The position of John Howard (the Coalition prime minister from 1996 to 2007) was essentially monocultural. He emphasized a 'core culture ' and a 'core set of values '. This view meant that members of other cultures should adapt to, or assimilate into, the mainstream culture, unity is achieved by way of uniformity, with allowance made for some expressions of other cultural values that are predominantly decorative and far from threatening. Any 'federation of cultures ' marked by an acceptance on all sides of equality and the right to difference is rejected. In contrast, in 2011 Prime Minister Julia Gillard (Labor Party) declared that Australia is, and should be, 'a multicultural society ', one in which diversity is not only acknowledged but also embraced. In Gillard 's terms, 'Australia is a multicultural country. We sing "Australians all" because we are. ' The government also endorsed both diversity and unity, offering 'unwavering support for a culturally diverse and socially cohesive nation ' (Lawrence et al., 2012). The different views of diversity are represented both negatively and positively, the differing views not only affects children but, Australian society as …show more content…
All children and adults identify with classed, gendered and racialized groups (as well as other groups), but what is especially significant is that some cultural identities are seen as less 'academic ' than others (often by the staff and children). This will have a negative impact on the children who are outlined, as their self-esteem will drop which as mentioned above, correlates with the academic performance dropping. David Milner (1983) has produced evidence that shows that children have learned positive and negative feelings about racial groups from an early age. Milner suggests that children as young as three demonstrate an awareness of a racial hierarchy in line with current adult prejudices. The most common form of prejudice young children experience is through name-calling or through negative references by other children (or adults) to their gender, dress, appearance, skin colour, language or culture (Lawrence et al., 2012). The diversity in cultural identity are all problematical factors that influence how children could be harmed mentally and become alienated and marginalised. They might isolate themselves depending on the severity of the prejudice. Educators may hear some of these remarks and it is vital that these are dealt with appropriately as they