Some multiculturalists claim that Australia has no culture of its own. This claim is made in order to provide them with an excuse to attempt to smother our cultural and national identity under the coarse blanket of multiculturalism. The multiculturalists' argument being, in essence, "If Australia has no unique culture of its own, then the introduction of multiculturalism would not be doing any cultural harm to Australia".

This lie can be shown to be a very shallow proposition. Australia has a wide-ranging national identity and culture. In evidence of this, some examples are provided below:


GENERAL AUSTRALIAN CULTURAL ICONS: [1]
Vegemite, Goanna Oil, Hills Hoists, the Coolgardie safe, the lagerphone, Redheads matches, the ute, Victa lawnmowers, the Australian Military badge, Commodore cars, Federation architecture, the Melbourne Cup, gold prospectors, shearers, stockmen, swaggies.

ARTISTS:
Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, William Boyd, Sidney Nolan, Norman Lindsay, Walter Withers, Frederick McCubbin, Russel Drysdale.

THE AUSTRALIAN CHARACTER:
Styled as easy-going, fair and democratic, having a healthy disrespect for authority, and a dry laconic humour.

AUTHORS:
Henry Lawson, "Banjo" Paterson, Mary Grant Bruce, Rolf Boldrewood, "Tom Collins" (Joseph Furphy), "Steele Rudd" (Arthur Harris), Miles Franklin.

BUSHRANGERS, REBELS AND REBELLIONS:
Ned Kelly, "Mad Dan" Morgan, Ben Hall;
Peter Lalor, Daniel Deniehy;
Vinegar Hill, Eureka Stockade, Lambing Flat, Buckland River, Barcaldine.

CLOTHING:
Akubra hats, Billabong clothing, Blundstone boots, Driza-bone coats, King Gees, Rip Curl surfwear, R.M. Williams' boots, Stubbies, thongs, ugg boots.

ENTERTAINERS AND CHARACTERS:
Steve Urwin, Ginger Meggs, Chips Rafferty, Errol Flynn, Jack Thompson, Brian Brown, Mo (Roy Rene), Paul Hogan, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson (Barry Humphries), Norman Gunston, Chad Morgan (The Sheik from Scrubby Creek).

EXPLORERS
George Bass, Matthew Flinders; Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth; Burke and Wills; Allan Cunningham, John Forrest; Hume and Hovell; Charles Kingsford-Smith, Ludwig Leichhardt, Douglas Mawson, Thomas Mitchell, Charles Sturt, John McDouall Stuart.

FOOD AND DRINK:
Vegemite, Four 'n' Twenty meat pies, Fosters beer, VB (Victoria Bitter), ANZAC biscuits, Aeroplane Jelly, Caramello Koalas, Chiko Roll, Iced Vo Vo biscuits, lamington sponge cakes, Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs, Minties, SAO biscuits, Tim Tams, Violet Crumble chocolate bars, Wizz Fizz.

LANDMARKS, GEOGRAPHIC:
Ayers Rock (Uluru), the Blue Mountains, Daintree rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, the Olgas, the Twelve Apostles.

LANDMARKS, MANMADE:
The Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, New Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the Big Banana (Coffs Harbour, NSW), the Big Merino (Goulburn, NSW), the Big Pineapple (Gympie, Qld.).

LANGUAGE: [2]
A distinct rendering of the English language.
The "Australian language" has produced many native-born colloquialisms; for example:
This side of the Black Stump; to shoot through like a Bondi tram; gone walkabout; as game as Ned Kelly; you've got Buckley's hope; happy as Larry; as fit as a Mallee bull; back of Bourke; Bullamakanka; not the full quid; a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock; a few sandwiches short of a picnic; what do you think this is - bush week?; like a stunned mullet; it's on for young and old; don't come the raw prawn with me; pull your head in; things are crook in Tallarook; better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick; Australia for the Australians; on the wallaby track; up Woop Woop; she'll be apples; strike me pink; give it a burl; gone bung; stone the crows; waltzing Matilda; spitting chips; hard yakka; to souvenir; the Never Never; the Speewah; Geebung; blind Freddie; snags; troppo; ropeable; two-pot screamer; chunder; yabber; bonza; tucker; mozzie; furphy; galah; drongo; arvo; relo; cossie; pressie; g'day; cobber; no worries, mate; bewdy; fair dinkum.

LITERARY LEGENDS:
J.F. Archibald, A.G. Stephens and The Bulletin; P.R. Stephensen and The Publicist; Rex Ingamells and the Jindyworobaks; The Australasian Sketcher; The Republican; The Lone Hand.

MUSIC:
"Waltzing Matilda", The Bushwackers, The Cobbers, Slim Dusty, Rolf Harris, The Seekers, Skyhooks, Australian Crawl, Redgum, Ted Egan, John Broomhall, John Williamson, Dame Nellie Melba.

NATIVE ANIMALS:
Kookaburras, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, Tasmanian tigers, Tasmanian devils, dingos, magpies, wedge-tailed eagles, Major Mitchell cockatoos.

NATIVE PLANTS:
Waratah, wattle, kangaroo paw.

POETS AND POETRY:
Henry Lawson, "Banjo" Paterson, Rex Ingamells, Ian Mudie, Mary Gilmore, Adam Lindsay Gordon, C.J. Dennis; The Man from Snowy River, Waltzing Matilda

RECREATION AND SPORTING ICONS:
Aussie Rules Football, bush barbeques, games of "two-up", mateship, the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, woodchopping contests, Surf Lifesaving Clubs.
Don Bradman, Roy Cazaly, Dawn Fraser, Phar Lap.

SCIENTISTS, RESEARCHERS AND INVENTORS: [3]
Kate Campbell (medicine), Professor Graeme Clarke (bionic ear), Peter C. Doherty (medicine), Lawrence Hargrave (engines and aeroplane design), James Harrison (refrigeration), Walter Hume (spun concrete pipes), A.P. McCormick (the "Coolgardie safe" food cooler), Evelyn Owen (Owen Gun), Mervyn Victor Richardson (Victa rotary lawnmower), Richard Smith (the stump-jump plough), Fred Walker (Vegemite), Alan Walsh (atomic absorption spectrometer), David Warren (the "black box" flight recorder), Saul Weiner (redback antivenene), Dr. Paul Wild (Interscan aviation landing system).

WAR HEROES AND HEROINES:
Albert Jacka V.C., the ANZACs, General Monash, Field Marshal Blamey, Bruce Kingsbury V.C., the men of the Kokoda Track, Nancy Wake.