No Going Back? Australian Multiculturalism as a Path-Dependent Process

Abstract

This article evaluates the Gillard Labor government's efforts to revive Australian multiculturalism at a time when other liberal democracies have declared it a failure. It argues that despite a controversial history, Australian multiculturalism has many of the characteristics of institutional path dependency, representing a highly contested set of policies, programs and norms that evolved in specific historical contexts and developed their own self-reinforcing logic. The Australian experience offers salient reminders of the difficulties of overturning the social and political consequences of immigration decisions made long ago. The general success of multiculturalism as a migrant-integration strategy suggests that it may be the best available option for liberal-democratic governments to manage the politics of cultural diversity in the 21st century. There is a need, however, for governments to renew their commitment to migrant rights and equity.