Australia gets tough
on values

Dr Nelson told ABC Radio that understanding, tolerance, inclusion and responsibility were founding values that all Australians regardless of their cultural heritage must accept if they want to live here.

"They are the values upon which our society has been built and it doesn't matter where people come from, if they accept the privilege and responsibilities of citizenship in our country, then they're the values essentially - which I might add under-ride the major religions of the world - which we embrace," Dr Nelson said.

"If people don't want to accept and embrace those values, then they ought to clear off, I don't care where they're from."

Other values he listed as essentially Australian were care, compassion, reaching out to others, doing your best, pursuing and protecting the common good, treating all people fairly, enterprise, respectfulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance.

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Advertisement"We welcome people from all over the world, irrespective of their political affiliations, their religious views," he said.

"We want and demand in a way, that people embrace not only our constitutional arrangements, our laws, live by our laws, but also our values, the way we are, the way we relate to one another and see our place in the world. That's what defines our destiny.

The UK gets tough on Australians (h/t Samizdata).