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Cabramatta and Lakemba live in the public mind as the the epitome of Sydney and Australia’s ethnic diversity.
Those who oppose immigration and multiculturalism deride these suburbs as ethnic enclaves and ‘no go’ areas.
Others who support cultural diversity and multiculturalism laud them and present them as essential to the successful long term settlement of immigrants.
Of interest are the recent statements of Chris Bowen at the launch of the Government’s new multicultural policy. In his speech to the Sydney Institute the Minister framed his position on the policy from his experiences growing up in Fairfield (a suburb adjoining Cabramatta) an experience that leaves him both comfortable with diversity as well as keen to respect and celebrate the various language and cultural groups to which his cohorts belonged.
This aspect of proximity is an interesting one as evidenced by last Saturday’s NSW State Government Elections in which Pauline Hanson received the most votes in Port Stephens, Myall Lakes, Maitland Cessnock, Tamworth and Dubbo. Clearly this vote base is strongest in areas where there is the least contact with migrants.
This apparent trend of proximity equaling at least tolerance and at best acceptance is consistent across the literature and more importantly across the range of survey’s designed to measure the Australian public’s acceptance of immigration and diversity.
Given the diversity of views and the passion with which they are held I would like to set a needs framework to the question, that is Does Australia need ethnic suburbs?
The answer from my perspective is a resounding YES.
Ethnic suburbs are not manufactured but in fact evolve from specific economic and social settlement needs. Both suburbs are not only ethnic suburbs but they are also characterized by low socio-economic status as well as some of the cheapest housing in Sydney.
Many immigrants and refugees are attracted to these suburbs because they have family and cultural links there already OR
They are directed there either because of the existence of settlement services or affordable housing. In fact my recent experience in the refugee settlement program tends to prescribe certain areas for initial settlement. at present these are Fairfield and Liverpool, Auburn and Mt Druitt.
Apart from linkages and housing these suburbs also provide a range of other important attractions and services
- culture specific retail in the form of food, household items, clothing;
- social and professional services in the form of doctors, lawyers, accountants, tax advisors;
- a concentration of government services such as Centrelink, employment services, Medicare offices;
- cultural and religious infrastructure such as places of worship, social gathering places and restaurants.
All of this service and cultural infrastructure has the specific effect which is to provide a safe entry point. In more creative language a settlement decompression chamber which serves to lessen the impact of the cultural and linguistic challenges represented by immigration or resettlement.
Am I therefore talking about ghettos and the forced partitioning between these people and the rest of the community? No infact the opposite.
The reality of these suburbs is that they have a history of cultural and linguistic demographic change.
The Cabramatta of my childhood was where you would travel to visit Italian relatives who were there in big numbers. They were the market gardeners and the small shop keepers and getting an Italian coffee was easy, and where Italian bread was baked.
This may not be the Cabramatta from current urban mythology but it was real and CHANGING. The next wave through were those from the Balkan peninsula, most notably the Serbians, then came the South Americans and then the great change of 1975 in which the most significant population change took place with the refugee migration from IndoChina and the first significant waves of Middle Eastern migration represented by the Turkish immigrants.
The most critical cause of these changes was existence of the Leightonfield Migration Camp from which new arrivals left to move into the adjoining areas.
But how do we explain the change of population?
Some commentators and academics such as Bob Birrell from Monash coin it white flight. the movement out of areas such as Cabramatta from the Australian born population.
My take is somewhat different. It is my view that these Australian born are indeed the children of the immigrants who came into the area. The reasons they are leaving is that they can afford to leave because they are in employment and have achieved a level of social mobility.
And with each group that has settled, become affluent and move out, they are replaced by the next wave immigrants and refugees.
Therefore we do not have ghettos which entrench intergenerational disadvantage, we have what can be described as transition zones, with the change roughly equivalent to 20 year intervals.
There are a number of other benefits which make these suburbs important.
- The development of ethnic small businesses developed to meet the needs of local ethnic groups which in some cases have become big domestic and even international businesses;
- The experience of multicultural markets which have provided Australian businesses with the capacity to consider, understand and develop products or services for overseas markets.
- The most interesting product developed from these suburbs is the move from ethnic enclaves to cultural precincts.
Now on any weekend you can participate in a food and shopping tour of Haberfield (Italian), Auburn (Turkish), Lakemba (Lebanese), and Cabramatta which has not only become an Asian food hub but has also recently be elevated as a key component of cultural tourism in Sydney.
Lakemba and Cabramatta are needed and necessary. In my final words these suburbs are:
Dynamic not fixed
Diverse not homogenous
Challenging yet beneficial
Tasty not bland