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by Rad Leovic
I was born in Nis, Yugoslavia, south east of Belgrade. I fled the Iron Curtain in May 1951 and arrived in Australia in March 1952. I departed the old country just six weeks before my final law examination and graduation.' Having been imprisoned once already, I took the opportunity to leave when the authorities would have least suspected me.' Political refugee is defined in international law.' My circumstances in Yugoslavia at the time met the criteria very well.' Further, Australia was pleased to accept me, for which I am eternally grateful.
Australia has been an ideal home for genuine refugees.' I would like to just briefly trace my experience and reflect on the importance of Australian citizenship for me over the past 50 years.
As I settled in this country and when I soon became naturalised, I was aware of a strong unity and collective identity in Australian society.' The conferring of citizenship was accompanied by much ceremony and celebration.' The Good Neighbour movement and annual congresses were major public events that seemed to represent most groups in the host society.
In the 1950s Australian society seemed relatively homogenous and the official policy was assimilationist, but there were many changes underway towards a heterogeneous society.' I was assimilated very fast and generously, in particular by my employer.' I had joined the Australian Bureau of Statistics.' They had schemes of mentoring and subsidised tertiary studies, that enabled me to graduate B.Ec. from the ANU and undertake post graduate work.' I served my entire career with the ABS in Canberra. I raised a family in the suburb of Hughes, am happily married and enjoy an active retirement including triathlons, part-time work, research and travel.
Citizenship is the concept that embraces for me the Australian character and identity, its institutions, the unity, integration and harmony of the country and the rights, values and responsibilities of its citizens.' It says so much more about Australia than multiculturalism.' I am concerned by persistent attention and emphasis given to ethnicity and ethnic origins, when Australianism is such a rich and dynamic idea.' Is the host Australian society to be described as non-ethnic?' Is multiculturalism detracting from full citizenship?
Multiculturalism and ethnic organisations represent, in my view, a considerable mis-allocation of resources and configuration of specific values, traditions and activities.' To a certain extent, they compete with the vital tasks of national development, community cohesion and agreement on basic, common values.
What lies in the future?' Australia will have to respond to continued population growth, immigration and refugee pressures on a secure basis of agreed national goals and purposes.' Citizenship should exemplify national identity, unity, values and confidence – strengthened and not displaced by multiculturalism.