What is Australian culture?

Australian values?


As we have discussed, culture can be complex and difficult to describe or stereotype one group. This is true for Australia of course but there are some values that are often talked about when people ask, "What is Australian culture".

It can be seen as...

• Relaxed and informal (dress code, language, friendships)
• Friendly (based on mateship)
• Social (going out for work drinks)
• Optimistic and positive outlook (a famous Australian saying is: "She'll be right mate")
• Fair (giving someone a "fair go")
• Importance of family (universal)
• Sports
• Others?

At work this could mean:

•Low on formality

•First name basis early
•Hierarchy is recognised but little deference is shown
•Titles and honorifics rarely used
•More respect for achievement than position
•Dress codes fairly relaxed – but observe others
and ask if not sure
•Punctuality is valued. Call if running late
(late = 10-15 minutes)
•Arrange meetings well
ahead if possible.
•Meetings are time- and agenda-driven
•Some small talk at beginning is acceptable and expected, but only briefly

•People tend to get to the point quickly



Of course, this can be different across other cultures. Australia is considered to be a low context culture. This means high individualism, less social hierarchy (ranks), communication is direct and sometimes impersonal and workers may be comfortable with open confrontation.

Other countries may consider social bonds, ranks, and indirect communication to be more valuable and are considered to be high context cultures.

Lesson Summary

Australian culture can be complex and difficult to stereotype, but there are some commonly talked about values that are often associated with Australian culture:

  • Relaxed and informal
  • Friendly, based on mateship
  • Social
  • Optimistic and positive outlook
  • Fair, giving someone a "fair go"
  • Importance of family
  • Sports

At work, these values can manifest in the following ways:

  • Low formality
  • First name basis early
  • Hierarchy is recognized but little deference is shown
  • Titles and honorifics rarely used
  • More respect for achievement than position
  • Fairly relaxed dress codes (observe others and ask if unsure)
  • Punctuality is valued, and it's common to call if running late
  • Meetings are time- and agenda-driven
  • Some small talk at the beginning of meetings is acceptable and expected, but brief
  • People tend to get to the point quickly

It's important to note that these cultural values can vary in different cultures. Australia is considered a low-context culture, which means it values high individualism, has less social hierarchy, direct and sometimes impersonal communication, and workers may be comfortable with open confrontation. In contrast, high-context cultures value social bonds, ranks, and indirect communication.

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