Dear readers

In the last month, the Australian Citizenship Act finally commenced operation which will see prospective citizens required to pass a multiple choice exam in English in order to become Australian citizens.

The test has been subject to much debate since late last year.  Both the ECC and FECCA have been at the forefront of voicing Australian migrants' concerns in the media about the changes.

The changes to the citizenship test were justified by the Government on the basis of assisting Australian migrants to integrate into the country.

But if the sample exam questions released over the last month are representative of the type of questions to be used in the actual test, it is doubtful the changes will achieve their intended aims. 

Many of the sample questions tend to focus on historical dates and events.  While there's nothing wrong with learning about Australian history and geography, encouraging migrants to develop basic skills using oral English in every-day life activities would have been far more useful and beneficial.  It is more useful for migrants to learn for example, how they can ask for a bus ticket using English, or how they can access certain government services, than to know exactly what year the first European settlers arrived in the country.  And if the aim of the test is to help migrants integrate into the country, why stretch out the waiting period to 4 years? Read more

Please note that the Management and Executive Committees of the ECC have resolved that the 2007 Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday 26 August 2007 at 221 Cope Street (Corner of Wellington Street) Waterloo, NSW 2017 Australia.

All ECC members are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

More details about the AGM will be available on the ECC website and in the August edition of the newsletter.

The Australian Maronite Church, headed by Bishop Ad AbiKaram, gives priority to youth issues and acknowledges the pressures and increasing demands placed upon our young and vulnerable. In line with this, Raymond Arraj has recently interviewed Sandra Kaltoum, a 17 year old young lady from Becharrie, the natal place of the internationally renown Gibran Khalil Gibran. 

Sandra has two brothers, Damien and Hayden, and attends Our Lady of Lebanon College. Her father, Elie Kaltoum was born in Becharrie and her mother Mona Hawach first saw the light in Mizyara, north Lebanon.

Social interactions are very predominant in Sandra’s personal development. Her relationships are the source of her support and strength. “My family is an unconditional provider of love”, she says “and my school is a major source of my relationships with my peers and I am often able to empathise and be empathised with when I am in the presence of my friends. Comfort is a key gift I receive from my peers when I face hardships at school”.  Read more

When film companies run out of ideas, there are a few well-known options open to them. For example, they can make a sequel, make a new one on some spin-off character from the original movie, or, when both of the above fail to work, try remaking the same movie released decades ago.

So we have "Superman Returns" and "Spider-man 3". Pirates of the Caribbean is set to top box office record (again) and Shrek has told us his comeback to screen will happen very soon.

Perhaps equally intriguing, but far from being entertaining is the latest comeback drama in Australian politics. Pauline Hanson, the former One Nation party founder, decides to return to politics and run for one of the Queensland Senate vacancies at the next election after a near decade's hiatus.

This comeback drama is directed, as widely expected, by Ms Hanson herself, but this time, it's the "United Australia Party", rather than the collapsed One Nation, that will proudly present the "Hanson version 2.0". There is no guarantee that "Hanson version 2.0" will be as exciting as Ms Hanson's appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2004, but we can all be sure that her extreme stance on issues like immigration and environment will once again help increase her media exposure without splurging on advertising.

So how exactly is this "Hanson version 2.0" different from the "Hanson version 1.0", which was launched in 1996 and probably at the peak of the former MP's political career? Actually, not much. She is still the Hanson who resents immigration, worrying about Australia is being swamped by Muslims and Asians; the same person who advocates the withdrawal of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and against globalisation; the same person who thinks global warming is a fiction and nationalisation of energy resources is the right way to go; and she promises she will ensure "Christian Values, Patriotism and Morality" at school. The "version 2.0" at the minimum is just a re-launch of "version 1.0" without any major changes to the substance. Most of her views have no place in the 21st century's Australia: a quick glimpse of the headline news on the same day of her announcement of running for the federal election says the best about today's political environment.

On global warming, ABC was just heavily blamed for the decision to screen the documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle". Whether the doc should be screened or not, this indicates how the public and political debate on this issue has tilted towards favouring "righting the pollution wrong" than "running away from it". Recent opinion poll results also confirm this trend. Also the argument about the shifting the national capital city among premiers and politicians, albeit an amusing one in its own right, revolves around the issue of being in the proximity of "Asia", which represents the sustainable growth of markets and opportunities for this country. Moreover, Ms Hanson's view on indigenous people only serves to make the disadvantaged continue to be disadvantaged, and a fairer society a more distant goal.

Of course, Ms Hanson alone cannot reshape the current political debate. That may be one of the few merits about a two-party system: extreme views will be counted less, or sometimes marginalised. But that does not mean Ms Hanson's view will be forever ignored. History has many times told us that biased and extreme arguments are easier to gain momentum as they are easier to hog the spotlight in the media, and through that, they start changing people's perceptions in a subtle way. Leaving those distorted and biased views unaddressed, to a great extent, amounts to giving them the silent supports.

On the other hand, to bash them heads-on also gives those views a bigger canvas to paint, thus achieving what one has been hoping to avoid. It is a tricky situation to handle, not least in an election year. And this may just explain how cunning a master John Howard has been, especially during the time when Hansonism was at its peak. By quietly observing where the mainstream view on immigration stood, Mr Howard toughened up his talks on national identity and Australian values in public, but at the same time, Australia still opened its door to skilled immigrants in the late 90s. The Tempa affair in 2001 also demonstrated the Howard Government's toughness on the issue, making Mr Howard seen sufficiently enough on immigration control. This has fulfilled his goal of placating those who fear immigration and loss of national identity, and most importantly, deflating the force represented by Ms Hanson.

The best way forward for right-wing politicians is, as Janet Albrechtsen proposes in The Australian, acknowledge the issue of national identity and Australian values. After all, most voters understand the country and the government is better in the hands of a moderate right than a far right like Ms Hanson. In the coming few weeks we will see the formation of the much-debated Citizenship Test. This may be enough to discount Ms Hanson's anti-immigration appeal, forcing her to resort to other more meaty (or extreme) policies. The "Hanson version 2.0" has yet to offer that. But before we get excited about any new theatrics from her, the battle will still be fought between Team Howard and Team Rudd.

This article was published at www.chinatown.com.au and has been reproduced here with the permission of the author.   The views expressed are those of the author's and not necessarily those of the ECC.

A Youth Leadership Camp will be held from 29 June to 1 July 2007, at 20 Wills Road, Long Point (Macquarie Fields), New South Wales. This event will showcase notable successful Sikh entrepreneurs from the South East Asian and Canadian regions, each recounting their experiences in their respective fields of expertise.

"This camp focuses on the development of overall life skills through the combination of entrepreneurial skills and spiritualism, and we encourage participants from a variety of faiths to develop a well-rounded approach to leadership," says Satwant Singh Calais, camp convener. "It also gives them the opportunity to interact with like-minded youths to create lasting networks for life."

The keynote speaker, and perhaps most relevant to the youth, will be e-business extraordinaire Ash Singh. A graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business, the 25-year-old is currently serving as director of Ad.WRIGHT, a Singapore based branding, advertising and new media specialist company. A lecturer and speaker at the INSEAD Business School, he also serves as a consultant to Google in South East Asia.  Read more

Myra Glassman is the Chief of Staff for SEIU Local 880 (USA) and will be in Sydney to present a seminar for Working NSW on 9 July 2007.  She has been with SEIU Local 880 since 1984 and will tell the story of its growth and success, its organising method and its coalition work. Working NSW is pleased to welcome interested unionists and community organisers to attend this important seminar.

SEIU Local 880 is an unusual union. It was set up by a community organisation – Association of Community Organisations for Reform Now (ACORN) in 1984, and has successfully translated community organising techniques such as door knocking and leadership development to master organising new members in growth industries.

It has grown from the smallest SEIU local to the 5th largest SEIU local in the United States in the last thirty years, and it has done so by organsing some of the lowest paid workers in the country - homecare and home childcare workers. At the same time, the union has strongly committed to working on issues beyond wages and conditions, including affordable housing and living wage campaigns including the living wage campaign that challenged and beat Wal-mart in Chicago between 2003 and 2006.  Read more

Multicultural Mental Health Australia
National Multicultural Art Competition 2007
Topic- “I Identify-My Identity’
Entries close on Friday 5th of August 2007 @ 5:00pm
More information www.mmha.org.au 

Sutherland Shire Carer Support Service
Beauty Care Workshops for Chinese community
Sutherland Community Centre
3a Staplerton Ave
Sutherland
Tuesday 19 June 1:30-3:30pm
FREE
Fo more details, ring 02 9542 6292

National Day of Action August 11th
Same-sex Marriage Rights and Equality for all.
Rally for the National Day for Action on August 11
More information email do_the_bim@yahoo.com or ben8721@hotmail.com

Arabic Community Cultural Event
Friday 22 June, 6-8.30pm
Marrickville Town Hall, Marrickville Road, Marrickville

As part of a series of events showcasing and celebrating Marrickville’s diversity, Marrickville Council will present an evening of Arabic entertainment on Friday 22 June from 6-8.30pm at Marrickville Town Hall.

The evening will showcase Arabic entertainment, from traditional drumming and dance through to live duo and band performances. Entertainment will include traditional Tabla drumming performed by Simon Loueizi, who regularly features at Arabic wedding ceremonies. There will also be a colourful and vibrant belly dance performance by Hathor Dance Theatre, who have entranced and delighted audiences at the Sydney Middle Eastern Festival, Egyptian Day Carnival, and many other Arabic community festivals and events.

A special feature on the night will be a performance by internationally acclaimed brothers Joseph and James Tawadros. Egyptian-born Joseph, an oud virtuoso, and Australian-born James, a percussionist, have toured and performed with orchestras all over the world, and last year completed a highly successful tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. They also received an ARIA nomination in 2006 for Best World Music Artist for their latest CD, Visions.

Also appearing on the evening will be exciting party band Azadoota. Their unique cross-cultural fusion of Iraqi music with other styles of world music has built the group a reputation in recent years as one of Sydney’s most spirited live acts. The group performs in Arabic and English, and are guaranteed to hold your attention from start to finish. Azadoota means “Freedom”, and the band stands for freedom from cultural and ethnic prejudice, encouraging their audience to embrace diversity.   Light refreshments, including a variety of Arabic foods, will be served, entry is free and all are welcome.

For further information on the Arabic Cultural Event, please contact Marrickville Council on 9335 2222. A copy of the invitation is available at http://www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/livinginarea/culture/events.htm