Reframing the Nation-State: Rethinking the Australian Dream from the Local to the Global

Movement across the borders of the nation-state has always been uneven, but over the past few decades the unfettered movement of goods and images has been defended under the ideology of freedom and openness. At the same time, the movement of people, including refugees, has become increasingly administered and restricted in the name of ‘the national interest’. This article argues that Australia has been part of this development. The Australian dream was once for all to own a quarter-acre housing block, protected from the machinations of the world. Across the turn of the twentieth century into the present an invidious version of this dream has intensified, shorn of its egalitarian spirit. The nation-state itself has been made over in this image. The Australian state now acts on behalf of the nation to keep unwanted strangers out, while facilitating the open globalization of the Australian economy. In this context, older ethical pronouncements about freedom, equality openness and fairness no longer work. This article develops an alternative approach based upon a layering of ethical considerations. The new Australian dream it suggests will entail a complete renegotiation of how we are to live within and across the boundaries of identity, culture and economy.