752 移民要為將來發聲

維州Nepean議席補選, 自由黨Anthony Marsh 取得38.5% 首選票, 保持了原來由Sam Groth所有的議席。不過, 選舉中, 獨立候選人Tracee Hutchison取得21.3%選票及一國黨Darren Hercus取得24.7%選票, 令維州多元文化社區感到不安。

這一個議席是傳統自由黨議席, 2022年Sam Groth在工黨及綠黨圍攻下, 仍取得48.1%首選票當選, 今次在沒有工黨候選人之下, 自由黨得的38.5%選票, 反映了選民支持大幅下滑。獨立候選人、一國黨及綠黨共取得55%選票, 顯示了大部分選民會考慮其它選擇, 包括了長期針對移民的一國黨, 這是移民關注的問題。

自由黨及工黨一直以來, 支持吸納移民, 表面上也支持多元文化, 但卻只停留在包容移民文化的不同, 與及容許少數族裔保留自己的生活習慣風俗, 但卻很少鼓勵民族之間分享及認識其他民族的生活, 更沒有幫助不同文化澳洲人, 互相學習並從這些不同文化關係之中, 轉化成發展澳洲的動力, 令澳洲有更大的發展空間。

在澳洲你可以找到與全球任何國家的聯繫, 找到各種語言的溝通機會, 更可以建立任何地區的商業網絡, 不過, 澳洲政府卻沒有鼓勵國民把這些多元性轉化成機會。例如, 發展中國紅酒巿場時, 很少澳洲酒莊主人會主動認識並走進中國開拓巿場。典型的發展是中國來的華人, 購買了這些酒莊, 壟斷了生意網絡, 因為澳洲人對中華文化不感興趣。同樣的情況, 也會發生在與印度、東南亞、阿拉伯、非洲及南美洲國家之中, 大多數澳洲人感興趣的是歐洲及日本文化, 這情況反映在澳洲人會有興趣學習德文、法文及日本文之中。

一國黨的壯大, 反映了澳洲政府及社會長期以來不去推動民族之間交流及接觸的現實, 對今天澳洲多元文化社會是一個威脅。作為移民, 我們若對一國黨的崛起掉以輕心, 大家將會發現社會給移民的生活支持空間將會減少, 因為政府政策更大程度將會傾向白人。社會學家Andrew Jakubowicz最近發文表示, 澳洲社會要由關注社會凝聚力 (Social Cohesion ), 接納多元文化 (Multiculturalism) , 走進跨文化文流(Interculturalism), 他的主張, 應該受到移民的支持。

一國黨的再次冒起成為澳洲的挑戰, 提醒了我們不能單單倚靠兩大政黨, 因為他們顯然不願意為移民作甚麼。是時候我們要為自己選擇定居的澳洲未來的發展, 發出我們的聲音。

周偉文 社長

Migrants Must Speak Up for the Future

In the by-election for the Nepean seat in Victoria, Liberal Party candidate Anthony Marsh secured 38.5% of the first-preference votes, retaining the seat previously held by Sam Groth. However, the election results—with independent candidate Tracee Hutchison receiving 21.3% of the vote and One Nation candidate Darren Hercus receiving 24.7%—have caused concern among Victoria’s multicultural communities.

This has traditionally been a Liberal Party seat. In 2022, Sam Groth won with 48.1% of first-preference votes despite a challenge from the Labor Party and the Greens. This time, with no Labor candidate in the race, the Liberal Party’s 38.5% share of the vote reflects a significant decline in voter support. Independent candidate, the One Nation Party, and the Greens collectively secured 55% of the vote, indicating that a majority of voters are considering other options—including the One Nation Party, which has long targeted migrants—a key concern for the migrant community.

The Liberal Party and the Labor Party have long supported immigration and, on the surface, multiculturalism. However, their approach has been limited to tolerating cultural differences among migrants and allowing ethnic minorities to retain their own customs and lifestyles. They have rarely encouraged inter-ethnic exchange and understanding of other cultures, nor have they helped Australians from diverse cultural backgrounds to learn from one another and transform these cultural relationships into a driving force for Australia’s development, thereby creating greater opportunities for the nation’s growth.

In Australia, you can find connections to any country in the world, opportunities to communicate in various languages, and even establish business networks in any region. However, the Australian government has not encouraged its citizens to transform this diversity into opportunities. For example, when developing the Chinese wine market, very few Australian winery owners have taken the initiative to learn about Chinese and enter the Chinese market to expand their business. Typically, it is Chinese immigrants who purchase these wineries and monopolize the business networks, as Australians show little interest in Chinese culture. The same situation occurs with India, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, Africa, and South American nations; most Australians are interested in European and Japanese cultures, a fact reflected in their interest in learning German, French, and Japanese.

The rise of the One Nation Party reflects the reality that the Australian government and society have long failed to promote exchange and interaction among ethnic groups, posing a threat to today’s multicultural Australian society. As immigrants, if we take the rise of the One Nation Party lightly, we will find that the social support available to immigrants will diminish, as government policies will increasingly favor white Australians. Sociologist Andrew Jakubowicz recently argued that Australian society must move beyond a focus on social cohesion and multiculturalism toward interculturalism. His position deserves the support of immigrants.

The resurgence of the One Nation Party poses a challenge to Australia and reminds us that we cannot rely solely on the two major parties, as they are clearly unwilling to do much for immigrants. It is time for us to make our voices heard regarding the future development of Australia, the country we have chosen to call home.

Mr. Raymond Chow, Publisher