I thought that it could be useful, in light of the apparent rise in the populist politics of grievance, to ask, so, what does it mean to be Australian? Anti-immigration is the flag waving vanguard theme of One Nation and the remnants of the Liberal party. Blame it on the immigrant appears number one on the political grievance charts downunder. Therefore, it provokes the question – what does it mean to be Australian? If it is not out-and-out racism, as those on the Right deny it to be, who, then, qualifies to be considered an acceptable Australian?

One Nation & No Voice For Black Fellas

The very name One Nation implies we all get behind a clearly defined national identity. The next logical assumption is that One Nation translates as assimilation to this defacto Aussie identity. We saw the Indigenous Voice referendum defeated in Australia late in 2023. Many on the Right campaigned against it on the basis of its divisiveness to a national identity. In their book, there is no room for black fellas and sisters to hold onto their ancestral cultural identities in a modern Australia. In truth, the Voice was about disenfranchised folk getting some say in their future – it was about power. That bid for empowerment was vetoed by a majority of white Australians.

Who Decides Who Is An Acceptable Australian?

So, who gets to decide what it means to be an acceptable Australian? Pauline Hanson? Well, it, obviously, wasn’t Peter Dutton. Who decides? Is it those individuals flying Aussie flags outside their homes? Does that qualify you as someone who gets to make that decision? I ask what have these folk done for their country? What civil service have they completed on our behalf? Or are they just waving flags to signal their racism and narrow mindedness? Overt patriots have long been suspected of disguising self-interest under their enthusiastic flag waving. It must be seen for what it is – political activism. Right wing folk attempting to co-opt our national flag for their own extreme agenda.

First Nation Australians

The history of this young country is one of colonial invasion and dispossession. Black fellas and sisters were here for some 60, 000 years or more prior to a European military/convict/settler armed influx. British aggression and more advanced weapon technology defeated the Indigenous populations. Since that bloody beginning Australia has sung the praises of the pioneering spirit of the white settlers. There is no denying that courage and determination deserves acknowledgement. It has had that official recognition for some 250 years. Telling the other side of the story does not diminish that but puts it into context. There is room within this vast continent for both stories to be told. History, like human beings themselves, is more complex than is often acknowledged. For too long, victors of battles and wars have got to define the histories of their nations. Aboriginal people were brave and strong, deserving of our and their own esteem. And their progeny are deserving of our respect going forward. This is what the acknowledgement of country is about.

Thin Skinned Aussie Racists & Neo-Nazis

You have to ask yourself why flag waving Neo-Nazis and their ilk so begrudge these acknowledgements to our Indigenous past and present? Why are racists and white supremacists so thin skinned in this regard? Magnanimous folk are big enough to embrace more than themselves. One Nation supporters seem the opposite, too uptight and insecure to see beyond their own reflection. Do they really want to live in a land where everybody is constrained to appear to be the same? How bloody boring! Try and visualise our great cosmopolitan cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide as wall to wall white bread Anglo. No restaurants except American fast food outlets. No gourmet delicatessens. No wine industry. No passionate Carlton supporters. No exotic faces to be admired. No unique perspectives to challenge and inspire us. So many wonderful sights and sounds  we would be deprived of to our detriment.

Australia would be so much less than it is today. Think about it!

Immigration Is Not The Real Problem

Immigrants are not the problem. Populist political parties on the Right have been ploughing that field forever. There are no simplistic solutions for your protest vote. The actual facts of the matter are that One Nation is backed by a billionaire oligarch who is not your friend. Right wing parties are always funded by the big end of town. If you want to know who is stealing your lunch – it is not some poor immigrant. We are all being economically squeezed by ruthless rich folk and corporations who will not pay their fair share of tax. Workers pay tax in Australia via personal income tax and pay high taxes on their booze and bets. Billionaires and big companies avoid paying tax by means of clever accountants and helpful legislation like CGT discounts, superannuation boltholes and negative gearing to name but a few. Corporations only pay tax on profits and the multinationals shift profits to tax havens via inflated IP charges to associated companies. Google does it to the tune of some $6 billion every year. Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Pepsi, News Corp, Uber and lots more all do it in Australia to hide their profits from the ATO. Yes, our governments are complicit in this by their inaction to do something about this.

Australian Traits In The 21C

So, what does it mean to be an Australian? In the past, we have been well known as easy going, sport’s mad folk who like a drink. Do these characteristics still hold true? Well, yes, the sport’s obsession has morphed into the designation as the world’s biggest losers when it comes to gambling on the outcome of those contests. Sport’s betting is big business downunder. Easy going in that a fool and his money are easily parted, according to those tight fisted Scots. I think that the latest figures have us spending some $26 billion annually on alcohol. This could, also, indicate a relationship between all those losing bets and being under the influence. Despite these less than flattering aspects to our makeup  many Australians are warm and friendly folk. Indeed, we have an internally recognised reputation for spotting the inauthentic and ungenuine. Whether this is holding up under the Americanisation process will be for younger Australians to answer. The proliferation of American fast food franchises and Big Tech digital giants feeding us unhealthy crap is in overdrive around the place. Manipulated American forms of capitalism have been taking over the world for the last half a century with our CEOs doing MBAs over there and the import of US values poisoning the well at pace of late. American pop culture paints a rosy picture of itself on our screens and sophistication has long been measured on how much Aussies can ape it in their dress and mannerisms. Think about all those inflated 4 by 4 Utes on our roads and the manosphere pumping itself up on these muscle cars of their generation. This is imported US culture on steroids. In contrast to this, Aussie younger women are very politically aware and are no fools for the trad wife BS coming out of America. The rise of the populist Right on the back of a protest vote seems to be constrained to regional and outer suburban areas downunder. The ‘blame it on immigration’ protest vote is real but, I reckon, younger metro voters are wise to the fact that this is not the real problem but rather a band aid reaction to the housing crisis and cost of living pressures.

The growing wealth divide is at the heart of things economically and a government that wants to survive has to address this quick smart or face the consequences at the ballot box.

Things Can Get Worse If You Elect Crooked Populists To Power

Trumpism in America has come as a dire warning about the dangers of a populist protest vote to the Right. Things can get worse if you put unrestrained crooks into power. Some politician saying that he or she will address your grievance is no guarantee that they will follow through on that promise. Donald Trump has taught the Right to lie shamelessly and boldly. These types will do and say anything to get into power.  You need to carefully examine their parliamentary voting record and background to assess who they really are. Don’t take things at face value when it comes to politics, as it requires scrutiny to get to the truth of the matter. Disengaged voters are putty in the hands of unscrupulous politicians. From the frying pan into the fire is how millions of Americans now feel after voting for Trump, with the cost of living going up and a new war started in the Middle East. Poor people and working Americans will pay for the excesses of the rich.

It is happening now just look at the price of diesel and petrol in Australia – thanks to Trump.

So, what does it mean to be Australian? For millions of Aussies it is a functioning nation of multicultural metropolises, where we get to taste the best bits of many different cuisines and hear the sounds of exotic music at street festivals. Expanding the cultural appreciation of us all makes us better human beings. We might meet and marry Australians from different parts of the world, having families and enriching the melting pot of who we are as a nation. This is the reality of what is happening and has been occurring for many years. There is room for the complexities of who we are without the constraints of some bland concept of assimilation. Welcoming folk is the way, not indulging it hate speech. Let’s focus on making people feel welcome and helping out where we can. That is what it really means to be Australian.

• (https://wordsforweb.com.au/the-fundamental-difference-between-left-right/)

Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of The AI Heresy; What Price Life?; America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump; and other titles. NOW AVAILABLE AT APPLE BOOKS & GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS. Google Play Books AUDIOBOOK

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