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Issue Number 35 - November 2000

Becoming a Nation

In this age of globalisation many are questioning the relevance of the nation state. After all, unelected global institutions like the World Bank, the IMF, the World Trade Organisation and many transnational corporations exercise huge influence on countries, far greater than elected governments. Notwithstanding this, next year Australia will be celebrating one hundred years of Federation. Federation joined together the six colonies which came into existence following the annexation of this great southern land by England in 1770. The separate colonies joined to become, under law, the Commonwealth of Australia. With Federation, Australia became a nation. So, what kind of a nation are we becoming?

Race Relations

Thinking of ourselves as a sovereign nation is 'a construction' of modern western thought. In the beginning, the Federation Movement ignored the reality that an ancient people lived here for thousands of years with their own culture, lore and social system. They were effectively disregarded at Federation and not counted in the census of the nation until sixty-six years later.

The racist attitudes to the Indigenous people of this land were extended further to the whole Asia-Pacific region in what is known as the White Australia policy. This 'policy', upheld by the major political parties of the time, reserved immigration for the 'white' race and placed severe restrictions on people whose racial origin was non-European. It literally was Advance Australia Fair! Of course, the logic of this was very appealing to many as it was popularly presented as a strategy to protect Australian workers from the pressure of cheap, imported Asian labour. There are other shameful racist chapters in our history including the entrapment of South Sea Islanders for indentured labour in the sugar industry and the harsh treatment meted out to Chinese Australians. Racism still flourishes in Australia and, while we have rejected the White Australia policy, its enduring influence surfaces from time to time - Hansonism is the most recent example. This can also be discerned in attitudes to refugees, notably from the Middle East.

Notwithstanding this, much has been done in recent years to make this nation more racially inclusive - indeed, we are now able to celebrate multiculturalism and we have established laws and institutions and signed international accords to combat racism. However, we must remain ever vigilant about racism and seek to eliminate it at both a personal and institutional level.

Wage Justice

Since 1901 other areas of national life have also changed, not always for the better. For example, at Federation, Australia had just emerged from a decade marked by economic depress-ion and industrial disputation. Political and class fault-lines ran deeply through the nation - labour and capital were pitted against each other. Soon after Federation, Australia took a lead in establishing an industrial relations regime with the basic wage as a cornerstone. While not perfect, this set a benchmark for wage justice in Australia and went some way in bridging the class divide and institutionalising a degree of fairness. In the past decade, this has been considerably diluted so that now an increasing number are counted among the 'working poor' - workers paid well-below an adequate, living wage. Arguably, the country has regressed in this aspect of national life in recent times.

The Natural Environment

Attitudes to the natural environment have also changed since Federation. While there have always been people who cared for the land, the white annexation of Australia has been characterised by rapacious and uncaring environmental exploitation. So much so that salination has ruined huge tracts of land; vegetation clearance has scarred huge areas; hundreds of native animal species are endangered and threatened with extinction - many are already extinct; the waterways are polluted and degraded, impeded in their flow by dams and other water extraction technologies; the air is polluted.

Fortunately, environmental awareness is far greater now than it was at Federation. Progress has been made and major campaigns won in places like Fraser Island, the Franklin River, the Daintree and Kakadu. Australia has its green heroes and heroines. However, the greening of Australia is a slow process. Efforts must be accelerated in the next century of Federation if we are to hand on a more integral natural environment to the children of all species.

There are many more issues that could be explored in this Federation centenary. Overall, we need to enter into this year with a capacity for honest appraisal - to celebrate the good but, as well, to acknowledge where relationships have been violated and ruptured and where repentance and restoration are needed.

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		INFORM-A^CTION Issue Number 35 - November 2000 Becoming a Nation In this age of globalisation many are questioning the relevance of the nation state. After all, unelected global institutions like the World Bank, the IMF, the World Trade Organisation and many transnational corporations exercise huge influence on countries, far greater than elected governments. Notwithstanding this, next year Australia will be celebrating one hundred years of Federation. Federation joined together the six colonies which came into existence following the annexation of this great southern land by England in 1770. The separate colonies joined to become, under law, the Commonwealth of Australia. With Federation, Australia became a nation. So, what kind of a nation are we becoming? Race Relations Thinking of ourselves as a sovereign nation is 'a construction' of modern western thought. In the beginning, the Federation Movement ignored the reality that an ancient people lived here for thousands of years with their own culture, lore and social system. They were effectively disregarded at Federation and not counted in the census of the nation until sixty-six years later. The racist attitudes to the Indigenous people of this land were extended further to the whole Asia-Pacific region in what is known as the White Australia policy. This 'policy', upheld by the major political parties of the time, reserved immigration for the 'white' race and placed severe restrictions on people whose racial origin was non-European. It literally was Advance Australia Fair! Of course, the logic of this was very appealing to many as it was popularly presented as a strategy to protect Australian workers from the pressure of cheap, imported Asian labour. There are other shameful racist chapters in our history including the entrapment of South Sea Islanders for indentured labour in the sugar industry and the harsh treatment meted out to Chinese Australians. Racism still flourishes in Australia and, while we have rejected the White Australia policy, its enduring influence surfaces from time to time - Hansonism is the most recent example. This can also be discerned in attitudes to refugees, notably from the Middle East. Notwithstanding this, much has been done in recent years to make this nation more racially inclusive - indeed, we are now able to celebrate multiculturalism and we have established laws and institutions and signed international accords to combat racism. However, we must remain ever vigilant about racism and seek to eliminate it at both a personal and institutional level. Wage Justice Since 1901 other areas of national life have also changed, not always for the better. For example, at Federation, Australia had just emerged from a decade marked by economic depress-ion and industrial disputation. Political and class fault-lines ran deeply through the nation - labour and capital were pitted against each other. Soon after Federation, Australia took a lead in establishing an industrial relations regime with the basic wage as a cornerstone. While not perfect, this set a benchmark for wage justice in Australia and went some way in bridging the class divide and institutionalising a degree of fairness. In the past decade, this has been considerably diluted so that now an increasing number are counted among the 'working poor' - workers paid well-below an adequate, living wage. Arguably, the country has regressed in this aspect of national life in recent times. The Natural Environment Attitudes to the natural environment have also changed since Federation. While there have always been people who cared for the land, the white annexation of Australia has been characterised by rapacious and uncaring environmental exploitation. So much so that salination has ruined huge tracts of land; vegetation clearance has scarred huge areas; hundreds of native animal species are endangered and threatened with extinction - many are already extinct; the waterways are polluted and degraded, impeded in their flow by dams and other water extraction technologies; the air is polluted. Fortunately, environmental awareness is far greater now than it was at Federation. Progress has been made and major campaigns won in places like Fraser Island, the Franklin River, the Daintree and Kakadu. Australia has its green heroes and heroines. However, the greening of Australia is a slow process. Efforts must be accelerated in the next century of Federation if we are to hand on a more integral natural environment to the children of all species. There are many more issues that could be explored in this Federation centenary. Overall, we need to enter into this year with a capacity for honest appraisal - to celebrate the good but, as well, to acknowledge where relationships have been violated and ruptured and where repentance and restoration are needed. Next Newsletter Article Newsletter Index