This 'Television on the Internet' live interview with Andrew West can be found at http://tv.bushorchestra.com and www.safeworlds.net
Andrew West grew up in Hornsby, which was a multi-cultural suburb of Sydney. He happily made friends with people of many ethnic backgrounds, including Chinese, South Sea Islanders and Maronite Christians from Lebanon. He continued to meet people from a variety of backgrounds during his studies of journalism and international relations at Sydney University and then New York's Columbia University.
His interest in a diversity of cultures led him to travel widely to such places as South Africa, Northern Africa, India, South America, Europe, Russia and Northern America. He considers that this has broadened his perspectives. He recommends it to other young Australians, noting that it is more affordable now than when he was a youngster; and that it remains an economic privilege of developed countries such as ours.
Andrew West explained that his family was very 'average', and never had money for luxuries. His late father worked in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops for 39 years, his mother was a kindergarten teacher. Therefore his travels had to wait until he earned his own money.
His journalism has covered a plethora of interests from politics, to industrial relations, to religion, to transportation, to economics, and all the way through to one sports article. He has also authored books on politics, political biography and the role of 'class' in Australia.
However, Andrew claims that his most satisfying achievements in journalism have been articles he has written on the plight of asylum seekers and refugees who have come to Australia.
Although many of those he met came from different creeds or faiths, he was mesmerised by their sufferings and moved by the teaching on Leviticus by welcoming the stranger and sojourner.
Andrew West was particularly moved by those Christian refugees from East Timor. He had seen at first hand the suffering of the East Timorese under Indonesian rule and believed Australia owed a great moral obligation to them because of the help the East Timorese people gave to the Australian soldiers during World War II under Japanese invasion and occupation.
He believes that Australia's democracy and egalitarianism is so pervasive within the culture that no one wanting to impose a single one-size-fits-all creed or religion within Australia would have even a remote chance of success, although he understands that some Australians seem threatened or intimidated by the changing culture and social morés.
Andrew says the secular government and secular governance is ingrained in our free culture, and moreover, all religions can exercise their freedoms to worship, as guaranteed in the constitution. He quoted Abraham Lincoln, who said that the freedom to the slaves guarantees the freedom to all, and freedom for ourselves. Andrew West said that similarly, our own democratic values are rooted within the Australian soil.
Australia he said was confident enough in its own values that it will resist any form of religious totalitarianism. Welcoming the stranger and sojourner with an open heart is part of an expression of this confidence.
This Andrew West live television on the Internet can be viewed at
http://tv.bushorchestra.com and www.safeworlds.net