Over the past decade, many members of our association arrived in Australia as refugees, not in search of a better lifestyle, but in search of safety. They came from Iraq, from places where basic rights were uncertain and, at times, non-existent. In Australia, they encountered something profoundly different: a country grounded in clear laws, real opportunities, and a system that strives to provide protection and fairness to all.
From the beginning, what stood out most was the absence of judgment based on religion or ethnicity. The question that mattered was simple and human: Are you safe? Are you okay? In those early years, families focused on rebuilding their lives from the ground up. Their priorities were learning the language, adapting to a new environment, and understanding the culture and systems of the society they had entered. It was a period defined by gratitude, effort, and a genuine desire to belong.
However, as time passed, and through our work as a community organisation engaging with individuals, leaders from diverse communities, service providers, and non-government organisations, including those involved in shaping policy, a more complex picture began to emerge. Across different conversations and perspectives, one pattern became increasingly clear: while there is a strong and consistent focus on rights, there is far less discussion about responsibilities, and even less about what it truly means to share a national identity.
Public discourse often centres on what Australia or its government should provide. Yet the equally important question is frequently overlooked: what should we, as individuals and communities, contribute in return? This imbalance has gradually shaped a deeper challenge. When people speak about “Australia’s national interest,” it often reflects personal expectations rather than a shared vision. In this way, Australia risks being reimagined not as a collective identity, but as a sum of groups’ demands.
Australia’s multiculturalism has long been one of its greatest strengths, offering richness, diversity, and opportunity. But diversity alone cannot sustain a nation. Without a shared sense of responsibility and belonging, multiculturalism risks shifting from a unifying strength into a source of fragmentation. A society cannot remain cohesive if its members are connected only by rights, without a parallel commitment to shared values and responsibilities.
It is important to acknowledge that this imbalance is not solely the result of individual attitudes. It has also been shaped over time by legislation, policies, and institutional practices. Government decisions, regulatory frameworks, and at times inconsistent or short-term guidance from key institutions have all contributed to the current situation. More concerning, however, is a broader shift, (whether intentional or not) away from a clear and commonly understood sense of Australian identity.
Today, the idea of what it means to be “Australian” is no longer clearly defined or widely agreed upon. Some look to historical definitions, others seek to redefine it entirely, while some question whether a shared identity is even necessary. This growing uncertainty raises serious questions about the future direction of the country. While Australia has not lost its identity, there is an undeniable imbalance emerging, between rights and responsibilities, and between multiculturalism and a genuine sense of belonging.
This context helps explain the current debate around immigration policy. Recent proposals from the Coalition have been described by some as strict or confronting. However, they can also be understood as an attempt to bring focus back to a fundamental question: what does it truly mean to belong to Australia? Expectations such as respecting the law, upholding shared values, learning the language, and actively engaging with the community are not extreme, they are the basic foundations of a stable and cohesive society. The real issue has not been the absence of these expectations, but the inconsistency in how they have been applied and reinforced.
Many new arrivals over the past decades have benefited from the opportunities Australia provides and have gone on to become citizens. With that opportunity comes an important understanding: being welcomed into a country does not mean reshaping it to fit individual or group preferences. Australia’s success has never been built on openness alone. It has also depended on clarity, clarity of values, expectations, and identity.
If the national conversation continues to focus primarily on rights, without giving equal weight to responsibilities, then the long-term strength of this model cannot be taken for granted. For this reason, the discussion must evolve. A strong Australia is not simply one that keeps its doors open, but one that ensures those who arrive are ready to contribute, to participate, and to help build the society they are becoming part of.
Ultimately, belonging is not just about being accepted, it is about commitment. And that commitment begins with upholding Australian values.