Warriors of identity politics who profess to love diversity have been put on notice

The warriors of identity politics who profess to love ‘diversity’ but instantly shout down and vilify those who dare to disagree with them have been put on notice.

Malcolm Turnbull’s government has stepped up and set out three core Aussie values in a new statement on multiculturalism.

Cowed by those identity warriors and frightened of being condemned for the secular sin of racism, politicians have long avoided stating any clear Aussie values.

Now the government has made crystal clear the values that are the bedrock of our society: respect, equality, and freedom.

It has also taken a strong stand on what those core values actually now need to mean. Respect for individual dignity means respecting each other even when we disagree.

Equality means we are all of equal moral worth and enjoy equal standing before the law. No one is inferior, no one is worth less, and no one is to be denied the opportunity to flourish.

And freedom means that we are entitled to believe, think, act, speak, and associate with others as we wish. Our freedom is grounded in our parliamentary democracy.

This represents a new direction on multiculturalism for the Turnbull government. Rather than emphasising segregation and entitlement, the new emphasis is on integration.

And instead of dwelling solely on ethnic minorities and indigenous people, the government now embraces British and Irish settlers as part of our rich multicultural heritage.

As Andrew Bolt has rightly said, the new emphasis for multiculturalism is on “finding what unites us and not funding what divides us.”

We are right to celebrate our multicultural society — one of the most successful in the world — but new challenges of terrorism and border protection have begun to take their toll on us.

Australia can only be a diverse and harmonious society if it is first and foremost a secure nation where all people can live in safety.

The PM has taken an important stand on what we are to demand of those who choose to come to this country to live – respect for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.

“We are not defined by race, religion or culture,” he said. Australia is, indeed, a fine country and a great democracy where every person can get a “fair go.”

So if someone tries to impose their religion on everyone else, or thinks their legal system needs to replace Australia’s, or believes some people are second-class human beings, or attempts to silence opposing points of view — they need to think again.

Shared values of respect, equality and freedom are the cornerstone of our society. Every Australian has a civic duty to uphold those values as we build our common future.

Peter Kurti is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies