-three percent of Australians were born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas.
Multiculturalism as a policy emerged in the 1970s. The 2015 Mapping Social Cohesion survey found that 86% of Australians agree that multiculturalism has been good for the country. Multiculturalism in Australia doesn’t mean cultural relativism. Any right to express one’s cultural heritage comes with responsibilities, i.e. a commitment to parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, equality of the sexes, and freedom of speech.
Australia’s Place in the World
Australia is said to live with an inherent contradiction – a Western identity, but Asian geography. Australia has a duality of interest – leaning toward the West for security while learning toward the East for economic gains. Chinese is now the second-most common language spoken in Australian homes, and China is the biggest source of foreign students in the country. Chinese investment in Australia leapt 11.7% in 2016: commercial real estate attracted 36% of Chinese investment, infrastructure 28%, agribusiness rose threefold in 2016. Asia is definitely increasing its profile in the Australian mind.
Look at Australia’s list of top 10, two-way trading partners:
- Republic of Korea
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
Between 2011 and 2012, nearly 60% of Australians saw its alliance with the US as very important. By 2014, that number had dropped to just over 40%. Young people especially are disenchanted with the USA. This year, Australia’s first ambassador to the People’s Republic of China said in a speech: “In America now we have Donald Trump, and that is the biggest wake-up call for clear thinking about America at least since the Vietnam War years.”
Some Tips for Working with Australians
- Make your communications short, simple, and straight-to-the-point.
- Be aware that Australians do not find it difficult to say “no” directly.
- Demonstrate a preference for acting over contemplating. Australians can be impatient when things appear to be taking too long.
- Be prepared for Australians to bring any unspoken issues out into the open where they can be dealt with quickly.
- Expect greetings to be casual and relaxed with immediate use of first names. Don’t use Australian phrases like “G’day” or G’day mate. You may come across as patronizing.
- Do not confuse the informality of Australians with disrespect; informality is a way of developing ‘mateship – an Australian term (especially among men) to signal friendliness, equality, and mutual support (I’ll look after you.”).
- Don’t take it personally if Australians want to argue with you. They like debating, and will sometimes use provocative statements to trigger a lively conversation.
- Don’t be surprised if you hear many swear words in meetings. Cussing in a group is a way of rapport-building and expressing solidarity. The boss is expected to join in as it shows a healthy disrespect for rules and formalism; it demonstrates that “You are one of us.”
- Treat everyone fairly. Expect to hear the term “a fair go” which means “fairness to all.”
- Work hierarchies are relatively flat. Differences are minimized, and hierarchy not displayed openly.
- Do not brag or come across as self-important. Australians are well known for “Cutting down the tall poppy,” i.e. cutting down people who want to standout above the rest.
Demonstrate the following values when leading Australians:
Competence: Leaders should be highly competent in their field, while also being driven toward achieving outcomes and objectives. They must also act with honesty and integrity. Becoming a leader in Australia is earned rather than being associated with a position.
Ambition: Australian leaders should be ambitious and inspire others while demonstrating modesty. Leaders should not be showy and overly charismatic.
Broadmindedness: Australians desire to be led by leaders who are open to new ideas, innovation, and change.
Caring: The leader should treat people as individuals, demonstrate empathy, and encourage mutual support. IQ must be matched with EQ.
Cooperation: Australians prefer a high lev