Australia Condemns Racial Attacks
Written by Julie Bishop Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Published on The Wall Street Journal website at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704188104575082741499525642.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Those who break the law will be punished.
As fellow Indian Ocean powers, Australia and India share common values—a tradition of parliamentary democracy, Commonwealth membership, not to mention a passion for cricket. Australia recognizes the potential benefits that a strong bilateral relationship would offer, which is why our current bilateral discord is troubling.Over the past year a number of Indian students have been assaulted in Melbourne. Australia as a whole is home to roughly 120,000 Indian students, half of whom reside in the Victoria state capital.
Australian authorities were slow to recognize the gravity of the situation. At first the state government and the state police denied there was any racial element involved in what they described as "opportunistic" crimes. As the number of assaults increased, Victorian Premier John Brumby and Police Commissioner Simon Overland appeared at a loss as to how to respond. Condemning the crimes on one hand yet suggesting that Indian students should "dress poor" on the other inflamed an already tense situation. The Indian media's coverage of the attacks fueled perceptions of racism. By the time the Victorian government provided details to Indian authorities analyzing the number and nature of the crimes—and Canberra acknowledged that some of the attacks were racially motivated—it was a case of too little too late from the perspective of many Indians.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Labor government must move quickly to reassure Indian students and their families that they are safe and welcome in this country. For decades, Australia has welcomed thousands of international students to our universities, educational institutions and communities. Having the opportunity to live, work and study in another country brings great benefit not only to the individual but also to the home and host countries. As a former minister for education, I was keen to increase the level of international student exchange, as I viewed it as one of the best ways to build stronger links between nations.
The economic benefits are clear: One of the key drivers of India's economic growth has been the nation's large pool of well-educated and highly skilled workers, underpinning India's significant presence globally in areas such as software and technology. Access to educational services in Australia has also been important in terms of supporting economic growth in developing countries.
On a cultural level, people of Indian background and ethnicity have long made an enduring contribution to many aspects of life in the great tapestry of our society, with more than 450,000 people of Indian heritage living in Australia. It is the great value of student exchange and our deep respect for Indian people and their culture that makes these attacks against Indian students all the more heartbreaking.
Australia stands for freedom, tolerance, fairness and opportunity. It is illegal in our country to discriminate on the basis of race, religion or gender, among other things. Our laws are the formal implementation of our national rejection of racism. The perpetrators of these crimes thus must—and will—face the full force of the law. Australia will not rest until this happens.
Ms. Bishop, a Liberal Party member of Parliament, is deputy leader of the opposition in Australia and shadow minister for foreign affairs.
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