Australian Values.... no real opposition

I know I keep harping on about this, but I think it's a serious problem in the Australian political climate. It's not enough for the Liberal Government to appeal to the baser instincts of the electorate, the opposition has now decided to weigh in on the debate, but not with what you'd expect from an opposition, they are essentially saying that The Governments Australian Values push is not just a good idea, but that it doesn't go far enough, and that everyone who comes to Australia should sign a document promising to uphold Australian Values.

 

hmmmm.... I'm sure the terrorists are now trembling in fear and madly panicing trying to cancel their booked flights to Australia saying to each other "curses, they've foiled us, we can't possibly go to Australia now because we have to sign a statement promising to uphold Australian Values".

 

My question to Kim Beazley is simply, What's the point? Anyone who sets foot in another country has already implicitly yielded to the laws of that country and is bound by those laws and is forced to accept any consequences of breaking those laws. To insist on upholding a set of values is a very small step from accusing someone of thought crime.

 

To rhetorically answer my question, the only point I can see in Kim Beazley and the Labor party jumping on the Australian Values band wagon is to attempt to capture the xenophobia market of voters that the Liberals seem to have fairly well wrapped up instead of actually pointing out that the Liberal party is playing the race card again. You're treading on dangerous ground Kim when you attempt to take on Howard on his own turf.

Australian Values - again

I've been wondering for a while now what devious plan the Howard government is going to use to win the next election. Seeing as interest rates (last elections devious plan) are on the rise, and "Howards battlers" are now starting to feel the strain of the new industrial relations policies, the Howard Government needed something to take attention off these and other thorny issues (such as the proposed sale of more of Telstra). It surprises me though that Howards political repotoire is so small, that he has to dig up the technique from the 2001 election.... that's right, he's playing the "Race Card" again.

The PM's recent comments about "Australian Values" and "Learning English" are extremely divisive, and unnecessary. I have commented previously on other comments about Australian Values by Peter Costello, and I still believe that it is NOT really possible to come up with a set of values that every Australian could subscribe to without it being a useless mother-hood statement. Or maybe Mr Howard and Mr Costello want us to subscribe to the same set of values as those who took part in the Cronulla race riots, or the more recent attacks on islamic community leaders where a car was smashed up, and hate emails were sent. Is this the set of values we all should subscribe to Mr Howard? Your devisive comments certainly suggest that we sould single out minority groups who are different or don't speak our language as being potentially dangerous.

We live in a country that subscribes to the rule of law, and I fully accept that any one who wants to be a part of our society must be treated fairly and with impartiality under the law. I know multi-culturlaism is difficult to get right, but making comments like this is a sure way to stir up racism and intollerance.