From the Principal

Before meeting with Year 12 students during the Term 3 Principal’s Lunches, I often reflect on what is currently appearing in their ‘news feeds’. In recent times, the World Cup has featured strongly which was also evident during the Secondary School Athletics carnival, with the introduction of the Norwegian rowing chant. Discussion about monoculture, immigrant deportation and, something I never thought possible in my lifetime, the White Australia Policy have also featured in ‘news feeds’ in recent times.

At the commencement of the Term, the College was privileged to launch Fr Frank Brennan’s compilation of speeches from Sir William Deane in his book, Equality, Reconciliation and Social Cohesion. As you know, I referenced the book and its launch in the first Newsletter for the Term.

As I listen to our soon to be graduated Year 12 students speak about their hopes and dreams for the adventures they have ahead of them, I am filled with hope. There is often a reference to ‘wanting to make a positive difference’, ‘wanting to help people’. The tenure of our conversations is so far removed from what might appear in the ‘news feeds’ we are often exposed to.

As it happens, after the launch of Fr Frank’s book, I shared an excerpt from one of Sir William Deane’s speeches with our staff. I felt the need to share, given, serendipitously, I had just returned from representing the College in Brisbane that weekend and had walked past some of those contributing to the current ‘news feeds’ at Brisbane airport.

Given our College motto is Seek Justice, and in the words of Fr Frank Brennan SJ, ‘in the Ignatian tradition we are all called to reach out to anybody and everybody regardless of their race, religion or views. We are here to help our fellow human beings practically and to encourage them in their struggles’, I thought I might share the same excerpt from a speech given by Sir William Deane in 1998:

'The history of indigenous Australians and their cultures stretches back some 50 or 60 thousand years. From very early times in this ancient continent, there was a real diversity of indigenous cultures. Some of those cultures perished in the wake of European settlement, dominance and oppression which commenced in 1788. Other indigenous cultures survived and developed.

Those who came from other parts of the world brought with them their own cultures. Initially, the introduced cultures were essentially those of the British Isles. Quite apart from the appalling treatment of the Aborigines, the 19th century and the early days of our nation in the present century, were strained by a degree of ignorance and intolerance in relation to other cultures and races which, I believe, most Australians now look back on with profound sorrow.

Today, it can truly be said that we Australians immediately or more distantly come from – and reflect – the regions, races, cultures and religions of the world. Thus, for example, since the Second World War we have received several million migrants from some 140 different countries.

Yet, notwithstanding our cultural diversity, we are united as one nation. The approach and the conviction which have made that possible are what we call our multiculturalism. In my view, that multiculturalism sustains our national unity. In essence, it means that our distinctive Australian culture and our distinctive Australian identity encompass, and are enriched by, all the different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds and cultures from which we come. It also means that our citizens are entitled to expect and demand that there be mutual respect for, and genuine acceptance of, all those backgrounds and cultures. Conversely, all our citizens owe a duty to honour all their obligations as Australians and to refrain from infecting our nation with hatreds and intolerance flowing from old conflicts in other lands.

My own personal commitment to encouraging that mutual respect and acceptance has never wavered during the period in which I have been Governor-General. Indeed, I have found that the longer I am Governor-General the more convinced I am that to deny or to undermine that mutual respect and acceptance is to defy or to undermine the unifying basis of our nation. Our multiculturalism seems to me to be not only decent, just and right. It is not only our Australian way. It defines what we are.'