Rainier,
I am curious too about what the definition of Australian culture is. And what Australian values are also a very vague concept. Even Howard seems to confuse Christian values with Australian values.

Jules21,
“Multiculturalism is more than a policy, it is an ideology. To believe that anothers cultural rights are equal to yours, even in your country. Other bloggers have pointed out to me that 'MultiC. is dead anyway', maybe it is, like most discourses they change over time.”
I agree, everything changes. If monoculturism is prehistoric and multiculturalism is dead, perhaps the ‘new’ culture term that reflects the change should be ‘interculturalism’. I spotted the use of this term somewhere, and thought it was a good update.

Rex
“…why dress like you're going to a cool climate funeral? So much for the oft-mentioned individuality!”
Funny! Exactly- and it’s often the ‘suit and tie types’ who comment that it is ‘ridiculous’ for muslim women to wear their hijabs in Australia’s climate.

Thanks to this thread I am enjoying a bit of nostalgia about my early time in Australia, learning about the new culture I had ventured into.

The friendly Aussie who invited me to "Have a beer mate".
I don't drink beer thanks.
You're talking about that Pommie muck. You'll LOVE ours!
[No offence intended or taken.]

Being told that, at Aussie barbecues, the men gathered around the keg whilst the girls got together and talked about the kids. Well, as a non-beer drinker I would have been out of place around the keg and anyway I was happier talking to the girls [not about their kids of course] than talking to the men about jobs, cars and footy.

Discovering the meaning of having a naughty. Well, you can use the romantic term, making love. Or the down-to-earth [literally perhaps] having sex. But having a naughty?

As a ballroom dancer, I found that men who enjoyed this activity in Australia were sometimes suspected of being gay. This was never a problem to me, BTY. I'm comfortable with my heterosexuality and also comfortable in the company of gay friends. But why would men who enjoy absolutely the best way of meeting girls which has ever been invented be thought of as maybe gay? I was talking about this recently with a friend of about 25 to 30 and he told me that some of his mates still have this attitude.

Well, we could cover it all with the uniquely Australian term "no worries", I suppose. But wait a minute, that's what the Poms say too.
And the Indonesians: Tidak marsala.
And the Balinese: Sing ken ken.
And the Japanese: Mon di ni.

Who was it said, "Nothing new under the sun"?

Seems people like Rex and Cel don't bother to read topics properly or read stuff after being asked to so.

I'll post all the stuff from the beginning for them.

This brings us to the oft avoided... what is culture?

For the purpose of this piece, I consider the dictionary definition (below) completely appropriate.

cul·ture ( P ) Pronunciation Key (klchr)
n.
a. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.
b. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.
c. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.
d. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

Australian culture then would be those aspects and characteristics that have developed on the Australian continent and those in a form readily distinguishable from other National cultures. It would also therefore be the dominant culture of Australia and also be recognised in various "Australian" stereotypes.

I personally look at Australia as being Bi-Cultural..

We have Australia's "Indigenous" culture and Australia's "Western" culture.

Both are recognised by the majority of Australians as being... Australian. Recognition of this fact ...was displayed to the world at the 2000 Sydney Olympic, opening and closing ceremonies. The dominant culture though, the one seen and recognised world wide as being our national identity would be the Australian "Western" Culture,

Australia's national culture has obviously developed over time... and continues to develop as all cultures do. Australia's Indigenous culture comes primarily from the Aborigines and it's Western culture primarily from the British. Both cultures have over the last 200 years impacted on and shaped each other. Australia's physical lanscape and climate have also impacted on our nation's cultural development

Oh and feel free to define any culture you'd like and I'll explain the equivalents in the Australian one for you.

T800,

The problem with the topic is that it's actually two topics that don't necessarily follow. Of course Australia has a culture (and arguably a lot more than one or even two)- the question most people are interested in is what is the content of that culture or cultures. You can't say you've answered that by providing a dictionary definition of what "culture" in general is (we know), and listing a few stereotypes, or eccentricities of the language. It's a lot more than that.

The second question about whether multiculturalism is something we need or not is an important one, but the way you've framed the question makes it look like support for multiculturalism rests on the assumption we don't have a culture.

Sorry Snout can't agree it's about Australia having a culture already and not needing many cultures to fill a void that doesn't exist. Do you get it now?

T800
You are saying that:
*Australia is a bi-cultural nation.*

Do you realise that there are many different indigenous cultures, each speaking their own language? So to start with, Aboriginal culture is multicultural.

Australia was already multicultural before settlers even got here. Early settlers merely added one more culture.

You also say that *There are no voids to fill- there is no need or space for more than these two cultures.*

Speaking about voids- if you took Australia’s many cultures away you would create a void. Then there would be voids to fill. Multiculturalism is a limitless concept.

If you look at the average Public High School, depending on their locations, these are examples of communities that can include many different cultures.

Last night I was at my son’s Public Highschool for a Year 12 presentation.

To my delight, the principal allocated part of his speech to discuss the large cultural differences at this school.
He said that he was proud of a large amount of cultures at the school.
He thanked the pupils that they all, without difficulties, had been keen and open to learn from and teach each other about their different cultures, and that they had accepted and respected each other’s cultures throughout the six years of HS.

He then advised that the pupils leaving school take this experience into their future.
He said to keep learning, to keep respecting, to keep accepting the differences of the many different cultures they got to know during HSchool years and the new cultures they would meet in their future, whether it be at further study places, workplaces or social contacts.
He said not to reject, but to learn and understand.

I thought this was a beautiful speech from a man wearing a tie ;)
My son has learnt much more than ‘just’ the subjects.