3.1 Introduction to culture

Traditional Culture: According to, Commisceo Global, it is stated that, "Humility and authenticity are strong values in Australian culture... They [Australians] also tend to value sincerity, humour, informality, whilst loathing pretentiousness... Australians tend to not draw attention to their academic or other achievements and are inclined to distrust people who do. They even downplay their own success to ensure they are not perceived as achievement-oriented... With a relatively small population, it is important to get along with everyone, since you never know when your paths may cross again. Australians place a high value on relationships and tend to be incredibly loyal when it comes to friendships... The Australian focus on equality tends to lead to a win-win negotiating style in the workplace as it's considered important that everyone involved comes away with positive feelings to ensure that future business dealings progress effectively" (Australia - Culture, Etiquette and Business Practices). Australia has a set of rules and etiquette. Some of which include bringing a small gift (wine, chocolates, etc.) when invited to someone's house, gifts shouldn't be too expensive, hugging and kissing shouldn't be done in public unless you know the person very well, money isn't a very appropriate gift most of the time, BBQ's are a major part of Australian culture, you shouldn't arrive too early or too late to parties/social gatherings.

Folk Culture: Folk music is very prominent in Australia for example, https://musicaustralia.org.au/discover/the-professional-music-industry/music-in-australia/, explains, "Folk music, often handed down in oral form, has existed in Australia since our colonial days, and many local communities have folk clubs and folk festivals." "The Australian Register" states, "Folklore of children documents children’s playlore, such as riddles, parodies, rhymes, jokes, clapping and ball bouncing games, entries in autograph albums, insults and war cries. It has also captured memories of Indigenous, regional and multicultural childhoods, and adult memories of childhood pastimes and games. A visiting American folklorist, Dr Dorothy Howard, amassed a collection of over 1000 games from around Australia during a ten-month visit in the mid-1950s, and her invaluable research and publications on Australian children’s folklore are also included in the collection. Folklore for and about children contains folklore told by adults to children in a range of languages, including Arabic, Croatian, English, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Pintjantjatjara, Serbian, Spanish and Turkish. An Old Wives’ Tales collection has preserved beliefs and folk sayings dealing with the sensitive topics of pregnancy and birth" (Collecting Australia's Folk Culture).

Indigenous Culture: According to, Commisceo Global, it states, "Pre-colonisation, the indigenous people of Australia inhabited Australian lands for over 65,000 years. These indigenous groups, made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, shared rich, ancient cultures and histories" (Australia - Culture, Etiquette and Business Practices). "Brittanica" states, "Australian Aboriginal peoples, one of the two distinct groups of Indigenous peoples of Australia, the other being the Torres Strait Islander peoples... It has long been conventionally held that Australia is the only continent where the entire Indigenous population maintained a single kind of adaptation—hunting and gathering—into modern times" (Australian Aboriginal peoples). The image on the right is one example of indigenous culture in Australia.

Artifacts (Technological subsystem): "Wikipedia" states, "Australian Aboriginal artefacts include a variety of cultural artefacts used by Aboriginal Australians. Most Aboriginal artefacts were multi-purpose and could be used for a variety of different occupations. Spears, clubs, boomerangs and shields were used generally as weapons for hunting and in warfare. Watercraft technology artefacts in the form of dugout and bark canoes were used for transport and for fishing. Stone artefacts include cutting tools and grinding stones to hunt and make food. Coolamons and carriers such as dillybags, allowed Aboriginal peoples to carry water, food and cradle babies. Message sticks were used for communication, and ornamental artefacts for decorative and ceremonial purposes. Aboriginal children’s toys were used to both entertain and educate" (Australian Aboriginal artefacts). The images to the right depict artifacts from Australia.

Mentifacts (Ideological subsystem): Language is one example of a mentifact, there are many languages spoken throughout Australia, the main one being English (spoken by 72.7% of the Australian population). A few other languages spoken in Australia include Mandarin (2.5%), Arabic (1.4%), Cantonese (1.2%), Vietnamese (1.2%), etc. Religion is another example of a mentifact, there are many religions practiced throughout Australia, the main one being Protestantism (practiced by 23.1% of the Australian population). A few other religions practiced in Australia include Roman Catholicity (22.6%), other Christianity (4.2%), Islam (2.6%), Buddhism (2.4%), etc.

The charts on the right depict the languages (top graph) and religions (bottom graph) in Australia.

Sociofacts (Sociological subsystem): One example of a sociofact is an economic system. According to "Global Edge," "Australia has a mixed economic system in which the economy includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. Australia is a member of Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)" (Australia). Another example of a sociofact is a political system, Australia is a "federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm" system of government, according to "The World Factbook." The chart on the right displays Australia's economic state.