Where Australian culture comes from – some of the best bits come from migration

It’s easy to forget where the vibrant, sprawling, complex and diverse culture that represents and fuels modern Australia comes from. Starting with the incredibly rich mix of First Nations cultures and languages springing from every part of this country, topped up with migrants from all over the world, starting with England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and China (and some Italians and probably others, witness the Eureka Stockade), and then further enriched by all the subsequent layers of migration. We are (almost) all immigrants here, only just starting to genuinely come to grips with this country.

That’s why I’ve been shocked by the marches and rallies around the country opposing immigration. Everyone involved says mass immigration, but it’s clear in practice they mean most immigration. Those taking part probably have genuine grievances, but they have picked the wrong target to blame and, in the process, have been steered into becoming in effect neo-Nazi fellow travellers. Why am I surprised, though? As I repeatedly say Australia is not one country, but two – both parts going in opposite directions, one into the past and one into the future.

Bomber aircrew during World War 2 with my navigator uncle Jack (second from right). He was decorated twice with the Distinguished Flying Cross. He used to joke that the rate of attrition amongst the bomber aircrew was so dire that they gave medals to anyone who survived – but I'm sure they didn't give out medals just for turning up.

Never revisiting that horror and that evil – or refighting that war
I keep reflecting that five of my uncles fought the Nazis in World War II, on torpedo boats, Lancaster bombers and freezing convoys round the top of Norway – luckily they all survived, but many of their friends did not. I don't want us – or our children – to have to refight that war. 

SHORT NOTE: A life of design in a city of design

I have always been impressed that two eminent and talented Italian architects, Romaldo Giurgola and Enrico Taglietti, moved to Canberra to pursue their work and both ended up falling in love with the city and settling here. Giurgola is well known as the leading architect for the new Parliament House building, but the work of Taglietti also has an extremely broad-ranging presence across the city.

Chandelier designed by Taglietti in the Italian Ambassador’s residence hangs over the launch of the 2019 DESIGN Canberra festival by Chief Minister Andrew Barr.

Comprehensive exhibition
The work of Taglietti, is featured in a comprehensive exhibition at the Canberra Museum and Gallery until 22 Feb 2026. Taglietti: Life in Design was originally meant to coincide with DESIGN Canberra, but when the festival moved from a yearly event to every second year, they went out of sync. Despite this the exhibition remains highly relevant to the long-running and successful festival, which has strong links with Taglietti and his work.

A life of design in a city of design.

‘The soft power of design diplomacy’
The exhibition is outlined in the background material from the Gallery:

Be careful what you wish for – how the indirect impacts of culture came to overshadow its inherent value

Recent turmoil at the Australian National University has raised a serious issue about the way we view and discuss creativity and culture. For many decades there were profound attempts to explain how arts, culture and creativity in general had immensely broad impacts across society, including in the economy – attempts that I was part of. That was, and remains, extremely important, but, partly as a result of these attempts, the inherent long-term impacts of arts, culture and creativity have increasingly been ignored and only the broader flow on impacts, often the more immediately practical ones, have been emphasised. In a neo-liberal universe that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing, understanding and managing this complex balance is crucial.

Even though I am a long-running Adjunct with the University of Canberra and over the course of my career have worked closely with a number of universities, I don’t in any way claim to be deeply knowledgeable about higher education – I just recognise its value. For me arts, culture and creativity are my focus and higher education and arts training only figure in relation to this.

‘It was apparent that for too long there had been a narrow emphasis on ‘art’ at the expense of ‘culture’ and on ‘excellence’, as counterposed against participation and involvement. The whole community arts and community cultural development movement, from which I sprang, was predicated on breaking down this artificial dichotomy.’

These issues are rearing their head in the national capital at the only national university in Australia, but they resonate everywhere, as culture and education, learning, research and innovation become battlegrounds in a world that, in the words of Oscar Wilde, knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

During my working life, as I moved through involvement in different parts of the cultural sector, it was apparent that for too long there had been a narrow emphasis on ‘art’ at the expense of ‘culture’ and on ‘excellence’, as counterposed against participation and involvement. The whole community arts and community cultural development movement, from which I sprang, was predicated on breaking down this artificial dichotomy.

On the one hand conservatives loved the elitism of art, on the other hand, as part of the culture wars, they used accusations of ‘elitism’ to beat the ‘elites’ – not their elites, the real elites which rule the world, but those they identified as bringing progressive politics to the fore.

The privatisation of cultural support

New moves by governments in Australia to lay the groundwork to help broaden support for creativity and culture are important and need to be considered carefully and seriously. However, we also need to be cautious about reinforcing a trend for Government to withdraw from long term direct strategic support, as the underlying pressure of neo-liberalism, deregulation and privatisation moves us further and further away from the historically essential direct role of the Australian public sector in economic, social and cultural development.

I see that the NSW Government is responding to the crisis of survival being faced by artists and arts and cultural organisations of all kinds from ‘the burden of rising costs, rapidly shifting audience trends and waning philanthropic support’ by focusing on the promise of tax reform. This is after a long period of shocks to the creative sector that have threatened its viability.

 

Navigating the shifting currents of the NSW, Australian and global environment. 

‘There is a strong focus on tax reform for the cultural sector across State governments with engagement from the Australian Government, linked to a broader national focus on tax reform generally.’

A report in the Sydney Morning Herald, which you probably won’t be able to read because of its paywall, noted ‘Australia’s struggling culture sector could be handed much-needed extra funding under plans to use a radical shakeup of the nation’s tax system to alleviate the burden of rising costs, rapidly shifting audience trends and waning philanthropic support.’ Options being considered include ‘exempting prize money from GST, giving wealthy benefactors added incentives to donate, taxing vacant commercial spaces and allowing arts workers to claim new expenses.’

Music for modern times – the past reminds us of the future

Times are grim. People around the world are losing their life savings, innocent Americans are being deported to concentrations camps in Latin America, neo-liberals are on the rampage, like out of control crime gangs or brown-shirted goons. Luckily there is always creativity and culture, art and community action.

As always art, creativity and culture, not to mention community offer some relief and ways to understand and help finding solutions to madness. The past is always with us and has a lot to say. It’s time to briefly lift up our heads from this craziness and listen to some music.

Postmodern Jukebox
Earlier this year I went to see Postmodern Jukebox play at Llewellyn Hall on a rainy night in Canberra. It was refreshing to see the good side of America still singing, even while the Trump bully boys were dismantling democracy – albeit a flawed version that makes you appreciative of your own somewhat less flawed version.

‘You hear the phrase “the audience went wild” – well, when the audience go wild at a Postmodern Jukebox show, they really go wild.’

I had been introduced to the phenomenon of Postmodern Jukebox on an excursion to visit my brother in Gippsland in Victoria. He of course knows of all things musical. Until the concert I had seen them only on YouTube.

 

Music makes everything better.

Trump tariff threat to Australia’s screen industry

In the new world order, as the American empire seems to be starting to unravel, there are likely to be severe repercussions for other countries and their international cultural presence. One of the unnoticed casualties of the tariff wars may be Australian content and our local screen industry. The Albanese Government has been promising a new model to ensure that streaming services commit funds to Australian content. The Americans, especially the new regime, are very hostile to any form of regulation or quotas and may apply pressure to stymie the Australian plan.

We live in dangerous times. People are likely to die from it, industries and livelihoods will be destroyed and power and wealth will become even more concentrated. Ultimately I don’t much care if America chooses to unravel its empire, that has dominated the world since the end of World War 2. Some wit described the times as ‘like watching the fall of the Roman Empire, but with wi-fi’.

The National Film and Sound Archive, custodian of Australia’s long and proud history of screen culture.

Like most ordinary people, I can do little to influence it and am content to sit and watch in horror as the leadership of a country proceeds to junk many of the things that made it ‘great’ - whatever that means. Maybe a world with one less dominant superpower will prove to be an improvement for the rest of us. I’m suspending my judgement. The Chinese leadership must be rubbing their hands together in glee.

What counts is how Australia is affected

Do you want fries with that?

In my long working life I've traversed the public sector, the private sector and the community sector - not lots of people can say that. I've seen the best – and the worst – of them all. Lately I've noticed a whole new approach to how local businesses interact with me. It's the 'do you want chips with that' approach to upping the spending ante. Given the way that over the last few decades we have started to treat public and community services like private businesses – and often turn them into private businesses – I expect to see this become more widespread.

As businesses go all out to recover from the economic ravages of the pandemic I’ve noticed a whole new approach. Everywhere I get asked ‘how was my day?’ This can become very irritating. I don’t even like to ask myself how my day was.

 

'Do you want fries with that?'

Alongside this new chumminess, there’s an enthusiasm to remind you of extra ways to spend money. It’s the ‘do you want fries with that?’ approach to upping the ante.