zo
PRIME MINISTERj
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING, MP
Not for the first time, John Howard has hijacked the
Opposition'a immlgration olicy and called for an intake
" dromatically lower" than both the Government's target and
the Coolition'a.
The Coalition wants 50,000 70,000 nett. Mr Howard wants
next to none if that is what " a virtual moratorium" can be
taken to mean.
The Opposition has a spokesman on immigration and ethnic
affairs, but it is 3ohn Howard who does the talking.
I
And there are signs that neither his tone nor his obsessiOns
have changed much since his notorious outbursts as Liberal
Party leader in the eighties.
While Mr Howard and Dr Hewson cannot agree over the migrant
intake figure each believes to be appropriate, they seem to
be more united in their aversion to multiculturaliam.
John Howard made his position clear a few years ago.
Dr Hewson is firmly on the record since his extraordinary
outburst at the State Conference of the Liberal Party of
Western Australia on July 25 this year.
He said then that multiculturalism was " absolutely a
fundamental mistake in this country."
He said: " We are a multicultural society yes. But we
should never have multlculturalisrm." In his view
multiculturaliem amounts to nothing more then the
" elevation" of people he describes as " a few professional
ethnics..." This is Dr Mewson's view of one of Australia's great social
achievements a peaceful and cohesive multicultural
society. It reflects his loathing not only of the goals of fairness
and equity at the centre of multicultural policy, but his
deep disdain for ethnic community leeders.
2
In a world torn * part by ethnic divioions it seems
extraordinary to mount such an attack on what is surely an
enviable hustgalian evooees.
I note that the Oppoestion's official spokesman on
Immigrrtion matters, Mr RuddocX, is trying now to
reconstruct Dr Hewsur'e remarks to make them more socially
p'tlatable. The fact le that with Dr Hewson dealding multiculturalism,
despite Its manifest BCi1 and economic advaitages, and Mr
Howard weighing In with hMv own obsessive and regressive
views on immigraLion, Mr RuCOock has nowhere to turn.
Australians should be Aware of the threat to the harmony and
cohesion of their avuiety in the attitudes Of Dr Hewson and
Mr loward.
SYDNEY August, 1992