NAME: KATHRINE CATE B.

MASILUNGAN
SECTION: MHG

AUSTRALIA STUDIES FINAL EXAMINATION

1st Semester, SY 2016 -2017
Instructions
Use the next pages of this questionnaire to write your answers for the examination. Save the file as .pdf,
with file name as your last name section AUS (ex.: Cayton MHD AUS), and email with the subject in the
same format (last name / section/ AUS) to victoria.cayton@uap.asia. Failure to follow instructions will
merit a grade of 3.50 for the examination.

I. Select one question and answer with an essay (not more than 1000 words), using concrete
proof and credible sources to substantiate your answer. (25 pts)

a. Read and compare the two readings, A Birds Eye View by Geoffrey Blainey, and the
article The Real Australia by Robert Hughes. Having taken up Australia class this
semester, discuss how the two readings present Australia based on their context and
content.
b. How did Australias Federation concretize the concept of national identity that was
espoused in the 20th century? Is this still visible in the contemporary Australian national
image? How?
c. How have immigrant history and immigration policies shaped Australia and its history as
a country?
d. Would it be possible to have a multi-cultural Australia in light of its White Australia
Policy in the past century? Discuss how the varied demographic of Australia, from its
original Aboriginal inhabitants to waves of foreign immigrants, in light of the White
Australia Policy in the 20th century, has shaped Australias national identity in the 21st
century. What cultural and political realities should be acknowledged to arrive at a
national identity that is more reflective of this demographic representation?
 II. Answer the question based on your section and last name. Provide concrete examples and
use at least one of the sources taken up in class to support your arguments. Limit your
essay to 1000 words. (25 pts.)

MHG (3:00 4:30 pm)

AM
Discuss how Australias labor policies or practices in corporate culture at present are products of
its historical development.

N Z
How has religion shaped Australian culture and national identity?

MHJ (4:30 6:00 pm)

AM
Explain how Australias geographic reality has shaped its political or economic development. You
may focus on one territory to develop your argument and provide concrete examples.

N Z
What cultural products or exchanges can enhance the cultural awareness between Australia and
the Philippines? How will this be implemented?
I. Select one question and answer with an essay (not more than 1000 words), using concrete proof
and credible sources to substantiate your answer. (25 pts)

c. How have immigrant history and immigration policies shaped Australia and its history as a
country?

Over a century of immigration greatly shaped Australian history and brought irrevocable
changes to the face of Australia. Immigration was a major contributing factor not only in the growth of
population but also in the different facets of Australian life such as economy, culture, and environment.
In response to the waves of immigration, the Australian government issued several immigration policies
to control and monitor the people coming in to their country. Immigrants certainly are most important
people in Australias history. Immigrant history can almost be equated to the history of the country.
History shows how the policies of the government are mostly immigrant-driven. Australia changed from
a country with a restrictive immigration policy that sought to perpetuate and protect a traditional British
culture, to a country that provided a home for migrants from all over the world. Immigrants contributed
significantly to Australias history and made Australia a colorful and unique multicultural country.
Even before the establishment of the Federation in 1901, currents of immigrants, majority from
Britain, have already been arriving to Australia. As early as 1841, the policy on immigration was already
focused on keeping the population as racially and culturally British as possible and restricted non-
Europeans from settling permanently in Australia.1 This bias even grew worse when the Commonwealth
was established and introduced the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 which formed the cornerstone of
the White Australia Policy that aimed to preserve the predominance of British settlers in Australia and to
create parameter for preventing non-European arrivals.2 The dictation test was one of the mechanisms
that the government used to effect this policy that excludes the undesirable applicants. These
immigration restrictions were created because many people wanted to reduce economic competition
with Chinese migrants who were regarded as threat to wages and employment and were therefore
subjected to xenophobic hostility.3
The end of the World War II brought the first significant wave of migration to Australia. The
aftermath of the war left hundreds of thousands of Europeans without a home to return to and
therefore become refugees or displaced people who had to be resettled in safer and politically stable
countries like Australia.4 This brought about the first significant shift in the discriminatory nature of
Australias immigration policy. On July 13, 1945, the Department of Immigration was formally
established with Arthur Calwell as its first minster who declared that Australia must populate or perish
to address the critical shortage of labor to meet the demands of the economy.5 However, several British
migration schemes were continued to be launched by the Department including the Ten Pound Pom
and the Bring out a Briton schemes.

1 (Mence, et. al, 2015)

2 (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014)
3 (Mence, et. al, 2015)
4 (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014)
5 (Mence, et. al, 2015)
 When Australia opened its doors to other Europeans, it was exposed to a wide range of new
cultures for the first timewhich was not always welcomed. The general public were concerned that
the European migrants would threaten Australias Anglo-Celtic identity and culture thats why these
migrants were pressured to assimilate into the Australian society by adopting the identity of the
dominant culture.6 By the 1960s, Australias focus on European-only immigration was not able to
adapt to post-war realities. In 1961, Peter Heydon, the then Secretary of the Department, adopted a
new approach that aims to remove the barriers for people from non-European backgrounds and shift
the focus to the applicants suitability to settle, their ability to integrate and their professional
qualifications, regardless of their race or nationality.7 This wasnt the end of racial discrimination in
selecting migrants but it was an important turning point.
Over time, political, economic, and social forces within Australia led to significant changes to
Australias immigration policies and national identity. By the 1970s, greater cultural diversity and
changing community attitudes had encouraged a more inclusive approach to immigration
policy. In 1975, The Racial Discrimination Act was enacted to ensure that Australians of all backgrounds
are treated equally and have the same opportunities.8 It was considered as a major milestone in the
demise of the White Australia Policy. By this time, Australia began to steadily shift the focus of
immigration policies on attracting immigrants to fill skill and labor shortages. The government policy on
multiculturalism promoted the new cultural diversity which can be visibly seen in the vibrant cultural
traditions and languages that immigrants brought with them from their homelands.
However, in 1984, Geoffrey Blainey criticized the governments immigration policies which
caused widespread concern amongst the general public and cast doubt on the idea of multiculturalism.9
This lead to the release of a policy statement called the National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia in
1989 which addressed a number of the issues that had been raised by Blainey. The policy provided a
clear definition of multiculturalism as a policy, identified its three dimensions, its eight goals and its
limitations. In 1995, the National Multicultural Advisory Council reaffirmed these principles as the
framework for Australia of the twenty-first century.10
The long history of immigration in Australia contributed markedly to Australias growth as a
nation. The progressive shift in immigration policies reflects how Australia has changed strikingly from
being restrictive to being inclusive as a country. Australia continues to evolve and adjust to the needs
and potential of an increasingly diverse community. Indeed, the immigrants are the driving force that
continues to push for the development of Australia as a unique multicultural country. The National
Multicultural Advisory Council reported in April 1999 that multiculturalism is crucial to Australias
developing nationhood and identity.11 However, discrimination and hostility continue to exist due to
opposing views on multiculturalism as reflected by several cases of racist attacks. This poses a challenge
not only to the government but also to all Australians to further promote social harmony and to prove
that they are one of the worlds most successful multicultural democracies. (1000 words)

6 (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014)

7 (Mence, et. al, 2015)
8 (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014)
9 (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014)
10 (Walsh, 2001)
11 (National Multicultural Advisory Council, 1999)
 References

Australian Human Rights Commission. (2014). The Globalising World: Changing policies and Australian
Identity.

Mence, V., Gangell, S., & Tebb, R. (2015). A History of the Department of Immigration: Managing
Migration to Australia.

National Multicultural Advisory Council. (1999, April). Australian multiculturalism for a new century:
Towards inclusiveness.

Walsh, K. (2000). The Changing Face of Australia: A century of immigration 1901-2000. Crows Nest: Allen
& Unwin.
II. Answer the question based on your section and last name. Provide concrete examples and use at
least one of the sources taken up in class to support your arguments. Limit your essay to 1000
words. (25 pts.)

MHG (3:00 4:30 pm)

AM
Discuss how Australias labor policies or practices in corporate culture at present are
products of its historical development.

Australian workplace culture is usually regarded as shocking and peculiar by foreigners who get
to work with Australians. These labor practices essentially reflect Australian culture in the general sense
which has been long ingrained in Australian society. Some aspects of the kind of culture that Australians
practice in the workplace today can actually be traced back from Australian history, specifically, as far as
the 19th century. Immigrant history certainly had an influence as well to contemporary corporate
culture. As history developed in Australia, so is their culture in the workplace that comprises the daily
life of a typical Australian at present.
The common manifestation of Australian workplace culture today includes practices that both
foreigners and Australians themselves see as positive or negative, based on how they think these
practices affect the workplace environment. The ones that are commonly regarded as positive include
productive work ethic, putting high value on relationships, openness and friendliness, punctuality, and
humility while the negative ones include profanity and humor, and open and regular alcohol
consumption. The origin of most of these practices can be traced back to the 19th century which is
mainly characterized by the rise in influence of the bush workers.
The bushmen were usually described as rugged and dirty in appearance but they work hard,
and are both honest and civil and were also able to do that which they declare themselves capable of
performing.12 Australia is one of the countries in the world with the longest working weeks and
Australians consider hard work as a badge of pride.13 It can be said that this productive work ethics of
the Australians is the reason why they punctuality is critical in the workplace. Moreover, Australians find
it hard to say no to more workload and I think this can be associated to the high value they put on
relationships with workmates. Again, the stress on the importance of relationships can be traced back
from the bushmen whose values emphasizes masculinity and masculine friendships and teamwork or
mateship.14 Hughes (2000) even said that during the harsh world of the penal settlement, to have a
mate was to survive; to betray that mate was to be a scab, less than a man and the traces of this
culture are still very much alive in Australia today.
Another characteristic of Australian workers are openness and friendliness to each other
regardless of rank or position in the office. Compared to other workplaces in the world, Australian
workplaces are less formal and more relaxed and co-workers speak to each other in a very
straightforward way since Australians value directness and brevity.15

12 (Ward, 1996)
13 (Kimmorley, 2014)
14 (White, 1981)
15 (Department of Education and Training, 2009)
 However, they are also known for swearing at work which has an element of humor in it. Jokes
are quite common in Australian workplaces and swearing is not meant to cause hurt of offence but
rather often intended playfully as a kind of a joke to create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.16 This
profanity can be associated to the bushmens use of rash language that is manifested in their songs that
gained popularity among them. These songs usually reflect their nomadic habits and disrespect for
policemen such as the song The Overlander17 and of course the most popular and well-loved Waltzing
Matilda which is even considered far more important to Australians than the national anthem. Just like
these bushmen, modern-day Australians work hard but also play hard. They socialize after work a lot no
matter what day it is and they consume alcohol openly and all the time.18 The bushmen were often
praised for hard work but their one great fault is drunkenness.19
There is a gray area on whether the humility of Australians is considered a positive or negative
attribute. For most countries, this is definitely considered a positive trait. But in Australia, humility can
be negative when it is forcibly exercised due to the fear of being called a tall poppy. The tall poppy
syndrome is defined as a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked,
cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them
from their peers.20 According to Dixson (1990), this syndrome can be drawn from the history of the
peasant convicts who were profoundly insecure of the middle class and continued later when
disadvantaged migrants envied those who are more fortunate. In addition, Hughes (2000) wrote that tall
poppies are people distinguished by their achievements in any area except, of course, sport.
Apparently, to some degree Australia rejects intellectualism and instead worship sports because
intellectuals are highly individual and egoistic21 while in sports, the achievement is shared with the
team. This is somehow similar to the culture of anti-intellectualism and anti-elitism in the Philippines.
The tall poppy gets cut down is a popular Australian expression that reminds them not to
stand above others. This is similar to a saying in East Asia which goes the nail that stands out gets
hammered down. The tall poppy syndrome is widely denounced by the people in the economic
development of Australia since according to them, it ruins the success of Australia's most creative and
energetic people, hurts the economy, spoils their efforts to modernize, and is a hindrance to excellence
according to 1990 Prime Minister Howard.22 It makes a worker unwilling to be a high achiever for being
successful is seen as being too proud of oneself. They downplay their success and become too humble
to the point that they self-deprecate. This can also be seen in their humble way of dressing at work.
The tall poppy syndrome is just one of the many manifestation of the past history that became
imprinted and deeply rooted in Australian workplace culture at present. Indeed, todays labor practices
and corporate culture in Australia are products of its historical development. (1000 words)

16 (Department of Education and Training, 2009)

17 (Ward, 1996)
18 (Kimmorley, 2014)
19 (Ward, 1996)
20 (Australia Tall Poppy Syndrome, 2015)
21 (Australia Tall Poppy Syndrome, 2015)
22 (Australia Tall Poppy Syndrome, 2015)
 References

Australia Tall Poppy Syndrome. (2015, February 7). Retrieved from Wieke Gur:
http://www.wiekegur.com/australia-tall-poppy-syndrome/

Department of Education and Training. (2009). Employability skills and workplace culture in Australia.

Dixson, M. (1990). A nation in thrall to the third deadlysinTall poppysyndrome and envy: Origins of
and solutions to these problems. Weekend Australian, 23.

Hughes, R. (2000). The Real Australia. TIME Magazine.

Kimmorley, S. (2015, March 24). 20 things about Australian working culture than can surprise foreigners.
Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/20-things-about-
australian-working-culture-that-can-surprise-foreigners-2015-3

Ward, R. (1996). The Australian Legend. In Images of Australia: an Introductory Reader in Australian
Studies. Queensland: University of Queensland.

White, R. (1981). The National Type. In Inventing Australia: Images and Identity. St Leonard's: Alien and
Unwin Publishers.