VIN D'CRUZ is Adjunct Professor in Australia-Asia relations at the Monash Asia Institute and co-author of 'Australia's Ambivalence towards Asia: Politics, Neo/Post-colonialism, and Fact/Fiction'.
MICHELE GROSSMAN is the editor of 'Blacklines: Contemporary Critical Writing by Indigenous Australians' who is currently researching settlement within Melbourne's Horn of Africa communities and cross-cultural relationships to orality and literacy.

Listen:

17 March 2007 photos Ceri Hann

Since the fall of the ‘White Australia’ migration policy, waves of coloured migration have repeatedly presented existing Australians with the new challenge of confronting the visibility of difference amongst people, at the same time as finding it impossible to distance new migrants as so different as to ignore them. In the 1950’s as a new migrant Vin experienced a trusting Australia, confident in its post-war life, but now it seems Australians have become spooked and lost their nerve. For Michelle, there is an inconsistency in facing the question of belonging in Australia that is ripped by the tensions of relationship with indigenous Australia. Whilst some Australians may feel able to show hospitality toward refugees, the nature of shame makes taking responsibility for indigenous displacement more problematic. Michelle recalls the Jewish tradition of inviting a stranger off the street to come into your home and share Passover Seder whilst Vin shares his experience of growing up with a father who adopted children in need and shared their home with a stream of the Indian diaspora. A rich range of passengers hop on and off the W-11 tram as the dialogue seeks out hopeful ‘movements of the heart’.