The current pre-election debate amongst political parties in Australia has shown its positive and negative aspects.

Positively, the major political parties as well as minority political parties are competing strongly and seriously to provide their better ideas and policies on the future of Australia. This coming election really poses a great challenge to all political parties about how they can manage Australia to move forward with depth and dignity.

On the negative side, the national election lead-up so far has been a pretty rough and shallow affair. There has been abuse and counter-abuse within the political circles and a certain emptiness (and similarity) in the policy proposals coming from each main side.

The public feel disappointed that principles can quickly and easily be abandoned by politicians in the process of debate. Nevertheless, the election campaign is likely to hot up in coming weeks, leading quite possibly to a change of government in late November 2007.

Faced with this, the current government is looking for issues around race, migrants, foreigners, terrorism, Aboriginal people, Australian "values" and other related themes through which it might generate a sentiment among some people that will swing support its way. It believes certain fears, tensions and misunderstandings in the whole Australian Community can be swung to its advantage.

It is a bit reminiscent of the storm that was stirred up in the run-up to the 1996 election by Ms Pauline Hanson in her campaign to "Stop Asian Immigration!". For a time it was apparent that the Howard Government was keeping its options open about whether to quietly tap into the campaign, rather than clearly condemn it.

In the years since, the pointed end of officialdom's anti-Asian stick has blunted a bit, especially with the growing dependence of the Australian economy on sales to the Chinese market and reliance on its supply sources. Few in official political and bureaucratic circles would now promote the crude anti-Asian strategies of a few years back. Things have certainly moved on substantially since the bad old days of the White Australia Policy that lasted into the 1970s.

But somewhat more subtle discrimination and paternalistic attitudes persist in relation to Aboriginal people, migrants from all over and other related areas. Let's consider these:

1 Aboriginal people: Reconciliation and the return of the stolen land

The difficulties which Aboriginal people have experienced since European settlement in the 18th Century are increasingly well known throughout the community; so too are the remarkable achievements they have made in preserving their culture, tackling their socio-economic problems (largely a product of European settlement), gaining back some of their traditional land rights, and developing a leadership which has capably involved itself in the overall Australian political processes. That many pressures still apply to Aboriginal people is obvious, but the so-called "Commonwealth takeover" of "Aboriginal affairs and well-being" in the Northern Territory has emerged as little more than an ugly stunt. The military and other public bodies are supposedly being used to "sort out" Aboriginal people's problems, in a very top down and ineffective way. The publicity generated is cited to weaken the demands of Aboriginal people for a proper and legitimate rectification of their social problems. Undoubtedly, there is an element in it all of undermining the successful return over the past two to three decades of many traditional lands to the Aboriginal people. As former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser has said the key thing is to solve Aboriginal people's economic difficulties before putting all the emphasis on issues such as child abuse in Aboriginal communities.

It is good to see that national reconciliation with the Aboriginal Community will be a major issue on the election agenda. It should not be a cynical exercise. It is a highly significant national issue for the whole people to resolve. All previous and current governments have so far failed to properly resolve this extremely vital national issue. The improvement of socio-economic status of the Aboriginal people and the return of stolen land must be part of the national reconciliation solution.

2 Overseas migration and the "Citizenship Test"

With the present economic boom in Australia and the short supply of "new" technologies in the workforce, there are increasing pressures to expand the level of migration from all over the world. This is a recurring theme in Australian history, especially since 1945. There is a strong tendency in government policy to pursue the "best of both worlds" in respect of migrants. There are often discriminatory policies and practices at work in respect of selection processes. Considerable favouritism is still shown to those from Anglo-Saxon backgrounds and little respect is often shown for the vast cultural richness of the thousands who come to make their homes in Australia. By and large, they are expected to bring the skills needed but then endure poorer conditions of work and life than the overall population.

The latest development affecting those who make it to Australia as migrants is the "Citizenship Test" which essentially aims to ensure that new arrivals conform with "Australian values" before being granted citizenship. Concerns have been raised on many fronts about the "Citizenship Test". There is the fact that it is administered only in English. It obviously favours those who come with English in their backgrounds or the educational capacity to fairly quickly speak it. There has also been quite a debate already about what Australian "values" really mean. It can easily descend into clichs attempting to be imposed upon newcomers. It means little in practice, and may actually be a barrier to many being integrated into the local society. It also gives little attention to the enormous contribution which migrants have made over many years to the development and prosperity of the society. They may not have started off being able to correctly answer 12 out of 20 questions in English ("Who was Phar Lap*?") but have been able to make a very important contribution to Australian society. This of course is especially true of their locally-born offspring. The assumption that a little set of quiz questions will decide the worth of a person to take up Australian citizenship seems nave and foolish in the extreme. (* Horse that won the 1930 Melbourne Cup)

An illustration of the difficulties migrants face is provided by the recent controversy over the Sudanese community in Australia. Allegations were made by government and other politicians that the Sudanese had particular difficulties in "integrating" into the Australian society. Examples of lawlessness and bad behaviour were cited and the government proposed reducing their numbers in the near future. The way European migrants had been treated in earlier decades and Asian migrants more recently are recalled. Now it was the turn of Africans. Behind it is the promotion of a general fear amongst the whole community of the danger that lurks from people who are just a little different from the majority. Interestingly, it took statements from two police commissioners (NSW and Vic), quoting statistical data, to show that the crime rate for the Sudanese community was actually below the overall community rate. Such data were also backed up by anecdotal data from individual police about the Sudanese. The anger of the Sudanese community has been stirred up. The controversy is yet to be amicably resolved.

3 Countering these negative trends

The immediate responsibility for countering these negative trends in Australia falls upon the wide range of bodies that provide representation and work for the well-being of their communities. The Chinese community has been around for well over a century. It has passed through many difficulties and become a valued part of Australian society. It is always important to remain well aware and well connected to ensure that things don't ever go backwards for the Chinese community in Australia. There is also much that can come from building stronger links with other Asian communities, as well as Aboriginal people, Europeans, Africans and others. The importance of standing for and promoting a multicultural society remains vitally important. This undoubtedly is the best recipe for a strong and tolerant society. The diverse capabilities and cultures are mixed in a way in which people remain in touch with their own background, while blending in with the mixed fruits of a Multicultural Australia.

RICHARD WONG is an executive member of the Chinese Professional and Business Association and a council member of the Federation of Chinese Associations in Victoria, Australia.