Kanthar Balanathan DipEE (UK), GradCert (RelEng-Monash), DipBus&Adm (Finance-Massey), CEng. MIEE

 This article discusses the issues/shortfalls, that will generate disharmony and create ethnic conflicts on a 25 to 50-year horizon in a multi-cultural society if migrants do not take integration and cohesion seriously. This is on the basis of different ethnic groups stay rigid with their culture and language and do not take any initiative to integrate with the country where they are domiciled. I predict these points only for the future. I have lived in various countries where such conflicts have generated disproportionately in the growth and development of the country by making the governance to spend more time on the treatment of such conflicts but not on economic growth. Some ethnic groups place more emphasis on their language, religion, and culture. For example, in Sweden, the Islamic fundamentals have rejected entry to the law & Order Officials stating that it is their town and not Sweden. Ref: http://allthatstreaming.com/media/ats/video/sweden-multicultural-utopia.mp4. This is because of the openness and tolerance of the Swedish government. Australia is of the same as Sweden in treating people. Open, kind-hearted and have a wide tolerance.

Australian Culture embrace, honesty, courtesy, integrity, friendliness, cultural sensitivity, respect people, conscious, gallantry, good manners, cultural competency, and several of the human specification. Australians are quite specific in maintaining harmony, good mannerism, effectiveness and efficiency at workplace. Australians social and business culture is of high quality. This is why all people from the third world scud into Australia.  It is the same with most of Europe. The UK preached and taught democracy to people around the world. Although they were tough when making a certain decision in the process, they made the people come to the outside world from their jungle living. Australian values are highly appreciated.

Multicultural

Culture has different camps. Social Culture, Business Culture, Professionalism, Technical culture and cultural competency.

Cultural Competency, Quote: A set of behaviors, policies, and attitudes which form a system or agency which allows cross-cultural groups to effectively work professionally in situations. This includes human behaviors, languages, communications, actions, values, religious beliefs, social groups, and ethnic perceptions. Individuals are competent to function on their own and within an organization where the multi-cultural situation will be present. Ref: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/cultural-competency.html

Australian Culture:

Australian Culture embrace, honesty, courtesy, integrity, friendliness, cultural sensitivity, respect people, conscious, gallantry, good manners, cultural competency, and several of the human specification and with open arms they welcome people. Australians are quite specific in maintaining harmony, good mannerism, effectiveness and efficiency at workplace. This is why all people from the third world scud into Australia.

Multi-culture:

This is a composition of various culture. E.g. Nigerian, Somalian, Ethiopian, Sudanese, Indian, Pakistan, Middle East etc.

With due respect, all of us know the cultural background of the African, Asian, middle eastern culture. Foreign people have been taught very less social sciences and managerial science in their own country.

The objective of a migrant is to integrate with the Australian culture and not force their own culture into the Australian way of life. However, eventually, all culture should converge to the Australian culture, not show any difference and claim superiority over one another. If not, over a 15-50-year horizon, cultural and ethnic conflicts will generate to disturb the harmony in the Australian values. Well, what is said here is people to change their life to the Australian culture, not by force, but by their own goodwill.

Although every Australian is said to observe cultural sensitivity and reduce cultural barriers, we expect the migrants to converge to embrace the Australian Culture and embrace Australian values eventually. Preston in Victoria is an example of a strong multicultural and refugee claim area wasting their own time. Most migrants, Sri Lankans waste significant time in multicultural affairs. How many hours do thee people work and contribute to the nation?

My experience in Australia unravels several disturbances in the social and business culture. Business culture in Australia has gone twisted to a questionable size. Honesty, integrity, customer focus, intent to provide customer satisfaction, and courtesy etc are questionable. Most migrant shops and business are conducting business within their own cultural barrier.

Government Grants

Australian government gives grants to promote multi-culture. Even building temples, senior citizens association, for every event the state government gives a grant. If I want to build a temple, I should provide my own money to do it. It may be considered that providing grants may be a threat of promoting cultural and ethnic conflicts in the future. Recommend Government of Australia (GOA) should slash grants over a period of five years and the GOA should consider giving the grants to public schools for education.

Parents of migrants who come to Australia receive a pension. However, they may not have paid one cent tax to the GOA to be qualified to get a pension. GOA should address this issue. All migrants who enter Australia should seek employment in Northern states and they could be debarred from getting income support for ten years. Parents definitely shall be deferred from getting income support/pension for ten/fifteen years as they may not have paid one cent income tax to the GOA. Migrants are clustered in NSW and Victoria. GOA, whichever party is or comes to power shall enact laws to treat these deficiencies.

Education

Australian children should be directed not to leave school, but to finish a good University education with an objective and a goal. Every Australian kid should be taught to have an objective and a goal in their life.

Citizenship

Australia is an English-speaking country. All migrants should have the competency to understand, read, write and speak in the English language. Approval of permanent residence and citizenship should be granted only to a person having such faculties. The current situation is that in the business sector migrants cannot speak the English language in most cases. If we walk into a shopping complex, we can only hear African, Asian and middle eastern languages.

Government is spending money on translation services to refugees. Some migrant citizens are living on income from translation services to the refugees. We can see some promotional efforts in libraries to teach the English language. Australian Government (GOA) should promote the learning of the English language more and more. Migrants should make an effort to learn the language.

Entry to Australia on Permanent Residency status should be only given to applicants having the competency to speak, read and write the English language.

In some places, some migrants did display name boards, notices for vacancies & jobs in their own language which may be considered discrimination and HR violation.

The intent of migrants and their children shall be to be cohesive, integrate and promote practicing Australian values.