Australian life
• A short history of Australia
• Australian culture and customs
A short history of Australia
Australia was first settled by Aboriginal people between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago, and maybe even
earlier. These first settlers spread across the entire continent. More than 200 language groups existed, with
distinctive spiritual and kinship systems, art and technology. ‘Aboriginal’ is a European word meaning ‘from the
beginning’. Indigenous Australians, particularly in Eastern Australia, prefer to refer to themselves as ‘Koori’.
European settlement of Australia dates back to 1788 when Britain established a penal colony at Sydney Cove
with the landing of the First Fleet. You can gain a good understanding of this period by visiting the Hyde Park
Barracks Museum in Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Although the Indigenous inhabitants had group ownership of land, the British considered the land to be terra
nullius – a Latin term meaning land ‘not belonging to anyone’. There were no official negotiations or treaties
with the Indigenous owners of the land. The repercussions of this are still felt today and it was only in 1992
that the High Court of Australia, in a case known as the Mabo case, recognised Indigenous people’s property
rights.
British settlement resulted in the death of many Indigenous people through introduced diseases to which they
had no immunity, through the destruction of hunting grounds by grazing and agriculture, and through violent
confrontations and massacres. Reconciliation to heal the injustices of the past is an ongoing process in
Australia.
The information in this section is based on As a Matter of Fact on the former ATSIC website, and is now
available at http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/41033.
The land
Australia occupies an area of over 7 million square kilometres. The population of Australia is, however,
relatively small, with just over 20 million people. Australia is a very urbanised country, with almost 90% of
people living in the cities and along the coast and nearly half in the two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne.
The interior of Australia is very sparsely populated and much of it is desert.
The political system
Since 1901 Australia has been a federation, consisting of six states – New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland,
South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania – and two territories – the Australian Capital Territory and
the Northern Territory. The capital city of Australia is Canberra, which is located in the Australian Capital
Territory. The government of Australia is based on the British Westminster system of government. The federal
government, led by the Prime Minister, consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. Each state
government is headed by a Premier.
Australian life
The press and the legal system are independent of Government and dissent and political debate and protest;
even criticizing ones leaders and government, is a normal and healthy part of Australian democracy. As a
result you might find newspapers and current affairs programs more critical than at home. However, you will
find that Australian society is nonetheless peaceful.
A multicultural nation
Australia is a multicultural country with a cultural richness developed through the migration of people from
across the world and from the Indigenous people who are the original inhabitants. There have been several
major ‘waves’ of migration to Australia since the convicts first arrived in 1788. British settlers followed the
convicts and Australia developed an economy that relied on agriculture and wool.
In the goldrush of the 1850s, Irish, American, Chinese, English and other Europeans came to try to make their
fortune in the goldfields. The Australian term ‘mate’, used very commonly here, comes from the common title
given to two miners who took out a gold mining lease together.
After World War Two, Australia offered a home to many European people who were displaced as a result
of the war. Later, migrants from Italy and Greece, Lebanon and other countries came to Australia seeking
opportunities to make a better life for themselves and their families.
In the 1970s Australia again offered refuge to people whose lives were disrupted by the war in Vietnam, and
has continued to invite people from South East Asia to migrate to Australia.
The Australian Government supports multiculturalism and equal opportunity for all Australians regardless of
race, language, ethnic origin or religion.
The traditional owners of the land
The traditional owners of the land on which the University of Sydney is built
were the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.
Australian life
Australian people and their customs
Australians value equality between people and consider people of different status, wealth, authority and
occupation to be equal. People speak politely to each other regardless of the person’s status and there is
little formal deference to people of higher status, though these people are treated with respect. Men and
women are considered equal in society and interact with each other in an informal way. Australian women in
general are independent and expect to be treated as peers by their male colleagues or fellow students.
Most Australians do their own household chores. Within a family the tasks are shared between children
and adults, males and females. People dress quite casually in Australia for most occasions. If more formal
dress is required it will usually be indicated in advance. At University, you may notice that students and many
academic staff dress casually.
You will find that the staff at the University of Sydney will be interested in Chinese culture and traditions, so do
feel free to discuss differences and similarities and Chinese cultural traditions, even how these are changing
in contemporary China.
Australia is a changing and complex society in which there is interaction between many values and cultures.
While this means that Australian customs are always changing, there are some things that are considered to
be ‘Australian’.
The Australian accent
When you first arrive you will probably find the Australian accent difficult to understand, but you will soon
become accustomed to it. Because there are many people in Australia who have a non-English speaking
background, there are interpreters available in health services and hospitals to provide assistance.
If you do not understand what someone says, it is polite to ask them to repeat it. People will generally speak
more clearly if they are aware you are having some difficulty in understanding.
Informal language
Australians are generally informal in how they speak. First names are used early in a relationship. The formal
title or family name is used only in very formal situations. It is best to use a more formal address to someone
like a lecturer, professor or medical doctor unless they ask you to call them by their given name. You will find
that many academics at the University will encourage you to use their first name once you have met them.
Joking and teasing
One of the interesting things for a newcomer to Australia is the joking humour which Australians use. This
teasing and joking behaviour is often quite difficult to accept for people from another culture. Language
difficulties can also make understanding the humour difficult. So how should you react if someone seems to
be teasing or insulting you? It is important to remember that Australians tease people they like, and even call
them rude names or criticise them, all in jest.
Directness
Australians are often very frank and open in what they say. If you are from a country where delicacy and
consideration are important, you might feel this directness is rude. Australians, however, can be tactful and
will try to avoid hurting another person’s feelings or causing embarrassment.
Australian life
Casualness
Australians often try to indicate that they are not particularly hardworking,
efficient, clever, artistic, creative, attractive and so on – even when
they are. There is some pressure on Australians to not ‘stand out’. This
is changing, but there is still a tendency for Australians to denigrate
their own achievements and to feel uncomfortable with praise and
compliments. This is perhaps one of the reasons they make jokes about
things – to avoid ‘showing off’.
Respect
While Australians may seem very disrespectful to people in authority,
elderly people, or their parents, there is in fact a subtle respect and
deference shown towards people in authority. Questioning, or even
suggesting alternative solutions, is not seen as disrespectful towards an
authority figure provided the suggestions are made in a polite manner.
Offering food and other things
Sydney
Sydney is the capital of
the state of New South
Wales and the oldest
city in Australia .It isn’t
the capital of Australia
– Canberra is. Sydney
has grown from a small
colony of 1,000 convicts
in 1788 to the largest
city in Australia with a
population of four million
people.
Australians consider it impolite to force people to accept food or other
things. They tend to offer once with only one follow-up statement, such as
‘are you sure you won’t have any more?’
This is the opposite in many other cultures where the host insists on
the person taking more several times and then the guest accepts. This
difference can lead to misunderstandings. It is polite to immediately
accept the offer of more food and also polite to refuse more food if you
do not want more at this time. Remember that Australians are direct and
tend to say exactly what they mean.
Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
In Australia it is usual and expected that people will say ‘please’ and ‘thank
you’ for any request of anyone – even friends, family, academic staff,
shop attendants, taxi drivers, restaurant staff, and so on.
Saving water
Much of Australia is suffering from a prolonged drought and
the levels of the dams that supply Sydney’s drinking water are
reported weekly on the news. In general Australians try to be
careful with water usage and try not to waste it. You might
find this a little strange when Sydney appears very green.
Sydney’s
climate
The climate in Sydney
is temperate, with
342 days a year of
sunshine on average.
The wettest months
are March to May, the
coldest month is July and
the hottest months are
January and February.
The average rainfall is
1,200 millimetres per
year. Average humidity
is 62%. Average daily
temperatures in July
range from a minimum of
8 degrees Celsius to 16
degrees Celsius.