E/CN.4/2002/24/Add.1 page 17 35. The policy of multiculturalism, which is explained in the quotation below, was adopted by the Government of Australia in 1973 as a means of adjusting to the changing structure of the Australian population and promoting a new national identity. The Government had initially, and especially since 1945, encouraged white immigration and Australia was seen as a white country. A profound change occurred in the 1970s, when Australia shifted from the “White Australia” policy to a non-discriminatory immigration policy, with a parallel transition from assimilation to integration and then to multiculturalism. Assimilation was the policy until the mid-1960s, drawing on a belief in homogeneity and a vision of Australia as a racially pure white nation, which effectively excluded non-European immigration. It also dominated the treatment of the Indigenous population, with, for example, forced adoption of Indigenous children into white families. “Multiculturalism implies that the inclusion and participation of migrants and their descendants in Australia occurs naturally, and within the bounds of the democratic and legal framework, the individual must be free to choose which customs to retain and which to adopt. This entails that all Australians must have the opportunity to be active and equal participants in Australian society and free to live their lives and maintain their cultural traditions. However, all Australians are expected to have an overriding commitment to Australia and the basic structure and principles common to Australian society. These are the Constitution, parliamentary democracy, freedom of speech and religion, English as the national language, the rule of law, tolerance, and equality including equality of the sexes.” 36. The Commonwealth Government’s preferred term to describe people from non-English-speaking countries is “people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds”. Over 77,000 migrants and refugees arrive in Australia every year, of whom 12,000 enter under the Humanitarian Programme. The 1996 census revealed that 193 languages are spoken in Australia, there are people from 232 countries, 15.1 per cent speak a language other than English at home, and 14 per cent of Australians over 65 are from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 37. Strategies, policies and programmes have been designed to make administrative, social and economic infrastructure more responsive to the rights, obligations and needs of the culturally diverse population. This contributes to preserving social harmony among the different cultural groups in the society and to optimizing the benefits of cultural diversity for all Australians. In order to benefit all Australians, multicultural policies and programmes are built on the foundations of the Australian democratic system, using the principles of civic duty (obliging all Australians to support the basic structures which guarantee freedom and equality and enable diversity in society); cultural respect (subject to the law, all Australians have the right to express their own culture and beliefs and must respect those of others); social equity (entitles all Australians to equality of treatment and opportunity so that they are able to contribute to the social, political and economic life of Australia, free from discrimination); productive diversity (maximizes the significant cultural, social and economic dividends arising from the diversity of the population). The Government has adopted a plan of action, which includes providing Commonwealth leadership to, and cooperation with, other spheres of government, the private sector and the wider community in relation to diversity management programmes, and fostering closer working relationships with these sectors.