AUSSIE ICONS: Are the symbols that make us feel `True Blue' changing? - Jim Kelly, The Sunday Times

Some interesting points on including Aboriginal Studies in school curriculums but no clear definition on what symbols we could use to help us define 'Australian' - will it be more about relationships than icons?...Sue Ellson

http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,17825151%255E949,00.html

AUSSIE ICONS: Are the symbols that make us feel `True Blue' changing?
In the aftermath of Sydney's race riots, January 26, 2006 could be one of our most significant Australia Days. As we step into the 21st century, has our identity and what symbolises "being Aussie" changed that much? Jim Kelly analyses what it means to be Australian, and the icons that signify our patriotism
15jan06

AFTER a turbulent year for multiculturalism, many Australians are approaching our national day wondering what lies beyond beer and barbecues.





What defines being Australian is found in the icons that have become ingrained in our cultural identity. The Outback, slouch hats, beaches and surf lifesavers have all been adopted as symbols of who we are.

The sense of being Australian draws heavily from the land, but equally it can be found in attitudes and the belief in a fair go.

It's even found in a jar of Vegemite. What represents Australia is as varied as the people who call the country home.

But as more migrants come into the country, what it means to be Australian is changing – and as the Sydney race riots proved, some Aussies are feeling threatened.

The most recent head count, the 2001 census, showed we were increasingly becoming a multicultural mixing pot.

More than 30 per cent of our population was born overseas.

Curtin University head of cultural studies Jon Stratton said, like it or not, migration would change what it meant to be Australian.

"It is not about replacing cultural icons, it is about transforming them,` he said.

"The Aussie barbecue will never disappear, but maybe in future we might be having a kebab as well as sausages."

Prof Stratton compares Australia today with the US in the 1920s and '30s.

A huge influx of migrants to America caused what became known as "the salad-bowl effect", where people from differing backgrounds were tossed together to create a new blended culture.

He said the downside of multiculturalism in Australia was that it classified and often alienated minority ethnic groups.

The tensions that this creates were seen in Cronulla when a drunken mob turned on anyone of Middle- Eastern appearance in a backlash against the Lebanese community.

Most of those targeted by the youths, some carrying the national flag, were born in this country.

"Australia has an emphasis on Anglo-Celtic culture and tends to think of other cultures as add-ons," Prof Stratton said.

"We have to integrate and accept that the dominant Australian culture is going to be transformed.

"Some people are threatened by that, but we have reached a point in our migration history where we have children from all sorts of backgrounds who see themselves as unapologetically Australian.

Islamic Council of WA president Rahim Ghauri says his community is feeling the brunt of Australia's growing pains.

He said Muslims wanted to become part of the country's future, but felt they were not welcome.

"Some people equate all Muslims with terrorism," he said.

"But we want to get on with the work of building Australia, feel part of the community and celebrate Australia Day as Australians.

"We should be able to get together under the one flag and hold our heads high."

For the indigenous community, the challenge is to maintain a voice in an increasingly diverse society.

Aboriginal Legal Service chief executive Dennis Eggington said indigenous culture should be part of all Australians' national identity.

said the country should learn from the experience of Canada and New Zealand, where indigenous culture was part of everyday life.

Mr Eggington is a strong advocate of making Aboriginal language and cultural studies compulsory in schools.

"Aboriginal culture has been devalued for a long time," he said.

"It is going to be very difficult for some people, particularly older people, to be re-educated and realise that they are part of a rich indigenous culture.

"Aboriginal identity has to be an identity where Aboriginal culture has a significant point of expression.

"Our culture should be in your face."

Prof Stratton said the future of multiculturalism was already being seen in WA classrooms, where children from different backgrounds played together unaffected by their different backgrounds.

In an evolving society, they shared the same dream of being accepted as True Blue.