• race
• religion
• nationality
• membership of a particular social group or
• political opinion.

Basically an asylum seeker refers to anybody seeking protection but their claim for refugee status has not been verified whereas a refugee has been officially recognised by a government as meeting the criteria of a refugee as defined by the U.N. Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. This was all found on the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

In the midst of political debate over how strictly we need to control our borders from boat arrivals, it seems that people have forgotten Australia’s obligations as a signatory to the U.N. Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. As a signatory, Australia should provide help to asylum seekers regardless of how they arrive in Australia.

Asylum seekers aren’t illegal arrivals as under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a person has the right to seek asylum in another country. Asylum seekers often arrive without the necessary or correct documentation to apply for a visa to legally enter Australia. And this does not only refer to boat arrivals.

The Politics Around Asylum Seekers
The problem with Australian politics in relation to asylum seekers is that politicians can’t seem to move past the idea that our primary concern should be stopping boat arrivals.

Australians are accepting of refugees and asylum seekers. However, due to the nature of our political debate on the issue it seems that the way asylum seekers arrive in Australia plays a significant role in how we view those asylum seekers.

John Howard said it best when he declared, “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.” This comment encapsulates how the political focus has been on trying to stop asylum seekers who arrive by boat as they are considered to be “queue jumpers”.

Asylum seekers arriving by boat (Photo: The Daily Telegraph)

Yes there is a need to stop people smugglers exploiting asylum seekers but current policy ends up punishing asylum seekers (by detaining them) for using the services of people smugglers.

The asylum seeker process is not organised, there is often no line for asylum seekers to “wait in” and/or the asylum seekers do not have the time to wait for a valid visa to enter Australia.

Arriving by boat should therefore not be viewed as illegal and as of 2010, 95 per cent of asylum seekers arrived by plane, meaning that it is only a minority of asylum seekers who use the services of people smugglers out of desperation.

The fact is the majority of asylum seekers are eventually given refugee status, so our focus should not be on stopping them but rather how we should help them after experiencing such traumatic events.

Issues Faced by Asylum Seekers
Asylum Seekers face several problems once they have been given refugee status in Australia. As so much of the political rhetoric is focused on stopping asylum seekers from arriving in Australia these issues are rarely highlighted in the media.

Issues such as housing, employment, language, education, etc. are all significant factors which make life harder for asylum seekers who are already vulnerable from their experiences of war, persecution, and the process of gaining asylum seeker status.

Media stories have incorrectly stated that refugees get better benefits than Australian citizens when in fact most suffer considerable hardships.

Refugees only get about 90% of the basic Centrelink allowance through the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme at $405.84 a fortnight.

Language barriers and limited or no education makes it difficult for asylum seekers to get sufficient work to sustain themselves within Australia.

There aren’t many statistics on the number of asylum seekers who struggle to find sufficient housing or end up homeless in Australia. It has been estimated that around 70 per cent of asylum seekers struggle to find stable housing.

What’s Being Done About It?
There are a vast number of organisations working both Australia-wide and locally to help provide support to asylum seekers. These organisations are run by thousands of volunteers. Donate, volunteer, or find out more about these organisations.

Nationwide:

• The Refugee Council of Australia
• Australian Red Cross 
• Together for Humanity Foundation

In NSW:

• Asylum Seekers Centre (Surry Hills)
• ALIV (Volunteers at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre)
• Anglicare Sydney
• Auburn Diversity Services Employment Mentoring Program 
• Australian Afghan Hassanian Youth Association
• Bridge for Asylum Seekers Foundation (Sydney)
• Friends of STARTTS (Western Sydney)
• House of Welcome (Western Sydney)
• Refugee Mentoring Project (RMP)
• St Vincent de Paul Society Assisting Refugee Kids (SPARK)
• Sudanese Settlement Program – Equatoria Community and Welfare Association (Western Sydney)
• Sydney Multicultural Community Services
• Welcome to Australia (Part of Mission Australia)
• Young Christian Workers (Parramatta)

In Qld:

• Brisbane City Council 
• Refugee Claimants Support Centre
• Romero Community Centre

In VIC:

• Australian Karen Foundation
• Victoria’s Volunteering Portal
• AMES Volunteer Program
• Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (West Melbourne)
• Asylum Seekers Assistance Project (South East Melbourne)
• Centre for Multicultural Youth – Volunteer Tutors for Refugee and ESL Young People
• Ecumenical Migration Centre (Fitzroy)
• Fitzroy Learning Centre (Fitzroy)
• South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre – Volunteer Tutors for Homework Support Programs
• Springvale Community Aid & Advice Bureau (Springvale)
• Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning Program (SAIL)

In SA:

• Migrant Resource Centre of South Australia

In ACT:

• Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office

In WA:

• CASE for Refugees Inc.
• ASeTTS 

Asylum seekers and refugees should not be considered a problem to Australians. We are morally obligated to help asylum seekers out and they should not be punished while we try to stop illegal immigrants from exploiting the system.

Feature Image: beth0302

Image courtesy of ruifernandes on flickr

For the average australian reader, ‘novella’ isn’t exactly a part of day to day vocabulary. But over the course of literary history the form has had its fair share of major success stories and chances are you’ve read a novella without even knowing it.

The most concrete definition of a novella is that it is a work of fiction somewhere between a short story and a novel in length. The exact length, however, is up for debate, some definitions capping the word length at a mere 40, 000, whilst others reach as high as 70, 000 (which is why some novellas have been passed off as novels). But debate over length aside, what are the characteristics of a novella?

The novella allows for a greater exploration of character and conflict than the short story without the complexity of a novel. Often intended to be read in a single sitting, novellas are able to transport the reader into a detailed fictional world without the commitment of days or even weeks required for a longer work. Blog Temporary Infinity praises the novella for its powerful brevity, ‘changing someone’s life in a three volume epic doesn’t compare to changing someone’s life in 30, 000 words.’

In fact, some of the most famous stories in the English language were published as novellas. George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness all check in at less than 40, 000 words. To put that into perspective for those of us who don’t count words as we lie snuggled under a doona with a book, J.K Rownling’s Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone sits at  76, 944 and J.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy at 455, 000. So compared to the fat books that crowd the shelves of Dymocks’ the works of Orwell, Capote, Stevenson and Conrad were really quite short. The introduction to the original edition of Jekyll and Hyde reads, ‘The novella is one of the richest and most rewarding of literary forms… it allows for more extended development of theme and character than does the short story, without the elaborate structural demands of the full-lenth book. Thus it provides an intense, detailed exploration of its subject, providing to some degree both the concentrated focus of the short story and the broad scope of the novel.’

Image courtesy of cdrummbks on flickr

So if the novella is so special why does it exist in such obscurity? During the 20th century the novella fell from favour for economic reasons. The simple fact is that in a book store, spine-size does matter, as narrow books struggle to capture attention. Moreover, buyers often look for the best print-per-dollar ratio, tentative to spend big on little works. Karolina Sutton of major Australian literary agency Curtis Brown says that she would never try to market a short work as a novella, ‘For me the word denotes a lesser genre. if you pitch a book to a bookseller as a novel, you’re likely to get more orders than if you call it a novella.’

But that’s all starting to change. The publishing industry is in a state of turmoil as ebook sales rise and bookshops begin to disappear. Emerging writers need not fear, people are still reading, but they’re doing it in different ways and traditional concerns over publication length are becoming less and less relevant. As novellas offer the same opportunity to become immersed in a story as novels, but without the time commitment, they seem to perfectly complement our 21st century attention spans. Penning a novella might not just be a solution to word-count anxieties and plot preoccupations, it could be the ticket to great literary success.

Got an idea but need some motivation? Seizure, a launchpad for innovative young authors and editors has just launched Viva La Novella, a search for invigorating new fiction. ‘If you sometimes think that novels are just obese novellas, ’ says Seizure, ‘you’re on our wavelength. And since we are theme-lovers this time we are challenging all writers to tackle the theme: ‘Origin’. You can take this as the start of a series, the genesis of a character, a history or a myth.’ Submissions are open for works 20-50, 000 words in length and will close in November with the winner gaining publication and prize money.

Recent public debate about Australian politics has in a large part focused on the Prime Minister’s leadership capability.

Is she a good leader? Is she being given a hard time because she is a woman? Should her gender matter?

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Regardless of where one’s personal views fall on the political spectrum, it cannot be denied that Julia Gillard’s appointment as Australia’s first female Prime Minister in 2010 was an historic moment in our nation’s history. For the first time, it firmly moved women’s political participation and leadership discussions from around the dinner table to the Cabinet table.

Young women from all corners of the country suddenly had a vision of themselves as the future Prime Minister and had living proof that it was possible within their lifetimes.

I’m not for a minute suggesting that just because Australia has its first female Prime Minister it is in some way a silver bullet when it comes to solving gender inequality issues in Australia.

In fact, less than 30 per cent of our elected representatives are women despite more than half our population being female. At the last Federal election the number of women elected actually decreased. This is hardly setting a shining example for the young Australian women who will be the future leaders of our nation.

The fact is women represent a large portion of voters and their power in the public process shouldn’t be underestimated. That being said societal inequalities when it comes to gender in Australia continue to exist.

Gender inequality has real costs, not just for women but for society as a whole. The pay gap in Australia alone costs our economy $93 billion each year.

While the recent Fair Work Australia decision on Equal Pay was a step in the right direction, it was only the first step of many more which are necessary.

Today, female graduates in Australia still earn $2, 000 per annum less than male graduates on their entry to the workforce, on average women will earn 17.2 per cent less than men throughout their working life, and women will retire with half the amount of superannuation. This is despite more women than men having completed Bachelor and Postgraduate degrees.

The 2011 Global Gender Gap Report from the World Economic Forum puts Australia at the top of the list when it comes to women’s educational attainment. However, the same report lists Australia as 76th in the world for wage equality.

When people talk about gender inequalities, fundamentally, what needs to change are our attitudes to the issue of gender equality.

Female leaders at International Women's Day

One of my first experiences of gender inequality in the workplace was as a young, eager graduate fresh out of university.

My male friend and I had just moved to Sydney to take up graduate positions in what at the time I considered to be my dream job. To say I was ecstatic when I received an offer is an understatement. I immediately accepted the salary and conditions without question. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered Steve had actually negotiated his salary and ended up with nearly $10, 000 more than I did.

We had the same qualifications, the same experience and were entering the same position, but the pay gap would only continue to grow as we progressed in our careers.

I’d like to say we’ve forged ahead as a society, but unfortunately gender inequalities in the workplace continue to exist and those that will be most affected in future are the youth of today.

Today, less than a third of our politicians are female, just 13.5 per cent of board directorships in the top ASX 200 companies are held by women, and on average women retire with half as much super as men. A total of 65 boards in the ASX 200 still do not have any women at all.

The truth is that voluntary targets for increasing women’s participations across these sectors have been in place for several decades and figures show they are not working. It is time that as a community we acknowledged the limitations of the target system and looked at other ways to increase the participation of women at senior levels.

In Australia, the debate surrounding mandatory quotas and the word ‘quota’ itself has become entirely confused and has too often tainted the conversation. The United Nations instead talks about ‘temporary special measures’. These are measures that are taken in special circumstances where discrimination and bias has occurred and is a solution applied on a short-term basis to redress a particular issue. At one level this is what we know publicly as quotas. However, when we think about them as being temporary, special and specific measures to redress an inequality, suddenly people stop having such a strong reaction to the idea.

I am unashamedly in favour of temporary special measures. What I’d like to see is the debate in Australia to change towards a recognition that we do need to introduce these temporary special measures by 2014, if the voluntary targets and the progress that we’re all hoping for still hasn’t been achieved.

It cannot be denied that gender is and should be a factor in Australian leadership, regardless of the type of industry. Not addressing this issue in any meaningful way only serves to undercut the decades of achievements made by the feminist movement – a point on which I hope we can all agree.

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The situation in Australia is more complex than these campaigns suggest. By the time Australians turn 20, 37% of us have already tried illicit drugs. That figure is just below 60% for Australians at the age of 40. But as Sydney Morning Herald columnist David Marr notes, “our enthusiasm for taking drugs does not translate into fervour for drug law reform.” The vast majority of us would actually like to see harsher punishment for those caught pushing recreational drugs, and support for legalising them doesn’t even reach double figures.

The contradictory message we’re sending is: drugs are bad, but not for me. As long as I take them in small doses. And only every so often.

It’s the first of many hypocrisies involved in the issue. Officially, the ‘War on Drugs’ was declared in 1971 by Richard Nixon, and has formed a loose rhetorical thread on which to hang our arguments for law enforcement. In 1985, Australia adopted the National Drug Strategy (NDS), with a view to reducing drug availability, preventing the uptake of drugs, and minimising the harms involved. John Howard took up the cause when in 1997 he declared his policy would be ‘Tough on Drugs’.

Just say no to drugs.

Australian politicians have been largely silent on the issue ever since, except for the odd occasion on which an Australian is caught trying to smuggle drugs in from South-East Asia. Then they come out of the woodwork, and their sense of moral outrage is well and truly sparked.

In its purest sense, the War on Drugs is about public administration, law and justice. With these goals in mind, how well has this approach fared? In June 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report stating that the ‘war’ has failed. This group of former heads of state and UN leaders made the point that in the last ten years, cocaine use has increased 27%, and cannabis 8.5%. This has led to “devastating consequences” for individuals and societies around the world.

One of the first problems with this ‘war’ is that the enemy is not always clearly defined. The supply chain involved is immensely difficult to unravel, especially in a globalised world where it weaves in and out of national borders. Not only are the bad guys hard to pin down, but so are the good guys – as we’ve seen, a culture of fear and moral panic does not eradicate drug use, but merely pushes it underground. And so the gulf between our public and private attitudes deepens even further.

Seriously, just say no.

If we can’t effectively reduce supply or demand, our aim must be to minimise the harms. How can we go about this when the issue is so tightly wrapped in moral rather than scientific rhetoric?

As the Global Commission’s report recognised, law enforcement should not be the default response. In many cases it has proved actively detrimental, costing time, money and lives.

Young people are at the centre of this problematic picture. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there are substantially higher levels of drug use among youth than older age groups. Because there’s a high demand, we are also more likely to gain criminal convictions for minor drug offences. To complicate things even further, society tends to stigmatise those who are hard drug users, or addicts – many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This means that young people are invested more heavily in the outcome than other sectors of the community. Forget the unconvincing, trivial classes you took in high school Health class – the way we talk about drugs, and create government policy, has a flow-on effect. In Australia, the social cost of illicit drug use was $8.2 billion in 2004-05.

To find new solutions, we need to re-open the debate. To do that, we need to start talking – about the line between problematic and non-problematic substance abuse, the complex cycles of demand and supply, and the funding of health and social interventions to minimise harms. Only then can we understand our limits – should Australia de-criminalise drug use? Should we look to overseas models like Portugal, which made drugs legal in qualities consistent with personal use in 2001, and hasn’t looked back? How do medical cannabis and heroin fit into the picture?

Earlier this year the non-profit body Australia21 released a report from a roundtable discussion of scientists, police, social workers, doctors, students and directors of public prosecution pleading for change on a national level. The report argued that after 15 years of relative silence throughout politics and the broader community, it is time for a sensible and serious debate on the issue.

As the report noted, public debate will only be activated at a political level when there is strong community groundswell, which does not currently exist. Now that we have a large body of evidence at our disposal, we can push for greater scrutiny and review of the alternatives. Only then can we start the slow, incremental path towards reform.

Whether we like it or not – and whether we take drugs or not – we will all need to be part of this conversation.

X Media Lab is giving you the opportunity to workshop your projects with some of the world’s leading new media experts in Sydney from June 7-9. X Media Lab is calling for submissions for its annual Global Media Ideas summit, being held as part of the Vivid Sydney 2012 festival of light, music and ideas.

Director of X Media Lab, Megan Elliott said “We’re seeking outstanding projects across social media, digital music, computer games, animation, mobile applications, video, interactive entertainment and content and web applications.”

Sixteen project teams would be selected to receive one-on-one mentoring, elite consultation, feedback and advice tailored to the specific needs of their individual projects.

In the past,  X Media Lab has helped nurture the digital media offerings of ABC’s Rage, The Chaser, The Loop and 99 dresses. Now is your chance to put your creative ability on display.

The summit includes a Pro-Day Conference at Sydney Opera House on 8 June followed by an intensive two-day creative workshop at the Museum of Contemporary Art for selected project teams to work directly on their project ideas with a mix of internationally renowned mentors.

Where: Sydney Opera House

Pro Day Conference: Friday 8 June

The Lab: Sat 9 – Sun 10 June

Purchase your tickets here.

Participants will have unparalleled access to some of the world’s most successful digital media pioneers, entrepreneurs and creatives, including founding member of the Atari Research Lab, the Apple Multimedia Lab and Lucasfilm Interactive, Michael Naimark, co-writer/director of Happy Feet, Warren Coleman and the woman dubbed “the Oprah of the web”, Corvida Raven.

If you think you have what it takes, nominate your project now.

]]> http://vibewire.org/2012/05/x-media-labs-global-media-ideas-summit/feed/ 0 http://vibewire.org/2012/05/top-reads-7/ http://vibewire.org/2012/05/top-reads-7/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 04:20:35 +0000 Erin Stewart http://vibewire.org/?p=518671 Top Reads recaps the best posts on Vibewire over the last week and some of the best of the rest.

Unique from other networking groups, Inspiring Women proactively works to create business between members. We help women like you develop both personal and business relationships, in which you can learn and advance.”

Describe yourself in 3 words:

Focused, Passionate Sensible.

What is your life motto?

Focus on the future; don’t dwell too much on the past.

When did you start pursuing your career and how long did it take to become successful?
Inspiring woman wasn’t something I pursued, it pursued me. Many years ago I was working in a business enterprise centre, one that helped businesses. During that time I got calls from women asking if there were groups for networking – there weren’t. I got sick and had to stop everything and eventually I recuperated and I decided I’d start running Inspiring Woman as a hobby part-time.
That was back in 2005 and it was pretty much successful from the day it started, it supported the community and husbands encouraged their wives to come.

How many hours did you dedicate to pursuing your dream?

Lucky I described myself as focused. I can put as little as 10 hours a week or 60. I’m very good at compartmentalizing when deadlines are due and staying focused when projects are on.

Describe how difficult the business is?

I don’t find the business difficult, but like anything when you make it look easy, it’s actually not…so maybe it’s more difficult than I think. Each year the challenges change. At the moment there are a lot of networking groups around, so my focus is to ensure we’re not just ‘another networking group’.

What is the mistake that taught you an extremely valuable lesson?

I’m a believer in treating people how you wan to be treated. I have a trusting nature. I think the issue with that has been that sometimes I have trouble saying no.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given to date?

Remember to teach things in many different ways and don’t move on until the person understands it. A long time ago, while working as the first female planner in the Gas industry, a senior employee reminded me that I was once brand new, when I was wondering why this person could do this particular task. As you become more experienced you don’t even think about how you had to think things through when you were beginning. You might say something that could totally deflate someone…it’s easy to think that the person is stupid, but maybe you’re not explaining it right.

In your mind do you think that formal training is essential?

Depends what education you mean. I mean I have no degrees; my tertiary education was in graphic design, which has
nothing to do with what I’m doing now. However, when starting a business I took myself off to community colleges to learn business planning and financials – and was an avid reader, but not everyone’s like that. So yes, for some things I think you need training and not just wing it as some tend to do.

Do you think having a mentor is important? How would you go about getting one for this industry?

Yes, considering I run mentoring programs, yes, mentors very important – if you want one. I’ve watched some fascinating changes in people that have found the right mentor. It’s great to have that different style of thinking. A good mentor will question you and question your boundaries.

What are some steps emerging talent can take to start/further their career?

I think when you are really good at something it normally stands out. If you are in a career you enjoy, your peers should notice and hopefully management will notice your talent and it should be nurtured. Listen to that (if you agree) and nurture it. Go out and get some further training or find someone who is successful in that industry and find out how they got there. Be curious, that’s important.

What kept you going when you felt like giving up?

There have been times when I thought, what the hell am I doing? Every time I have thought that I have got a sign that has just been extraordinary; it confirmed to me without doubt to keep going. Recently there was a lot of health issues in my family, which I thought might’ve meant less time doing what I loved and doing more time caring. I found myself thinking maybe it’s time to let go, and that night I got two of the most amazing testimonials, one saying that if it hadn’t been for what you do, my business would never have been where it is now – that feeds me and fires me on every time.

Do you believe that ‘making it’ is about luck and being in the right place at the right time?

I think you make your own luck. There’s that old saying that goes, “the harder I work the luckier I get”. Maybe for 0.05% it has been luck involved, but I haven’t met anyone like that. I think for the most part it’s because they’ve put themselves in the right places and worked hard. Sometimes you don’t know what you are looking for and if you happen to be lucky and hear a conversation or sit next to somebody…I’ve seen that happen so many times that I know that’s not just luck. Also…When you’re feeling you’re lowest that’s when you need to get out…in so many of my networking events I’ve heard woman say, “I wasn’t going to come out tonight” and that night they met someone, they sat next to somebody who could help them.

Monica Kade is the director of Career Confessions and Inspirational Speaker, Gen Y Expert Coach, and Mentor for Discovering Passion, Purpose and living your Best Life. Monica has interviewed over 150 Australian & International Entrepreneurs, Executives & Celebrities on how they got to where they are in their career. The website Career Confessions, is 12 signature questions designed to inspire action in our readers and guide them in the direction of their dream career. Her mission is to inspire action and facilitate change in individuals and help them live their life passionately at their best.

For further guidance or any questions, check out: careerconfessions.com.au or email mk@monicakade.com

These laws were sparked by an incident back in June 2011 when Carnita Matthews refused a request by a police officer to remove her veil after being stopped for speeding. Furthemore, Matthews claimed that the officer tried to “rip” the veil off her. At first this claim was found to be false but Matthews successfully appealed against the decision after a judge decided that there was not enough evidence to support this.

At the time, the incident was an opportunity for right-wing supporters to argue that Australia should follow countries such as France and Belgium and ban the burqa.

But why exactly has anti-Mulism sentiment and the far right gained momentum in Europe leading to some countries successfully banning a religious practice (a move that falls within the definition of discrimination)?

And  importantly, will Australia follow suit?

Europe and the Far Right
According to an Amnesty International report, discrimination against Muslims in European countries has increased since the 11 September 2001 attacks. The report acknowledges people’s right to the freedom of expression to criticise a relgion or a set of beliefs. However, when this develops into stereotyping and spreading simplistic views about people who ascribe to religious beliefs, this is considered to be racial discrimination.

The ban on burqas in France can be considered to be an example of this rise in discriminatory practices against Muslims. Women caught wearing the full face veil (niqab or burqa) on the street will be fined 150 euros (approximately $AU190). Those women will also be escorted to a police station and requested to remove their veil for identification purposes. Headscarves (al-amira, shayla or hijab) that do not cover the face are allowed for women in university and older but are banned from primary and secondary schools (this is also extended other conspicuous religious symbols such as the Jewish kippa).

The differences in Muslim headscarves (Image: Taylor Noakes)

The Huffington Post has a comprehensive summary on the laws regarding the burqa and headscarves in various European countries.

While it may seem that these bans are concerned with identification rather than being outwardly racist, the increasing popularity of right-wing parties is indicative of increasing anti-Muslim sentiments within different European countries.

The recent French elections were a great example of the present popularity of right-wing politics. The Front National Party led by Marine Le Pen won 18% of the vote in the first-round polling making it the most successful result for the right-wing party in recent times. Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Italy have seen similar results for right-wing parties in their respective elections either currently or in the past year or so.

French National Front Party leader, Marine Le Pen (Photo: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features)

An increase in right-wing sentiment may not mean that Europeans are becoming necessarily more racist.  Economic instability in Europe, especially with the eurozone, has led to citizens being left in doubt of their respective governments’ policies. As such, right-wing parties have taken the opportunity to pin this on factors such as immigration leading to jobs being taken away from citizens.

And it’s not just older, working voters who are supporting these parties.

A sizeable amount of support for right-wing parties is coming from young Europeans uncertain of their future and unhappy with the mainstream political parties.

The Situation in Australia
Right-wing parties in Australia don’t seem to be gaining the same popularity as their European counterparts. Parties such as the Australia First Party and One Nation have very little support at both of levels of government (state and federal). There is however some anti-Islam sentiment trickling into mainstream politics.

In 2011, shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison allegedly suggested that the Liberal party should capitalise on the ‘anti-Islam’ sentiments of their constituents. However the majority of the Liberal party agreed that their policy should remain non-discriminatory and Morrison denied ever making those suggestions.

Liberal Senator, Gary Humphries, tabled a petition to stop Muslim immigration for 10 years and give priority to Christians. The petition only had three signatures and Humphries states that he actually doesn’t agree with the petition but believes that Australians have the right to express their opinions if they wish.

Protesters against the suggestion to bring Sharia law into the Australian justice system (Photo: Lee Besford)

The freedom of speech implied within our Constitution allows us to express our views and opinions free of regulation (with the exception of media laws and ethics). However when these views or opinions lead to a particular race, ethnicity or religion being generalised into a negative stereotype that’s when we should be concerned.

The laws allowing police to request to remove the veil are not racist as they are more concerned with confirming identity and legal issues rather than disliking the actual practice. However, if Australia were to ban the practice of wearing the burqa this would fall under the banner of ‘racist’.

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination defines racism as ‘any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life’.

The Australian constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and so banning a religious practice would breach this right and fall under the definition of racism. However, it doesn’t seem that Australia is following Europe’s rise in “Islamophobia” as such. Nonethless, Australia has often been perceived as a racist nation (read more here and here).

Do you agree with this? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Feature Image: Shaney Balcombe (from the Sydney Morning Herald)

Image courtesy of Sarah_Ackerman at Flickr

What exactly are the ways that young people can engage with art in Sydney? It seems less and less likely that Gen Y are interested in spaces like the MCA or Art Gallery of NSW when emerging and innovative artists are turning towards other forms of exposure. Are there simply better options for young people than the sterile white box?

Nicole Austin, Young Creatives Co-ordinator at the MCA says that the new building (which includes the National Centre for Creative Learning) is worthy of the hype and funding, especially for young people. ‘With the re-brand and the re-launch of the new building we have really looked at “ok, well what else can we be offering young people?”‘ Austin says, ‘in regards to talking about pathways into a creative career or in regards to actually doing more specialised workshops or exploring other more in-depth art making processes like animation.’

The NCCL includes a digital studio and two new creative studios which have opened up the possibility of running workshops in video, design and sound manipulation as well as messy art forms like film photography, paint, ink and sculpture that were never possible when workshops were being held in the actual gallery.

It is also the specialised youth programs and events that keep young people engaged at the MCA. The Young Creatives Program provides year-round events ranging from the skills based to the academic and also the social. Generation Next, a festival style event for 12 to 18 year olds which combines food and music with art draws crowds of up to 600 teenagers, 6 times a year. Surveys conducted by the Museum suggest that it is the art that draws numbers rather than the other elements of the event. ‘I think there’s a common perception about young people that they need these gimmicky things to get them in, ’ Austin explains, ‘and it might be true to an extent that free food and live music and that sort of really low commitment… definitely creates an approachable environment for young people, but when they’re actually here they absolutely are loving being in the gallery space, being amongst the art, exploring the art.’

But it’s hard to imagine that this argument would hold true for smaller galleries with less resources than the MCA. Will Gen Y art lovers continue to flock to galleries in the future?

Image courtesy of Newtown Grafitti at Flickr

The first step out from the gallery world is that of art festivals such as Vivid (Sydney’s festival of lights) and Art & About (which gives the public and artists the chance to use Sydney’s CBD as a canvas). The Outpost Project, Sydney’s biggest urban art festival, held on Cockatoo Island, drew a crowd of more than 7000 visitors to it’s opening weekend in November 2011. Outpost combines the work on internationally famous urban artists with that of emerging artists and locals. Moreover, it combines art with pop-up bars, practical art making, retail spaces and major youth events such as independent hip-hop festival Graffiti and Skateboarding Australia’s Pro/Am Tour Grand Final which was held on the Island on December 10th. When you can get a side serve of street sports, music and booze with your art, the echo of a sterile gallery seems a little bland.

Beyond art festivals and other major events, there’s the arrival over the last decade of ‘Art Bars’, nightlife that combines drinking and conversation with the visual arts. Oxford Art Factory is a bar that constantly exhibits innovative art alongside live performance, allowing for a cultural experience that is fully integrated with a regular Friday or Saturday night’s drinking. Taking the concept of ‘Art Bars’ to another level again is Name This Bar, which hosts ‘Live Art Battles’ every second Thursday, in which two artists are invited to compete against each other, assigned a wall each to simultaneously let their creativity fly over two hours, supported by a live audience who vote on their works.

Image courtesy of veritatem at Flickr

But Art festivals and bars still keep art within the physical world to which it traditionally belongs. What of the online community? With the rise of apps such as Instagram, the art world has begun to find its footing outside of the physical, syndicated internationally beyond the barriers of curators and ticket prices.

Named ‘iPhone app of 2011′ by Apple, Instagram was purchased by facebook in April for a ripe sum of $1 billion. Instagram allows users to instantly upload and share photos with an international community of budding photographers who use vintage style filters to bring a little art into their every day lives – after all, everything is a little bit more beautiful in fuzzy sepia. This is truly art amongst the community, the technological equivalent of a gallery where anyone can just walk in off the streets and pin up their work, and then walk around and see that of their friends too, right next to that of celebrities and even a few established artists. This takes engaging with art to another level, you can be the artist and you can exhibit your work on an international stage (although that stage might be more of an allusion, according to ZDNet US, Instagram currently has more than 50 million users and is adding around 5 million new users per week, with an audience of that size it’s hardly likely anyone is getting noticed).

Image courtesy of 55Laney69 at Flickr

And then there is the question of whether Instagram images count as art at all. There are those who scoff at ‘app photographers’ who have not honed their trade, and who might not necessarily be able to even operate a traditional camera let alone negotiate the art of angles and composition. On the other hand, die hard Instagram users argue that the uploading of digital SLR images to the app rather than using a simple smart phone camera (a habit taken up by more experienced photographers) dilutes the immediacy of the process and defeats the point – Instagram is meant to be rough and ready, a spontaneous moment in time.

Certainly, Instagram, Pinterest and similar social media forums have brought the visual image back into the centre of the imagination, particularly for young people. Whilst for years the technological world was one of words – of instant messages and emails, status updates and ‘likes’, it has shifted towards a world far more dominated by images, and not just photos of users standing in front of the eiffel tower waving, or pouting with their friends in a club, but images that have been taken with the intention to capture something that has never been captured before. Images taken with the intention to inspire.

But the online community might not be turning their backs on the traditional gallery environment. Last September in London, a group of Instagram users (who had been meeting up in person to share and discuss their work) opened a ‘real-world’ gallery show of their snaps entitled ‘My World Shared’. ‘My World Shared captures the concept of Instagram, ’ the group explained, ‘to record in images our world around us, our lives, our outlook, our views, and share that view with the rest of the world. It is an individual view, but one that others can relate to, like postcards form a friend.’ So with the combination of curation and a physical space, Instagram finds its way offline and into a more traditional forum.

So perhaps the future of art is a combination of the physical and the technological, of broad syndication and clean cut white rooms, driven by social media, contributed to by everyone, curated by experts. If even Instagram artists are longing to put their works on walls, there must be a bright future for the gallery space after all.

It is this state of modern travelling that sparked the creation of the “world’s greatest adventure”, the Mongol Rally.

Since its humble beginnings in 2004, the yearly race has grown with undeniable force. The first rally began with only six teams. Fast forward eight years, and more than 400 hundred teams appear on the official website.

The Mongol Rally’s commitment to “saving the world” is central to its success. As of 2011, more than 1 million pounds has been raised. This year will see participants backing the Lotus Children’s Centre. It is required for teams to raise a minimum of £1000, with half going to the rally’s official charity.

While humanitarian efforts are synonymous with the Mongol Rally, it is the sheer love and excitement of adventure travel that drives participants.

As Michael Scholz, one third of the Australian team “The Adventourists” taking part in this year’s rally, describes: “I have never been more excited about an adventure in my life. I have travelled the world but am sure that this will be a once in a lifetime experience that is second to none.”

Keeping the integral goal of “saving the world” in mind, The Adventourists have chosen to back Australian charity, Redkite. But as Mr Sholz explains, his support for the charity stems far beyond his participation in the Mongol Rally.

“I have supported Redkite for the past years through SAP, running marathons and even helping them reaching young adults through technology. I believe in their cause although I don’t have had any prior experience of Leukaemia, but I enjoy working with. I am also running the Sydney Urbanathlon, Sydney Morning Half Marathon, Sydney Marathon and NYC Marathon to support Redkite.”

The Mongol Rally will see Mr Scholz and fellow Euro-Aussie teammates, Fredric Chanut and Marcus Roy, travel more than 14 thousand kilometres through 18 different countries, all in the name of adventure. As Mr Scholz states, this particular travelling experience is largely unique.

“[It will be] heaps of fun – one breakdown at a time. I believe that I will visit countries and experience cultures that I am very certain many people have not had the pleasure to see or meet. It’s an amazing opportunity – a great chance to bond with friends and experience the world (sic).”

The deliberate adventurous nature of the rally is evident in the lack of concrete support provided to contestants. There are no support teams, no set routes or guides.

But if that wasn’t unconventional enough, winners are rewarded with a simple, yet certainly delightful, morning tea. That’s it. No miniature gold statues- flimsily disguised as trophies, no ticker tape parade, or even a modest knighthood from the Queen.

Furthermore, vehicle restrictions also require teams to travel in cars with an engine of 1.2 litres or less. However as Mr Scholz states, the uncertainty and difficulty is all a part of the fun.

“This is part of the adventure, but we have also spent countless hours and nights planning and preparing. I think driving will be the easy bit. And sure, I’m a bit worried about certain parts of the trip, but from memory and what the atmosphere seems to be like on the road – it shouldn’t be that bad. I’m rather looking forward to it.”

Teams are given almost complete freedom to determine the route of their personal adventures, only having to make sure to start in London, stop in Prague and ultimately make it to the finish line: Ulan-Bataar, Mongolia.

The Adventourists plan to take complete advantage of the D.I.Y nature of the rally. They have chosen to travel along the “not so easy” southern route which will see them pass through Turkey, Armenia and Turkmenistan, to name a few.

Despite the possibility of choosing an easier route, The Adventourists have remained true to the spirit of adventure.

“I believe given that we all are Europeans… It would have been very boring to simply enter Russia on one end and exit into Mongolia at the other end. We were keen to see scenic and important cities and landscapes along the road. We are very much looking forward to the Pamir Highway, which should take you up heights to up about 4, 800ms. And I’m looking forward to cities like Almaty, Samarkand and Istanbul on our way. Obviously, 18 border crossing will be a challenge in itself but we love to explore countries that we may never visit in our lives again”, says Mr Scholz.

In spite of the carefree message and experience, The Mongol Rally has not been immune to tragedy. In 2010 a British adventurer was killed in a road accident while crossing Iran during the race. However, even with potential safety concerns, Mr Scholz and the team remain positive.

“We will take all precautionary actions to prevent or prepare us as much as we can. Everything else can happen, but we’ll work it out somehow.”

So what has been the response to our Euro-Aussie “Adventourists”? Mr Scholz describes: “we have attracted quite an amount of followers and likes on Twitter and Facebook. Lenovo & Raffles College of Design & Commerce will sponsor us along the road. Their tagline is ‘For those who do’ – I think this trip is all about doing and exploring so we are very happy that they support us.

From family and friends, I think we heard everything from ‘I love it’ to ‘You must be crazy’. We want to push the limits and we are glad we have amazing families and friends that support us and that there are companies out there that care about more than revenue figures and margins.”

The 2012 Mongol Rally will kick off on July 14 at the principle launch at Goodwood circuit, UK.