A summary of the speech delivered by broadcaster and social commentator Phillip Adams, to the Communities in Control conference 2004.

Broadcaster and social commentator Phillip Adams urged those at the Communities in Control conference to keep fighting "a revolution that cannot rest; a revolution that can't be stifled".

In an entertaining and stirring address to conclude the conference, Mr Adams likened the many aspects of Australian life and many revolutions occurring within it to a pair of seemingly conflicting sentences attributed to Spanish cellist Pablo Casals lamenting the world after his country's Civil War and World War Two: "The situation is hopeless. We must take the next step."

Mr Adams talked about the progress that had been made in a number of areas – through "revolutions" – but also how that progress had been stopped or reversed in recent times:

• The "reversal" of multiculturalism:  "We all gained from it. It set us apart from so many of the divided countries they left behind," he said.

"(But) a lot of people don't believe that any more. The last few years have been a disgrace. The use of simplistic and divisive propaganda to brand refugees as some sort of evil threat to our national security rather than troubled people deserving of our compassion was a useful political wedge.

"We have never had a refugee problem.  We have had, on average, one thousand boat people per annum for twenty years. That's it!  Two British Airways jumbo-loads landing at Mascot will have that many tourists overstaying their visas, but they're not whacked into detention centres."

• The reversal of efforts towards reconciliation with this country's original inhabitants:

"I suppose if the whole debate about indigenous rights stops at the office of a man who can't get his head around the impact he could have by uttering a single five-letter word, what hope have we got of having a real debate about the other issues facing our indigenous people," he said.

• The hurdles hindering the pursuit of equal rights between men and women: "We still have a situation in which women receive only 80 per cent of income for work of equal value; where there are still numerous visible and invisible barriers to women having equal access to participation in all works of life – including work," he said.

"We have a situation where women who are not staying at home and pumping out one for mummy, one for daddy and one for the green and gold are almost seen as Un-Australian, and where their lack of output can be solely blamed for the ongoing ageing of our country. At the same time we still can't convince these same men who are so demanding of women to populate or perish there is a need for blanket paid maternity leave.

• The turn toward victimising those less fortunate:

"We have a situation today where some welfare agencies can default people from receiving the dole. We have a situation where the people who can least afford it are punished for being overpaid by Centrelink. They read about themselves in newspapers as 'welfare cheats' who have been caught in a massive 'fraud' crackdown. The same newspapers carry stories about politicians taking toy boys overseas in apparent breach of the rules – but that breach is okayed by Ministerial decree," he said.

"Why are we making the people who have the least amount of power grovel for scraps? Why do they have to prove again and again that they are worthy of this or that measly benefit? Why do we rush to persecute and prosecute instead of asking whether the system is working as it should?"

Mr Adams asserted politicians and leaders were not listening to the community, adding that the government now threatened individuals and institutions which disagreed with it – stifling debate.

"We can't let this happen to our public broadcasters, to our universities, to our newspapers. We've got to stop this. A mature society tolerates different opinions, criticism, and debate – an immature society attacks the messenger rather than debating the ideas," he said.

But on a positive note he also felt that, despite governments in Australia and overseas trying to poison feelings of community, there were still many who wished to encourage the right attitudes: "But throughout this dark era, I have found that on every issue where you ask people to stand up and be counted individuals and organisations can still be created, rallied, or powerfully choreographed. And looking around at the awesome size of this conference … I think it's fair to say that we might be at the beginning of a new revolution," he said.

"It's a quiet one, thus far too quiet. It might be time for the mice to start roaring and remind everyone about the changes that can be brought about when the community coalesces around a cause, focuses on an issue, and decides to attack the mighty forces of cynicism and the all-powerful opposition on any issue."

In wrapping up, Mr Adams called on community leaders to lead a revolution "that brings into being the just, fair and equal Australia we can all vaguely envisage", and lead it now: "We need you. You're the architects of this revolution. You're the leaders that are already making it happen.  We need your leadership. We need your fight. I'm sorry, but we need you not to rest.  It's a hard task. It's a thankless task. But we need it to happen."

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