Foxy,
Good Question
Poirot almost said it right for me.

I ask which Australia? The Australia of Fear, frightened of others (Muslims, boat people et al), the Luddite ( alternate power sources) ? Perhaps the one dominated by the Power mad (political partisan) induced fears to control?

Perhaps the Australia that prides itself on over rewarding the pointless physical prowess of a few genetically enabled, in meaningless feats or entertainment(?).

While studiously ignoring all that is good in the common individual

The Australia that is proud of it's culture that is steeped in blood, discrimination, prejudice?
The one that is based on exploitative Malthusian legal, financial systems?
Wantonly proffering the dubious determinist notion that “this is the way we are” so let's aggressively wallow in our short comings/myopic obsessions.

Australia is a lump of land in the pacific. One which is 60% inhospitable extremes in both terrain and climate.

Are we to take our personal IDENTITY from an inert and superficial determined location?
Are we a masochists?

Notwithstanding, I fully accept peoples right to need external confirmation of their perspectives... just not for me.

Perhaps it is/was my between cultures upbringing that make me 'the outsider' so to speak, that has given me this perspective of my identity as an individual. I simply see "Australian" as an administrative designation and meaningless beyond that.

Remember the dictum “Patriotism is the last resort of the scoundrel” it makes it's citizens more vulnerable to manipulation

Good Evening Everyone,
I must apologise for not having responded
to you all earlier, however I've spent
the entire day baby-sitting my six month
old grandson, and this is the first free
moment I've had.

Thanks to all of you who've taken
the time and trouble to respond to this
thread. It is much appreciated.

I'm well aware of the fact that some people
are a bit touchy on the subject of any sort
of criticism of our society, or of any
accusations of racism. My purpose in starting
this thread was to explore these issues in an
honest and open dialogue. I think that most
of us can admit that we're a great society,
but we're not a perfect society.

I know that multiculturalism makes quite a few
people uncomfortable because it includes conflict,
disagreements, and misunderstandings. It is complex.
But complexity is OK. Because since European
settlement, and even before that, Australia has been
host to diverse cultures and has thrived as a result.

Look at our individual differences today -
As someone said on another website, and I quote:
"There's battling farmers, bronzed beach babes,
metro latte sippers, pompous monarchists,
yuppy republicans, sporting heroes, Aussie Ockers,
tireless tradies, soccer mums, et cetera..."

We do have problems, like any other society,
but if we admit it and deal with it (as we always
have), if we continue to aspire to social cohesion,
and respect for each other and ourselves as
Australians and human beings, then we will have
a country we can all be comfortable living in.

I am proud of my contributions to my fellow Australians Individual and proud of the fact that I too contributed towards making this country better. After all without some type of pride [minus the ego]respect and ownership of being an Australian; as opposed to owning Australia, how is one able to mix in and share any type of national togetherness to improve our country?

I believe there are many 'qualities' exhibited by most Australians that we should, as a Nation, be most proud and be proud as an Australian identity. Some of these are the following;
(i) On any occasion a major bushfire, flood or natural disaster has occurred within Australia, taking lives or people have suffered, aussies dig deep into their pockets and give, give and give. Not so in some other countries.
(ii) When shocking sad criminal or accidental situations arise, particularly those involving children, who remain living without parents, many Aussies, upon being made aware, open up their wallets and purses, to give give give and support. Not the situation in some other countries.
(iii) World wide natural disasters occur regularly. Australians open up their wallets and many volunteer, to travel and assist overseas when allowed. Our hearts open up and many of us feel the pain and suffering of other people, from all walks of life.
(iv) Most Australians I mix with through work, socially and in voluntary capacities, have 'given tremendously' to their local schools, sporting clubs, Rotary, Rotaract, or some type of organisation that assists the less fortunate and people who have suffered major losses at different times in their lives.
(v) Most of the Australians I mix with possess a great sense of humour and the majority continue to provide well for their children and families; through thick and thin, separations and divorce, bankruptcies, court cases, job losses, personal grief and loss. The majority, I have witnessed, meet their childrens physical needs and most parents attempt to meet their childrens emotional needs. However, there is always room for improvement in this fast paced life of technology [on many occasions the enemy] within the workplace!

These are just a few things most Australians support regularly and we should be proud of our country's people, particularly when we stop and observe how most of us react during times of disaster or when able to assist other people in unique sad and horrific situations.

Most Australians have beautiful hearts; let us not overlook this fact.

Dear We Are Unique,

Of course let us not forget the good that
most people do. At the same time, admitting
social and political inequalities and the fact
that those inequalities feed separateness and
can lead to intolerance, racism and reactionary
violence is also part and parcel of our society.

Recognising a country's problems is not about
being reactionary or anti Australian. As I wrote
earlier it is about aspiring to social cohesion
and respect for each other and ourselves as
Australians and as human beings. An expectation
that we should all be some kind of "same"
is not only impossible, but it also lacks
integrity.

We are a great society, but we're not a perfect
society. We should recognise the pluses, by all
means, but at
the same time we should also recognise the problems
as well so that we can deal with them .

Foxy says:

//Surely having pride in our
national identity and recognising that we have
problems doesn't need to be a contradition.//

This is quite correct in my view.
The problem comes when the 'problems' are blown up and exploited by nefarious political groups with the intent of undermining our sovereignty.

"Assylum seekers" would be one hot issue where this takes place.