Australia– Customs

Cuisine
Business Author/Composer

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Muhammad Umar Shehzad
Faisalabad(Punjab)-Pakistan
Lifestyle Cell:+92-301-7004315
Shared Values e-mail: m.umar.shehzad@gmail.com

Arts & Entertainment

 Overview

Australia is a stable, culturally diverse Capital: Canberra

and democratic society with one of the Surface area: 7,692,024 sq. km
strongest performing economies in the
world. With an estimated population of Population: 22.5 million (2011)
more than 22.5 million, Australia is the Main language: English
only nation to govern an entire continent.
It is the earth’s biggest island and sixth- Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
largest country in the world in land area, National day: 26 January
about the size of mainland United States Time Difference: PST+5 Hours
and one and a half times the size of
Europe. International students: 426,748 (2011)
Australia is home to one of the world’s International Calling Code: 61
oldest living cultures. Aboriginal peoples Literacy Rate: 99%
arrived at least 50,000 years, and Torres
Strait Islander people 10,000 years, Overseas visitors: 5,875,000 (2011)
before European settlement. Political System : Parliamentary
 Australia-Lifestyle

• Australia is a product of a unique blend of established traditions and new

influences. The country’s original inhabitants, the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples, are the custodians of one of the world’s oldest
continuing cultural traditions. They have been living in Australia for at least
40 000 years and possibly up to 60 000 years.
• The rest of Australia’s people are migrants or descendants of migrants who
have arrived in Australia from about 200 countries since Great Britain
established the first European settlement at Sydney Cove in 1788.
• Today Australia has a population of nearly 23 million people. At 2009, about
25.6 per cent of the estimated resident population comprised those born
overseas. Australian Bureau of Statistics projections from the 2006 census
of the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suggest and
Indigenous population of 575,552 people at 30 June 2011.
• Migrants have enriched almost every aspect of Australian life, from business
to the arts, from cooking to comedy and from science to sport. They, in turn,
have adapted to Australia’s tolerant, informal and broadly egalitarian
society.
 Shared Values

• The defining feature of today’s Australia is not only the cultural diversity of its people,
but the extent to which they are united by an overriding and unifying commitment to
Australia.
• Within the framework of Australia’s laws, all Australians have the right to express their
culture and beliefs and to participate freely in Australia’s national life.
• At the same time, everyone is expected to uphold the principles and shared values
that support Australia’s way of life. These include:
• respect for equal worth, dignity and freedom of the individual
• freedom of speech and association
• freedom of religion and a secular government
• support for parliamentary democracy and the rule of law
• equality under the law
• equality of men and women
• equality of opportunity
• peacefulness
• a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces tolerance, mutual respect, and compassion for
those in need. Australia also holds firmly to the belief that no one should be
disadvantaged on the basis of their country of birth, cultural heritage, language,
gender or religious belief.
 An egalitarian society

• In most practical ways, Australia is an egalitarian society. This does not

mean that everyone is the same or that everybody has equal wealth or
property.
• But it does mean that there are no formal or entrenched class distinctions in
Australian society, as there are in some other countries. It also means that
with hard work and commitment, people without high-level connections or
influential patrons can realise their ambitions.
• The unemployment rate is relatively low (in December 2007 it was 4.3 per
cent) and the gross per capita income is around $39 000. All people are
equal under the law in Australia and all Australians have the right to be
respected and treated in a fair manner.
 Australian Cuisine

• Australia has one of the most diverse

cuisines in the world, thanks to Asian and
European migrant influences, a dining
public that is happy to try innovative
dishes and access to a plentiful supply of
fresh and high–quality produce.
 Australian Cuisine

• Australians enjoy a huge range of food in restaurants

and homes, reflecting the country’s cultural diversity.
Southern Europe has combined with Asia and the Pacific
for new flavours and tastes. Italian, Chinese, Indonesian,
Japanese, Greek, Thai, Malay, French and Vietnamese
restaurants are common, particularly in the capital cities.
Middle Eastern flavours are also rapidly emerging, with
Moroccan and Lebanese flavours being used with local
ingredients in mainstream cooking with notable success.
 Australian Cuisine

• Traditional Australian bush tucker is also becoming more common,

particularly in northern Australian restaurants, where kangaroo,
buffalo, crocodile and emu can often be found on menus.
• Historically, there has never been a cuisine typically regarded as
Australian. Instead, Australian fare has evolved with the distinct
layers of flavours that each new culture has added. Homesick
expatriate Australians sometimes hanker for Australian food such as
lamingtons (a sponge cake square dipped in chocolate and
coconut), pavlovas (a meringue dessert named after the Russian
ballet dancer Anna Pavlova) and vegemite (a commercially
produced spread made from yeast products).
• The Australian wine sector is recognised internationally as
producing a full range of high-quality wine styles and varietals to
match any dish, from full-bodied reds and deep fruity whites to
sparkling, dessert and fortified wines.
 Coffee Culture in Australia

• Australia has a distinct coffee culture and

is often cited as being one of the most
developed and vibrant in the world. The
development of the coffee industry has
grown not from coffee chains but through
independent cafés born out of early Greek
and Italian immigration since the early
20th century.
 Fish & Seafood

• Australia's 11 million square kilometre fishing zone is the

third largest in the world and allows for bountiful access
to seafood which significantly influences Australian
cuisine. Clean ocean environments around Australia
produce high quality seafoods for domestic consumption
and export. Lobster, prawn, tuna, salmon, and abalone
are the main ocean species harvested commercially,
while aquaculture produces more than 60 species for
consumption including edible oysters, salmon, southern
bluefin tuna, mussel, prawn, barramundi, yellowtail
kingfish, and freshwater finifish.
 Business Hours
• Business hours are most commonly 9:00 until 17:30, Monday to
Friday, with a small variation either side. Places in the north of
Australia sometimes open and close a little earlier. If trying to
contact a business in another part of Australia, remember about
time differences.
• Government offices often close at 17:00, or even 16:30. Shops may
stay open later, particularly on Thursday and Friday evenings, and
most will be open on Saturdays, and some on Sundays.
The larger the town, the more likely shops are to indulge in
extended trading hours. Corner shops will usually stay open until
about 20:00, and some even later. Supermarkets in the big cities
are often open 24 hours a day, and even in smaller towns they are
likely to remain open until about 22:00 on weekdays.
 Work Hours for Employees
• The National Employment Standards (NES)
provide that the maximum weekly hours which a
full-time employee can be required to work is 38,
plus reasonable additional hours. An employer
and an award/agreement-free employee also
may agree in writing to averaging hours of work
over a maximum period of 26 weeks. Modern
awards and enterprise agreements may also
include terms regarding averaging hours of work
over a specified period.
 Family Life in Australia

• Families have long been viewed as the core social unit that
maintains people's welfare. Over recent decades there have been
extensive changes in the way that families are structured and
function. Research and policy interest has shifted from maintaining
the so-called ideal or traditional family form (a married couple and
their children) to improving the quality of relationships between
family members, irrespective of form. Some of this change is also
reflective of changing demographics - as the population ages and
fertility rates have declined over the long term, there are more
couple only and lone person households, regardless of social
trends. Other changes in family composition represent choices
made by family members, including that of achieving better
functioning family structures. For many members of the community,
new and emerging forms of family structure represent progress in
increasing the care, safety and support available to vulnerable
Australians. Yet, for those members of the community who hold
traditional values, the decline of traditional family structures may be
viewed as regress.
 Family Life in Australia

• In 2006-07, couple families with no children were

the most common type of family (40%), followed
by couple families with dependent children
(37%). This was the reverse of the situation in
1997 where couple families with dependent
children were the most common (40%), followed
by couple families with no children (35%). The
increase in the proportion of couples living
without children partly reflects the ageing of the
population as baby boomers move into the
'empty nester' phase of their lives.
Understanding Australian Customs
GREETINGS
In Australia there are many
different ways of greeting people

 Men usually shake hands when greeting other

men and sometimes when greeting females

 In work or social situations women may also

shake hands to greet each other
Understanding Australian Customs
Formal Greetings are:
“How do you do?”
“Good Morning”
“Good Afternoon”
 Young people usually greet other people with
“Hello” or “Hi”
 Sometimes it is nice to use someone’s name
when greeting them: e.g. “Hi, John”
 Understanding Australian Customs
SOCIAL INVITATIONS
 Social Invitations can be received informally
(telephone) or formally (written note).
 It is good to reply quickly and honestly to
invitations
 RSVP means “Please Reply” by the date that is
stated
 It is polite to ring to let your friend/colleague
know if you are going to be late/delayed
 Understanding Australian
Customs

 When going out for lunch/dinner or to the

movies/theatre with friends usually you will pay
for yourself

 If your friend offers to “shout” this means they

will pay for you. If you are not sure, make sure
to ask!
 Understanding Australian Customs
“BRING A PLATE”
 While in Australia you may be invited to a barbeque (BBQ) and you
may be asked to “Bring a Plate”
 This means bring a plate of food not an empty plate!
 You may like to take along some chips and dip or you may like to
take a plate of food from your home country
 Understanding Australian Customs
BYO – Bring Your Own
 If you are told that a party is BYO this means that you are
expected to bring your own drinks – either soft drink or
alcohol.

 Some restaurants are also BYO. At these

restaurants it is acceptable to bring your own
alcohol – usually beer or wine. Soft drinks will be available
to purchase.
 Understanding Australian Customs
CONVERSATIONS

 Don’t be worried if you are not fluent in English.

Conversations are a great way to practise your
spoken English.
 If you are having a conversation and an English speaker is speaking
too fast, ask them to speak slowly – this will not be seen as rude!
 Sometimes it is rude to ask certain questions. For example it is not
polite to ask people their age (especially an older person).
 It is also not polite to ask men and women how much money they
earn.
 If you would like to know the cost of something, ask the question in a
general way. Instead of saying “How much did your jeans cost?” you
could say “What is the average price of a pair of jeans?”
 Understanding Australian Customs
BARGAINING

In Australia you can’t bargain for food items.

Goods are sold according to the price they are marked.

In some street and weekend

markets you may be able
to bargain.
 Australian Manners
 Please when requesting anything
 Thank you when you receive anything
 Excuse me or sorry if you need to get
past anyone or bump into anyone
 No spitting please
 No pushing
 Please No picking noses or putting
your finger up your nose in public
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 Australian Culture

• Most culture is based on history, traditions and

belief systems (religion etc) therefore is different
in every county (not right or wrong just different)
• Because of its unique history Australia has a
unique culture which appreciates people being
up front and very open in their communication
styles
• Generally Australians are open, friendly and
helpful and from a vast array of many different
countries (multicultural)
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 Australian Culture

• Australian culture represents a

combination of all the customs and
traditions of the cultures across worldwide
who had resided here. These were
European and aboriginal culture legacy
which had greatly inhibited the Australian
culture and at present the current
Australian culture represents that fusion
only.
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 Lifestyle & Culture of Australians

• European settlers brought together many food and

lifestyle traditions, and also the Australia nowadays is
a mixture of these influences, in addition to current
American influences. Australian holidays often are
affected by this fusion.
• Classical music and opera are extremely popular.
Australia’s popular music traditions are heavily relying on
American rock. Bands like AC/DC, Men-at-Work and
INXS have experienced international success.
• The Film industry has expanded recently, with films for
example “The Matrix” and “Star Wars” filmed in
Melbourne and Sydney.
 Use of Abbreviations
Diminutives

• IF YOU'D LOST YOUR mobes in Melbs at a barbie on a Sunday

arvo you couldn't be anything but Australian. In fact, Australians use
abbreviations and diminutives more than other English-speakers.
• Abbreviations and diminutives
The most common words they've identified so far were barbie
(barbecue), arvo (afternoon), footy (football), sunnies (sunglasses),
rego (registration), servo (service station), brekkie (breakfast),
cuppa (cup of tea) and sanga (sandwich). But people also came up
with a lot of abbreviations for brand names, like Maccas, Woollies,
Blunnies (Blundstone boots), Subie (Subaru) and Suzy (Suzuki).
 Australian Culture &
Customs

• Do yourself a favour and give yourself an

Australian name
• Why: Most of Australians cannot
pronounce your names and feel
embarrassed when they can’t
• Australians would prefer to call you by
name than ‘Hey you’

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 Arts and entertainment in Australia

• Arts and entertainment in Australia has had a very

long and successful innings and still continues to be
internationally popular for generating quality
entertainment. Being one of the remotest and the most
far-flung continent on the earth's surface, Australia has a
distinct culture, which is aptly reflected in the arts and
entertainment in Australia. This is one of the chief
reasons, which has contributed to the success of the
Australian arts and entertainment industry. The distinct
feature of Australian arts and entertainment has helped
establish this industry as one of the leading contributors
in the field of Australian export and also build a profit-
earning relation with the US, Europe and UK.