AUSTRALIANS and our new neighbours need to bridge the gulf between cultures - the unfortunate disconnect existing between the races, which breeds fear and racism between locals and immigrants, and between ethnic communities.
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It's a two-way street. Just as Australians tend to be tribal when living as expats overseas, so immigrants and refugees tend to cluster when settling in Australia, for reasons such as language, culture and the vast size of our continent.
In some ways it's positive. Everyone loves Chinatown in Melbourne and Sydney. Singapore wouldn't rate so well as a routine destination or stopover without the city's famous Chinatown and Little India.
Immigration is not some multicultural sideshow. Since World War II more than seven million migrants have settled here. Immigration has underpinned our development as a nation, but just as it took decades to finally redefine and dump the White Australia policy, so it is taking forever to unite the cultures.
Maybe it's sufficient to let populations naturally cluster. Every state has its Dutch, Polish, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern communities, except that the failure to engage leads to elitism, racism and sectarianism, based on fear and misinformation.
" It's not a crime not to engage; just a dangerously missed opportunity."
If I emigrated I would expect to embrace the host culture, along with its foibles and customs. I imagine I would remain Australian in nature. That's my social DNA. If Australia played a Test match against my new home I would probably back Australia, but after a few years I'd suffer divided loyalties, in a good-natured way.
There's nothing wrong with new Australians feeling a residual loyalty towards their home of birth and backing their country of origin at an international sporting fixture. Fighting in Jihad wars back home is the extreme.
Locals would also expect immigrants to at least try to understand and enjoy our customs and culture. When they don't or meet opposition to their attempts it not only fuels sectarianism but they also miss out on so much, and vica versa. It's not a crime not to engage; just a dangerously missed opportunity.
Years ago in a taxi enroute to Canberra airport I asked the black African driver where he was from. Australia, he replied. A second attempt elicited an angry glare so I fell silent. On reflection it was a dumb question, even racist, because he interpreted my question as a patronising put-down.
He shouldn't have, but he was no doubt sick of being patronised by those Australians who treat multiculturalism like a theme park. I meant no offence. I was simply trying to engage.
Engagement is not just a few multicultural events with national dress and exotic dishes. They come and go. Engagement is being good neighbours.
Engagement is where fear gives way to fascination. Where the threat of new neighbours gives way to inquiry and exposure to different cultures.
When you're overseas there's always a quiet sigh of relief when magnificent but exhausting efforts to cope with the language get a breather, upon reaching English speaking borders. Imagine how new Australians feel; coping with one of the most difficult languages on earth and a local, largely Anglo-Saxon population who are jealous and wary of anyone and anything new.
In both cases that magnificent effort is required. Engagement can mean the difference between cultural clusters and a gang. It can mean the difference between a nation and a social archipelago.
