Those of us in the Anglo-West don’t often pay a lot of attention to Australia unless the Olympic or Commonwealth Games are being held there, or an Australian film star is in the news (Russell Crowe, by-the-way, is a New Zealander). Shared Anglo roots give us the false impression that we know the country, but surface similarities can be deceiving. When doing business in any culture not our own, we must always try to go deeper than common stereotypes. Stereotypes never impress.
Some Facts About Australia
- Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world, and until a recent slowing down has had 25 years of uninterrupted growth.
- Australian citizens are in the top five among the world’s wealthiest.
- It is the 5th largest economy in Asia-Pacific.
- The World Bank ranks Australia as the 7th easiest country in which to set up a business, and is in the global top five countries on the Index of Economic Freedom.
- Australia is rich in natural resources like iron ore, coal, gold, and natural gas which attract substantial foreign investment. It’s resources sector has grown from 5% to 10% in the last decade. Many of Australia’s top 10 exports are from the resources sector, but it should also be noted that 70% of Australia’s economy is service-based, e.g. tourism, education, and financial services.
- Distances can be a challenge. Australia is as big as the USA and covers three time zones; its eastern cities are about 24 hours away by plane from the UK (over 19 hours from the US). Time differences between the UK and Australia are between 7 and 11 hours. The center of Australia is 14.45 hours ahead of the center of the USA.
- As of May 2017, the population is estimated to be 24.5 million; it is expected to exceed 28 million by 2030.
In 2011, census residents were asked to describe their ancestry. The top ten nominated ancestries were:
- English (36.1%)
- Australian (35.5%)
- Irish (10.4%)
- Scottish (8.9%)
- Italian (4.6%)
- German (4.5%)
- Chinese (4.3%)
- Indigenous Australians (3.0%)
- Indian (2.1%)
- Greek (1.9%)
Forty-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