We belong to this land.

Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chair of the Ethnic Affairs Commission, NSW:

So much of the conflict on the horizon emanates from a confusion about our identity. Because this confusion comes at a time of economic uncertainty, it plays on fear. And it makes racist discussion acceptable under the guise of freedom of speech. It is a mark of a civilized society when such animalistic thoughts are not allowed to gain currency.

This confusion leads to the misrepresentation of indigenous rights. We are being diverted from reconciliation. Similarly the old view of Asian migration undermining Australian identity and values is being brought up. In this situation we have to return to what it means to be an Australian. A national identity can be defined but it cannot be prescribed.

Within identity I include the values, character and experience of all Australians. We are a continuum of people, starting right back with the original inhabitants and going into the future, incorporating all who have come to this continent over those tens of thousands of years.

This is the crucial question--coming to terms with the fact that we migrated to Australia on a permanent basis, that we belong to this continent and are part of this land, its spirit, its soul, and have to share its destiny, and the social and economic hardships which are confronting us. It is only through recognizing that we are one people, complex and diverse in character, that we can confront globalization in a positive way.