This " Politically Correct " era !

Opposition Citizenship spokeswoman Teresa Gambaro has received a wall of flak for daring to suggest that people migrating to this country should be taught " lifestyle education " to allow them to fit seamlessly into our communities.

It seems to cross the line of being " politically correct " to even suggest that those who desire to live amongst us should in any way deviate from the customs they normally follow.   We once desired all newcomers to learn English so that Australian's would share a common language, but now we have " multiculturalism " - and to make sure there is no need to go to that bother we pay taxes to provide the SBS network giving news and cultural programmes in a full range of languages.

One local custom that works for us is the habit of forming a queue when we need a taxi or expect to board a bus.   It simply rewards the first people there to be first in line, but this is totally unknown in some Asian countries.   Migrants - or even visiting tourists - who try and rush to the head of the line attract a volley of verbal abuse - and in some cases this can lead to "biffo".    Surely, making them aware that there is a cultural difference here would be a way to harmony !

Ms Gambaro was harshly criticised for suggesting that migrants adopt the Australian trend to use underarm deoderant.   Older Australians will smile and remember the first wave of European migration after the end of the second world war - when many from both England and Europe were accustomed to a " weekly bath " - which was common in that colder climate - and didn't make the grade in Australia's hot and humid summers.    Many of today's migrants come from places where even drinking water is rationed - and body washing is an almost unheard of luxury.

It seems that " political correctness " now extends to judging the events of 1788 by the values that apply to these early years of the twenty-first century.   Even suggesting that people change their living habits to somehow conform to an Australian standard is considered so offensive as to bring instant abuse.

And yet so many of those who arrive on our shores with no knowledge of the Australian lifestyle are dismayed when - by ignorance - they offend because they are totally unaware of customs which do not apply from whence they came.

Those who stick to the sheer insanity of political correctness should remember that the greatest gift we can bestow on a newcomer - is the knowledge they need to be comfortably accepted in their new homeland !