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HomeOpinionOpinion: Why marching against immigration is marching backwards

Opinion: Why marching against immigration is marching backwards

On 31 August 2025, waves of rallies under the banner March for Australia swept through major cities.

From Melbourne to Hobart, from Canberra to Adelaide.

While they painted themselves as protests against “mass immigration,” reality told a different story.

Counter-protests flooded streets, carrying signs like “Go home, racists” and “Diversity is strength”.

No, the rallies weren’t about policy; they were about division – rooted in fear, not facts.

Australia’s true identity is migration. Consider these statistics:

• 31.5 per cent of Australians were born overseas – the highest share since the 1890s

• Nearly 48 per cent have at least one parent born overseas

• More than 30 per cent of doctors and allied health staff are foreign-trained

• 50.2 per cent of accountants and nearly double the rate of engineers are overseas-born

• In agriculture, migrant labour is essential – without it, produce rots unattended and supermarkets suffer

The immigrant community is not a burden; they are the backbone of our economy, culture, and progress.

So, what exactly was March for Australia marching for – fear, division, or a false narrative?

Politicians and media keep preaching “tolerance,” but tolerance isn’t the goal – it’s the bare minimum.

Tolerance means putting up with each other.

That’s not unity – that’s disconnection.

What we need in Australia is harmony, coexistence, peace, and acceptance – not grudging tolerance.

Neo-Nazism is terrorism – not protest.

We cannot sugarcoat this.

When people show up dressed to intimidate others, against communities who have migrated to participate, contribute, and co-exist peacefully – it is not protest.

It is terrorism.

Terrorism is the use of threats or violence to instil fear for a political or ideological cause.

Racism dressed up in khakis and baseball caps is still hate.

And Australia has no place for it.

The real route forward is Cultural Intelligence (CQ).

Australia is changing, and so must we.

Division only increases prices, disrupts systems, and erodes trust.

Education, empathy, and CQ offer unity.

We should be:

• Teaching what global migration looks like – not myth, but real numbers and realities

• Promote CQ in schools, businesses, and media – where empathy, humility, and critical thinking are taught, not just diversity slogans

• Build inclusive narratives – that acknowledge migration as core to Australian identity, not something to be fought against

• Expose fear-based politics for what they are: cheap tricks that fracture our society

In Melbourne, when heartfelt Muslims and Jews met in four locations – church halls, art galleries, town halls – they modelled peace.

They built bridges where banners fell.

That is the vision of multicultural Australia – not marching with fear, but standing for connection.

Let’s be clear:

• Migration is not the problem – fear and ignorance are.

• Activism without empathy is activism against ourselves.

• CQ is not optional – it is essential.

Let us become a nation of belonging, not just living side-by-side.

Let’s talk. Let’s listen. Let’s lead with intelligence.

Sala’am. Shalom. Peace be with you.

– What do you think? Let us know at dailyeditor@starnewsgroup.com.au

– What do you think? Tell us at dailyeditor@starnewsgroup.com.au

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