Australians are being bombarded day after day with a series of words and expressions which fortunately — or perhaps unfortunately — are becoming more and more familiar to the ear of Mr Average: ‘ethnic’, ‘multicultural’, ‘multilingual’, ‘social integration’, ‘cultural shock’, ‘cultural identity’, ‘social interaction’, just to mention a few of them. Fortunately, because it indicates that it is being accepted in an increasingly natural way the fact that the migrant phenomenon is a dignified social reality which has and will continue to have a leading role in the shaping of the present and future structure of Australia politically, economically and culturally. The general, although still slow, acceptance of this basic truth represents a healthy sign and an indication that our society appears to be moving in the right direction.