The Socceroos’ victory is what happens when we embrace, celebrate and foster a truly multicultural vision of Australia. But the alarming reality is that hostility towards refugees such as Irankunda and his family is growing fast. The pathway to safety that brought them to Australia is rapidly closing.
Those who celebrate the Socceroos’ win while opposing the arrival of refugees and immigrants into Australia now have two options. The first is silence because there really is no counterargument to the proof that refugees and migrants are real Australians and do make noteworthy contributions to our country.
The second is to argue that people like Irankunda came “the right way”. This is a false and toxic framing about what a person must do in fleeing for their lives, what parents must do to protect their children. There is no single static way to access safety in Australia.