Images Of Australia
Inclusion for All!
By Molly St John Mosse
With time comes change. While this statement is very true, sometimes change does not come fast enough; especially when concerning Australian national identity. Australia needs to alter its national identity and fast, so as to enable all inhabitants of Australia to feel at home with their identity. Currently, Australian national identity still entails an anti-authoritarian, patriarchal, predominantly white model that was instigated during the colonial times. This model includes the dominant representations of mates, bush, and beer – thus silencing the indigenous roots of Australia, women and the different ethnicities from the national identity. This traditional conception of Australian identity is often negatively bias, to create the image that all Australians are beer drinking, foul mouthed ‘bogans’. The text, “True Blue” and the television show “Bogan Hunters”, both depict why there should be no question that a modern national identity, needs to be formulated so as to encompass all Australians, and allow for anyone to be proud to claim the name Australian.
“True Blue”, written by John Williamson, is a unique text that exhibits the dominant Australian stereotypes, questions them and delves into aspects of Australian identity. The text explores what a ‘true Australian’ is and discusses common conceptions that are associated with everyday Australians. In the chorus, the song reads:
True Blue
Is it me and you
Is it a cockatoo
Is it standing by your mate
When she’s/he’s in a fight
Or will she be right
True Blue
I’m asking you
Williamson asks if a ‘true blue’ is; “me and you…a cockatoo… [Or] standing by your mate.” portraying various, traditional concepts of Australian identity such as the mate ship of “me and you”, and “standing by your mate”, paired with Australian bush icons like “a cockatoo”. This chorus is repeated numerous times to reinstate the different aspects of being Australian – as well as also to instigate the
By Molly St John Mosse
With time comes change. While this statement is very true, sometimes change does not come fast enough; especially when concerning Australian national identity. Australia needs to alter its national identity and fast, so as to enable all inhabitants of Australia to feel at home with their identity. Currently, Australian national identity still entails an anti-authoritarian, patriarchal, predominantly white model that was instigated during the colonial times. This model includes the dominant representations of mates, bush, and beer – thus silencing the indigenous roots of Australia, women and the different ethnicities from the national identity. This traditional conception of Australian identity is often negatively bias, to create the image that all Australians are beer drinking, foul mouthed ‘bogans’. The text, “True Blue” and the television show “Bogan Hunters”, both depict why there should be no question that a modern national identity, needs to be formulated so as to encompass all Australians, and allow for anyone to be proud to claim the name Australian.
“True Blue”, written by John Williamson, is a unique text that exhibits the dominant Australian stereotypes, questions them and delves into aspects of Australian identity. The text explores what a ‘true Australian’ is and discusses common conceptions that are associated with everyday Australians. In the chorus, the song reads:
True Blue
Is it me and you
Is it a cockatoo
Is it standing by your mate
When she’s/he’s in a fight
Or will she be right
True Blue
I’m asking you
Williamson asks if a ‘true blue’ is; “me and you…a cockatoo… [Or] standing by your mate.” portraying various, traditional concepts of Australian identity such as the mate ship of “me and you”, and “standing by your mate”, paired with Australian bush icons like “a cockatoo”. This chorus is repeated numerous times to reinstate the different aspects of being Australian – as well as also to instigate the