AS Australia's conservative leaders continue to battle Native Title and Asian immigration, The Washington Post readers in the United States have been told of Australia's so-called "race debate".

Americans reading the front page of The Washington Post on Saturday, 6 December were told how Australian Prime Minister, John Howard was fighting Aboriginal land rights and how Independent MP, Pauline Hanson was fighting Asian immigration.

The article, "White Australia in Identity Crisis", was written by The Washington Post Foreign Service writer Kevin Sullivan.

He told his readers: "Australia's highest courts have issued rulings in recent years giving Aborigines new land rights."

"Howard's government has proposed legislation to diminish the effect of those decisions.

"Parliament has been bitterly debating the issue all week, and it appears headed for an angry confrontation in the coming days.

"Some here worry that the issue could be divisive enough to cause Howard to dissolve Parliament and call early elections," Sullivan wrote.

The article told how immigration had become a major issue in Australia and the vocal support given to Pauline Hanson, who the article described as "more angry than articulate".

It spoke of her links to extreme right-wing movements such as the Ku Klux Klan and biker groups.

Kevin Sullivan spoke to several Vietnamese refugees in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta who had come to Australia by boat with nothing and were now running successful businesses.

Sullivan also spoke to Australian social commentator, radio announcer and columnist, Philip Adams who spoke about Pauline Hanson.

"She gives a lot of unhappy people someone to kick," Phillip Adams said.

"They're signing up with Pauline because their kids don't do what they tell them, because they've got weight problems, because their husband or wife doesn't love them anymore.

"They're there because other people seem smarter or prettier or richer than they are.

"Because other people win the lottery.

"We're looking at problems that require therapy rather than legislation," Adams said.