Yesterday our editorial asked:

Can any specific set of ‘values’ seek to represent us as a nation? And if so, why does Gillard supposedly reflect them better than Abbott, or Brown? Or Steve Fielding for that matter?

We want to know what you think about that oft-bandied-about term ‘Australian values’? Is it bunkum or is there something to it?

And you answered. Lots of you:

Ross Wallace writes: Egalitarianism is THE Australian value. It’s what makes Australia great and it’s also what makes Australians annoying if you come from a class conscious Europe or North America.

Australians like to kid themselves that they believe in the fair go but they’ll cut you down and put you in your place if they think you’re getting to big for your boots. The Australian waitress serving you in any Aussie cafe will be paid a fair hourly rate but the service will be slow — you’ll get your coffee when it’s you turn. The egalitarianism is most prominent in the national obsession with SPORT. Especially in Melbourne the most parochial of Australian cities where it is considered un-Australian if you don’t follow an AFL footy team. Bugger ya if ya don’t do that. Who do ya think ya are? Some Sydney f–king POOFTA.

It’s all about egalitarianism mate. Hey MAAAAATE!

Joan Croll writes: I agree with Julia … But would add caring “for the needy”.

Randall Kingsley writes: Aussies might have a unique culture but think it is rubbish to think that our values are any different to other human animals. At base, we are all the same on this planet re values last time I looked. Now a boomer who loves to travel over the planet, I cannot find any of the so called Aussie values missing in any of the many countries visited.

Niall Clugston writes:

  • Venerating self-righteous murderers as national heroes (Ned Kelly, Breaker Morant)
  • Glorifying military actions but blaming the carnage on someone else (Gallipoli etc)
  • Justifying racism on the grounds of fairness (White Australia Policy to asylum seekers)
  • Deploring other people’s nationalism while being intensely nationalistic

John Richardson writes: I think Oz Values include being:

  • independent
  • nationalistic
  • blunt but willing to argue about everything
  • respectful — where it is deserved
  • sceptical but often naive
  • able to enjoy humour & to laugh at themselves
  • fun loving
  • concerned for the underdog
  • suspicious of authority
  • supportive of sport over religion
  • ready to gamble on anything

And the majority believe that almost all politicians are lying a-seholes.

Bob Smith writes: A colleague originally from UK is insistent Australia differs from UK and US in all sorts of desirable ways — informality, practicality, and tolerance are at the head of the list.

I have little luck in getting attention for the demons of racism and fear of the other that surface, especially when politicians are on the election trail.

I’d like our politicians to show a bit more courage and discrimination. Some of our values are great. Some make me weep. At the moment I fear that the election campaign is going to generate more weeping.

Aseet Patel writes: I am intrigued by the interpretation of ‘Australian values’ as being necessarily ‘unique’?  It is much more plausible to think that the vast majority of Australian values are very similar to those values found in any liberal-based western democracy.  A slightly smaller set of values are probably common to all communities across the globe.  Not really surprising as they are essentially human values based on desiring to live and grow in thriving communities.  The fact that they are not ‘uniquely Australian’ should not in any way diminish them.

To me the real issue is not what are our values, but rather what weight do we put on our values and how do those values manifest themselves in day to day decision making (i.e. individual and community actions) and in the messages we send our elected representatives.  These representatives are not there to shape or guide our values but to honestly represent our values in policy making and in policy execution.

If ever the 4th estate is found to be wanting in a matter pertaining to politics it is in the analysis and representation of politicians by this yardstick.

David Madden writes: So what if our values aren’t uniquely Australian. They should reflect humanity, plus the influences of our growing up in a democracy, free from oppression, and relatively financially secure. These influences are not unique to us.

Corporate consultancies have made a  fortune since the 90’s helping companies determine their “values”. If you compare them they rarely diverge from a fairly standard list: integrity, accountability, teamwork, collaboration, respect, innovation, customer focus etc.

What differentiates companies is how they demonstrate those values.

As a  people, Australian’s aren’t all that different. The question should be how we actually put these values into practice!

Andrew Lewis writes: Oz values eh!  A tricky subject.

I don’t doubt that at least in the past the nation had probably held some idea of ‘Australian values’.  In all that time, I doubt there has ever been anything like a consensus on what those values might be.

Howard used ‘mateship’ to great effect, but if it was ever true I doubt that it is now  Disrespect for authority?  Perhaps, but we seem to be a pretty craven lot of sheep these days.

I believe that the more you travel, the more you realise that individual people all over the world are much the same.  Cultures differ, sure, but values, it’s a much harder argument to pursue.

But I am taking the question on the basis that for something to be ‘Oz Values’ it has to be something not so typical elsewhere.  My travels abroad have shown that what we think of ourselves as being particularly special are evident pretty much wherever you go.   Thinking that a particular quality is Australian seems to be an extension of that idea that somehow this country is better than other countries, principally on the basis that I was born in it.

Perhaps our sense of humour is the only thing that I find that has a flavour all its own, but then again, it is very similar to the Irish!

Grant Dewar writes: Taking care of your mates and sticking it up the rich and powerful (except if you are in the ALP machine.)

Joseph Kelly:  …some of the Ranga’s definition is perhaps true: plain speaking for example. It seems true that we’re more blunt than (for example) the Japanese. But to a Japanese that just makes us disrespectful, rude. As for hard-work, education, we’re much the same as many others.

If you compile a list of “Oz values” and compare it with some other nation’s values, they are going to be the same.

Can you tell me of a place where they are proud of their soldier’s cowardice, their unfaithful women, their bad parenting, their greed, their selfishness, their rudeness and crudity, the stupidity of their children, their way of life?… No? I thought not.

We are lucky to have one of the best lifestyles and societies in the world. Why do we have that? That’s a hard question to answer. But patting yourself on the back didn’t do it. It seems the richer we get the more tight-arsed we get. Politics has become a race to the sewer.

We really ought to stop patting ourselves on the back so much and instead “ask not what our country can do for us…”

Jim Ivins writes: The editorial today reminded me of those questions psychologists sneak into personality tests, just to make sure you’ve answered honestly rather than just ticking boxes at random or trying to cheat. Questions like: ‘Would you say you have a good sense of humour?  Yes or No.’ Only a tiny minority of people will answer ‘No’ to that question.  And of course it’s the same with Ms Gillard’s ‘values’.

When I first stepped off the plane here in Perth more than a decade ago, I was struck by how open and friendly people were. I liked the fact that shop assistants called me ‘mate’ instead of ‘sir’, and that my students called me ‘Jim’ instead of ‘Dr Ivins’ while still being respectful enough to laugh at my jokes. But then, one evening in the CBD, a young aboriginal girl called me a ‘c*nt’ because I wouldn’t give her money to buy grog.

So when I saw that phrase, ‘regarding everyone as equal’, I couldn’t help but think of Orwell: All Australians are equal, but some of us are more equal than others.

Jim Douglas writes: Start with turning the phrase around: valuing Australia. At some level, most of us do this to some extent: there is a set of personal reasons and values by which each of us judges Australia to be a good place to live. If you don’t come to that conclusion, and you have the means, then you go somewhere else. Full disclosure here: I have spent  half my adult life living outside Australia, and I do not regret a moment spent in those other places – so perhaps my affection for this country is questionable. But, I did come back, and will probably now stay. I do wish, however, that Australians would keep their reasons for valuing Australia a little more to themselves, rather than trying to codify them into a set of Australian values. That just encourages the swarm of shyster-marketers, ratbags and politicians to start volunteering to provide the elements of our values for us: Thus you end up with John Howard insisting on having questions about Don Bradman put into our citizenship test; or Cardinal Pell suggesting that being one of the faithful in the manner that he prescribes is the height of good citizenry; or some bunch of thick-necked boofheads on a football field being hailed by the media pack as “heroes”.

So my suggestion is: if you truly value Australia, then keep it to yourself, and be determined to advise anyone else who tries to speak on this matter on your behalf to shut up.  At the very least, please, please refrain from raising the subject if you happen to be in someone else’s country: I might just happen to be nearby, and you will embarrass me deeply.

Simon writes: Um, can we first define ‘Australian’, then ‘values’. Bit like asking for a definition of American values.

If ‘Australian’ means those living here (legally or illegally), or those with citizenship, then the demographic is so complex (mining magnate to homeless/Afghan to third gen Asian to fifth or sixth gen Aus/small business owner to corporate MD/pensioner to prisoner/etc) as to make the word meaningless. Not, of course, in an election campaign when those in marginal seats and swingers are being targeted. So, second meaning of ‘Australian’ is those who live in marginals or swingers. Who are they? Don’t know. So the meaning of ‘Australian’ becomes a moot point.

In either case we then come to ‘values’. I take that to mean something considered intrinsically valuable (good/beautiful/desirable). ‘Australians’, by definition in the first case, have significantly differing values. Generosity might be valuable to some homeless people; understanding and tolerance to a recent asylum seeker; caring and valuing to a pensioner; a strong work ethic to an employer; flexibility to a single parent; and, perhaps, mindlessness and inattention in prospective voters to a politician (you can get away with lots more then).

For swingers/marginals, who knows. Whatever the MSM/pollies dish out that resonates (fiscal conservatism, hard work, access to education, and humanitarian vacuums or fiscal conservatism, more hard work (and harder), equal humanitarian vacuums, more handouts for education, etc).

‘Respect’ must be what was shown to Kevin Rudd I presume and ‘plain speaking’ is nowhere to be found at present. So I won’t think on those two.

Greg Solomons writes: I understand values to refer to those principles that we cherish or “value” and which inform our thinking when difficult choices and decisions must be made.

Julia’s comments are a mixture of values and contrived motherhood statement. “Treating everyone as equal” is an inelegant way of referring to the principle of human equality. “Showing respect” and “hard work” may be desirable conduct but are not principles. Belief in the importance of education is of course universal.

Australian values are informing principles on which we can all agree and which resonate within the context of our shared experience.

The diggers who died at Frommelles no doubt shared a belief that Western democracy was threatened by German aggression and were willing to fight for freedom and democracy (and the interests of Britain and the Commonwealth). In our modern life we would still agree that personal freedom is paramount and that tyranny and oppression are to be resisted. While we may see this principle as universal, clearly there are others who do not.

Margarete writes: There is no such thing anymore.  Check the road rage, robberies, cheating, gambling, drinking, need I go on.  Only us oldies (70 and over) can remember the good old Aussie values.

Nicholas van Hattem writes: I’ve been working abroad recently which has given me a good opportunity to reflect on Australian Values.

Maybe it’s just homesickness, but I agree

  • regarding everyone as equal,
  • showing respect and
  • plain speaking

are Australian values. Not sure about ‘hard work’ or ‘education’ – i would instead prioritise an easy going ethic – no pretence (goes with plain speaking).

Ian Buchanan writes: The only ‘unique’ values Australians have are a) ‘She’ll be right’ and b) ‘A fair go’.

Unfortunately our politicians of all persuasions use these values against us for their own ends.

We are too timid (or too polite) to take issue with their spin, and would rather believe that the politicians have our best interests at heart.

George Orwell put it correctly in 1984, ‘the proletarians will never fight back, the Inner Party will rule forever ‘.

Ian Kemp writes: My overseas-born wife know exactly what Australian Values are. Because they have been explained to her by the Australian Government and she has had to sign a piece of paper agreeing to abide by them. They sound a bit Howard-ish but it might be good for our pollies to sign it too:

This statement is included in affected visa application forms and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign the statement.

You must sign this statement if you are aged 18 years or over.

I confirm that I have read, or had explained to me, information provided by the Australian Government on Australian society and values.

I understand:

  • Australian society values respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, freedom of religion, commitment to the rule of law, Parliamentary democracy, equality of men and women and a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good
  • Australian society values equality of opportunity for individuals, regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background
  • the English language, as the national language, is an important unifying element of Australian society.

I undertake to respect these values of Australian society during my stay in Australia and to obey the laws of Australia.

More info at the Department of Immigration web site.

Les Heimann writes: Treating everyone as equal, plain speaking, showing respect, hardworking, getting educated. Yes these are admirable traits and some of them are somewhat unique to Australia. It would indeed be very Australian if our politicians did engage in “plain speak”. Mushroomitis is currently in plague proportions.

It is not the case either in Great Britain or the USA that all are treated equally — Great Britain is still steeped in the class system and in the US unless you have material success you simply don’t rate. What’s more in both those countries the majority of the population — for different reasons — think their values are valid.

In Australia treating “no matter who” as your equal is an inalienable right; and that’s correct.

We do respect those few who “tell it the way it is” and we “take the piss out of those who talk crap”

Now let’s draw the line at hard work — “the sickie” still rules.

Education — really, isn’t it all about what you do with your education? Who cares about the zillions of BA’s for art’s sake.

So what about OZ values: Fair go, no bullshit, we’re all the same mate and don’t miss a shout.