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Malcolm Fraser Launches ‘The Promise of Diversity’

Wednesday, May 1, 2013
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The Rt. Hon. Malcolm Fraser, former Prime Minister of Australia launched ‘The Promise of Diversity’ on 16 April at Armagh, the Initiatives of Change centre in Melbourne, Australia. The book, written by the late John Hartwell Williams and John Bond, both full-time IofC workers, is a biography of Professor Jerzy Zubrzycki, known as 'the father of multiculturalism in Australia'. Zubrzycki was a Polish sociologist who came to Australia after World War II. He was instrumental in shaping the policies which have made Australia one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world (although still not without problems). Barbara Williams, the widow of John Williams, told of the friendship which had developed between John and the Professor going back to the 1970s. ‘One thing the Professor said struck a chord with him: We must honour the country the person comes from as well as the country he comes to.’ After researching and well into writing the book, Williams became ill and was unable to complete it. A colleague, John Bond, who also knew Zubrzycki personally, offered to complete it.

Introducing the book, Malcolm Fraser paid tribute to Zubrzycki whom he had known personally. He attacked the politicians past and present who try to make political capital out of racial or religious differences. He characterized the current political debate on refugees as being ‘who can be toughest, who can be nastiest to people fleeing terror’ and said that it is causing immense damage to Australia's reputation around the world. ‘When someone tells you that Tamil people coming here today are mostly economic refugees… Well they have been processed by probably the toughest processing system in the entire Western world which says that a little over 97% are in fact genuine refugees.’

He ended by challenging his audience to ‘honour the memory of Prof. Zubrzycki, fight for the principles he stood for and fight for the Australia which made it possible for so many people to come here, post the Second World War, and be welcomed and participate fully and equally in Australian life’.

The evening was organized by the Australian Institute Polish Affairs (AIPA) in association with IofC and was chaired by Julian Dunwill, a member of AIPA’s Executive Committee. Notable guests included Sir James Gobbo, Chairman of the Australian Multicultural Foundation and former Governor of Victoria; Dr George Luk, Polish consul general in Victoria; Chin Tan, Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission; Stefan Romaniw, OAM, Chair of Multicultural Arts, Victoria; Joe Caputo, OAM, Chair of Ethnic Communities Council, Victoria; Amanda Paxton, State Director of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Victoria; Dr Hass Dellal, OAM, Executive Director Australian Multicultural Foundation; Ross Barnett, Director of Ethnic Communities Council Victoria; Ms Marion Lau, Commisioner of VMC; Jennifer Barrera, People of Australia Ambassador and Izydor Marmur, President of Australian Society of Polish Jews and their descendants.

The book is published by Grosvenor Books Australia, 226 Kooyong Road, Toorak, VIC 3142. Email grosvenor.books@au.iofc.org Tel. 03 9822 1218.

You can watch the video of Malcolm Fraser’s talk here: http://youtu.be/_tXQSkpwhfs