Australians and racism
I read with interest Francesco's ongoing letters regarding Australian people in relation to the treatment of indigenous Australians and the issue of racism.
I would like to make the following points.
1. Over the past 50 years, Australia has become a home and a nation for five million immigrants from over 130 countries around the world.
2. Based on the government's 1996 census, the number of people identifying themselves as Aborigines, Terres Straits Islanders, in Australia has increased from 265,468 to 352,790.
3. Quote from President Clinton during a speech on recent visit to Australia "And I cannot think of a better place in the entire world, a more shining example of how people can come together as one nation and one community than Sydney, Australia."
4. The greatest challenge facing Australia and indeed all societies in the world is giving those people who are disadvantaged equal opportunity in areas of education, medical facilities, housing and employment. Australia is not alone in this regard. The vast majority of Australians are committed to the vitally important process of reconciliation with indigenous Australians.
We, unfortunately, cannot change history and the actions of our forefathers, but Australians now and in the future remain committed to building a society based on fairness, with an appreciation and tolerance of racial and cultural diversity.
Unfortunately, racism, be it based on color, creed or religion, exists in every country of the world. It knows no barriers and it does not discriminate. It's up to all of us as citizens of the world to eliminate it.
I would also like to comment on his recent letter regarding World War II, which was very sad reading. I thought such narrow- minded hatred was confined only to our much lamented Ms Pauline Hanson. I would assume any country that fought to overcome such tyranny as Nazism, that created such unspeakable horrors as Auschwitz, Lidice, Warsaw Ghetto and the feared SS groups in the Eastern Europe who considered the Poles and Russians untermenschen, should deserve praise.
Whilst particularly Russia and the USA's role can never be overstated, it should be noted that in August 1939, Russia and Germany signed a Non-Aggression Pact which effectively partitioned Poland, allowed Hitler a free hand in Western Europe and allowed Russia "access" to Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Lithania.
It did, as it turned out, give Russia a two-year respite from the unspeakable horrors that occurred there in 1941. But would World War II have happened had Hitler faced the prospect of a two-front war in 1939?
From June 1940 to June 1941, Britain and the Commonwealth were indeed fighting alone. Once the two great superpowers and other countries were drawn into World War II by the end of 1941 by Germany and Japan's naked aggression, the result of the war was never in doubt. Poland, France and Britain deserve credit for standing up against Nazism. They sowed the seed of the resistance to Nazism for the world.
Name and address
known to the editor