On 8 September, Mehmet Saral was interviewed by the Australian Jewish News on the recent Peace Talks being held between Israel and Palestinians. Mehmet was asked what he thought about these peace talks and he said he was optimistic “as a person of interfaith, intercultural dialogue”. Mehmet said, “I have to remain optimistic, I want dialogue and peace among all peoples in the world…I think both sides need to follow the United Nations regulations (for peace to occur)”.
The Rudd Government won the 2007 Federal elections on values. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is known as an ethical man and we are promised that the policies of the Labour Government will pass through the ethical lens. The Howard Government dropped the use of multiculturalism in favour for an assimilationist social integration policy. Recently, the Rudd Government showed signs of reversal by announcing the formation of a Multicultural Advisory Committee. I recently spoke with the Honourable Laurie Ferguson, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, about the multicultural policy of the Rudd government.
