AS A soldier serving in the late seventies and early eighties, I had to determine to whom did I owe my duty.

The Army I served in had performed its duty as it understood it in Vietnam, but had come home to find itself blamed for the lack of operational success.

I formed the view that I was a soldier of a democratic Australia, and I would do my duty as determined by the legitimate democratic processes of my country.

I use this same process to determine who are Australians to whom I feel I have sworn an oath to protect.

The Australian government has rules for who can become an Australian citizen.

Once you have taken the oath to be an Australian citizen, no matter your background, you are thenceforth an Australian citizen.

New migrants swear an oath to uphold and respect Australian laws and democratic values.

I know I administered that oath many times as Mayor of Greater Dandenong.

This does put some pressure on those who were already here and who were comfortable with the then-existing White Australia model.  We are now required to adapt to what can seem to be very different values and behaviours of our fellow citizens, but that is our current duty.

This doesn’t mean giving up our values, but it does mean respecting the strongly held views of others with whom we must coexist.

I suggest adopting a curious mindset.

If migrants have become legitimate Australian citizens, then by definition they have all the rights that attach to all Australian citizens, that is the nature of a democracy.  Also, they become those for whom I see it as my duty to protect.

Kevin Walsh RFD, Cape Paterson