Turning Harmony Day into a divisive set of lectures is a bad idea

As your front-page story (“Racism watchdog not happy with the happiness of Harmony Day”, 3/3) and the commentary piece by Greg Craven (“Culture warriors put the harm into Harmony Day”, 3/3) point out, the push by the Australian Human Rights Commission to rename Harmony Day, which celebrates different cultures and is well supported by the community, to Day of Elimination of Racial Discrimination is not only absurd but also counter-productive.

Hopefully it is not beyond the understanding of those at the AHRC who want to bring in this change that the best way to end racial discrimination in Australia is to celebrate the differences between cultures, which creates an environment of inclusion and mutual respect by validating the identities of minority communities, not to emphasise past injustices.

Coming to terms with history is an important aspect of reconciliation, but a focus on grievance without a celebration of diversity makes it only harder to achieve the cohesion necessary for our multiracial society to thrive.

Nicholas Ingram, Richmond, Vic

Australia’s racism watchdog is busy quibbling over the names of celebrations instead of actively pursuing the elimination of racism, particularly, at the moment, anti-Semitism. What use are these government agencies to problem-solving? More taxpayer money being wasted on non-issues.

Robin Southey, Port Fairy, Vic

The Australian Human Rights Commission has further confirmed its irrelevance by proclaiming that Harmony Day, when students celebrate diversity of cultures at their school, should be renamed and turned into a divisive set of lectures about long-forgotten events. No room for happiness under this mob’s watch.

After completely failing Australians by not even pretending to address anti-Semitism, it’s time for this organisation to be completely gutted and rebuilt so it acts in accordance with its title.

Alan Hayes, Currumbin, Qld

I agree with Greg Craven that the AHRC’s attempt to eliminate apparent racism with a name change is part of a continuing attempt to divide us and infer a racist attitude that doesn’t really exist here. In my opinion this organisation is part of the bureaucratic “swamp” that infests all Western nations, and it needs draining fast.

My problem with Craven is that although he sees the idiotic duplicity in this taxpayer-funded outfit, he failed to see the same divisiveness in the voice proposal and backed it, and the bureaucratic behemoth that would have come with it, wholeheartedly.

Mark Dwyer, Rankins Springs, NSW

Culture is critical to a people. For a culture is more than a list of values, more than a particular political system or set of laws. It’s our lifestyle and language, our humour, traditions, art, literature and history – the whole rich story of us. To function as a nation, we need one culture, explicitly designated as the dominant one, into which newcomers must assimilate. By declaring our culture simply one of many, multiculturalism undermines unity, encourages separatism, builds ghettos.

Yet for decades we have watched a wilful, wowser-led devastation of much of our story. It’s time to reclaim our heritage, to retell our history as it used to be told. It’s time to bring back the old bush poets to our schools and learn them by heart. Introduce our children to Ethel Turner, Ruth Park and Mary Durack. Demand that galleries display old masterpieces, libraries stop decolonising and universities teach Australian history factually. We must show pride in the brilliance and stoicism of our settlers. Start making great cinema again. Rediscover our humour. Revel in our culture. Savour it. And then showcase it to our new citizens.

We can discuss fluency as a prerequisite for citizenship. We can stretch the timeline and flip the quiz from charade to challenge. But the crucial change is to expect assimilation. Love your country. Learn the language.

In fact, you know what should be up in lights at every citizenship ceremony? The last few pages of They’re a Weird Mob.

Jane Bieger, Mount Lawley, WA

Calling for destruction of Israel is anti-Semitic

It almost defies belief that groups can look at a definition of anti-Semitism that specifically states that “criticism of the policies and practices of the Israeli government or state is not, in and of itself, anti-Semitic” and then claim the definition protects against “any criticism of Israel”.

Yet this is exactly what the Australian National Imams Council and Alliance of Australian Muslims have done (“Fight signalled over uni anti-Semitism call”, 3/3). They must be hoping people accept their concerns without reading the definition of anti-Semitism finally adopted by our universities.

It appears the other groups so hotly contesting the definition refuse to accept the obvious – but to them clearly inconvenient – fact that if you discriminate against the Jewish state or call for its destruction, you are probably anti-Semitic.

Mark Kessel, Caulfield, North, Vic