Intro:

Australia is believed to be a multicultural nation; as many people with different

nationalities have chosen this country to be their second home. So what has
been done to Australia since the very first stage of forming as a united nation
today, why is it a destination for everyone to settle? What is the relationship
between the White Australians and the Aborigines?
In today's panel discussion, I have invited some of my peers to join me in
discussing the diversity of people in Australia today. Joining us today, Linh,
Khue, Khanh and myself Thuan.

- So what do you think about the relationship between the

indigenous Australians and the European Settlements? - Thuan ask
(Linh - Samson and Delilah) At first, I would say, it was quite bad. Their
connection didn't work well together. For example, there is a huge gap in
social class between the White Australian and the Indegenous. In the movie
“Samson and Delilah”, you can literally see the White took advantage of
grandma’s Delilah artwork to earn a large profit from that and they had a good
standard of living. Whereas the Indegenous was always in the need of better
necessities, infrastructure, education and health care services. In my opinion, I
think this situation happened because the government has never cared about
the Aborigines since they don’t have a massive impact on the progress of the
White’s society, and the Aborigines were just a minority which they might be
unable to influence or defend for their life. Hence, I could say that the White
dehumanize and exploit the Indigenous as they see them as no different than
a tool to earn money.

(Khanh) Personally, I think because of the differences between each culture ,

the mindset between the indigenous Australians and the European
Settlements are not the same. So , the relationship among them is bad. It was
caused by the discrimination between the white and the black people ( to be
more specific is the discrimination between the indigenous Australians and the
European Settlements. For instance, in the book “ The girl with no name “
there’s clear evidence for this idea is “Mathew’s dad is a manager in prison,
he has seen many bad behavior of black people so he always has bad
thoughts about them. When Mathew lost his properties, dad always thinks that
no name girl is the person who stole the bags even though father of Mathew
doesn't have any clear evidence “. Furthermore, the fence from the film Rabbit
Proof Fence and the re-education camp from the book “ The girl with no name
“ represented discrimination of the two communities in which the Aboriginal’s
children forcibly removed from their families to work as servants for the White
Australians. The White Australians remain their persistent prejudice with the
Aboriginal communities and that leads to their terrible relationship among
each other .

(Thuan - Rabbit Proof Fence) From my point of view, the bond between the
White Australians and Indigenous people was essentially stressed during the
Stolen Generation, as the film Rabbit Proof Fence has shown. Have you
watched that film? The three young half-caste Aboriginal children were being
ordered to remove from their home to assimilate with the ‘white culture’. The
three young girls from the age of 6 to 14 have made their way home for
2400km by walking. Madly unbelievable isn’t it? The white Australians gained
such authority to control the Aboriginal population, and they did not show any
humanity toward other race. They forcefully removed people and tortured
them as slaves. Consequently, the aborigines have lost their culture, identity
and home, and suffered until 1970 when the White Australian Policy was
abolished. The Stolen Generation will be engraved deeply in every individual
Indigenous person and they will not forgive the White Australians easily.

(Khue) I would agree with Thuan as well. In addition, there are still difficulties
in bonding between the White race and the Indigenese. As the film The Rabbit
Proof Fence has shown, The White Australians Policies was declared and it
forced the Black race to be eliminated. It was believed that it would be better if
the Aboriginal people are distinct. Such prejudice cannot be forgiven and
Australians themselves have to redeem their flaws of destroying other human
kind.

- In your opinion, does their relationship progress overtime? - Khue

ask
(Thuan) Their relationship does improve overtime. If not, there will still be war
in Australia, right? The white Australians have started to acknowledge the
owner of the land is the Aborigines by educating people with different sources
in curriculum. For instance, the panel discussion today is a momentary for
recapturing the background of Indigenous people that we have learnt
throughout Semester 1.

(Linh - The girl with no name) I have the same idea with Thuan, too. Their
relationship seems to work better, especially in the young generation. As you
have read “The girl with no name”, while Matthew’s parents have a bad
prejudice about the Indegenous towards No Name’s family, Matthew isn't
being influenced by that attitude, yet he still respects and appreciates the time
that he has spent with No Name. It seems like the young generations are
more likely to acknowledge and adapt new things, they have an open-minded
and generous attitude compared to the olders’ point of view about the
Indigenous. Therefore, eventually, the relationship between the White
Australian and the Indegenous becomes better over time thanks to the young
generations.

(Khanh) I would agree with Linh too and from my point of view, the intimate
relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians has improved.
In particular, in the book “ the girl with no name “ Mathew’s parents are more
accepting and democratic of his decision to interact with and learn about how
the Aboriginal lives. Despite the destruction of identity, culture and family life,
in the end of the policy in 1970 and Mathew’s hope can return suggestions
about brighter futures of Aboriginal and White Australians. With his parents
permission, Mathew continues to engage with Aboriginal people and learn
more about their tradition but his derogatory towards No-name-girl and her
family clearly represented the racism that exists. In addition, the themes in the
book “ the girl with no name “ indicate that the relationship between the
Aboriginal and the White Australians is improving. Despite the fact that the
history of the book ends with a pessimistic perspective on the potential
relationship between the two communities.

(Khuê) I might agree with you three, however I find that discrimination is still
existed in all texts. Since they all mention about the racial discrimination in the
past and modern society from the text Australian First Fleet till the figure of a
man and a women being covered by the band. This picture reflects on the
issue gender role of Australia today as well as the notion of discrimination still
exist within the community. The covering band is illustrating the societal
system. Hence the discrimination still present despite improvement of their
relationships.

- Despite the relationship, what do you think about the cultural

differences between the White Australian and the Indegenous? (Do
you think they should learn from each other or have conservative
mind?) - Linh ask
(Khanh) I would say that they should keep a conservative mind since their
cultures are so different. I don't mean they keep making war all the time, it just
seems better for them to have their separate world. The world of the White
Australians is much more modern compared to the wild lifestyle of the
Indigenous’s world. Hence, by any change, it's still difficult to comprehend and
understand each other. For example, it is easy to see their beliefs are so
much different. While the White Australian always believe and pray for God,
the Aborigines believe in land, birds, and nature. There is no way they will
perceive and appreciate others' beliefs. Therefore, it's better to keep their
conservative mind.

(Linh) I totally disagree with you, Khanh. In my opinion, keeping the

conservative mind will lead them to the unpleasant connection as they used to
have. So learning the other’s culture will be the shortest way to heal their
relationship. They can learn about each other to acknowledge them more. For
instance, the White Australian can study the cultural activity and the artwork of
the Indegenous. These may not bring about something as valuable as money
but it takes the spirit of an ethnic minority people. Or since the Aborigines live
wildly, the White Australian can learn something about their lifestyle which is
related to nature that the White have obliterated. By this way, they don’t need
to be scared of losing their culture since they will share their identities to get to
know each other more.

- What happened to the immigration in Australia? - Khanh ask

(Thuan- immigration article) The immigration waves in Australia have varied
from time to time in which they contribute to Australia as a multicultural
country today. In the immigration articles by Kelsey Munro, the very first wave
of immigration was involuntary. British convicts became the first fleets,
however, they claimed themselves as owner of Australia without noticing other
human races. They gained such privilege to form Australia as a nation and
registered the immigration policies. After forming as a nation, huge waves of
European immigration arrived in Australia to start new lives after the
destruction of World War II. They accepted refugees from Asian countries and
settled them in Australia as an acknowledgement of humanitarian action of
Australia to cover their horrific past. In recent years, the prime minister of
Australia has created stringent immigration laws to selectively accept
appropriate skilled workers. All of that journey is not long, but it vastly
transforms Australia from no man land to the cultural diversities’ community.

(Khue)
 Nowadays, the population increases significantly, so the unemployment rate
also increases dramatically. Small countries in Asia such as Cambodia, Laos
or Vietnam often have some cases of illegal labor export. Although the
government understands that they only want a stable job to earn living,
immigrants must have a visa to prove that they go to other countries with a
clear purpose. This not only ensures the safety of the Australians but also
makes it easier to find work in Australia. In addition, the novel Her Father
Daughter also contributed to the movement of Asian immigrants from the war
time in Asia. They approach Australia to renew their lives and their identities.
At last, these people take up a portion of the Australian population and form
different culture activities in Australian land.

Australian first fleet

Samson and Delilah

The Rabbit Proof Fence

- Mix marriage

The girl with no name

Her father’s daughter