Australian Culture

The modern culture of Australia draws from many sources, including indigenous Australians, the United Kingdom, and the immigration of a diverse range of people with the Australian gold rushes of the 1850s, and post-World War II refugees from Britain and Europe.

Due partly to cultural cringe, mainstream Australian culture is currently strongly influenced by United States culture, British culture and European culture. There are, however, distinctive influences from the Australian natural environment, the country's history, indigenous Australians and proximity to Asia.

The demographics of Australia show it to be one of the most urbanised and ethnically diverse populations in the world; the majority of Australians live on the coast with the Outback being sparsely populated. Australia's cities are melting pots of different cultures and the influence of the longer-established southern European communities in particular has been pervasive. The great post-World War II influx of both English and non English-speaking migrants from England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Eastern Europe, Germany, the Netherlands, Malta, the Middle East, East Asia and South-East Asia has had a significant impact.

The early Indigenous Australian culture before European settlement of Australia, is evidenced in the oral traditions and lore of their descendents and the range of material artefacts, however precise detail in the western academic sense is not accessible. Cultural continuity over 53,000 (or more) years of human habitation of the continent cannot be assumed. Modern Indigenous Australians culture is rich and diverse although severely impacted by European colonisation.

The vigour and originality of the arts in Australia — film, music, painting, theatre, dance and crafts — has achieved international recognition. In practice, it is difficult to discern much about Australian culture by examining the isolated peaks of music, dance or literature.

Traditionally, Australians have viewed themselves as an egalitarian society, with a distrust of the rich and powerful; this is reflected by the status of the Eureka Stockade and the bushrangers within the Australian psyche. Today this belief continues in the form of the tall poppy syndrome.

The Australian culture has historically been a masculine one, forged on the hardship of early settlers and later on the heroism of the Australian soldiers. "Mateship", or loyal fraternity, has been a central tenet. This also explains why the more aggressive forms of sport (Rugby and Australian rules football, for example) are particularly popular in Australia. Australian male teenagers are known to call each other by the surname or a diminutive of it (e.g. Hargrave -> Hargie; Wilkinson -> Wilko). This may also be practiced by females with a forceful personality, but is less common.

Traditional "high culture" gains small attention from much of the population, in contrast to popular culture. High culture thrives with excellent galleries (even in small towns); a rich tradition in ballet, enlivened by the legacy of Dame Margot Fonteyn and Sir Robert Helpmann; a strong national opera company based in Sydney; and good symphony orchestras in all capital cities, particularly the Melbourne and Sydney symphony orchestras.

The primary basis of Australian culture until the mid-20th century was Anglo-Celtic, although distinctive Australian features had been evolving from the environment and indigenous culture. Over the past 50 years, Australian culture has been strongly influenced by American popular culture (particularly television and cinema), large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking countries, and Australia's Asian neighbours. The vigour and originality of the arts in Australia — films, opera, music, painting, theatre, dance, and crafts — achieve international recognition.

Australia has a long history of visual arts, starting with the cave and bark paintings of its indigenous peoples. From the time of European settlement, a common theme in Australian art has been the Australian landscape, seen in the works of Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd and Albert Namatjira, among others. The traditions of indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally and are closely tied to ceremony and the telling of the stories of the Dreamtime. Australian Aboriginal music, dance and art have a palpable influence on contemporary Australian visual and performing arts. Australia has an active tradition of music, ballet and theatre; many of its performing arts companies receive public funding through the federal government's Australia Council. There is a symphony orchestra in each capital city, and a national opera company, Opera Australia, first made prominent by the renowned diva Dame Joan Sutherland; Australian music includes classical, jazz, and many popular music genres.

Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape; the works of writers such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, captured the experience of the Australian bush. The character of colonial Australia, as embodied in early literature, resonates with modern Australia and its perceived emphasis on egalitarianism, mateship, and anti-authoritarianism. In 1973, Patrick White was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only Australian to have achieved this; he is recognised as one of the great English-language writers of the twentieth century. Australian English is a major variety of the language; its grammar and spelling are largely based on those of British English, overlaid with a rich vernacular of unique lexical items and phrases, some of which have found their way into standard English.

Australia has two public broadcasters (the ABC and the multi-cultural SBS), three commercial television networks, three pay TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. Australia's film industry has achieved critical and commercial successes. Each major city has daily newspapers, and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. According to Reporters Without Borders in 2005, Australia is in thirty first position on a list of countries ranked by press freedom, behind New Zealand (9th) and the United Kingdom (28th) but ahead of the United States. This ranking is primarily because of the limited diversity of commercial media ownership in Australia. Most Australian print media in particular is under the control of either News Corporation or John Fairfax Holdings.

Sport plays an important part in Australian culture, assisted by a climate that favours outdoor activities; 23.5% Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities. At an international level, Australia has particularly strong teams in cricket, hockey, netball, rugby league, rugby union, and performs well in cycling, rowing and swimming. Nationally, other popular sports include Australian rules football, horse racing, soccer and motor racing. Australia has participated in every summer Olympic Games of the modern era, and every Commonwealth Games. Australia has hosted the 1956 and 2000 Summer Olympics, and has ranked among the top five medal-takers since 2000. Australia has also hosted the 1938, 1962, 1982 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Other major international events held regularly in Australia include the Australian Open, one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, annual international cricket matches and the Formula One Australian Grand Prix. Corporate and government sponsorship of many sports and elite athletes is common in Australia. Televised sport is popular; some of the highest rating television programs include the summer Olympic Games and the grand finals of local and international football competitions.