ABSTRACT
Two images flash into the minds of Sydney-siders when they think about Cabramatta – an Asian, largely Vietnamese, suburban precinct some 45 kilometres west of Sydney’s Opera House. One image is that promoted by the local government authorities and local entrepreneurs: Cabramatta as ‘Asia in one city’ – the sights, smells, tastes and sound of Asia. Just listen to the Council’s promotional compact disc; it tells you where to go to see the many faces of Cabramatta. The message is: ‘Come, see and escape into ethnic diversity’. The other image arises from the front pages of the Sydney tabloid, the soundgrabs of a Sydney radio news broadcast or the flickering television images on the six o’clock news. It shows the arrest of another heroin dealer or the bloody aftermath of a Cabramatta stabbing or shooting. This image is one of Cabramatta as heroin capital of Sydney. The message this time is: ‘Keep away, danger, Asian gangs, drugs and guns’.
