Proudly Standing Up

How will history judge us and our current response to desperate refugees? Gary Samowitz from Stand Up urges us to show compassion and put humanity at the core of the political debate.

Why Australia needs a Multicultural Act

Australia's proposed move to ban the wearing of burqas in Parliament House has exposed cultural tensions and social distrust. Hsiao-Shan Fu says Australia needs to support its belief in a multicultural coexistence with a law.

The hijab: Be careful what you WISH for…

WISH is an online campaign and stands for Women in Solidarity with Hijabis. Polly Chester likes the solid intentions of the WISH campaign but doesn’t believe it’s so easy to rebuild societal perceptions with “slack-tivism”.

Understanding how culture shapes identity

In our modern society we are experiencing contact with different cultures like never before. Jovana Balanovic is conducting a survey that wants to answer the question why people respond to inter-cultural contact in different ways.

A Nation of “Good Sports”‘? Cultural Citizenship and Sport in Contemporary Australia

The national government and its agencies tend uncritically to reproduce the mythology of universal Australian love of sport. David Rowe is head of a project in ethnically diverse Greater Western Sydney, exploring if it still can be assumed that sport plays a unifying role in this country.

Sport in Australia: global engagement, national and local significance

Australia is no backwater in world sport and hosts big international tournaments each year. Daryl Adair says a balance of global and local events is important for the sustainability of the Australian sport marketplace.

Celebrate Indigenous excellence

Every year Australia celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with NAIDOC week. April Long from The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence says it’s a great way to foster mutual respect and understanding.

Celebrate NAIDOC week

This year’s NAIDOC week takes places from 6 to 13 July. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. This year’s theme is ‘Serving Country: Centenary & Beyond’.

The World Cup for Brazilians in Melbourne

The World Cup in Brazil is well under way, with the Brazilian team making it through to quarter-finals. Denise Frizzo shares how she and her fellow Brazilians are following the excitement from Melbourne.

You imagine what you desire

From the 21 March to 9 June the Biennale of Sydney presents Australiaʼs largest contemporary visual arts event. Held every two years, the Biennale has this time gathered more than 85 artists from 28 countries. There also are artist talks, forums, guided tours and family days.

Many cultures within but not integrated

Australia prides itself as being a multicultural society. Bronte Jackson says there is still a barrier of ‘us and them’ that prevents us from being truly inclusive.

Art is good for the soul

One of the venues for the 19^th Biennale of Sydney is the Museum of Contemporary Art. Svetlana Stankovic, who is the editor of Open Forum, reflects on art and happiness after visiting the exhibition.