"AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!!" Blog Topic #2

 The celebration of Australia Day in Australia is comparable to the Fourth of July in America.  On January 26 Australia celebrates its independence as a country.  In the article "Move on from Australia Day debate: Wyatt" by Josh Jerga the debate over whether Australia day should be celebrated is discussed.  Older aborigines in Australia are having a hard time celebrating a national holiday that reminds them of only of losing their freedom.  Jerga quotes 1984 Australian of the Year Lowitja O'Donoghue when he says that Australia Day is considered "Invasion Day" to many aborigines.  According to our text the First Fleet arrived in 1788 which began British Colonization in Australia.  Although many aborigines view Australia Day as a sort of slap in the face, younger aborigines have started to accept Australia Day as an opportunity to celebrate being Australian.  In our text it explains that even though Australia enjoys limited self-rule a majority of voters decided to retain their ties to the Crown in Britain.  All in all Australia Day is becoming more a holiday that an entire nation can enjoy together instead of a day that divides a nation.
 (Page numbers: 640, 653)

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/move-on-from-australia-day-debate-wyatt-20110126-1a57v.html

Australia is a country of immigration today and much of this population consists of southern Asian ethnicity. In an article called, "Happily swamped by dinki-di Asian Australians" written by David Penberthy the topic of Asian immigration in Australia is the primary focus.  Penberthy's article starts with suggesting what a typical Australian home would look like after an Asian immigrant bought it from a resident.  He creates a vivid image of the immigrant changing the home to look like an Islamic household.  The carpet being covered in prayer rugs and the house being stripped of meat are just two examples. Penberthy expresses these ideas from the viewpoint of an Australian politician (Pauline Hanson) who, early in her career, made it clear that she did not like the idea of Asian immigrants.

  The article goes on to say that she changed her mind later on, but it just shows what an Australian might have thought about immigrants in the past.  In an interview Hanson showed statistics of how many immigrants are from Asia.  She said that between 1984 and 1995 almost 40 percent of immigrants were from Asia.  This is also stated in our textbook where it says, "In the early twenty-first century, almost 40 percent of settlers arriving in the country were from Asia."  Later in the same interview Hanson stated, "They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate."  Similarly in our textbook it says that even though English is the national language, more than 2.5 million Australians speak another language.  Also in our text it says that some of the fastest growing religions in Australia include Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.  Penberthy goes on to say that Australians need to have a self check on their old prejudices and put them aside.  He says they must get used to the fact that the immigrants will keep coming and are here to stay.   The article concludes by sharing that it is encouraging to see that even originally racist politicians are starting to accept the new immigrants into Australia. 
(Page numbers: 646)

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/happily-swamped-by-dinki-di-asian-australians/story-e6freall-1225860459329