Australia is facing a battle to preserve support for multiculturalism and diversity in the face of rising right-wing populism and exclusive nationalism, according to Julian Hill, MP, the Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

Mr Hill identified what he terms ‘inclusive patriotism’ as a way of combating fracturing social cohesion and the rise of hate in society.

In a speech to the progressive think tank, the McKell Institute, he said: “Inclusive patriotism helps to combat and blunt the rise of right-wing authoritarianism and exclusive nationalism.”

“Proudly embracing moderns Australia means not shying away from love of country, traditions and common symbols.”

Mr Hill said it was part of the government’s “big social democratic project that promises Australians more security, prosperity and opportunity than hollow right-wing populism, angry nationalism and the politics of grievance.

He said part of this project involved championing the compact of multiculturalism, which meant a recognition that freedoms to express cultural identity and access to equal opportunity was not absolute but limited by a shared obligation to Australia and its laws and democratic systems.

“Indeed, our human diversity is modern Australia’s defining characteristic and surely our greatest strength. But Australia cannot ever take our social cohesion or success for granted. Cohesion is not an end state; it is a dynamic process that requires constant attention, work and investments,” Mr Hill said.

He said ‘social cohesion’ has become a much-used phrase but doesn’t resonate with everyday people.

“Simply put it is ‘how we live well together’. How we treat one another, how we debate our differences, how we share a sense of fairness even when we disagree, how we preserve what we’ve built.

“Social cohesion is about respect, participation, belonging, trust, and shared responsibility and obligations. Listening before judging, helping a neighbour, engaging in civic life, and accepting and respecting the institutions that bind our society together,” Mr Hill said.

Mr Hill said that even before the Bondi massacre, stresses, fractures and fragility in social cohesion were apparent.

“While the Scanlon Foundation’s reports find that the headline measure of social cohesion is holding up even modest declines in public support for multiculturalism and rising negative attitudes towards certain groups of Australians over the last three years give cause for concern.

“The promise of Australian multiculturalism simply understood is the great Australian promise of a fair go – that everyone gets a fair crack at life here no matter their background, identity or how long they have been here.”

But Mr Hill said that while Australia does well overall on social cohesions, too many Australians are not included in that promise, including through structural racism and economic exclusion.

“First Nations Australians have long experienced and understood these issues. Diversity alone in modern Australia is not and cannot be a sufficient goal. Successful multiculturalism means cherishing communal identities, building bridges between diverse groups and celebrating things we all have in common.

“It is social distance, misinformation and polarisation that create a lack of empathy and vulnerability to hate and extremism, not diversity itself.

“Overemphasising communal identities risks atomising society and degrading the links between people and groups, as well as the things Australians have in common,” he said.

But his speech included some optimism for the future.

“Overall, we should be optimistic given the positive experience of everyday life of most Australians in neighbourhoods, workplaces, clubs and communities, divorced from the loud and aggressive voices of Nazis, One Nation and the new right wing of the Liberal Party,” he said.

“To paraphrase my colleague Tim Watts ‘in modern Australia we respond to bushfires in hard hats, akubras, turbans and hijabs, side by side, looking out for people in need’,” Mr Hill said.

Read the full speech: https://www.julianhillmp.com/Embracing-Modern-Aus_25022026.html