Colin Penn
2025-01-25 04:43:57 UTC
The following opinion piece by Chancellor, Professor Jennifer Westacott AO, was first published by The Australian (opens in new window)Opens in a new window on Friday, 24 January 2025.
As we prepare to observe Australia Day, itâs a time of reflection on what it means to be an Australian and, for me personally, why I love my country and why I am so proud to be an Australian. And I do love my country. Thatâs not to say Australia is perfect. There are things we need to fix, and fix quickly, and I recognise Australia Day raises complex issues for many people.
This is still one of the greatest countries, if not the greatest, in the world. Australia is known for its friendship, beauty, compassion and kindness, and sense of mateship, which to me is not a masculine notion but the very definition of loyalty and support.
Our countryâs greatest attributes are fairness and freedom.
Fairness that embodies a sense of looking after people and institutional justice. Freedom is one of the most essential enduring requirements of a decent society and decent humanity.
Year after year, for decades, people have flocked here to escape their homelands full of hatred, division, violence, intimidation and persecution. They flee to Australia because of those things we cherish â freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom from fear.
We hold dear the separation of church and state and the judiciary, and embrace our democratic principles.
As I said, for me, it is the greatest country on Earth. But now every day I wake up, I recognise the country I love less and less.
Itâs why I urge all Australians to stop and pause and ask ourselves: Are we heading in the wrong direction, which could have catastrophic effects on our way of life? Are we becoming a more divided, insecure country that risks losing our sense of identity and confidence? Let me call out two big issues we need to focus on. The first is the dangerous creep of anti-Semitism.
I cannot believe what Iâm seeing unfold in my country. I cannot believe I am seeing travel warnings issued to come to Australia versus leaving Australia.
I cannot bear to see some of my friends afraid, really afraid. I cannot bear to watch synagogues being burnt. I cannot believe this is unfolding on our shores. But there is no doubt that the events after October 7, 2023 unleashed an ancient, incomprehensible hatred.
This venom, anti-Semitism, runs the risk of becoming a defining force of our times, and that would be a catastrophe. It is an undeniable threat to our multiculturalism, our freedom, our way of life and our democracy.
My call ahead of this Australia Day is that we collectively must do everything we can to prevent this hatred from spreading further.
We must lift our resolution to combat this evil. Our community leaders must stand together, recognising that anti-Semitism corrodes our entire society and repudiates the values that have shaped our character as a nation.
Of course, we must be vigilant against hatred in any form, but at the moment we are seeing an unmatched and sickening rise in anti- Semitism, which is associated with increasing violence.
But history tells us gradually turning a blind eye to one type of hatred unleashes a culture of hatred or opens the door to other hatreds such as Islamophobia, homophobia and racism in all its forms. So, we must reject anti- Semitism. We must reject hate. My university sector, which Iâm so proud to represent, must be at the forefront of these actions. We cannot be the institutions that give legitimacy to anti-Semitism. Indeed we must be leaders in turning this around. We must be places of enlightenment, knowledge, social and economic progress, social cohesion and tolerance, not places of division and hatred. Universities have to return to their role as institutions that promote better societies.
But universities can only do so much â it is time for all of us to stand up and guard against our society passively and incrementally acquiescing to this terrible force.
My second big plea is for a return to civility, particularly in this election year. Our country seems to have lost the plot on being civil.
We seem to have lost our sense of humour and our larrikin streak.
We seem to have lost the capacity to have a laugh at ourselves and never take ourselves too seriously, which has always been something I have adored about Australia.
Thatâs not to say we arenât serious people, but weâve never had this situation before where people cannot raise issues without being personally vilified. Weâre becoming a nation where people canât engage in a contest of ideas without being threatened or labelled. If you ask questions or raise an issue, you are immediately shot down or given a label, in and of itself, which attempts to diminish your argument.
We have to return to the Australian way where we can debate and discuss issues without intellectually belittling and intimidating people. Anything that falls short of this threatens our way of life.
I want every Australian to be able to walk down the street and feel safe, and to have the confidence that our institutions, which are designed to protect them, are delivering on this. I want Australians â whoever they are and wherever they are from â to know they have an unrestricted opportunity to get ahead. But mostly, I want them to feel free in this great country.
But with freedom comes responsibility.
Freedom is not the freedom to vilify, hate, persecute, or intimidate. Freedom is a cherished right. We must protect it and remember that it is never a licence for division. As we reflect on what Australia Day means and look ahead to a year that could define our national character, letâs hope we make the right choices and return to the country, identity and values I love.
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/feature_story/opinion_were_losing_the_plot_on_how_to_be_australian
As we prepare to observe Australia Day, itâs a time of reflection on what it means to be an Australian and, for me personally, why I love my country and why I am so proud to be an Australian. And I do love my country. Thatâs not to say Australia is perfect. There are things we need to fix, and fix quickly, and I recognise Australia Day raises complex issues for many people.
This is still one of the greatest countries, if not the greatest, in the world. Australia is known for its friendship, beauty, compassion and kindness, and sense of mateship, which to me is not a masculine notion but the very definition of loyalty and support.
Our countryâs greatest attributes are fairness and freedom.
Fairness that embodies a sense of looking after people and institutional justice. Freedom is one of the most essential enduring requirements of a decent society and decent humanity.
Year after year, for decades, people have flocked here to escape their homelands full of hatred, division, violence, intimidation and persecution. They flee to Australia because of those things we cherish â freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom from fear.
We hold dear the separation of church and state and the judiciary, and embrace our democratic principles.
As I said, for me, it is the greatest country on Earth. But now every day I wake up, I recognise the country I love less and less.
Itâs why I urge all Australians to stop and pause and ask ourselves: Are we heading in the wrong direction, which could have catastrophic effects on our way of life? Are we becoming a more divided, insecure country that risks losing our sense of identity and confidence? Let me call out two big issues we need to focus on. The first is the dangerous creep of anti-Semitism.
I cannot believe what Iâm seeing unfold in my country. I cannot believe I am seeing travel warnings issued to come to Australia versus leaving Australia.
I cannot bear to see some of my friends afraid, really afraid. I cannot bear to watch synagogues being burnt. I cannot believe this is unfolding on our shores. But there is no doubt that the events after October 7, 2023 unleashed an ancient, incomprehensible hatred.
This venom, anti-Semitism, runs the risk of becoming a defining force of our times, and that would be a catastrophe. It is an undeniable threat to our multiculturalism, our freedom, our way of life and our democracy.
My call ahead of this Australia Day is that we collectively must do everything we can to prevent this hatred from spreading further.
We must lift our resolution to combat this evil. Our community leaders must stand together, recognising that anti-Semitism corrodes our entire society and repudiates the values that have shaped our character as a nation.
Of course, we must be vigilant against hatred in any form, but at the moment we are seeing an unmatched and sickening rise in anti- Semitism, which is associated with increasing violence.
But history tells us gradually turning a blind eye to one type of hatred unleashes a culture of hatred or opens the door to other hatreds such as Islamophobia, homophobia and racism in all its forms. So, we must reject anti- Semitism. We must reject hate. My university sector, which Iâm so proud to represent, must be at the forefront of these actions. We cannot be the institutions that give legitimacy to anti-Semitism. Indeed we must be leaders in turning this around. We must be places of enlightenment, knowledge, social and economic progress, social cohesion and tolerance, not places of division and hatred. Universities have to return to their role as institutions that promote better societies.
But universities can only do so much â it is time for all of us to stand up and guard against our society passively and incrementally acquiescing to this terrible force.
My second big plea is for a return to civility, particularly in this election year. Our country seems to have lost the plot on being civil.
We seem to have lost our sense of humour and our larrikin streak.
We seem to have lost the capacity to have a laugh at ourselves and never take ourselves too seriously, which has always been something I have adored about Australia.
Thatâs not to say we arenât serious people, but weâve never had this situation before where people cannot raise issues without being personally vilified. Weâre becoming a nation where people canât engage in a contest of ideas without being threatened or labelled. If you ask questions or raise an issue, you are immediately shot down or given a label, in and of itself, which attempts to diminish your argument.
We have to return to the Australian way where we can debate and discuss issues without intellectually belittling and intimidating people. Anything that falls short of this threatens our way of life.
I want every Australian to be able to walk down the street and feel safe, and to have the confidence that our institutions, which are designed to protect them, are delivering on this. I want Australians â whoever they are and wherever they are from â to know they have an unrestricted opportunity to get ahead. But mostly, I want them to feel free in this great country.
But with freedom comes responsibility.
Freedom is not the freedom to vilify, hate, persecute, or intimidate. Freedom is a cherished right. We must protect it and remember that it is never a licence for division. As we reflect on what Australia Day means and look ahead to a year that could define our national character, letâs hope we make the right choices and return to the country, identity and values I love.
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/feature_story/opinion_were_losing_the_plot_on_how_to_be_australian