Essay: Is Australia a Good Global Citizen?

Introduction

The world itself has turned into a global community where everyone can interact easily either via the internet or physically as the ease of access to countries and transportation has improved. Consequently, countries as well as its citizens have an obligation to guarantee peace and sustainability around the globe. In current times, every nation has somewhat interest in cultivating the well-being of others by associating and participating themselves in global applications for the betterment around the world .Each individual on the planet is a citizen of the one globe, requiring each part to behave in a way that demonstrates respect for the globe and all individuals on it. As a result, there are explicit values and attitudes that a global citizen should exhibit as evidence of making the world a better place for the future. Nation states are treated with dignity in this framework because they have a stake in the world's well-being. A global citizen's values and attitudes include empathy, a commitment to social equity and value, appreciation for diversity, concern for the environment and a commitment to long-term outcomes, as well as the belief that individuals can bring change.

In order to determine whether Australia is a good global citizen, it is necessary to examine the country's national and international engagements, with a particular focus on its role in making the world a better place for others. In this regard, the primary examination should focus on the country's participation in global networks or organisations in the political and trade realms. In addition, to look into Australia's role in national and international aid and development, with a focus on international disasters, as well as its role in advancing developing and underdeveloped nations and networks. Consequently, assess the extent to which native peoples' rights have been advanced. Also, look into its environmental agendas and commitment to advancing sustainability. Finally, consider its role in assisting outcasts and asylum seekers seeking refuge and assistance for a variety of reasons. 

Part of a Global Community

Australia is one of the countries that belong to the United Nations and are responsible for promoting international security, safety, and well-being. Australia fulfils its international obligations through this membership by providing humanitarian aid and assistance to countries experiencing crises such as earthquakes and war. Despite the relatively small size in comparison to the China and the United states, Australia has taken advantage of its UN membership to participate in international programmes. It had a seat on the UN Security Council from 2012 to 2014, when it passed a resolution allowing access to the Malaysian plane crash site in Ukraine.Australia also has participated in UN peacekeeping missions by sending officers to participate in these overseas assignments. With over 3500 Australians participating in peace and security operations in various regions of the world, Australia is undoubtedly an active participant in the global community. 

In 1989, Australia became a founding member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The organisation is made up of 21 member governments that trade and finance with one another. The group has benefited the country because 70 percent of its grain exports go to APEC countries. The main goal of APEC is to promote trade, monetary development, and regional improvement by lowering the cost of cross-border trade, exchanging best practice information on trade and speculation, working on regulatory and administrative interaction, and liberalizing and facilitating trade and ventures. Australia played a major role in APEC through funding projects that are centered on market processes, promoting its own strategies in raising capital, and promoting process management reforms.

Development and Aid

In the international arena, Australia plays an active role in aid provision. The country achieves this through direct collaboration with NGOs such as World Vision, direct bilateral aid with other governments, international agencies such as the World Health Organization, United Nations, and World Food Programme, and humanitarian emergency relief, as well as the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) programme. Australia has participated in various foreign aid endeavors through the United Nations through humanitarian programs that include the provision of funds, expertise, and as well as manpower. Fiji, Cambodia, and Indonesia have all received assistance from Australia. Through the construction of infrastructure such as schools, health centers, roads, and water supply, Australia has helped to address fundamental humanitarian challenges such as alleviating poverty and promoting community development. It also provides overseas relief in times of disaster, in Philippines during the Typhoon Haiyan disaster in 2013.

Is Australia Really a ‘Good Citizen’? 

Australia promotes the wellbeing of the country's indigenous peoples, such as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The government is committed to improving the lives of indigenous peoples through the Jobs, Land, and Economy programme, which focuses on enhancing native employment and establishing business and monetary freedoms for vulnerable groups. The Commonwealth government has demonstrated its commitment by launching the Community Development Program (CDP), Indigenous Procurement Policy, Employment Parity Initiative, and Indigenous Enterprise Development Program, among other initiatives. The Aboriginal Heritage Act of 1972 was also enacted by the government to protect native peoples against exploitation and misuse of their territory by other organisations.

However, on the other hand we need to ask to what extent has Australia really been a ‘good citizen’. When it comes to Australian identity, the utility of measurements is restricted, and the resulting image is so muddled. It is demonstrated how conservative governments' aggressive diplomatic directions harms Australia's Global identity, while also identifying a difficulty with the country's alliance with the US to manage its global image. It is agreed, stating that climate change mitigation is one of the most contentious issues, with Australia attempting to configure the climate-change regime to better reflect growing worries about economic consequences without the government being regarded as a bad actor.

Furthermore, the contrast between Centre-left and Centre-right administrations, with the former actively promoting Australia's internationalist character while the latter is more skeptical. The ‘intangible effect that a nation's leaders can have on its populace,' complicating the idea of a strong Australian national identity un regard to polarizing issues like climate change mitigation, asylum seekers and universal human rights.

In relation to this, and with a focus on citizens' rights, it's worth noting that Australia has achieved significant progress in recent decades, many of which are implicitly reflected in the high rankings noted earlier. After all, human rights in Australia today are undeniably better protected than they were in the twentieth century, particularly in terms of ‘marriage equality, anti-discrimination laws, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, sexual harassment laws as well as women's advancement in the workforce. Women's rights have improved in recent years, but there are still a number of issues that Australian governments refuse to address, such as a lack of compliance with UN-mandated best practices, the proportionally higher violence experienced by Indigenous Australian women, and gender equality in general. A second word of caution concerns Indigenous Australians, whose desire for constitutional recognition and basic levels of sovereignty has been a source of contention in Australia and remains mostly unmet.

A discussion of the intertwined globalist, idealist, and humanitarian understandings of Australian foreign policy would be incomplete without mentioning climate change. Unlike aid, this is a contentious subject in Australia, which has a history of being wary of local and international policies that could harm its comparative advantage in non-renewable energy generation and raw material exports. It was argued a few years ago that it had allowed Australia to ‘take its role as a good international citizen seriously,' but that it had failed to make an impact on both climate change mitigation and global economic policy reform. In consideration of their multilateral approach in international fora discussing climate change, a more benign representation of the governments' global credentials. More recently, a review of all peer-reviewed literature on climate change adaptation in Australia revealed that some progress is being made, particularly in coastal and agricultural areas.

Conclusion

In order to imply whether Australia is currently still a good global citizen, this essay has assessed factors from both positive and negative point of views in relation to Australian policies and stances in certain cases. Australia's worldwide participation demonstrates that it embodies all of the necessary attitudes and satisfies the qualifications of a decent global citizen. Its collaboration with the United Nations and other non-governmental organisations has aided it in addressing a variety of world issues like as poverty, conflict, food insecurity, the environment, human rights, and other humanitarian concerns. Based on the study, Australia is clearly a decent global citizen however certain areas require serious considerations and acknowledgement in order to be a better global citizen.