easy ride Bush got both here in Australia and USA during his time, especially with the WMDs, I can't see much "leftism" in the mainstream media. Palin will get criticised for her actual abilities - she's an ignorant airhead, and it exposes the level of politics in USA that she gets anywhere near a responsible public position. I watched a section recently interviewing supporters outside a book signing and not one could tell what her policies were on anything, and they were equally as ignorant of the world as she.

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M:

22 Dec 2009 11:31:17am

American media seems to be more politically partisan than here - or at least more open about it. I'm mystified by the "left-wing media" myth as much as you are. Anything Murdoch owned is very right-wing. I'd say that the media in the USA taken as a whole would cover most of the political spectrum.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 12:35:26pm

Too right. The 'liberal media' canard is spouted only by the right wing extremists, as if there were one of any significance.

If it wasn't for Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann, there'd be no 'liberal media' in the US at all.

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wiley:

22 Dec 2009 11:00:25am

The Dems overlooked their obvious (female) candidate, and the voters overlooked the obvious choice (McCain), and voted for the black guy to prove they weren't racist. Now that he has less than 50% support, does that mean Americans have become racist? No, its just that BHO is a crap president.
President Palin to win in a landslide in 2012.

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not before coffee:

22 Dec 2009 11:13:42am

What a joke all this Right Wing anti-government fanaticism is!

The Right's Hero, Reagan, who kept talking about less government was in fact the President most responsible for the INCREASE in government infrastructure, bureaucracy and public servant jobs of all post-WWII presidents. What a laugh!

And Bush Jr.'s response to 9-11? To create a whole new, multi-billion dollar per year, agency to deal with Homeland Security - like FIVE other agencies couldn't do the job? A new one was needed. But Bush Jr. was all for "less government".

And now Sarah Palin wants an aggressive security policy for America. That means defense spending and lots more taxes to pay for it.... all the while spouting that government should 'get out'.

War is Peace.

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TPG:

22 Dec 2009 12:19:10pm

Maybe not new taxes just moving the chairs on the "Titanic"!

The huge group at the bottom including the working poor would be "scraped" and have no rights, no vote and more people would end up in prisons or worse!

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J-Boy:

22 Dec 2009 11:28:50am

America is a country that was built on big ideas. Why is everyone now so anti-elitist? How many big ideas has Joe the Plummer had?

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Richard L:

22 Dec 2009 12:00:48pm

There's no doubt the American right needs to rebuild, if only to re-establish the equilibrium of contrast that a healthy democracy depends on. (The same applies in Australia.) That's a challenge since so-called centre-left politics (in office) these days holds the middle ground, where governments get elected. It's primarily a challenge that must first be met with intellectual argument and then construction of a policy platform people will actually vote for. For Americans, Sarah Palin seems unlikely to be able to provide either.

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hugh jampton:

22 Dec 2009 12:53:35pm

People who profess to believe that Labor in this country (or the Democrats in the US are "Centre-Left" (or even more absurdly, left wing) are either ignorant or extreme right. A little political history shows we haven't had a left wing government here since Whitlam. Labor under Hawke and Keating pinched the middle ground, Howard took us further to the right and Rudd is now back in the centre. If you want to see left wing, look at the Labor opposition in the 1950s.

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Chi:

22 Dec 2009 12:08:26pm

The only way I can see her getting the top job would be similar to Howard got in.

To be facing an incumbent who the people are going to vote out no matter what, and keep your mouth shut about anything specific during the election campaign.

But I hope we wont return to another age of darkness so soon.

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monty:

22 Dec 2009 12:25:48pm

you yanks should open your eyes and ears and listen to what the rest of the world, and yes even your friends here in australia think of some of the types of people like george w. and now sarah p. you have elected or would like to elect as president of the usa. wake up america before you have no friendly countries left to support you.

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L:

22 Dec 2009 12:14:33pm

Can Sarah Palin lead US Republicans to victory?

No

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RT:

22 Dec 2009 12:26:15pm

When are people going to stop taking this woman seriously? She is nauseating and trying too hard to be ordinary. She has the charisma of a grasshopper and everytime she opens her mouth she puts her foot in it. She has absolutely no idea of what politics are or how to go about serving the Americans, just watch her TV appearances. "celebrity appeal" and a high wattage smile are no substitutes for real brains and depth of which Sarah Palin sadly lacks both.

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P Q:

22 Dec 2009 12:33:47pm

Why is ABC wasting bandwith on Sarah Palin. We have at least the equivalent in Abbott and Joyce. So much better for ABC to tell us of all the good times we had in the 70s and how the new Coalition team will bring us back in time.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 12:42:44pm

No kidding. Palin is a failed VP candidate and failed governor who could not manage to serve out a single term. Palin only gets positive coverage in the US from Fox Noise- all other US news mentions she gets are usually lampoons.

Palin's newsy in the same way that Paris Hilton is famous.

I'm more than a bit surprised Brissenden even takes Palin seriously enough to write about her. Mr B usually has more nous.

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Martin:

22 Dec 2009 12:39:52pm

Just over three hundred million people live in the USA and there appears to be a shortage of political talent in the Republican Party. Perhaps the Party machine do not search for talent.

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Janette:

22 Dec 2009 1:23:02pm

The machinery in the Republican Party arent interested in talented good politicians- that would be a threat to their power base. They are only interested in advancing people that they feel can enhance their political causes namely themselves. Perhaps what is needed is a completely new political party ( yeah i know ha ha) that is really interested in people and improving everyones lives.

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Jenkins:

22 Dec 2009 12:59:11pm

Too be blunt, Palin is just too dumb for the office of President.

She's great at giving speeches, but when it comes to in-depth discussion of issues, she has a "BB" gun mind in a 12-Gauge world.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 3:16:18pm

You're close.

Slingshot mind in a nuclear-armed world.

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redexile:

22 Dec 2009 1:03:20pm

Far out! If they think Sarah Palin is the best hope they must be banking on one hell of a lot of the American electorate being small minded, white, deadheaded, slobs. The land of opportunity my backside; the land of greed judging by the opposition to a more equitable, moral health care system. As for the NY Times being elitist...when was it a crime to have more than 2 brain cells? If Obama doesn't get two terms, especially after Bush, then I've lost what little respect and hope I had left for the US of A.

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grizzle:

22 Dec 2009 1:32:12pm

Oh, Come on!!
Unfortunaltey there is a real possibility that Palin will get within a sniff of the whitehouse. The appeal to middle class psuedo/christian conservative values appeals to the white middle class who vote and choose to remain ignorant of the real issues. America (and Australia for that matter) needs a new "new deal" to re-position the economy from an "agricultural/industrial" framework to something more global, anti militaristic and eco-friendly. But no-one will do it (even Obama) as they wont last 5 minutes in power.
America will continue the slide as it chooses to bury its head in the sand.
Palin will be divisive and destructive for america. She will be W on steroids.
By the way, my undertanding of a christian is someone who reflects the values and attitudes of Jesus of Nazareth, and I have yet to see that in Sarah Palin.

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Gina:

22 Dec 2009 2:14:55pm

If Sarah Palin reflected the values and attitudes of Jesus of Nazareth she would not be a politician!

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 3:22:32pm

"Unfortunaltey there is a real possibility that Palin will get within a sniff of the whitehouse"

No way, grizzle. The only way Palin will get within a sniff of the White House is if they're having a BBQ in the Rose Garden, there's a breeze from the north and Palin's standing on E St.

If Palin is the GOP's 2012 candidate, the Democrats should PAY them. It'll do nothing but lock in Obama's second term.

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AJ:

22 Dec 2009 1:33:10pm

One note of concern I would raise to those who say she won't win (and believe me, I couldn't think of anything worse than a person of either gender with her biblical literalist beliefs and moral absolutism with access to the nuclear codes) is to remind people that she doesn't need to win a majority of americans to become president, just to win a majority of voters in the right states.

If the Democratic base, disillusioned with the weakness of their half-baked health care reform, continued presence in Afghanistan and lack of effective action on environmental issues stay home, Palin or someone like her who can energize the Christian Right in sufficient numbers just may put her over the line.

God help us all if that happens.

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hugh jampton:

22 Dec 2009 2:45:32pm

Mostly agree, but you mean "Religious Right". The term Christian Right is an oxymoron.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 3:25:50pm

AJ, the scenario you paint suggests that the Democratic base would have to believe that Palin would do better than Obama. There'll sooner be snowball fights on the banks of the Styx.

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B Todd:

22 Dec 2009 3:30:06pm

"Palin or someone like her who can energize the Christian Right in sufficient numbers just may put her over the line.'

AJ, you're waaaaaaaaaaay overestimating the number of Christian right voters in the US. While media outside of the US makes much of the American religious extreme right, they really don't make up a significant part of the popular vote. That they have the ears of some politicians makes them punch above their weight, but we're talking about 3% of the popular vote on a really good day for them.

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not before coffee:

22 Dec 2009 4:02:46pm

I wouldn't underestimate the numbers; including the Christian "Middle to Right" who live in "one nation under God".

For a fair number of American Christians, God uses earthly nations to further His purpose and plan for the Chosen. America is blessed by God to confront the Muslims and heathens and protect American/Christian values. God supports a true Christian worldly government, so God supports the USA.

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another yank:

22 Dec 2009 4:17:24pm

nbc, you're right, some American Christians do think like that.

However, thankfully, there's simply not enough of them to elect a president. B Todd is correct in the assertion that they comprise around 3% of the popular vote.

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Hudson Godfrey:

22 Dec 2009 1:55:05pm

Tina Fey, sorry uncross your fingers now! Sarah Palin couldn't lead a dog on a leash after the last election.

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OpEd:

22 Dec 2009 2:37:03pm

Sarah Palin is like a lot of things in America, 10 miles wide and half an inch deep.

A nobody from Alaska who is plucked from this obscurity by a wacky Presidential candidate as his running mate. She then goes on to get someone to ghost write a book about her rather unremarkable life and ideas, millions buy the book (but don't read it) and all of a sudden, she is somehow the nations savor in waiting. Out of 300 million people, surely the Republican s can find a bit more talent that her!

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Jackal:

22 Dec 2009 3:18:43pm

Those who claim that Palin is a moron and idiot are the real idiots of America. Why?? Look at Californians, they are so idiotic libs that they do not even know that their state is on bankcrupt big time. They have a Rino governor who is being dictated by his liberal democrat housewife. At least this idiot Palin was able to balance Alaska budget surplus. Those who are liberal elite jobless, I would recommend that you go to Alaska and look for jobs up there so that you will not remain a burden to American society. Anyway, you have just elected a manchurian president who learned from Harvard that there are 57 states in the USA and he claimed that the world is flat

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ChrisPer:

22 Dec 2009 3:29:09pm

After the deluge of misogyny and supercilious put-downs that greeted her nomination as a VP candidate, the real question about Palin is how to deal with the batshit craziness our educated classes descended into.

Its just like the Pauline Hanson times in Australia - the ABC journalists were embarrassing in their pathology, and over a person who could never threaten their hegemony.

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Marilyn:

22 Dec 2009 4:08:37pm

Palin is an airhead no matter how you want to paint her. Those who think she would be any better than Bush are really delusional.

Enough about this pesky twit.

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what the:

22 Dec 2009 4:19:05pm

The real question is would American's actually be dumb enough to vote this idiot in as President?? Can you imagine??? I dont care what political spectrum you're from, this woman is a dangerous moron exploiting the lowest common dominator.

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