March 15, 2001
Ethnic gangs involved in drug trafficking were
responsible for a surge in crime, particularly violent
crime, in Australia, retiring Federal Police Commissioner
Mick Palmer warned (March 12).
"The greater use of hand guns and knives, Mr
Palmer said, "is a reflection of behaviour in the
countries from where they came".
His comments stirred up the usual vested interests
crying "racism". The left wing, politically
correct zealots at the ABC gave their expected response to
the story on Lateline on March 13. Lateline interviewed a
bearded, turbaned mullah and a grim-faced Vietnamese
businessman each of whom decried the idea of ethnic crime
while berating the intolerance and racism of Australians.
The only other interviewee was a radical academic who
declared the remarks were "an incitement to racial
hatred". Ordinary Australians were not interviewed.
Mainstream Australian media have long since abrogated
their responsibility for fair and accurate reporting in
the areas of multiculturalism, immigration and ethnic
crime. Lateline's presenter, Tony Jones, even posed the
question, "Do you think he (Palmer) should have been
more politically correct and not mentioned the
subject?" What an amazing statement from a member of
a profession purportedly vitally concerned in seeking out
and publishing truth.
Well, we will mention the subject. We will explore the
issues over the coming weeks, not to incite racial hatred,
as we will inevitably be accused of doing, but because
important relevant information is being suppressed. It is
a matter of national importance, according to some senior
police. Yet it is a no-go area with most journalists.
One of Jones' guests on Lateline was anthropologist Dr
Richard Basham. He was somewhat circumspect in such a
politically correct environment, but has previously said,
"Organised crime, drugs,
gangs, extortion, tax evasion, fraud, these have now
reached a level where they are damaging the national
economy. What has happened at Cabramatta is just the tip
of the iceberg but it often seems that anyone who dares to
talk about Asian crime in this country is shouted down as
a racist."
