By Nonoy Perdon – A forth night before he was replaced as Australian Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abbott indicated a shift in policy towards embracing Multiculturalism , opening the doors of his prime ministerial residence in Kirribilli, NSW Monday 31 August for an endearing afternoon tea with members of Sydney’s multicultural press.
There were ominous and characteristic parallelism of reaching out for multicultural voters before the demise from power by former prime ministers Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Kennelly. It then showed that multicultural voters might have saved them from their fall, but in every case, it did not.
It was an unprecedented but calculated move by the former Prime Minister Abbott to publicly display his outreach to spokepersons of Sydney’s multicultural communities.
Now a backbencher under the new government of newly elected Liberal Party chief and Australia’s 29th Prime Minister Mr. Malcolm Turnbull, Mr Abbott had been vastly identified with the policies of his former Liberal party mentor and immediate previous Liberal prime minister Mr. John Howard who avoided discussion on multiculturalism as government issue, during his term.
Could it be that reaching out to multicultural voters “to join the team” as he once emphasized, was just too late to turn the tide of Abbot’s demise as Liberal Party leader?
Soon after he occupied the position of Prime Minister, Abbott himself abolished the department of multiculturalism which exists under previous Labor governments and downgraded its handle on multiculturalism to that of responsibility of a parliamentary secretary, care under the Social Services department. Abbot deprioritised multiculturalism from the responsibilities of Department of Immigration, giving emphasis instead on border security.
Current Parliamentary Secretary Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti Wells, was also on hand to receive the journalists, editor, publishers and media men. She thanked those who came and gave assurance of government support on multicultural issues.
Mrs. Margaret Abbott was by Tony’s side receiving the journalists and editors, and obliging with numerous photo shoots with the prime minister and individual guests, followed by a cocktail party at the beautiful garden with prized Sydney harbour view and the eventual address by Prime Minister Abbott.
Mr Abbot virtually confirmed what Sydney writer Mike Steketee said about Abbott’s journey in “facing the reality of multicultural Australia.’ In an ABC network The Drum TV program, Mr Steketee quoted Abbot, as saying “I’ve shifted from being a critic to a supporter of multiculturalism, because it eventually dawned on me that migrants were coming to Australia not to change us but to join us.”
Mr Steketee summarised, “Immigrants typically worked hard and soon spread out from the then poor inner suburbs as they became more affluent. Their sons and daughters started marrying outside their ethnic group and often became indistinguishable from other Australians.
“In short, as Abbott came to realise, Australia changed migrant families more than they changed Australia,” wrote Mr. Steketee.
At the end of the reception, Prime Minister Tony AbbottBy Nonoy Perdon
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is slowly embracing Multiculturalism , opening the doors of his prime ministerial residence in Kirribilli, NSW Monday 31 August for an endearing afternoon tea with members of Sydney’s multicultural press.
It was an unprecedented but calculated move by Prime Minister Abbott to publicly display his outreach to spokepersons of Sydney’s multicultural communities. Prime Minister Abbott had been vastly identified with the policies of his former Liberal party mentor and immediate previous Liberal prime minister Mr. John Howard who avoided discussion on multiculturalism as government issue, during his term.
Soon after he occupied the position of Prime Minister, Abbott himself abolished the department of multiculturalism which exists under previous Labor governments and downgraded its handle on multiculturalism to that of responsibility of a parliamentary secretary, care under the Social Services department. Abbot deprioritised multiculturalism from the responsibilities of Department of Immigration, giving emphasis instead on border security.
Current Parliamentary Secretary Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti Wells, was also on hand to receive the journalists, editor, publishers and media men. She thanked those who came and gave assurance of government support on multicultural issues.
Mrs. Margaret Abbott was by Tony’s side receiving the journalists and editors, and obliging with numerous photo shoots with the prime minister and individual guests, followed by a cocktail party at the beautiful garden with prized Sydney harbour view and the eventual address by Prime Minister Abbott.
Mr Abbot virtually confirmed what Sydney writer Mike Steketee said about Abbott’s journey in “facing the reality of multicultural Australia.’ In an ABC network The Drum TV program, Mr Steketee quoted Abbot, as saying “I’ve shifted from being a critic to a supporter of multiculturalism, because it eventually dawned on me that migrants were coming to Australia not to change us but to join us.”
Mr Steketee summarised, “Immigrants typically worked hard and soon spread out from the then poor inner suburbs as they became more affluent. Their sons and daughters started marrying outside their ethnic group and often became indistinguishable from other Australians.
“In short, as Abbott came to realise, Australia changed migrant families more than they changed Australia,” wrote Mr. Stekeete