J Donoghue

The Anzacs Military influences on Australian identity

The traditions associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers – the Anzacs – comprise an important element of the Australian narrative. Although Australian and New Zealand soldiers did not officially become ‘Anzacs’ until they joined forces on the Western Front, the Anzacs are associated with the trauma of the Gallipoli campaign. Anzacs ‘live on’ in contemporary Australian culture, celebrated as national heroes by artists, politicians and writers. The Anzacs’ place in Australian history is enshrined through annual Anzac Day commemorations that legitimize idealized, heroic aspects of Australian identity. Drawing upon national survey data we show that Anzacs still have a strong influence on how Australians see themselves. Attitudes toward Anzacs vary only marginally according to social and political background, although they are most salient for middle-aged, less educated, Australian-born citizens, who are proud of their defence forces and exhibit a close attachment to Australia as a nation.

Ned Kelly Armoured icon

Myths associated with outlaws or ‘social bandits’ are important elements of national identity in many countries. Long after his death the outlaw Ned Kelly lives on in Australian culture through various media, ensuring his enduring symbolic importance for national identity. National survey data indicates Kelly’s salience for a majority of Australians, although attitudes regarding his status as hero or villain vary considerably. Younger, left-leaning, working-class Australians and consumers of popular culture view Kelly as important, while tertiary-educated, political conservatives tend to downplay his significance. Perceptions of Kelly’s character also influence attitudes regarding his national significance. The lack of foundation heroes in a nation built not only by free settlers but also by English convicts and Irish rebels goes some way to explaining why a 19th-century outlaw is one of the few historical figures recognized by a majority of Australians.

National identity and important Australians

Aspects of the national narrative of an advanced industrialised nation are examined in this research. Nationally representative survey data suggest the most important collective figures for Australian identity are the Anzacs, colonial free settlers and post-Second World War immigrants, while sporting heroes have a negligible influence upon what it means to be Australian. Although many Australians have ancestors who were transported, the convict ‘stain’ persists, while indigenous people are also under-represented in Australian identity myths. The most important individual Australians are not the heroes, saints or sages of an earlier ‘golden era’ nor contemporary sporting heroes, but political leaders, medical doctors and scientists who have (had) actual rather than mythical influence upon the everyday lives of Australians.

Social Capital, Interpersonal Trust, and Public Housing

Abstract Addressing the relationship between housing tenure and social disadvantage, this research examines social capital among public tenants in Australia, concentrating on their level of interpersonal trust and confidence in a range of public institutions. Through multivariate analyses of national survey data it also profiles the social and political background of public housing tenants. As expected, public tenants tend to have lower incomes, lower levels of education, and working-class backgrounds, or do not identify with any class location at all. They are less likely to be married or in de facto relationships than people in other housing tenures, but are more likely to identify with the Australian Labor Party than with the Coalition parties. Although public housing tenants have access to secure and affordable housing, they appear to be generally less trusting than private renters or homeowners and exhibit less confidence in government institutions such as the Australian parliament. Public housing tenants express lower levels of interpersonal trust even controlling for a range of social background factors, suggesting that as a form of tenure, public housing in some ways exacerbates the disadvantage of tenants.

New ways to provide community aged care services.

This paper will focus on the provision of community aged care services via ‘direct payments’ and ‘social enterprise’. These are two solutions that were not fully considered by the Productivity Commission as a way to make the provision of community aged care more sustainable in Australia. The empowerment component of social enterprise activities and ‘direct payments’ have the potential to generate improvements in the community aged care system.

Over the rainbow: direct payments and social inclusion

This paper examines the impact of direct payments on social isolation. We define what social isolation means, and then evaluate the role of direct payments in the provision of social services in the United Kingdom. Social isolation is a particular problem for older people. In Australia there are an increasing number of older residents who are isolated, but would benefit from having greater choice in terms of how they access and receive social services. Increased access to direct payments could help to reduce waiting lists for traditional social services and address gaps in service provision.

Housing tenure, body mass index and health in Australia

A national survey of Australian adults shows higher levels of obesity among public housing tenants and home owners with a mortgage compared to outright home owners. These results are to an extent due to higher instances of illness and disability among public housing tenants, and are also associated with known health risk factors. Yet differences in body mass index between tenures persist after controlling for a range of risk factors and socio-demographic indicators, suggesting the presence of cultural differences and different consumption patterns. Public tenants are by far the most likely to smoke on a daily basis, with private renters and home owners with a mortgage also more likely to be smokers than are outright home owners. Further investigation is required to establish the nature and extent that patterned health inequalities and associated risk factors are linked to housing tenure. If Australian mortgagees are more likely than outright homeowners to be obese, as our findings indicate, pursuing the ‘Australian dream’ of home-ownership may contain a hidden cost to ones health.

Exploring Australian National Identity: Heroes, Memory and Politics

This book explores the attitudes and values of Australians, analysing how Australian national values are promoted and reflected by heroic figures (both living and dead) who are identified as important and influential. Who are the ‘heroes, saints and sages’ that exemplify the Australian national character? Who do Australians, as citizens of a settler society, nominate as their contemporary heroes? What is the role of colonial and post-colonial figures regarding contemporary Australian identity? This book reassesses the influence of convicts, bushrangers, Ned Kelly, the ANZACS, sporting heroes, and the nation’s most ‘important people’ in terms of national identity. Sporting ‘heroes’ such as Don Bradman, and historical figures like Ned Kelly might be expected to feature prominently but the authors identify other nationally important Australians, and gauge how well they symbolize Australian national identity. While collective ‘heroes’ such as the Anzacs are acclaimed in popular conceptions of national identity, Australians also identify with particular ‘heroic’ individuals who personify practical aspects of the national character and ‘mythscape’, including well known federal politicians, surgeons and scientists.

On Bradman’s bat: Australian sporting heroes

ABSTRACT The Australian way of life is claimed to be a celebration of sporting rather than intellectual achievement. The influence of sport for contemporary Australians is examined by asking a nationally representative sample of Australian adults to identify their most ‘influential’ sporting heroes. Men are far more likely than women to view male sporting heroes as influential with a similar pattern apparent for Liberal/National Party identifiers over other party supporters, although younger people are less likely than their older counterparts to nominate male sports stars. Cricket legend Donald Bradman’s iconic status transcends sport, signifying conservative, white, masculine elements of national identity.

Public Housing and Social Capital in Australia

This paper addresses the relationship between public housing tenure and social disadvantage; the research examines social capital levels among public tenants in Australia, concentrating on their level of interpersonal trust and confidence in a range of public institutions. Through multivariate analyses of national survey data it also profiles the social and political background of public housing tenants. Although public housing tenants have access to secure and affordable housing, they appear to be less trusting and ‘happy’ than private renters or homeowners, and exhibit less confidence in some institutions such as the Australian parliament, universities and the ABC (the public television broadcaster). These results reflect the residualised nature of public housing in Australia and indicate that public tenants are likely to be ‘alienated’ from certain aspects of mainstream culture. However, public tenants have higher levels of confidence in the defence forces and trades union than homeowners, so public housing may well ‘shore up’ social capital with levels of trust in certain institutions likely to be even lower if public housing was not available.