Keeping up 'appearances'

Peter Khouri looks behind the cover of two principal appearances in contemporary Australian society. First the 'Anglo appearance' or ancestry, perceived as the overwhelming dominant population. Second, the 'ethnic appearance' (but not 'Anglo') expected as foremost in the reporting of crime. The study begins with a statistical analysis to determine whether there is today, or has been historically, an overriding Anglo ancestry in Australia. It also attempts to quantify: Aboriginal population in the first decades after colonisation in 1788; past and present convict ancestry; and current ethnic composition in Christian and non-religious affiliations. An insight is gained into the future of the country's ancestral and religious composition around 2050, including prospective political battle lines and alliances. The book provides for the first time, possibly in the world, comprehensive research on policy and impact of the use of ethnic descriptors in crime reports. The findings demonstrate inequitable reporting by police and media for most descriptor categories, with weighting heavily against the terms 'Middle Eastern' and 'Lebanese'. Public crime panics are examined quantitatively, both around the time of the Cronulla riots in 2005 and today, providing recommendations to police, government, media and politicians. The publication launches into the public arena the confidential investigative report Cronulla Riots & Ethnic Descriptors, written by the author and presented to the NSW police in 2006 by the think tank Australian Middle East Christian Council Inc. The report rewrites Australia's history of events immediately prior to the riots. In early 2007, the police confirmed their intention to adopt many of its detailed recommendations. Despite the abolition of the use of ethnic descriptors by Western Australian police in October 2011, the author advocates their use continue on a national uniform level but substantially reformed, particularly in the public domain. Important evidentiary questions are posed for criminal prosecutors and defence lawyers. The thesis exposes an unspoken marginalisation of the silent majority of Australians from Middle Eastern and Lebanese ancestries - its Christians. It is argued descriptions in crime reporting have not only become a matter of national significance - in terms of social order, foreign investment, trade and tourism - but also international significance. Potentially, they may impact on the growing divide between Islam and the West, also alienating Christians and 'Westerners' in Muslim-dominated countries and regions, especially the Middle East.