"Asserting the Obvious"

Thank you to Karen in Australia for making this comment:

Here's a little more of what our Johnie had to say...

"JOURNALIST:

On the name change to the Department of Immigration, what do you say to those people who are fearing that this is some kind of condemnation of other cultures or downgrading the role of multiculturalism in Australia?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well they’re wrong. This is not condemning cultures, it’s just positively asserting the obvious and that is immigration should lead to citizenship and the path is you come to this country, you embrace its customs, its values, it’s language, you become a citizen. You don’t lose a place in your heart for the country you came from and you’re not expected to. I’ve always said that, and people are understandably going to retain a place in their heart for their home culture and we don’t discourage that in any way. But the premium must be upon, the emphasis must be upon, the dominant consideration must be, the integration of people into the Australian family. That’s always been my belief, it was my belief before I became Prime Minister and it continues to be my belief. But that can sit comfortably with total respect for different cultures and total respect for the fact that somebody born in China or Croatia will retain a place in his or her heart for the customs and the manner and the tempo and so forth of his or her birthplace"

Extracted from http://www.pm.gov.au/news/interviews/Interview2339.html

Good on'ya, John!

The Aussies are very lucky.