WHO IS AUSTRALIAN?
Today only about 78 percent of the 19.5 million Australians are Australia or British born. About 40 percent of Australians have at least one parent who was born elsewhere. There are more than 100 ethnic groups in the country.
A SENSE OF TIME
Australians are generally relaxed people. But they are not relaxed about time. They think punctuality is good, especially on formal occasions. Try to arrive on time or not more than five or ten minutes late.
ROAD RULES
Behaviour on Australian roads is strictly regulated
for safety reasons. The rules vary slightly from state to state. Wearing
seat belts in cars is compulsory and throwing rubbish, including cigarette
butts, out of a vehicle is banned. Rules also stop people using their
mobile phones while driving.
By law, bicycle (bike) riders must wear safety helmets. They must
also use lights when riding at night.
THE AUSTRALIAN ACCENT
Australians often run words together and leave out or
change consonants, especially in the middle of words.
Common examples of lazy sounds are
Estraya (Australia), Estrayen (Australian),
Sinny (Sydney), Cambra (Canberra), efta
(have to), evva (have a), giz (give us), gunna
(going to), imfemation (information), imput
(input), laze en gem (ladies and gentlemen), semmitch (sandwich),
and the famous Australian greeting g’day (good day).
Australians like to shorten a long word to one or two syllables and then
add a vowel on the end. In this way, an Australian becomes an Aussie,
breakfast becomes brekkie, vegetables become vegies, football becomes
footie and
university is uni.
Other common examples are: arvo (afternoon); Barbie (bar-beque); bickie
(biscuit); Brissie (Brisbane); chockie (chocolate); Chrissie (Christmas);
deli (delicatessen); demo (demonstration); garbo (garbage or rubbish collector);
hankie or hanky (handkerchief), hubby (husband); mushie (mushroom); mossie
or mozzie (mosquito); nana (banana); oldies (old people, parents); pokies
(poker machines or coin operated gambling machines); postie (postman or
mail delivery person); pressie (present or gift); rego (car registration);
rellies (relatives); sickie (sick day or a day taken off work while pretending
to be ill); speedo (speedometer); sunnies (sunglasses); Tassie (Tasmania);
tellie or telly
(Television); and vego (a vegetarian).
Nicknames
The habit of putting a vowel on the end of a syllable
extends to Australian nicknames, particularly those of men. A man whose
given name is Thomas or whose family name is Thompson is likely to be
called Thommo; David is often
Davo; John is Johnno. Men whose family name begins with Mac (as in Mcdonald)
are often called Macca.
Greetings
The most common greetings in Australia are hello and
hi. Other greetings are How are you, How are you keeping, How are you
going, How’s things and What do you know. None requires a full truthful
answer. When they say ‘How are you’,
they are not really asking for details. They expect you to answer ‘fine’
or ‘good’, even if you don’t feel that way.
Talking to Australians
One of the first things some international students
notice is that Australian conversations are often all talk and no silence.
It is not rude to overlap your sentences with another speaker’s,
except if you change the topic if conversation.
The easy going Australian character means that you do not have to worry
too much about doing or saying the wrong thing. Remember, Australians
are pretty relaxed about manners. They are more likely to upset you, than
you are likely to offend them.
TOPICS OF CONVERSTAION
Australians balance their openness with a strong
sense of privacy. They rarely ask personal questions of strangers
or casual acquaintances. Casual conversations tend to be about a neutral
shared experience: the weather, sport,
children, the garden, food, jobs.
AUSTRALIANS – IN GENERAL
Most Australians are friendly and helpful to
strangers, but it takes hard work to develop deep friendships with them.
Although they seem confident and loud, they are often cautious and uncommunicative
about their real feelings.
Australians believe that people should have a fair go, or equality
of opportunity.
After that, it is up to individuals what they make of their lives. Australians
tend to treat people equally. In that they will usually treat someone
with high status the same as they do those with a considered lesser status.
Australians are part of the Western tradition of individualism. They value
their communities, their families and their friends. But they also think
that individuals should be able to choose how they live their lives. This
means they judge people on their individual qualities rather than as a
member of a group. They approve of self-reliance and independence.
They don’t like being told what to do.
THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL STUDY IN AUSTRALIA IS TO ASK QUESTIONS
Your university and college teachers expect all students
to be responsible for their own learning. They expect you to organize
your own work schedule, do independent research and meet deadlines. Most
of all, they expect you to
question everything and think for yourself, instead of just accepting
someone else’s ideas.
ASKING FOR HELP
Australians pride themselves on being open, friendly and direct. They rarely, however, offer advice unless asked. If you need practical help, don’t hesitate to ask. It will be freely given.
USEFUL LINKS
Tourism Tropical North Queensland