E/CN.4/1999/15 page 5 a 14 October 1998 press conference, he stated that reconciliation is “an acceptance first and foremost that we are all Australians together and that our national unity and our identity as Australians is the starting point ... the indigenous people ... have an identity which is entitled to receive from the rest of the Australian community an understanding, a recognition and a respect”. 1 8. Government efforts to counter the stance taken by the One Nation Party against immigration and ethnic diversity, and to promote social harmony are reflected in several initiatives, among others, the “Living in harmony” initiative and initiatives on immigration issues: (a) The new “Living in harmony” initiative, overseen by the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, is a three-part programme to sensitize Australians on the issues of ethnic diversity and to bring together citizens of different backgrounds. This programme seeks to engage local NGO actors, businesses, communities, the media, and government agents in a multiparty, multicultural dialogue to achieve mutual understanding. A number of sub-programmes have been designed to encourage different types of organizations to take an active interest in racial harmony. “Working together in harmony” targets industrial or commercial organizations and seeks to make employers value the talents of a diverse workforce. “Working together in crisis” focuses on gaining the participation of multicultural Australians in community emergency and volunteer forces. “Winning together” concentrates on diversity and racial harmony in the context of sports competitions. “Learning to live in harmony” is an educational initiative which explores the social and economic benefits of a multicultural society. Lastly, “Believing in harmony” is a project which strives to include members of diverse religious communities in the multicultural debate. The media have also been encouraged to raise awareness of racial issues and provide a forum for debate on this subject. They will also celebrate the values that Australia shares as a nation. (b) Initiatives on immigration issues: as immigration has been an integral part of Australia's history as a nation and one in four Australians were born overseas, immigration policy is a key and controversial issue in the national debate. One Nation used fears of overpopulation, job loss and environmental damage caused by immigrants as a major part of its platform to reduce the entry of foreigners into the country. The current Government, through the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, appears to be trying to stem the tide of fear that this debate has caused and to this end has prepared an information package on the realities of immigration for use by community leaders, organization heads, teachers, etc. It contains an historical analysis of Australia’s immigration programmes and detailed statistics denoting this decade’s immigration trends. In addition, the Government also provides data on the benefits to the economy that have been a direct result of immigration and diversity, as well as information on future population projections. To fight further the apprehensions spread through misinformation and ignorance on the subject of immigration, a question/answer book on the myths of immigration is included.