The one-hour 2007 documentary The Sounds of Aus considered the nature and resilience of Australian English through focusing on the many different accents that are considered Australian. The documentary, which screened on ABC, featured a mix of phoneticians, linguists, historians, accent coaches, cultural commentators, entertainers, and vox pops, all of whom dealt with the question about what the Australian accent – in all its variations – tells us about Australia. It also examined myths about the accent, including the still widespread perception that Australians are sounding more American.

The documentary also brought home the argument that the accent is in a state of continuous evolution. 12 years on, is it time to re-examine some of the themes developed in this documentary and to consider how best to capture some of the changes occurring in the way that we speak? This short presentation will consider strategies for doing this, including the possibility of developing a web series that would engage researchers and members of the public, both on the screen, and as the intended audience.