The Australian Nation - celebration AND criticism are the key

Neil Pigot, who took the role of Dunlop in a play, reflects on the broader culture of mateship in the face of such adversity: “Men would share shoes, or give away their blanket or shirt if someone needed them," he says. "Everyone was a mate, and everyone looked after each other."

As a pluralist and multicultural Australia moves forward, such things should not be forgotten, and must be recalled and preserved as part of our identity and tradition.

Australia today

As indicated earlier, modern Australia is pluralist and multicultural. Successive waves of immigration have irreversibly broadened our identity and our cultural composition.

For many Australians, there is much to celebrate: citizens of different cultural backgrounds live together in peace, and in mutual respect. Rather than the kind of assimilationist policies which once sought to extinguish the cultures of Indigenous peoples and immigrants in the early-mid 20th century, the modern Australian mainstream celebrates diversity.

That said, there are aspects of the old culture (and not meaning just the oldest i.e. Indigenous culture) that need to be preserved also.

“Mateship” is one area which needs to be contested as well as respected. While “mateship” needs to be recognised in the traditional sense - bonding and loyalty among Australia males - that spirit must be made meaningful for women also. And Australian egalitarianism should be reconsidered in the sense of economic equality, not merely the rejection of class-based snobbery.

Furthermore, our liberties and democratic and social rights need to be enshrined in our national identity, as the “glue of cohesion” which makes relative harmony in the context of multiculturalism possible.

Before the onset of official multiculturalism Australians had a sense of connection with the land. While not as deeply spiritual as the bond felt by many Indigenous peoples, flora and fauna figured strongly in the national identity of the “old Australia”. Symbols and icons such as the Eureka flag, and the official Australian flag under which Australian soldiers fought against fascism, as well as Australia’s sporting heroes (eg: cricket hero Don Bradman), and Australia’s “beach culture” also figured strongly in Australian national identity.

Australian culture has since become more diverse, and for most Australians this is cause for celebration. But this need not mean a rejection of our “old” culture. Some Australians feel threatened by the sense this is being rejected in turn prompting a backlash against multiculturalism. We need to make it clear that the “old culture” has a place at the heart of a modern and diverse Australian nation.

Radical Australian author, David McKnight has written about nationalism in his work Beyond Right and Left. While nationalism can provide fuel for violent militarism and prejudice, it can also provide a “bridge” to collectivism. Here we refer to the kind of spirit which involves solidarity with others in the face of their social needs (from shelter and work to education, health care and social/cultural inclusion). If combined with an outlook of internationalism: respect for the rights of all people; then such sentiments need not be negative. Indeed an internationalist outlook might potentially even comprise a core “pillar” of national identity.

In conclusion

In concluding this discussion of the issues associated with Australian nationhood it is well to make a number of observations.

There are some who believe the day on which Australia Day rests should be changed. Australian sporting icon, Ron Barassi, suggested in 2009 that the date be shifted to May 27: “the day in 1967 that saw 90 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians vote in a referendum to give the Indigenous peoples the rights that were due them as citizens of Australia.”