Australian Culture

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Mealtime

  • Typical image of Australian life includes a good old Aussie “barbie” and holding a cold beer in your hand
    • When you’re invited to a family/friend party/dinner, it will probably look like this
    • Guests should ask if they can bring something to share 

Greetings

  • Australians are generally not formal, so greetings (even intros) are casual and laid back
  • Common to shake hands upon meeting (right hands)
  • Australians normally just use first names to introduce people

General Mindsets

  • Open, accepting
  • Casual 
  • Laid-back
  • Although Aussies are laid back, they’re also direct and not afraid of saying no, so you will be sure to know where you stand 
  • Australia is very diverse — there are lots of different cultures, religions, ethnicities, etc.
  • Equality 
  • In the workplace, there is a no “micro-management” culture
  • Australians generally emphasize positivity, i.e. working together to achieve a common goal by focusing on productivity and the duty is on the individual to carry out their job in a professional manner

Gifts 

  • Gifts are usually opened when they are received, in front of the gift giver

Dress

  • You should wear conservative, simple, and modest clothing ​

Language

  • Australia has no official language
  • Majority of Aussies speak English as a first language
  • According to the 2016 census, 73% of people in Australia spoke only English at home
  • Other languages spoken in Australia include Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, Cantonese, and Greek. 

History

  • Indigenous Australians, or Aboriginals, are the original inhabitants of the continent
    • Great diversity between indigenous communities
    • Most aboriginals are urbanized now, but 22% live in remote settlements
    • Believed that there used to be almost 400 Australian Aboriginal languages, but now only 70 of these languages have survived, and all but 30 are endangered
    • One indigenous language is still the main language for about 50,000 Aboriginal people in Australia

Personal Hygiene

  •  Shower daily

History and Literature

Famous Aussies

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