72Voices - A Project by 72andSunny - January 2018 by 72andSunny

aA NK N

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e had a hunch that something was bubbling up in this country as the world shifts, and we as a nation, and people, continue to grow. We thought what better way to learn than spending some time with people who are challenging what Australia is, and means today.

Meeting and learning from the people shaping and forming Modern Australia was a hugely rewarding experience for our team. Taking our blinkers off, being inspired, at times being challenged, but most importantly being humbled, by the people we spent time with was pretty special.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also important to thank those thinkers. Everyone we spoke to was super generous with their time, their smarts and their support, and for that we say thanks. We also had the opportunity to work with one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best designers - David Carson - in creating a look for this project who deserves credit for his passion and design chops.

We would also like to say thanks to Sam Wright, the photographer who had the pleasure of capturing the people we met. Finally thanks to our team at 72andSunny who gave their time and energy way beyond their day jobs to help us bring what was once a loose idea to amazing fruition.

PHOT O S B Y S A M W R I G H T P H O T O GRAPHY

1 .00 Exe c u t i ve Su mmar y

1/ The Death of

1 .02 S te re ot y p e: A u st ral ia is re s o u rceful, but not innovative

1 .03 S te re ot y p e : A u st ral ia h as n o culture

1 .04 S te re ot y p e : A rch et yp al A u st ralian m asculinity

1 .01

O u r stor y. ..

2 .00 E xec utive Sum m a r y

2 .01 W h at does it m ea n to be A ustra l ia n today?

2 .02 To be A ustra l ia n is to be divers e. A s ource of pride, va l ue a n d en joym en t. 40

2/ Nationalism and 2 .03 United through shared freedom and common values

2 .04 T h e coun tr y ’s strug g l e with m ul tic ul tura l is m

1 .05 S te re ot y p e : Trad it io n al e d u cat ion

2 .05 Pus h in g ba c k on n ation a l is m

1 .06 S te re ot y p e : Th e Wh ite A u st ral ian

2 .06 On e com m on g roun d is th e l a n d

1 .07 Tran sc r i pts

2 .07 Tra n s c ripts

the Australian Stereotype 3 .00 E xe cu t ive Su mma r y

3 .01 In cre as in g l y d is il lusioned

3 .02 Be co min g mo re b ackwards

3 .03 Fe ar of f u r t h e r f ractioning

3 .04 Lack of l e ad e rs h i p

3 .05 Tu r n in g of f t al e n t

3 .06 Tran s cr ipt s

Multiculturalism Can’t Co-exist

3/ A Global Spotlight

on Our Local Insecurities 5 .00 Exe c u t i ve Su mmar y

5/ The Young and

82 132

4.00 E xec utive Sum m a r y

4 .01 Ripe for dis ruption, prim ed for c h a n g e

4.02 T h e frustration is en erg is in g

4.03 Oppor tun ities a n d optim is m

4.04 Tra n s c ripts

4/ We Stand on the Cusp of Change

10 2

5 .01 W h e n l e a d e r s h i p fa i l s , t h e re’s m o re s p a c e fo r c re a t i ve vo i c e s to l e a d 10 4

6 .00 E xec utive Sum m a r y

134

6 .01 E xc ited to be n oticed by g l oba l l ea ders

136

6 .02 We s h oul d be m ore con fiden t

138

6/ The Land Down

5 .02 Seeing ‘Home’ as a source of creative advantage

1 10

6 .03 One of the world’s oldest civilizations can lead the way 1 40

5 .03 You n g e n t re p re n e u rs are n’t waiting for perm ission

114

6 .04 We c a n s h ow th e worl d h ow to em bra ce differen ce

1 42

5 .04 ST EM st u de n t s are re inve n t in g what’s possible

116

6 .05 A ustra l ia n bus in ess es c a n be a s stron g a s a ny

1 44

5 .05 Te c h n ology is in s p ir in g n ew ways to care for hum anity

118

6 .06 Austra l ia n c reatives a n d ST E M th inkers a re l im ited on l y by th eir m in ds

1 48

5 .06 All eye s on t h e n ex t g e n of A u st ralians

120 6 .07 Our attitude s ets us a pa r t

1 50

5 .07 Any t h i n g i s p o ss ib l e

122 6 .08 Tra n s c ripts

1 52

5 .08 Tran sc r i pts

124

Creative are

100

Revolting

Under Should

158

7.07 Health

170

7.01

160

7.08 Education

171

162

7.09 A greater suppor t for A ustra l ia n culture

172

156 180

7/The Future is Awesome

7.0 2 Ch an g e o u r min d s et 7.0 3 B e come t r u e g l o b al cit ize n s

165

7.0 4 Em brace o u r d if fe re n ce s

166

7.1 0 A greater em phas is on fosterin g Aussie business

173

7.0 5 Care fo r o u r e nv iro n me n t

167

7.1 1

174

7.0 6 Care fo r o u r co mmu n it ie s

169

7.1 2 Moonshot ideas

How we govern and wh o g overn s

is a research project that aims

to take the temperature of Modern AUSTRALIA and start betterCONVERSATIO NS

aboutwho we are and where we want to

be in the future.

The report includes the perspectives of 72 cultural makers, shapers an d commentators from across Australia and

SPANS di verse geographies, ages,

ethni cities , interests and industries.

Aim for the Top

7.0 0 Exe c u t ive Su mmar y

Recognise our past for a better future

7 2Voic es

Contents

CON

TENTS

72 Bios

We’ re ex CITED

EARD.. t o S H a r e wh at we H EARD P H O T O B Y S A M W R I G H T P HOTOGRAPHY

179

THE

ATH

THE OF

THEME 1

OTYP E BAck tO CONTents

Does how the world -AND h o w

A national identity defined by simplistic stereotypes isn’t new, nor is it exclusive to Australia. But our conversations suggest it’s beyond time to evolve our country’s story. Our stereotypes are often not just “out of touch” - they are damaging to individuals, the collective, and Brand Australia. When it comes to industries and our economy, the stereotype that “Australia is resourceful, but not innovative” remains. There are worldchanging innovations created by Australian teams that go largely unnoticed. This does nothing to fix Australia being perennially seen as the ‘younger brother or sister’ to the US or UK versus a leader in our own right. More positively though, there was a sense that the tide has turned. We were convinced through our interviews that there’s no reason the Next Big Thing can’t be from right here. Across the board, negative Indigenous Australian stereotypes were challenged. As one of the oldest living cultures in the world, there was a sense of

w e s e e o u rs

e l ves -

frustration that this story is not being told more, or listened to. There was a call for the media to take responsibility for telling more positive and diverse stories about the First People.

One of our most deeply rooted modern stereotypes - archetypal Australian masculinity - is costing Australian men their lives each and every day through suicide. Experts in Australian masculinity shared with us how for some men, the idea of ending their own life is less threatening than abandoning a stereotype that tells them to “just suck it up”. There’s also a sense of frustration that the solution for this could simply be an honest conversation about how things make us feel - but traditional masculinity constructs are a barrier to this happening.

The death of the Australian Stereotype

XE CUTIVE ESUMMAR Y see us

tcefler realit y? While research supports girls having the choice of shorts or trousers, many schools deny this option because ‘girls in dresses’ is more impressive for the school image. This holds some girls back from playing sports at recess and lunchtime and having equal freedom in the classroom during activities such as sitting on the floor and plugging in computers. On the flip side we heard about how things are being done differently in some communities and the enthusiasm young educators have for the future.

Traditional education was challenged, and some passionately argued that we are doing the next generation a disservice. The discussion went way beyond the curriculum. Seemingly small but massively impactful, we heard about the way schools enforce young female students to conform to stereotypes via the school uniform. 10

Finally, Asian Australian stereotypes were a hot topic. The challenge of being seen as an Australian, and the way people “feel Australian” was something we heard from a range of people across different ages and cities. Who we are as Australians has changed, and is still changing. Our research highlighted how Australian stereotypes are holding Australia back, but it also unearthed new stories being written that don’t fit the mold.

Please note: At the time of interviews, the plebiscite vote was underway and a verdict had not yet been determined.

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SkiP this cHapter >>

need more

MAKES US LAUGH Mark Little said our country itself is the ultimate joke: the wave you body-surf into shore after a day at the beach that could contain a shark or a rip-tide and, when you get back, your house could have been burnt to the ground in a bush fire. And that’s where the whole ‘no worries’ thing comes from. Bronwyn Kidd, Photographer

NEEDS TO CHANGE We need to rely on more cultural capital besides kangaroos and koalas. We want people to invest in Australia, engage with Australia, so we need more than ‘how cute are koalas’. We have to set that benchmark. Frida Las Vegas, Artist and Designer

IS STUCK We are forever being viewed as an adolescent country ‘on its way’ to reaching its potential. Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

MAY NEVER UNITE ALL OF US

Someone I was speaking to in the UK said “The Australians are very good at coming up with practical solutions and they’re very resourceful as they can come up with solutions with what they’ve got around them – but they’re not very innovative.” And I remember saying: “Wi-Fi was invented by an Australian, Google Maps was invented by Australians, the machinery which is used to make the iPhones (which is precision machinery) is made in Australia, the main processor which drives a lot of the self-driving cars is from an Australian team.” There’s a huge amount of innovation that goes on which people don’t know about. They don’t know that 70% of the country lives in cities, they don’t know that it can be one of the most innovative places in the world because this tyranny of distance has meant that Australia can develop certain technologies quicker or see things differently. Australia itself isn’t very good at promoting these. Brand Australia needs a refresh.

I genuinely don’t feel that there is a distinctive definition of what it means to be an Australian anymore. We are such a multicultural society that if we tried to stereotype in any way we would exclude a large group of people. My personal feeling is that most Australians would consider themselves to be healthy, environmentally conscious and socially aware people. I don’t think the historical perceptions of who Australians are applies anymore, like the loud mouth drinking ‘larrikin’ (even though we probably know one or two people who would fit the bill).

Neil Peplow,

slow decline, but the US empire may not last longer. If I compare it to in China, Australia is still small, but the time that I have spent in China indicates to me that they think we’re very high quality. I think Americans to a certain extent are like “oh, where are you from?” “oh, is that down there?” because they don’t know what the population of Australia is. They assume that there is really no population, which is bad for businesses. It’s terrible for Uber, for AirTasker, to have a spread geographic density, but that’s actually not the case. It’s the opposite. Australia is dense compared to the US. In Australia, you do Sydney and Melbourne and you’ve nailed most of the country. The rest of it you can try to attack later. Then I think that a lot of Aussies look for the reasons why they can’t do something. And that’s why I reckon the American way in that sense is powerful. But I think we just need to stop worrying about why we can’t do something, and just focus on what it takes to do something, and do that.

CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

Erica McLernon, Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

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Having success stories that actually make people go “oh great, they succeeded, I can too”. Tim Fung, Founder and CEO, Airtasker

They we’re still small fry.

than ‘how CUTE are koalas’.

Frida Las Vegas

STORY.. .

AUSTRALIA IS

RESOURCEFUL, NOT BUT INNOVATIVE The death of the Australian Stereotype

OUR

STEREOTYPE:

THINK

Tim Fung

We’ve always been the little brother or sister to the UK or the US. The next big thing doesn’t need to start from the US or China. It can start here in Australia.

Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

I think most people think of farmers as being a conservative bunch of people who probably aren’t really on the pulse and don’t really understand. Josh Gilbert, Worimi man, Aboriginal Speaker, Farmer, Writer and Entrepreneur

The death of the Australian Stereotype

Taj Pabari,

There’s been a recent resurgence of young people in agriculture, in the last three or four years. The cropping industry has had a lot of really modern technology for ten, fifteen years now. There’s also some really good technology coming into the livestock industry. I think young people can see that it’s no longer a brawn industry. They can actually use their brain and there’s enough challenge there within the industry for them to want a career out of it, and have a go at it.

The next generation should be told these tales. We need to take ourselves more seriously and be more competitive, just like we did in the America’s Cup in 1983 when we took it from a nation who had been winning for 132 years! These are the stories that give me goosebumps. And there are so many other success stories in other Australian companies like Atlassian, Canva, Qantas, Boost Juice, Kogan, The Iconic, Cotton On, ShowPo, RM Williams, Toni Maticevski. We have so many incredibly talented people, we have our foot in every door, everywhere, and it is so frustrating to see Australia have so much potential that may not evolve without adequate support and drive. Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

Ken Solly,

For me personally, I am tired of comparing my location to the rest of the world. When I was in London someone said to me ‘what happens on the island, stays on the island’ and that profoundly affected me because it was saying that basically whatever cultural output we make in Australia; it stays here.

Agriculture Business Consultant and Speaker

If we are the small, young country, then we need to be hungrier and advance Australia as our anthem says. We have spawned some of the most elegant and

impactful developments in the world and yet we don’t get to be up there with the most “innovative” nations in the world. Australian John O’Sullivan invented the Wi-Fi out of CSIRO. THE Wi-Fi. Tiny, little Australia brought WiFi to the World. Then there is Professor Graeme Clark and the bionic ear, a technology that has, and will, continue to change countless lives around the world.

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My own personal take on that is one of absolute rebellion and I think that some of the most incredible thinkers, writers, philosophers, activists, sportspeople… there have been so many talented people that have come from Australia. I’m interested in ascending that inferiority complex. To try hard socially, to be accepted and to accept others, to strive for high quality in the work that we produce, to try and learn about other places and other cultures. I think complacency should have no place in current Australian culture. Frida Las Vegas, Artist and Designer

From a tech perspective, I think Australians do more edgy, interesting projects. Australian creatives working overseas end up being the ones that push the boundaries. We have a healthy cheekiness and ambition. We’re not self conscious. We don’t really care what people think so you can stand in a board room and say ‘you’re all wrong’ and challenge the status quo, or see something wrong in the world and think ‘f* that, I’m going to fix it’. But in Australia, because that sort of attitude is ingrained in the culture, it means we are not so good at collaborating. Collaboration is our weakness. Ben Moir, Founder of Snepo Research, Wearable Experiments and FABLab

AUS-

STEREOTYPE:

NO CU LTUre

HAS

I’m an Indigenous Australian, I’m a First Australian, so in that context it makes me proud of who I am, to be a first Australian and to be part of a country that has a very dark history, but also a rich history as the oldest living culture in the world. And that’s something to be proud of.

One thing, which really pisses me off, is people say there’s a lack of culture here. When I left the UK somebody told me “You’ll be back, there’s no culture in Australia”. They really had no idea... Australia has a 50,000 year old storyline from the Indigenous people, it is one of the richest cultures in the world.

When I went overseas people asked me about where I came from and as soon as I opened my mouth and spoke, the first thing they would say is ‘I love Australia, I love listening to the Australian accent of people.’ But when I mentioned I was a First Australian, an Indigenous Australian, they would say to me ‘I’ve never heard of that, I’ve never heard of such people’. So, it was quite a shock for me to hear that, for someone to say that to me in another country.

They had no idea about the amount of culture you can find in places like Cairns where there’s an art gallery set up in converted World War Two naval oil storage tanks, and set in a rainforest - that you would never even think would exist somewhere so remote – which has the most wonderful artistic community producing fantastic work.

There is definitely unfinished business within this country because of the dark history, there needs to be some light shone, some light shining on our history, and now there’s a few people that are willing to shine that light. We need to break the stereotypes of who we are as Indigenous people, and a lot of that needs to come from the media who need to cover more positive stories.

I was lucky that I grew up with my dad who had lots of Indigenous friends so, we just, we grew up with lots of Indigenous people in our homes… There are Indigenous people who just like everyone are working jobs, having families, shopping at Woolworths. I find that the way that Indigenous people are portrayed in the media is quite sad. And then it just perpetuates some really nasty stereotypes and prejudices in people of other cultures. It’s just not respectful for the people whose land the British colonised and stole. That makes me sad.

Neil Peplow

The one thing which Australia has, which is definitely unique, and which should be spoken about more is the Indigenous story. People don’t know that there was a wheat belt around Australia which was cultivated by the Indigenous people, and that Indigenous people were the first bakers. And they don’t know they’ve just found a rock shelter which dates back around 65,000 years. That’s going to rewrite prehistoric history. And that’s a story which has to be told and listened to.

Elverina Johnson,

Frida Las Vegas,

Neil Peplow,

Indigenous Artist and Designer

Artist and Designer

CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

The death of the Australian Stereotype

TRAL I A

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Different people have different views but I have a real problem with Indigenous Australians being called ‘First Australians’. Because we are the last Australians. We were actively excluded from the Australian project and denied citizenship and a sense of nationhood and in so many ways are still excluded from what the best of what Australia is meant to represent and offer. In so many ways I don’t feel Australian, I feel Aboriginal, or Indigenous. I’m a Gamilaroi man. Australia was only called Australia for the last 200 years, and we were actively excluded. Australia is a concept not a landmass. I don’t feel Australian. I don’t really know what it is to be Australian and the stereotypical perceptions of what Australianess is, are so politically loaded and manipulated, the framing of Australia Day is a prime example.

don’t feel Australian. Luke Pearson

right now is that the Uluru Statement has not been taken seriously. It was a heartfelt statement by Indigenous people and we need to listen. Margaret Steadman, Activist and Advocate

here is completely dominant in every single possible way.

I would love to see more content that includes more of our wonderful Australian culture. We have an amazing culture here in Australia. We should be lifting that up. I have a passion for wanting to do projects with Indigenous Australia and to be more involved. I’m working now on an Indigenous music video which I am finishing up first half of next year. It’s a very exciting project and one I feel lucky to be part of. Let’s show more of our local culture in our content!

Holly Throsby,

Simon Lister,

Luke Pearson,

Gamilaroi man, Founder of @IndigenousX

The death of the Australian Stereotype

PHOTO BY HEATH SIMS

language, I assume the guy speaks English, but I’ve never spoken to him, so I don’t actually know. It’s not relevant. So when we talk about a centralised language being important, or standing up for the national anthem or being friendly and celebrating Australia together on Australia Day, those things don’t matter for a good running country that has a sense of justice and equal opportunity. It’s just not relevant.

I don’t feel that we connect enough with our multiculturalism. I think we think we are multicultural, but whiteness

Songwriter, Musician and Novelist

As Australians, we haven’t been honest about where we’ve come from. And looking forward, the increasing inequalities in society are disturbing me. One of the things that most upsets me

Director, Nylon Studios and Photographer, UNICEF

It would be great to find a way to bring the connection that our Indigenous people have with our environment to the forefront of our culture and what it means to be an Australian.

Simon Lister

PHOTO BY SIMON LISTER

Jade Hameister

PHOTO BY PETER NYQUIST

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Indigenous Australians were here a long time before the European explorers. But it is important to have a day where we celebrate everything that we have to be proud of as a country. We need to be positive and come together in celebration rather than be made to feel guilty. Maybe the date should be changed, but we need an Australia Day. Jade Hameister, 16-year-old Adventurer

ARCHETYPAL

STEREOTYPE

AUSTRALIAN

The death of the Australian Stereotype

ULINITY C S MA

Ashley Thomson

I think Australians are viewed through three different stereotypes at the moment. Firstly, we’re viewed as hicks. We are similar to that idea of an American southern hick or a corn-chewing voter in the UK. We’re a whole country of hicks in the global mind. And we’re cruel ones. This is based on how we treat refugees, and what our politicians do that make global news – which is rarely good, like bringing a lump of coal into Parliament or eating an onion. Then I think we’re also viewed as hunks such as the sexualised Hemsworths, a lineage of the Aussie surfer hunk. The third category is a train of exception. It is represented by people like Germaine Greer in the 70s. “They’re Australian?!” people might say. I think there’s this basic cultural belief that Australia is not a nation capable of producing truly exceptional people because Australia is just not a remarkable country; it’s a country full of hicks and hunks. I had this experience when I went to the US where they really do care what university you go to – the university rankings are a big deal. I remember someone telling me ‘Yale is ranked x, Berkeley is ranked y’, and I said “I remember hearing that my University is always around the top 20 universities in the world” and the woman said “No, that’s not possible, no Australian university is in the top 20”. She was flabbergasted that Australia had an educational institution to rival Oxford, Harvard, Yale – it was just

PHOTO BY DANIEL BOUD

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unthinkable that Australia could be a nation with an education institution that good. Ashley Thomson, Student and Writer and Editor of HomerOnline.com

If I could change one thing about Australia it would be eliminating masculinity and femininity constructs. I know people will be busting out the pitchforks at statement, so please let me elaborate – because it’s not such a radical idea. When the topic of eliminating masculine and feminine constructs arises, people often jump to the assumption I’m talking about a genderless world where androgyny is compulsory and all children’s toys must be grey. Or, they think I’m attacking men or women. This is simply not the case. What I often ask people to do is imagine the following: I place an empty basket in front of you and say “In this basket I want you to place all the values, beliefs and behaviours that are important to you and that you want to personify. I want you to put them one-by-one, and as you put each one in, I want you to stop and ask yourself what the impact is going to be of putting this thing in your basket on yourself, and on others. Are the impacts going to be positive or negative? Why?” This basket will ultimately form your own philosophy of how you live your life and interact with others around you.

The way I see traditional constructs of masculinity and femininity is that they are simply pre-filled baskets. So, rather than you having the choice about what’s important to you and the way that you want to live your life, the baskets automatically decide for you. Now, these pre-defined baskets are a bit of mixed bag. There are likely to be some things in each basket that you really agree with and that are beneficial to yourself and other people, but there are also some things in that basket that might be deeply damaging. We live in a society where the masculinity basket is given to boys from birth and are told that they need to hang on to it above everything else. You must hang on to it. And when I say above everything else, that’s not hyperbole – I literally mean that. We live in a country where there are six guys out there that are alive right now, their hearts are still pumping blood, but won’t be by this time tomorrow because they’ll have killed themselves. And for a lot of those guys, they’ve committed suicide because the idea of ending their own life is less threatening – is a better option – than letting go of that basket which tells them to “just suck it up”. The idea of them talking about how they’re feeling or being emotionally honest has been so punched out of them, that letting go of that masculinity basket for even one second is so deeply ingrained that it is literally a worse option than death.

than death.

Lee Crockford, CEO, Spur Projects, and Creative Director, SPUR:LABS

It is rare you’ll see an Australian man cry. We still live in fairly traditional patriarchal society which reinforces ideals of masculinity as stoicism. The tears are silent. Bryony Cole, Sex Futurist

I understand that there is inequality, and I feel like there is a better way to work through it. Women are incredible. Just by nature they’re better at different things than men. I feel like I operate on this 2D plane and I see women operating in 3D. But I also feel it should be just, people. We’re people, we’re humans, each with a being. This brings up an interesting discussion around artificial intelligence – it’s neither male nor female.

Erica McLernon

I think that we come from a macho, bravado culture and talking about feelings is a new thing. We need to create an environment where we genuinely talk and listen. Australia is evolving, but we need more people speaking openly so we can understand the true issues Australia faces. How can we truly support one another and move forward as a nation together, if we don’t speak to one another and at least be open to a different point of view? Erica McLernon,

The death of the Australian Stereotype

option

For example, I often call people out on their homophobic comments and tell them I’m gay. Often the response will be a backtrack followed by comment along the lines of “Oh, well I didn’t mean you. You’re alright, you’re not one of those really camp ones. You know?”. The subtext to that is they’re saying it’s not the “gay” they have a problem with, it’s the “feminine basket” behaviour being exhibited by a guy that they have a problem with. And it’s just as common even amongst the LGBT+ community where the “masc” gays are “higher in the pecking order” than the “fem” gays.

And this is the particularly insidious thing about these pre-populated baskets – it doesn’t just dictate people’s own behaviours, but how they think other people should act, too. The director of the film Gaybe Baby said in her TEDx talk “Find the femininity in your father and the masculinity in your mother”. I love that. For me it sums a universal truth that no one does or can truly conform to the pre-populated baskets of masculinity or femininity – so why do we so desperately try to?

P H O T O B Y S A M W R I G H T P H O T O GRAPHY

WORSE

I believe it’s this that’s at the root of so many societal ills. Not just in regards to mental health and suicide in men, but also at the root of inequality and gender issues, domestic violence and homophobia.

PHOTO BY L EE CROCK F ORD

Culture is starting to shift at least a little bit and we’re now in a slightly hybrid world where guys are allowed, on very small occasions, to dip their hand into the feminine basket but only if it’s countered by enough things from their masculinity basket to counter it...This also articulates one critical aspect of the masculine and feminine basket construct: The masculine basket is “inherently better” than the feminine basket.

Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

Lee Crockford 22

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STEREOTYPE

TRADI

EDa

TION UCA

Dr. Amanda Mergler, Psychologist, Senior Lecturer and Co-Founder of the Girls Uniform Agenda

We have to look at our education system. What are we doing with young talent to help them to be as successful as they can be? In a rapidly evolving world, schools need to keep pace. And it worries me that universities cost so much it effectively means that poorer smart kids don’t get a

CEO, Blundstone

Taj Pabari, Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

In the end it’s about the youth. Consider youth now, job wise. You go to University, how much does it cost? A lot. And, when you finish, is there a job for you? No. I tell the school kids to consider a trade course. Or if they’re not sure what to study, to go overseas and then come back. Danny Lim, Activist

But I don’t think people have negative perceptions about the quality of education in Australia and especially not at the University of Sydney… The School of Physics is doing really well and just the amount of really interesting people is what makes it, there’s world experts in whatever field you’re interested in. I think like 7 or 8 people from the physics department have contributed to the new LIGO paper, about the gravitational waves merger.

The death of the Australian Stereotype

Steve Gunn,

seriously awesome… They wanted to learn. They were more than happy to try new things, they were curious and wanted to take different risks. And for us, what we had seen on the news was completely different to what we saw in this community. So, we profiled that in the form of video and, for us, it was just amazing. It was enriching. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and an opportunity I was very lucky enough to be apart of.

Education at the kids’ level is important for an understanding of the colonial past. And once the kids understand that, they’ll take that with them, and hopefully that will be a generational shift. I don’t think there’s a way of changing people’s perspective today, so it’s making sure that the curriculum is in place where the kids from ages 6 to 14 learn the perspective of our Indigenous people.

They WANT them in dresses. Dr. Amanda Mergler

Neil Peplow, CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

Petr Lebedev, PhD Student

Elverina Johnson PHOTO BY SAM WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY 24

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PHOTO BY SAM WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

To expect young students to conform to a uniform aligns with an expectation that they conform in their thinking. When students challenge the uniform code, they are dealt with quite harshly. This is so even when their request for change to the uniform code is reasonable. Recently, girls and parents have been asking for the right for girls to wear shorts and pants as part of their school uniform. In reality, girls and women have been asking for this for decades, but it’s only been getting press recently. It holds them back from playing sport and it restrains them in the classroom. Despite the reality that girls and women wear shorts and pants in every other area of their lives, and the fact that research shows that girls do less exercise when in a dress than when wearing shorts, many schools still refuse to allow girls to have this option because they want them in dresses.

go and therefore as a country we’re not making the most of those people – or we lose them. It’s interesting that NZ is talking about free university at the time that we’re putting the prices up.

L .

STEREOTYPE

IasAM

THE WHITE

Australian

TRALIAN

AUS

Being Australian is not the singular identity. As a third generation culture kid, the child of immigrants who came here as children, I am as Australian as the descendant of convicts. For every question on Australia there are a million right answers. We are a country of immigrants. We’ve made our Indigenous Australians feel like aliens. I guess being Australian is the shared frustration that you never throw a shrimp on the barbie and if we did, it would be a prawn, by the way.

Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

Growing up in a time when Pauline Hanson was on the news saying ‘we are being swamped by Asians’ wasn’t the greatest time. I thought of my identity a lot, I wondered why I was different. But it helped shape me, it helped me become more confident in who I was especially because I always felt supported by my Aussie friends who treated me no differently. But others would have had a different experience. I guess I was lucky.

The death of the Australian Stereotype

Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

Natalie Chandra,

descendants of

Dr. Dharmica Mistry,

What makes me Australian? A sense of belonging. I feel at home here. When I go around the world there’s part of me that pulls me to Australia. Identity is so varied and diverse – but if you feel you are Australian, then you are. Being Australian isn’t a particular personality, that’s just stereotypes. As soon as you get too specific you create an “other”.

convicts.

I have met people over the years who can relate to my journey and I know that whoever I am, however I got here, I am Australian. People are curious and eager to learn. Our job is to relay our story so that people are aware and we get rid of the stereotypes, stigmas and prejudices. That is why I am more than happy to talk about anything, not just my culture, but science and all aspects of me. Storytelling is a part of teaching. The more you talk to people the more they understand and say “oh ok I get it” and suddenly you are breaking down those barriers.

as the

Natalie Chandra

Stephanie Lorenzo, Founder, Project Futures

PHOTO BY SAM WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

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whereas settlers are fully entitled and expected to...assert their own norms and institutions and maintain dominance within that space.

PEARSON

Gamilaroi man, Founder of @IndigenousX

Bio: Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man, who founded @ IndigenousX in 2012. Luke left his professional career as a primary school teacher in 2008, but continued to take an interest in education and advocacy both professionally and voluntarily. Throughout his various involvements Luke has been a teacher, mentor, counsellor, public speaker, collaborator, mediator, facilitator, events manager, researcher, evaluator, reporter and much more.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

There’s always been contention around the collective name for Indigenous people. At the start, we were “aborigines” with a lowercase “a”, or “natives” or “savages”. Then we got Aboriginal with a capital “A” then we got “indigenous” and then “Indigenous” with a capital “I” and now First Australians.

The truth is, we never had a collective name for ourselves throughout all shared languages. Every group had their own name for who they were and there was never a need to have a name for everyone on the continent, or for a name for the continent itself.

Different people have different views but I have a real problem with Indigenous Australians being called “First Australians”. Because we are the last Australians. We were actively excluded from the Australian project and denied citizenship and a sense of nationhood and in so many ways are still excluded from what the best of what Australia is meant to represent and offer. In so many ways I don’t feel Australian, I feel Aboriginal, or Indigenous. I’m a Gamilaroi man. I don’t feel Australian. I don’t really know what it is to be Australian and the stereotypical perceptions of what Australianness is, are so politically loaded and manipulated, the framing of Australia Day is a prime example.

The mainstream aspects of Australianness that are held up by the institutions that represent Australia are not ones I agree with or aspire to or have any interest in. But as someone who lives in this shared space, there are so many amazing people doing so many amazing things, but they are very rarely held up as what it is to be an Australian. There is a sense of white nationalism and a desire to protect it and enforce it and to take us back to that, and so when they hold up the idea that “Australia is a multicultural nation”, I don’t think that we are. We are a country that has people from a lot of nations here, and we maybe embrace it with things like food, but we’re so aggressive in terms of things like “English is the only language we accept”.

Australia was only called Australia for the last 200 years, and we were actively excluded. Australia is a concept not a landmass. Australia was a multicultural country before it was called Australia. There is a mistaken belief that Aboriginal people are a homogenous group. Yet we know that every populated continent is made up of diverse people. We understand that innately when it comes to every other populated continent apart from Australia.

In many ways, the only group of people who are allowed to say “I’m just Australian” is white people. Like when someone says “Where are you from?” and you say “Melbourne” and you follow it up with “But where are you really from?” - that doesn’t happen to white people. White people are allowed to just come from Australia. Whiteness is invisible. Another example is if you Google “when did women get the right to vote in Australia” you get one answer. That answer is for white women. It’s just understood. But Indigenous women didn’t get the vote until the 60s.

Diversity and multiculturalism brings with it strength, and we don’t embrace that. Immigrants are expected to adhere to the settler society and creations,

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

There was an ad last year that showed the Australian story as an ever growing BBQ. Well, a lot of people still aren’t welcome to that BBQ. For me, that ad was an example of using diversity to sell lamb for a company that benefits from meat sales, rather than embracing the principles of diversity and multiculturalism. I would much rather see the diversity in their ads represented on their board of management and in their employee numbers, rather than in their ads. And if it’s not reflected internally, then it’s insincere and you’re exploiting the issue of diversity.

There are more opportunities now for individuals to create things and bring more people along with them. I think that there are a lot of people within my generation broadly who understand really, really well that it is not enough to succeed on your own, but you have to bring other people with you and as much as you can, you have to dismantle the obstacles that keep people out.

I certainly haven’t given up hope when I look at how many people and groups are still fighting and I think that as long as that flame still burns there’s still hope and there’s still opportunity. It still exists and it’s still strong. People still talk about Aboriginal sovereignty, the fact that things just aren’t right and more and more non-Indigenous people are coming to the table because of social media.

How does the world view Australians?

I think we are quite often seen as a very backwards, buffoons, racist, sexist, and I don’t think that perception is always wrong. Tony Abbott saying that global warming is awesome, things like that.

There’s a Charles Perkins quote along the lines of “We pray eternally that the White authority structure will not turn on us and impede what little progress we have made.” My generation is witnessing the unpacking of so much of the progress that was made was started in the 70s and 80s. The creation of Aboriginal Organisations, the Aboriginal education policies the Racial Discrimination Act, the Aboriginal Legal Services, the Aboriginal Medical Services. And not just those systems and how they operate, but why they need to exist is being unwound and pulled back so heavily that I can see how potentially it won’t be long until they disappear altogether and then we’re left back where we started.

We don’t know what the world thinks of us. We only know what a couple of media outlets in other nations say, or how we are represented in Hollywood. So I don’t think a lot of Australians have a very clear insight into how we’re framed, how we’re seen in one country versus another. I don’t know enough about the world stage to know myself.

Also, if we judge ourselves by the standards and perceptions of others, we fall into a trap as the rest of the world - which makes similar mistakes and commits similar injustices. It just validates you as “not being that bad” which isn’t great. From the Indigenous perspective, people saying “You’re lucky we invaded and not the French or the Spanish, because they would have…” is difficult. It doesn’t excuse what happened, and if we start judging our own actions based on whether or not someone out there has does worse throughout history, we stop having aspirations of being the best that we can be because it’s the right thing to do and it’s strategic and sensible.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I think our treatment of refugees is a key example of the dangers of promoting Australian identity and values. We’re using it to justify our mistreatment of other people, not to enhance the wellbeing of our lifestyle or our nation. We are aggressively using that jingoistic, patriotic cry to be racist.

When we look at reconciliation, so many people think it is about us all being friends. We don’t need to be friends. That’s not what brings about justice. I don’t know my neighbours names, but we manage not to kill each other really well. We don’t have to be friends to respect each other, to get along with each other, to co-habit the same spaces. If my neighbour’s house were to catch fire and I was there, I would do everything in my power to help and address the plight that he was in. I have my social groups, I have my friend groups. It’s not relevant that my neighbour and I like each other. That isn’t essential to treat each other with respect. We don’t have to share values, a language, I assume the guy speaks English, but I’ve never spoken to him, so I don’t actually know. It’s not relevant. So when we talk about a centralised language being important, or standing up for the national anthem or being friendly and celebrating Australia together on Australia Day, those things don’t matter for a good running country that has a sense of justice and equal opportunity. It’s just not relevant.

ELVERINA

JOHNSON

Indigenous Artist and Designer

Bio: Elverina Johnson, who comes from Yarrabah in far north Queensland, is a highly respected Indigenous artist. She won NAIDOC 2017 Artist of the Year. Elverina believes that the arts can empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and restore a genuine sense of pride in their culture and communities.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

I think a lot of people still cling to the Hogan persona, or stories of how ANZAC soldiers were so well respected by other armies and how these countries still think of us like that because of what we did for them in WWII. Even the ANZAC memory has been sort of co-opted into that very jingoistic, patriotic pro-government. Patriotism has never had its roots in being behind your government. But suddenly, that’s a thing now.

In fairness, a lot of us were kids coming up, we didn’t realise and now we’re watching progress being dismantled and that will either continue or it will slow down or reverse. And it needs to reverse. There needs to be so much more put into, not just those structures, but why they’re important, and why they need to exist and the capacity for what they can achieve. Advocacy arms have been dismantled, representative bodies dismantled, and the services that exist are constantly concerned about the future of their own funding, and constantly underfunded, and so yeah that worries me.

TRANSCRIPTS

LUKE

I also worry what will be the legacy of what my generation hands on to the next? Coming off the back of such staunch previous generations who achieved quite a lot, I don’t know. But there was an appetite for things to be created during those times that there isn’t now, so I think we’re fighting a very different battle. The racism that existed then was so transparent that it gave them leverage to argue for those structures, whereas now it’s not that there’s any less racism, but it’s less overt and it’s less easy to identify. You’ve got to look into the statistics, into the realities of it. But for many people, if the law isn’t overtly racist then racism doesn’t exist.

Even the anti-racism campaigns we see, through Racism Stops With Me for example, the stories are about sitting next to black people on the bus, or holding open an elevator door. It’s so unambitious about the realities of racism and its impact. The validation of “I sat next to a black person on the bus, I’m helping close the gap”, it’s the lowest level of tolerance as opposed to inclusion and dismantling racism. Understanding its broader impacts and implications in policing, and housing, and education and employment is a million miles away from that.

We might see calls to arms and media fuelled battles around individual instances of racism, but when it comes to long term systemic issues there are fewer battles and the Government might respond with a Royal Commission, which is just so complex and you may need to wait 10 years to see if anything happened, and then you realise it didn’t. It’s a way of buying time and keeping it for the next election or the next government to worry about - to create the appearance that you’re doing something about it without actually doing anything about it.

None of us are unique as we might like think, and that’s ok. It’s good to have a sense of self and to feel that you matter and that you are a distinct entity as opposed to a part of some mindless, faceless collective. What could make us unique is embracing our Indigenous cultures because that’s the only thing that is uniquely Australian.

I’ve had countless experiences of people reaching out to me, either in person or online going “What can I do to help close the gap?” and I say “Well, who are you? What do you do?”. You can’t just go and do a “thing” - but you can have a massive impact within your industry. If you’re a journalist, you can do your stories differently. If you’re a teacher, you can teach differently. The gap is not one single thing with an obvious solution.

In terms of our European heritage, England particularly sent lots of white people to lots of places, who similarly colonised other countries and so we’re not unique there. But the people who were invaded were quite unique. Right now, we don’t know where we walk. For example, you wouldn’t know if you were standing on a sacred site or a massacre site right now. We don’t appreciate where we are and what we’re a part of, and many people don’t have a connection to what went on both from a 65,000 year perspective and a 200 year perspective. They don’t understand either.

People need to educate themselves. We as Indigenous people are asked to tell everyone else what the answers are and make everyone else feel better about their white guilt. That’s a high level of emotional labour that’s expected of us.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

There’s nothing that is uniquely shared by Australians as opposed to humanity.

I would love to see that go on in a way where we can truly respect and embrace diversity and not feel that Aboriginal empowerment means Australian disempowerment, or welcoming refugees somehow undermines the Australian project, or the safety of Australian Nationalism. All of that is so innately tied up in very outdated racist attitudes.

There are so many people who actively deny the past in order to avoid shedding a tear over it. There’s so much effort put into justifying and glorifying the past.

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What you think it means to be an Australian today?

It’s not an easy question but I’ll try and answer the best that I can.

I’m an Indigenous Australian, I’m a First Australian, so in that context it makes me proud of who I am, to be a First Australian and to be part of a country that has a very dark history, but also a rich history as the oldest living culture in the world. And that’s something to be proud of. I’m a Gungganji woman and direct descendant of King Menmuny of Yarrabah and King Yini of Cairns Yidinji Gimuy, from Yarrabah in far north Queensland. We have a population, of almost four thousand First Nations people. I am a mother of four sons, and I have one grandchild who is nine months old.

How does the world view Australians?

When I went overseas people asked me about where I came from and as soon as I opened my mouth and spoke, the first thing they would say is “I love Australia, I love listening to the Australian accent of people.” But when I mentioned I was a First Australian, an Indigenous Australian, they would say to me “I’ve never heard of that, I’ve never heard of such people”. So, it was quite a shock for me to hear that, for someone to say that to me in another country.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I would love to see Aboriginal language and studies taught in schools across Australia, and I’d love to see people given the chance to go and experience an Aboriginal community as part of their education. I live about 40 minutes away from the city and there’s a lot of people near here that have not even been to my community. We’re only 40 minutes away. We need to break the stereotypes around who Indigenous Australians are. A lot of that needs to come from the media, we live in the social media world and any positive articles are good for helping others understand.

You can’t have an understanding of a culture if you’re not prepared to look at it, read about it, study it, understand it and then meet the people that were involved in order to move forward.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

There definitely is unfinished business within this country because of the dark history, and there needs to be some light shining on our history - but now there’s a few people that are willing to shine that light.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

What worries me about the future is that our young people, our Indigenous young people, are slowly drifting away from their identity because of negative influences in society. I’m at a natural language conference now, and there’s hardly any young people here. We are trying to maintain what we have and a lot of it is a result of colonisation, where our older people were told they were not allowed to speak it and they were punished for speaking it, so a lot was lost. So things like that worry me, that our younger ones aren’t maintaining their roots.

What excites me now is I’m happy about my children’s future and my grandson’s future. I think one of the things that I’m hopeful about for in future, for my children and hopefully the following generations, is the cutting off of all the negativity. If we all, as Australians, face up to some truth tellers and accept our history then we might be able to look forward as a nation, as a unified nation. I’m happy because my kids are optimistic about things and they’ve got the opportunity to learn a whole bunch of things and to be world ready. What came to my mind recently is that, from my mum’s generation and back, there were all these things that were stolen. But from my generation forward, I have personally made a declaration for myself and my children, that nothing will be stolen from me. So I’m hopeful that myself and my children will have the same wealth as anybody else in this country.

For me personally, I’m an artist, for 30 years I’ve been practicing in various mediums as a performer, singer, songwriter, visual artist and manager of different art projects. I run my own business as a consultant and run my own art shop, I’ve had it for the last 12 years. Recently, I won the NAIDOC Artist of the Year award. At the moment my work is being distributed, printed on silk scarves, by a company called Mainie. It’s been really good and I’ve had the opportunity to present scarves to high profile people. There’s just so many things that have happened, positive things, relating to my artwork.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I want us, as all Australians, to face up to some truth tellers and accept the history that happens in our country, so we might be able to look forward as a nation, as a collaborative unified nation.

I also think we have to change our mindset. That’s what I’m doing with myself and my children, I’m changing my mindset, I’m not gonna live under oppression, even though I’m fighting it every day, just by being black. We’re trying to move forward and be two-way strong as Indigenous people. Strong in our culture and strong in taking hold of all the successes that we could possibly have in the future for example getting that education, getting that degree, getting a job, taking opportunities - just because we’re Aboriginal doesn’t mean we are limited to the stereotype.

However, I like the fact that Australia is too diverse to simmer down into one identity. One of the things I love about Australia is how much of a melting-pot it can be. We are a contradiction of people and passions, yet it is that exposure to diversity that works in many ways. It’s not that there’s a lack of identity, but rather a montage of identities.

CROCKFORD

CEO, Spur Projects, and Creative Director, SPUR:LABS

Bio: Lee Crockford is passionate about instigating social change through innovation, design, and engagement. He is both the CEO of Spur Projects, a charity working in the area of men’s mental health and suicide prevention, as well as Creative Director of SPUR:LABS, which designs ground-breaking campaigns and initiatives for people and organisations who want to create real social impact. He is also an experienced facilitator and speaker - presenting and mentoring in numerous countries on social change, mental health, entrepreneurship, innovation, education, and arts.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

Some of these generalisations may hold an element of truth for example we’re a fairly laid back country, we believe in equality and fairness, etc. Yes, they might be true in many circumstances but there are certainly many examples to discount or counter these sorts of statements, too.

We learnt that in general people tend start their days with higher levels of anxiety. As the day goes on, that anxiety tends to drop, but anger starts to rise. Not surprisingly, at the end of the day, happiness and peacefulness increases. Happiness and peacefulness were the most frequently logged emotions, with anxiousness coming in third. This is a really important data-point as there’s research coming out of the US at the moment that indicates that, although sadness is most associated with thoughts of suicide, anxiety is strongly linked with actual suicide attempts. Considering that suicide is the leading cause of death in men in this country between the ages of 14-44, and that there are 3,000 suicides in Australia each year, this is a really important insight.

As humans I think we naturally gravitate towards identity. We are social and storytellers by nature, and identity is born out of the stories we tell ourselves and each other. Therefore, I think there will always be Australian identities. Added to that, “Modern Australia” is still new and so people purposefully look to seek identity. I did my thesis at university on the “Identity of Australian music” and even amongst my Indigenous friends, there’s an ongoing drive to define what it means to be Indigenous in a 21st century Australia. There are many challenges with identity though – not least of which is what the bloody hell is identity? Is it shared values? Is it behaviour? How unifying / representative / all-encompassing does it need to be? Not only is it impossible to get 20 million people agreeing on an answer, but I doubt we’d even agree on the question.

We made the anonymous data from the project completely open source for any individual organisation or government to utilise and our 2016 data is being used in something like 90 countries. Because of this open-sourced focus, we’re always conscious on how we design the app in order to capture a wide range of data that allows it to be used in ways we haven’t even thought about.

A single national identity is both impossible to define and a somewhat pointless exercise. What’s more important, I think, is understanding that everyone has their own version of their Australian identity. That these versions are valid and can co-exist. That we purposefully listen and understand other people’s versions. That we learn and grow from these multitudes.

The power of the data is in its specificity. For example, the data can tell us that young men in Melbourne between the ages of 18 and 24, who work in law, are most anxious between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 am on weekday mornings. So if you’re a law firm, this data can inform how you structure your office culture. For example, are you organising your team meetings when people are most stressed and are likely to be disengaged? If you’re running public transport, how do you design your services to cater (or counter) the fact that people are using your services in their most stressed mental state?

However, I appreciate that even this idea is divisive. There are many people out there who believe that not only does a single identity exist, but that it’s also critically important.

I think increasing diversity is such a positive thing. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to travel a lot in my life and have been exposed to a different social contexts, cultures, and experiences. I’ll willingly admit that my perspectives have changed a lot since I was a kid. I grew up what could be described as a middle class, pretty white bred context. I didn’t really know anyone who was gay or was a refugee or muslim, etc. I had a fairly conservative upbringing. But over the years I’ve had a range of experiences that have forced an expanded understanding of the world. Diversity is a powerful equalizer in the fight for acceptance, understanding and equality. You can read about things until the cows come home and yes, that can help, but I don’t think any of that is as powerful as face-to-face interaction and experience.

There’s always more we’d like to do with the app, and we’re fascinated by the possibilities of future biotech and things like wearables and how we might accurately can get it to a stage where people can manually log their emotions for a week or two, but then the technology can automatically understanding their biometric markers. This would allows us to gather longitudinal information without relying on human input.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

How does the world view Australians?

Some of the “stereotypes” of Aussies you meet while travelling are true – for better or worse. For example in London, the binge-drinking stereotype presents itself pretty frequently, especially on the tube around Shepherd’s Bush at 10pm. But then so is the “chatty, happy-go-lucky, no-worries” attitude.

LEE

where people tracked how they were feeling over the course of the day. We received over 60,000 submissions in just seven days. The app doesn’t just log what people were feeling, but when and in what context.

One thought that’s occurred to me over the years is that I think (an overly generalised) psyche of Australians seems to be somewhere between the UK and US. I think that we’ve picked up a lot of Americanisms around individualism and pop culture, etc. But, I also think we do have a lot of that stoic, antibravado British influence. We are certainly more “socially minded” than America in terms of healthcare and safety nets, but also carry a subconsciously imperialistic British mentality, too.

TRANSCRIPTS

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

In short, we want to understand how people around the world are feeling at all times, so that people’s mental health can be supported in the most powerful, accurate and efficient ways. Our ultimate goal is eliminating suicide. We think, however, it’s also important to constantly reassess and challenge our goals based on technology and an ever evolving society, too.

For example, I recently went to a conference and one of the discussions was around “catastrophizing your project” with future technological advancements. We learnt that in another 50 years our technology could be used for the automatic administration of drugs based on people’s emotions. Picture this - your wearable might automatically sense a spike in anger and administers a counter to that. This could have knock-on effect like potentially reducing crimes like murder or assault or DV. It could possibly reduce suicides by addressing overwhelming feelings of sadness or anxiety. However, it’s also has very Orwellian potential, especially in the hands of government.

Mental health is an especially sensitive or grey area, too. Unlike regulating physical health, which can be a little more cut and dry, there’s a wealth or moral and ethical questions that arise when addressing mental health.

So, in my experience as a white, male Aussie, I’ve noticed that people to respond to Australians in a way somewhere between way they respond to Americans and the British.

This is why we keep our long term goals a little fuzzy. In the shorter term our focus is on how can we create and share anonymous data that helps governments, organisations, not-for-profits, and individuals to improve mental health around the world. A big asterisk to all that is that positive mental health doesn’t just mean happiness. We are against the idea that only happiness should be ultimate goal. It’s not. We all need a wealth of emotions for a rich fulfilling life. However, when a particular emotion(s) starts to become overwhelming or destructive then, of course, that need to be addressed.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I think Australians generally rally around the idea of some core values. For example, if you asked people on the street “Do you believe in fairness? Do you believe in equality? Do you believe in giving everyone a fair go?” I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who would say no. But these are nebulous, high-level, fuzzy values that are easy to agree with.

The challenge, however, is when you start to drill down into how those values manifest in specific situations. For example, if you believe in equality, then what about equity in order to achieve equality, e.g. hiring quotas? What about the marriage-equality plebiscite? What about recognition of Indigenous people in the constitution?

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I’ve spent the last seven years researching, exploring and, at times, being really uncomfortable with questions surrounding masculinity in Australia.

It’s easy to say that you believe in certain values until the realities of these values start to conflict with other beliefs: That is when you really start to see opinions divide.

In short, I think Australians can easily rally around, and love the idea of shared values, but the reality is not so clear-cut.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

What I often ask people to do is imagine the following: I place an empty basket in front of you and say “In this basket I want you to place all the values, beliefs and behaviours that are important to you and that you want to personify. I want you to put them one-by-one, and as you put each one in, I

Last year Spur Projects launched “How is the world feeling?”, the world’s largest ever real-time mental health survey. It was an app for smart devices

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want you to stop and ask yourself what the impact is going to be of putting this thing in your basket on yourself, and on others. Are the impacts going to be positive or negative? Why? This basket will ultimately form your own philosophy of how you live your life and interact with others around you. The way I see traditional constructs of masculinity and femininity is that they are simply pre-filled baskets. So, rather than you having the choice about what’s important to you and the way that you want to live your life, the baskets automatically decide for you.

Now, these pre-defined baskets are a bit of a mixed bag. There are likely to be some things in each basket that you really agree with and that are beneficial to yourself and other people, but there are also some things in that basket that might be deeply damaging.

We live in a society where the masculinity basket is given to boys from birth and are told that they need to hang on to it above everything else. You must hang on to it. And when I say above everything else, that’s not hyperbole – I literally mean that. We live in a country where there are six guys out there that are alive right now, their hearts are still pumping blood, but won’t be by this time tomorrow because they’ll have killed themselves. And for a lot of those guys, they’ve committed suicide because the idea of ending their own life is less threatening – is a better option – than letting go of that basket which tells them to “just suck it up”. The idea of them talking about how they’re feeling or being emotionally honest has been so punched out of them, that letting go of that masculinity basket for even one second is so deeply ingrained that it is literally a worse option than death. Culture is starting to shift at least a little bit and we’re now in a slightly hybrid world where guys are allowed, on very small occasions, to dip their hand into the feminine basket but only if it’s countered by enough things from their masculinity basket. This also articulates one critical aspect of the masculine and feminine basket construct: The masculine basket is “inherently better” than the feminine basket. I believe it’s this that’s at the root of so many societal ills. Not just in regards to mental health and suicide in men, but also at the root of inequality and gender issues, domestic violence and homophobia.

For example, I often call people out on their homophobic comments and tell them I’m gay. Often the response will be a backtrack followed by a comment along the lines of “Oh, well I didn’t mean you. You’re alright, you’re not one of those really camp ones. You know?”. The subtext to that is they’re saying it’s not the “gay” they have a problem with, it’s the “feminine basket” behaviour being exhibited by a guy that they have a problem with. And it’s just as common even amongst the LGBT+ community where the “masc” gays are “higher in the pecking order” than the “fem” gays. And this is the particularly insidious thing about these pre-populated baskets – it doesn’t just dictate people’s own behaviours, but how they think other people should act, too. The director of the film Gaybe Baby said in her TEDx talk “Find the femininity in your father and the masculinity in your mother”. I love that. For me it sums a universal truth that no one does or can truly conform to the pre-populated baskets of masculinity or femininity – so why do we so desperately try to?

These constructs are strongly reinforced by men, but they’re also reinforced by women, too. And, it’s so deeply ingrained that it’s happening on an unconscious level – which is another reason why it’s so hard to change. For example, women often say “Oh, grow some balls”. I think to myself, do you realise what you just said about yourself? Yes, I appreciated it’s a well-worn phrase that maybe has lost some of its gendered connotations, but at its core, the idea is that men are inherently strong and women are inherently weak remains. In fact it’s deeper than that – for me it suggests that “even the strongest woman is inherently weaker than the weakest male”. I love Dan Savage - he often uses the term “ovary-up” instead. The reason I’m so against these pre-determine baskets is that people still grip onto them regardless of how self-damaging they are. They result in homophobia in the LGBT+ community, and they result in misogyny against women. It’s insidious.

In addition, I don’t think people realise how deeply, deeply ingrained constructs are and how early they develop. There’s was an experiment done in the US some years back which is tangential to this conversation, but highlights this point. A group of young kids aged roughly 4-6, an age that a lot of people would argue is too young to be yet socialised, would be shown both a black doll and a white doll. Then they would be asked which doll is “good” and which doll is “bad”. Almost all kids (both black and white alike) would say the white doll is good and the black doll is bad. The social construct that people of colour are inherently “worse” than white people was already being formed. Of course, this experiment isn’t about gender, but highlights how early norms and beliefs are subconsciously formed. Noni Hazelhurst once said, “what would it mean if we could empower women and mend the broken hearts of men”.

THEME

NATIONALISM

CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T CO - EXIST

MULT I CULTURALISM

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ARY 34

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

EXec -

What does it mean to be AUSTR ALIAN toDAY? It seemed like a simple question, yet almost all of the 72 voices struggled to answer. Obviously our shared national identity is not as clear as it once was.

After some deliberation, the most common response was that “to be Australian is to be diverse” - it’s our differences that unite us. Australia’s diversity is something we value, enjoy and are super proud of, especially when it comes to food. We were also reminded that Australia was a multicultural country before it was even called Australia. Many also felt that diversity is our biggest struggle; Australia is the most diverse country in the world per capita, but this doesn’t translate to us fully embracing multiculturalism.

Ironically, resistance to multiculturalism in our society today is in turn challenging some of the most traditional Australian values: Do we really believe in a fair go for all if that includes the “other?” Our conversations explored the curious tension between being proudly Australian and being proudly multicultural, where being “too Australian” or “too patriotic” is often associated with anti-immigration or nationalistic

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tendencies. Where else in the world are tattoos of star constellations being removed with such frequency? The Southern Cross has become complicated.

This raised the question—should we have one national identity? A number of people we spoke to, including a 9-year-old in Melbourne believes we shouldn’t, as this only creates an “other.”

However, it was hard for most to imagine or want an Australia without some shared values and beliefs. They wanted a common ground— beyond the land we all live on. They strongly believe that it was possible to have an inclusive, positive shared identity that makes everyone feel like they belong.

A number of Australians we spoke to didn’t consider themselves to be Australian at all. Some had been told they didn’t look Australian or “to go back to where they came from.” Others just didn’t agree with or aspire to what “Australianness” encompassed. Looking forward, it was inspiring to hear that even those who were most disappointed with our current attitudes towards multiculturalism could still find reason to argue why Australia at its best could grow to lead the world in what it means to be a great global citizen.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN

TO BE

Rangan Srikhanta, Founder and CEO, One Education

You know, I don’t even know how to answer that question and I suppose that’s probably an indication of where Australia is at. L-Fresh, Musician and Social Activist

I don‘t really identify with the term “Australian” because this stems from the deplorable government policy, bigoted and racist oppression of the nation’s First People and the general disenchantment I feel about our treatment of minorities, specifically refugees and LGBTQI folks. Not to mention the disregard our government seems to have with one our biggest assets: the natural environment. Katie Eraser,

I don’t think of myself as an ”Australian” as differences and choices, even if you don’t much as I think of myself as a human being. agree with those choices. It is about treating people fairly and giving all I really love this place, I love Australia and Australians equal opportunities and Tasmania. Tasmania is a really great freedoms, no matter where they come corner of the planet and it’s my home from, what their traditions are, or – and we all love our home. But for me whether they are male or female. Do we what it means to be ”Australian” is to have think this actually happening? won some sort of life lottery. My parents Margaret Steadman, broughtmeto Western Australia from Englandafter the Second World War and Activist and Advocate here I am in this prosperous, peaceful beautiful place. I am so lucky. But one of the most disturbing aspects of the 21st century is the rise of hyper -nationalism; being Australian, or being American or whatever.We are strugglingto be genuinely multicultural. We’re not doing particularly well at that at the moment.

Katie Eraser

What does it mean to be Australian today? Wow, that’s a very deep question.

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

AUSTRALIAN TODAY?

Being from an ethnic minority in the 90s in southern Sydney was on the whole wonderful, but sometimes alienating. No one was like me, no one had heard of a name like mine, no one juggled two cultures like me, no one even knew I spoke another language until I was much older. All I wanted to do was integrate seamlessly and be like everyone else. I was fortunate to have such amazing, strong role models in my parents, who for ethnic parents were truly liberal and free-spirited in so many ways and taught me to be adaptive and receptive to change. To me, to be an Australian today is to be open-minded and accepting of those who come from near or far. That is the Australian spirit and that is the

Artist

Margaret Steadman 36

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foundation of our nation. We are a lucky country and we need to know that and not take it for granted. We have an Indigenous history of thousands of years, we have a recent colonial history, and we also have a more contemporary multi-wave immigration history, with people from all over the world bringing their own histories and stories with them. Whilst this multinarrative history can be confusing and contribute to national insecurity, it has also been enriching and produced a vibrant, and mainly, accepting culture. That is why I think Australia is the future! It could be what the world will look like in time to come. A roam along the streets of our cities and you will see the array of culinary delicacies from every nation of the world; the cultural experiences of Indigenous, colonists and immigrants marked in our neighbourhoods; the diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds. We are a multiracial nation and irrespective of our original history, we do, in the main, embrace the future of our country as one. Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

At the moment, to be Australian means to be in a state of confusion and irresolution. I think “we”, as a country, and “we” as a world, are in a moment of a massive historical, political kind of structural confusion and a change of direction. A painful change of direction. Australian identity is right now in the midst of that, where we’re torn between the things that have made us great as a nation in the past – and the things that have made us atrocious as a nation in the past. Australia is such a weird and amazing country. To get even a beginning of the typical sense of what an Australian citizen looks like, let alone what a typical Australian identity is, you’d have to consider a hundred years of waves of immigration, often with extremely progressive ideas behind it. Greek immigration was this enormous show of humanity by the Australian government, helping a seriously in need population. Then Asian immigration, and now waves of immigration that are coming from the Middle East. It all led to really distinct, defined Australian identities that have settled in our national consciousness. I actually don’t think it’s such a bad thing that we don’t really have a unifying national narrative of values, beliefs, and practices. Ashley Thomson, Student and Writer and Editor of HomerOnline.com

I don’t look like what they think an Aussie looks like. They call me Ching Chong sometimes. It’s always there, you know? The simple things. Even today I was told “Bloody go home where you came from”.

I read a description once about Australia, we’re all in one house but it’s made up of many different rooms. And I don’t think all those doors are open between each of those individual rooms, if that makes sense.

I think for us to have an identity we need to be a republic.

I think that sadly a major problem at the moment in this country is that, and I’m going to quote Stan Grant on this one, that racism is at the heart of the Australian dream. And I think that it’s a huge, huge problem. So how can we be egalitarian? How can we reward people for fair effort and give people a fair go when there’s such a huge divide in our communities, and lack of respect, a lack of equality and a lack of empathy?

Danny Lim, Activist

And back again to our treatment of refugees, incarcerated offshore. We have a mistrust of the “other”, and I think that’s a remarkable problem. So I’m really worried that, as we look towards the future, if we don’t resolve some of these really core issues about what it means to be Australian and how to bring people together, it’ll become more and more increased. And so far, I think that’s proving to be the case, that it is dramatically increasing.

I genuinely don’t feel that there is a description for Australia anymore... because we are such a multicultural society that if we tried to stereotype in any way we would just exclude such a large group of people. My personal feeling is that most Australians would consider themselves to be healthy, environmentally conscious and socially aware people.

Fenella Kernebone, Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

It’s really very confusing. I don’t know what it is to be an Australian, or what it is to not be Australian. Is there an Australian identity? Other than meat pie and Holden cars? Holden isn’t even made here anymore. I’ve been living here for more than 35 years. I think I’m a proud Aussie but I found out that gee, I can never be an Aussie because

Fenella Kernebone, Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

I think our identity now needs to be better at acknowledging Indigenous people and our country’s true diversity in order to develop a national identity.

I think Australians need to start thinking again about what it means to be a good Australian. It’s ok if your identity changes because it has always been in constant flux.

Erica McLernon,

Jo Thornely,

Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

very

Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

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It’s really

Fenella Kernebone

Danny Lim

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confusing.

TO AUSTRALIAN

IS TO BE DIVERSE.

OF PRIDE, SOURCE

To be Australian means to be diverse. In Australia you think “wow” because there are so many different cultures, religions and points of view. We are one big community. There’s not one thing we all believe in because we’re all different – we have different gods, different beliefs, and I don’t think anyone should pressure anyone else to be the same as them. When I walk down the street it’s fun to see how many kinds of people I can bump into and they say: I am Spanish, I am Maltese, I am from China…The diversity is fun in the classroom. Last year when I was in year three we got to do a poster about ourselves and I got to see all the different people’s posters and I thought it was amazing. I am Scottish and Maltese and Spanish and Greek. And Australian, obviously. Avery Saliba, 10-year-old

AND VALUE

ENJOYMAustralia is a merging of many different cultures and I really embrace that and I really love that and I feel like I am the epitome of that, which I’m proud of. I’m really proud of my parents who came as immigrants knowing nobody and over the last 31 years have embraced the Aussie lifestyle so fully. I have two gay siblings and for such conservative Chinese Catholic parents it was very hard for them to accept, but recently they both voted YES on the same sex marriage survey.

ENT. Australia is a very multicultural country and there’s a lot of beauty in that, and I feel special to be living with people from different countries and cultures.

PHOTO BY NIK EPIFANIDIS

Bryony Cole

PHOTO BY EKATERINA KRAEVA

Kate Gaze, Professional Basketballer

Being an Australian today is about diversity, and the freedom to express that diversity. It is about celebrating working together to achieve excellence, and making Australia a better place because we were here.

Acceptance, tolerance and equality are Aussie values that makes Australia the country it is, well in my experience anyway. I love that. Yes some states and suburbs here might need more work than others, but overall I’m proud to call myself an Aussie.

Australia is a young country still working out the future while recovering an ancient history and blending in a range of other cultures and traditions. We are a mash-up, a patchwork of identities and ideals, and it is for that reason that generosity and a kind spirit are key Aussie values that enable us to steer together despite obvious differences.

Kim Brennan,

Stephanie Lorenzo,

Bryony Cole,

Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion

Founder, Project Futures

Sex Futurist

Avery Saliba

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

Kate Gaze

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We’re on an island, over 20 million people and we’ve got such a diverse range of people. We’re truly diverse. You consistently see the Young Australian of the Year List where the diversity in that list is huge.

P H O T O B Y B R O NWYN KIDD

I think we are very accepting. We debate ideas respectfully and I think that’s something that’s quite different to other places on the planet. We’re accepting of every single person’s point of view. We’ll listen. We’ll debate. We’ll challenge. You can literally put people who actually hate each other on a panel, we see it on Q&A, and you’ll get diverse thinking constructively. That’s something great about Australia. Taj Pabari,

Bronwyn Kidd

P H O T O BY VIRGINIA DOWSER

PHOTO B Y S AM W R IGH T P HO TO GR AP HY

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Melissa King

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

If you don’t pay attention to stuff in the media and you actually just look at what’s happening around you, it’s actually much more diverse than you might suspect. People should stop looking at their smart phones and reading Facebook updates about how diversity is such a bad issue in Australia and actually have a look around. I see diversity everywhere. The day, and this is going to happen soon, the day that diversity isn’t a buzzword anymore, it’s status quo, is going to be a great day, that’s what I’m hopeful for. I know we’re heading towards that and that’s a big deal. Tin Pang, Writer and Director

We come together in a land of hope. You hear refugees speak about the opportunity to be an Australian and some people have gone through significant hardships to come here. The challenge

Tin Pang

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that we have as human beings is to stand in other people’s shoes. It’s so easy to criticise. It’s not as easy to understand where some people have come from and the challenges that they have or that they’ve experienced. And that is really important and that’s what I talk about when I talk about being curious and asking questions, because there’s so much you can learn from each other by delving just a little bit deeper. Melissa King, CEO, Surf Life Saving Australia

We have grown up. We are now global. And this makes us accountable politically, environmentally, socially. Our diversity in our culture is creating more diversity in how we are viewed by the wider world and no longer are we the warm and fuzzy “no worries, she’ll be right” nation. There are many differing beliefs and attitudes, there are many different Australians and that is being noticed. My biggest fear is isolated cultures. Integration of cultures takes time and I am very aware that when the Italians and Greeks immigrated to Australia back in the 1950’s, they were not treated respectfully by many locals. I hope that times have changed. We all love Italian, Greek, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, and Indian food. Food unites us, understanding, respect, compassion. Love for each other comes from enjoying each other’s cultures. I am hopeful that newcomers to Australia can share their culture and embrace the diverse culture that is around us and that we embrace theirs so that we don’t create areas of isolated cultures and fragmented communities. Bronwyn Kidd, Photographer

Acceptance,

tolerance and

EQUA L ITY are Aussie values Stephanie Lorenzo

UNITED THROUGH SHARED

FREEDOMAN D

COMMON As we grow more diverse, Australia still needs to stand for something. There needs to be some sort of connective tissue. We are largely tolerant, accommodating people and we get along regardless of where people are from and what their background is. This is important to keep. Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

I don’t think you can clearly define what the Australian story is, but I think it’s an exciting time to be finding out what it could be. The colonial story which kick-started the country has now morphed into a new reality with different waves of immigration. And you see a struggle between these two stories everyday. It’s important to have an understanding of what it means to be Australian, which is a sense of identity and pride and a sense of belonging. Because if you don’t have that, then you’ll find that elsewhere, and that might not necessarily be a positive identity that you then align yourself with. And it’s not just Australia that’s struggling with this. Every country suddenly has been faced with the internet, that allows knowledge to be transmitted globally, which then deconstructs the nation state.

But if you’re living next door to somebody, you have to have common themes and common motifs and a common history that you both understand, because it just makes being a neighbour easier. We are something unique, and it’s that uniqueness that people want to see. And what I see in some of the stories that come through the school is people not trying to grapple with that Australian perspective, which means that they’re then diluting that uniqueness and making it more bland and making it less interesting to the rest of the world. Neil Peplow, CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

Being Australian is less about your background, ethnicity or what language you speak, what religion you ascribe to, where you were born. As if we were to typify an “Australian” in this context, it would be impossible to encompass and do justice to the diversity and richness of the people that make up our country. Rather, being an Australian to me is about the personal freedoms and liberties that we are afforded. As Australians today, we enjoy rights denied to so much of the world. We live in a democracy where we are entitled to freedom of speech,

thought, choice and religion. We have access to civil, legal and political rights. We are blessed with opportunity, safety and security and we are free from conflict. We have access to institutions that protect us when we are sick, unemployed and vulnerable. Equally, we are entitled to challenge those institutions, free from reprimand if we so choose. While there is progress still to be made, we are fostering a culture of tolerance and acceptance and one that embraces our diversity. These liberties and characteristics are what make us Australian.

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

VALUES. Natalie Cope

PHOTO BY SAM WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

It’s not just

We are bound and united by our equal access to civil and political liberties. That we promote and support parliamentary democracy and have faith in our judicial systems and rule of law. We are inextricably bound by a sense of fun, a desire to create a sense of belonging and a collective passion for sport. Despite our diversity, we are united by a collective desire to maintain a fair, safe, tolerant and open society that promotes community, opportunity and progress. While there is undoubtedly room for improvement, this is the case with any country and society.

Australia that’s struggling with

Natalie Cope, Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

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this

Neil Peplow

Rangan Srikhanta,

When some people arrive from places such as Sudan they can be illiterate in their own language, let alone English, so we need to be mindful that we are asking a lot of them to jump on bandwagon of mainstream Australia.

Founder and CEO, One Education

Australia is a very optimistic place and a very multicultural place. Australian life is still underpinned by a fair go and equality for all. This hasn’t broken down, we are still one people. We mostly believe in the fair go and the same rights and opportunities for all. Each group of immigrants feels separation and isolation, it’s true for each group, but it takes less than a generation to feel at home. Part of feeling at home is home ownership, paid work, community activities, availability of local cuisine and making a contribution to the community.

Caroline Overington,

National identity gets broader as we grow more diverse, but that doesn’t have to mean weaker. It’s not watering it down. You can still go to Bunnings and get a sausage and wear speedos; that’s still valid. As a third culture kid, as an Asian, as a student, my identity doesn’t threaten other identities. It’s just one expression of what it means to be Australian. Natalie Chandra, Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

I think if you’re going to be an Australian today you’ve got to be able to follow the rules and regulations of the country. You’ve got to be able to hand over your beliefs a bit, I think, and take on the beliefs of Australians... burqas and things, that’s for another country. When you come to Australia, you don’t bring it with you, you come here with the full intention of developing yourself or having a family that does things the country’s way.

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

We are one people of many different faiths and backgrounds who are committed to a fair and democratic country in which to live.

Caroline Overington

What it means to be Australian no longer exists in a vacuum, given our diversity, our collective identity is very much entrenched in a global perspective few countries can rival. I have always found it interesting, what it means to be Australian. I came here when I was two months old after my family fled the brutal Sri Lankan civil war where Tamils were massacred en masse. So to come to Australia and to be provided not only with equal opportunity - but better opportunity than we would receive in Sri Lanka is what makes being Australian a true blessing. I also think there is a bit of give and take. I feel like you are able to bring your identity to the table, but sometimes you have to be willing to embrace and evolve your interpretation of your identity to adapt to the diverse society we live in.

Lindsay Carmichael, Co-Owner, Daly Waters Pub

Author and Journalist

Rangan Srikhanta

P H OT O B Y AD R IA N C OO K

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Amrita Hepi

THECOUNTRY’S

WITH STRUGGLE RALISM.

Amrita Hepi, Bundjulung and Ngapuhi woman, dancer, choreographer and activist

MULTICULTU

Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

Australia is still trying to figure out who it is. It’s not as clear to us as other countries because they’re so old and have had centuries to grow and mature. We’re young. We’re only just coming out of our teen years - which means we’ve been an arrogant little shit with a bad haircut - and we’re going into our 20s now and starting to explore our identity. That means making lots of mistakes and learning from them so when we reach our 30s hopefully we’ve matured. That’s why the prospect of our generation running the country someday truly excites me. I dream of Australia being a country that celebrates our diversity and champions it as a cornerstone of our identity. We’re definitely not there right now and that frustrates me a lot. Right now there is an undeniable divide that comes from fear and a lack of education. It upsets me to see Australia labelled as a racist country

I’ve only travelled overseas a few times, so my personal discussions with people on this matter are somewhat limited. But in most of them there seems to be two major points that keep coming up. 1) Australia is a wonderful place with beautiful cities and scenery and friendly people who love a laugh. 2) Australia has a racism problem.

not because that isn’t true, but because people can’t see it ever changing. That divide, that lack of empathy, it hurts. I dream that our generation will find ways to connect people from all walks of life. To illustrate to them we’re not that different. We all want the same thing on the deepest level. I hope to see the day we all realise that Stefan Hunt, Director and Artist

There are some uncomfortable truths that need to be acknowledged. That while we are “multicultural”, we may not be seen to be truly committed to making multiculturalism work, as we have a fear for the unknown and a lack of acceptance of difference. One only needs to look to the international ire for our treatment of refugees. While we are progressive and liberal, we are also archaic. While uncomfortable, it is important to acknowledge this because without it we cannot begin to address painful realities.

Huw Parkinson, Video Editor and Storyteller, ABC Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

The way we’ve treated so called “illegal immigrants” has been a step back, it does get talked about overseas, and it’s seen to be unAustralian.

What excites me about the future of Australia is that we will get over our cultural and colonial amnesia and stop oppressing Indigenous people.

In my travels, I have generally found that Australians are viewed as friendly, fun and easygoing, but I have noticed there is also sometimes a stain of racism, depending on how educated a person is about, for example, our history of the white Australia policy, the way we view our indigenous people and how we are now treating asylum seekers. From the perspective of the United Nations, we are breaking our commitment to the 1951 Refugee Convention in our treatment of asylum seekers who arrive by boat. And Donald Trump thinks we are ‘worse than the US’ when it comes to our treatment of these people, which I think is really saying something. People say that the stories on New Humans Of Australia make them cry, often the stories where a refugee has triumphed over the terrible difficulties they have faced in their life. I think these stories speak to our common human experience of struggle.

Natalie Cope, Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

Nicola Gray, Founder, New Humans of Australia

Nicola Gray 48

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home, I’m like an ad for Australia, people are like “What’s Australia like?” and I’m like “You have to come, you have to see this, it’s amazing”, but there is this stuff going on, and you need to deal with it, there’s complexities, just like anything else.

We still have politicians using nationalism and the rhetoric of what is or isn’t Australian, or deemed as Australian values to perpetuate or create policy that is exclusionary.

A lot of the people who will attack or criticise my points of view or perspective of things, when I do have critiques on Australia, totally disregard all the positive things I have said. I put out a song about racism at a systemic level and it talks about my story of growing up here, and what that’s been like, and what I feel like we could do in terms of sharing story and building community and stuff like that, and people will stand there and be like “Well, you’re spreading hate” and “You’re ungrateful” or “Why are you here if you’re always complaining?”. There’s a lyric in the song that says “Born in South West Sydney, I’m grateful to be breathing” because I’m so happy that I’m here, I’ve been to other countries, I love travelling and it’s such a great experience, but I’m so happy that I’m able to call Australia

I think our multiculturalism is our biggest strength and we need to get that right, we can be more open and educate ourselves. We need to update the values that bring us together and be more inclusive even when showing signs of nationalism. What I mean is someone doesn’t necessarily have to be Australian for me to treat them humanely. We give Australians a fair go, but what about the rest of humanity? Do they have to be Australian to be treated like that? Essentially, for someone like me, automatically you look at my skin colour and it disqualifies me from what other people say Australian is. So I have to implement my values two times more powerfully, maybe three times more, and to be a better person, to be considered Australian. I think it’s time we redefine that. The values that represent us need to evolve, just like the country has.

L-Fresh, Musician and Social Activist

Nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere, where you don’t belong. I wanted a free life without politics, I wanted to study, I wanted a safe environment to walk without any fear. I was seeking asylum for the safety of my life and I arrived at Christmas Island by leaky boat on 21st of July 2013. I was so lucky to survive in a leaky boat having crossed the big ocean. But while the ocean showed mercy to save my life the Australian authorities didn’t showed any mercy or humanity, They took me to Manus Island detention centre by force. My hope was taken and I was stuck in a limbo for years and still to date Australian authorities don’t want to protect me and don’t want to give me my rights. My hope was killed by the authorities slowly but I didn’t let them take it and still today they are trying and pushing me to hell so hard but I tell to myself I’m human just same like Dutton and I have the same rights as he does.

PHOTO BY MICHELLE GRACE HUNDER

When people who don’t appreciate something about you, or if you’re not the white fit that’s viewed as acceptable, then you’re not a real Australian, then you need to go back to wherever you came from. So, if you don’t like it, leave it. That’s the saying here.

Australia is multicultural by force. The history of this country and the people that started to come into it – whether they are welcomed or not– you see the Indian community having a crazy impact over here for example.

I have to implement myvalues more POWERfully.

There’s also a positive vibe around what the term “Australian” means, it’s changing. I was born in South West Sydney, so I don’t need anybody else to tell me that I am or I am not Australian. I know what I am, I don’t need your approval, I really don’t care. So this is my definition, and I’m not the only one that has that mentality, there’s generations of us who are like “You know what, we don’t care, we’re Australian. We contribute to this society, we pay taxes and we do good for our community and for the national community, so who cares what you think?” Does that raise to a political level, which then translates into policy? No. It doesn’t resonate on that level - yet.

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

To be Australian has historically been very exclusionary and there was a point where they said “OK, well Australia needs to become multicultural”, because if it didn’t become multicultural then it just wouldn’t survive as a colony.

Abdul Samad, Asylum seeker, Manus Island

PHOTO BY SESHANKA SAMARAJIWA

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L-Fresh

PUSHING ON BACK

NATiO NALISM

I love this place. I’m very proud to call myself Australian and I couldn’t think of a better place to call home; but I certainly don’t identify as a flag-bearing nationalist. In my opinion, anyone who respects the land, honours the history, pays taxes and chooses to call Australia home is “Australian”. And consequently free to define what makes them “Australian” in their own right. Riley Blakeway, Writer and Director

I fear we will become overly nationalistic. Nationalism only creates a feeling of something being ‘mine’, and that can lead to negative outcomes, such as war. Nationalism seems old fashioned to me, considering how the world is now constantly flowing with people migrating from one place to another, and I hope the world will eventually move into a post nationalistic state. I don’t think any of us whose ancestors migrated to Australia from another place have the right to say ‘this is our country and it can’t be yours’. Nicola Gray, Founder, New Humans of Australia

Nationality is quite a funny way of segmenting people these days. It is kind of funny that Trump will say all this stuff about “America First” because it’s such a global world and to be saying stuff like that sounds inhuman. The world is so global. Cultures are important for sure, I’m just not sure how much it’s driven by your geography anymore. Australian culture is whatever the people feel or people want to follow here. It’s not tied to the geography mass that we happen to live on. It would be correlated with that, because it’s a big driver of the things you hear and see, but especially in Australia when half the people aren’t even from here, I see being Australian as a fairly global concept.

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

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Tim Fung,

The question of “what does it mean to be an Australian today?” is an interesting thought exercise, but possibly a fruitless one as I can only tell you what it means to me to be Australian. I think trying generalise the Australian experience is setting yourself up for failure. I don’t think it’s possible to define a single identity or psyche of 20-odd million people – especially when something like one third of people or their parents were born overseas. I think you’ll just end up with stereotypes and over-generalisations. Some of these generalisations may hold an element of truth for example we’re a fairly laid back country, we believe in equality and fairness, etc. Yes, they might be true in many circumstances but there are certainly many examples to discount or counter these sorts of statements, too.

Founder and CEO, Airtasker

I think we’re going to increasingly become global citizens. I think one thing about globalisation and this shrinking of the planet is that we get to understand about how we’re more alike than we are different. And I think in some respects… that also means you lose a little bit of magic, a little bit that differentiates.

Michael Burgess, Chief Student Experience Officer, Western Sydney University

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that, “Modern Australia” is still new and so people purposefully look to seek identity. I did my thesis at university on the “Identity of Australian music” and even amongst my Indigenous friends, there’s an ongoing drive to define what it means to be Indigenous in a 21st century Australia. There are many challenges with identity though – not least of which is what the bloody hell is identity? Is it shared values? Is it behaviour? How unifying / representative / all-encompassing does it need to be? Not only is it impossible to get 20 million people agreeing on an answer, but I doubt we’d even agree on the question. A single national identity is both impossible to define and a somewhat pointless exercise. What’s more important, I think, is understanding that everyone has their own version of their Australian identity. That these versions are valid and can co-exist. That we purposefully listen and understand other people’s versions. That we learn and grow from these multitudes. However, I appreciate that even this idea is divisive. There are many people out there who believe that not only does a single identity exist, but that it’s also critically important. Lee Crockford, CEO, Spur Projects, and Creative Director, SPUR:LABS

I think as we globalise what it means to be Australian, or what it originally meant to be Australian, gets washed away. It is what it is. I can’t say that I’ve personally ever identified with the whole hard-working, Outback Australian. Even though my family kind of have that bit of a background, but it’s neither here nor there. I do hope that as we progress, we don’t lose those values and we don’t lose our history and we don’t lose Australia, our incredible country. Jake Bley, Content Creator and Social Media Strategist

Being Australian is great and I’m proud of it, but just being an honest person that knows yourself is more important. I think people are searching for validation. But

I think maybe it feeds into why I do what I do. I run a company, but it is very community based. It’s about sharing with as many people as possible. Empowering, enlightening and listening as a group. I’m happy to share all I’ve learnt, what I’m learning. Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

There is a sense of white nationalism and a desire to protect it and enforce it and to take us back to that, and so when they hold up the idea that “Australia is a multicultural nation”, I don’t think that we are. We are a country that has people from a lot of nations here, and we maybe embrace it with things like food, but we’re so aggressive in terms of things like “English is the only language we accept”. If multiculturalism is prefaced on the notion that assimilation is a great thing, then you’re not multicultural. Multicultural is not just having people from other cultures there, it is embracing the strengths and the values they bring to enhance the nation that we live in, and we don’t do that.

ONE COMMON GROUND

The other thing is we have hundreds of traditional languages, many of which are fighting massive uphill battles to survive today. Australia was a multicultural country before it was even called Australia. For some reason, people are surprised when you say “actually, there were hundreds of nations with hundreds of languages” and even though there were things that tied us together, and similarities as there are continents, there were massive differences as well. That is not understood, it’s not embraced, it’s not valued. We don’t appreciate where we are and what we’re a part of, and many people don’t have a connection to what went on both from a 65,000 year perspective and a 200 year perspective. They don’t understand either. The mainstream aspects of Australianness that are held up by the institutions that represent Australia are not ones I agree with or aspire to or have any interest in. But as someone who lives in this shared space, there are so many amazing people doing so many amazing things, but they are very rarely held up as what it is to be an Australian. Diversity and multiculturalism brings with it strength, and we don’t embrace that. Immigrants are expected to adhere to the settler society and creations, whereas settlers are fully entitled and expected to...assert their own norms and institutions and maintain dominance within that space.

is the

LAND

Nationalism and mulitculturalism can't coexist

The definition what it meant to be “Australian” back in the day was “Fair Dinkum” hard-working hard-yakking kind of people. It’s now a lot more of a focus on white-collar and affluence and smarts. Back in the day it used to be about how you made something, but now it’s about learning about how things are made and then teaching other people.

why are you searching for validation? You’re an awesome human being. I don’t like the idea of America saving us, or even Australia saving the world. People can save the world, people can inspire the world, people can make the world more exciting, not Australians, not Americans and not the French.

Luke Pearson, Gamilaroi man, Founder of @IndigenousX

Nationality is quite a funny WAY OF segmenting people. 54

Tim Fung

All Australians today, no matter whether they identify as Indigenous or not, are strongly tied to our beautiful land: we are brought up on beaches and farms, in deserts and in rainforests. Communion with nature has a way of creating fast and clear feedback that allows even the most beguiled among us to temper their ideologies. After all, there are right ways to avoid being caught in a riptide, right ways to grow crops, and right ways to find water in our Red Centre. Spend time outside and you will quickly learn which way is up and which way is down.

Arthur Alla, Director, Red Earth

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Which way is up Arthur Alla

and hich way is down.

The definition of being Australian, I mean Australia is a beautiful country and via social media, we definitely get to show it off. I know that the Australia Tourism Instagram account is the most followed in the world, it’s beautiful. But I also think that we’re actually turning into more of an American model, an American mindset. We’re all moving towards a globalised model, a global connection.

members from a war-torn country to Australia. I think it is very important to delineate the political discourse with the grassroots because the vast majority of Australians are compassionate. We come together in tragedy. Australia’s response to the Port Arthur massacre was phenomenal. It is quite beautiful when we get it all together and we say “screw it, we’ll do it”.

RANGAN

SRIKHANTA

Founder and CEO, One Education

L-FRESH Musician and Social Activist

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

What does it mean to be Australian today? Wow, that’s a very deep question.

We’re actually quite welcoming at the grassroots level, if you step away from all the political debates. If you find a true Australian who doesn’t give a shit, it’s actually almost welcoming. Actually that might just be that we’re lazy, but I actually think a true Australian is someone who doesn’t judge an individual because of their background.

How does the world view Australians?

Everything is changing. It actually depends on where you go. I think in some areas we’re seen as racists. I think that in some subcontinental Asian countries, we are not seen that favourably. But I think that generally speaking, I think we are probably seen as enterprising and easy going.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry? Injustice makes us cry.

What makes us laugh? We are phenomenal at laughing at ourselves. Once people set aside their egos and their pride they come to appreciate how we don’t take everything so seriously. I think it takes a certain degree of maturity to get to a point where you can finally laugh at yourself.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

We are primed for inspiration. We fully got onboard with the whole Kevin ‘07, you can see that we wanted to be whisked away. And now we are very primed for another “yes we can” and we were expecting it with Turnbull. People were expecting him to execute on the rhetoric that he had promised when he was on Q&A and all that stuff, and when he came in he had a 70% approval rating because people felt “great, we’re going to get this thing going” - we believed we were going to get a balance and be a progressive society. There needs to be a lot of systemic change, but it has to be well thought out. But we need someone to come up, to step up to the plate. To execute something really crisp. I think those people are out there, it’s just they’re not bubbling up to the top. I think we’re getting there. We are ripe for significant disruption.

And I think we’re pretty good at coming together, I think Australian people are above average compassionate individuals. I think we’ve lost a bit of that recently in terms of how we’ve taken people who want to settle here. My family were here on the basis that the government at the time decided to have this policy around Family Review which allowed people to bring their family

I think Australia is pretty much the place to be. I think even more so now, than ever. Through the internet we are living in a society where you don’t need to leave Australia for opportunities and you can be successful here. I think we have got a perfect balance across the board. What excites me is the fact that, as time goes on, Australia is just going to continue and become one of the best countries to live in. I’m pretty optimistic.

At One Laptop per Child Australia we managed to get some corporates on-board such as CPA and Telstra, then went out to a lot of remote Indigenous communities, distributing the low cost computers. We started to develop our own approach that was different to what was happening globally, we learned a lot about the usage of technology for education and we got into a position where we could convince the government, and we did convince the government to jump on board and help us roll out 50,000 computers. After this, we were ready to do more and so we picked up all the lessons and decided to rebrand. We kept the same legal entity but rebranded as One Education and came out to the market with our own device. In the last two years we have partnered up with Microsoft and we’ve developed a social enterprise approach to delivering technology for education.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

Success is measured by the bottom line, when in reality the world is moving to a space where the social benefit can outweigh the financial benefit. That’s the next frontier. You still need to be financially sustainable, but not when it comes at the cost of everything around you. I think that’s why the whole Tesla story resonates; I don’t think people are concerned with them making money because the benefit outweighs the cost and the amount of money that they’re pouring back into more social good with the development of solar cities and all these other ventures. I’d like to think that Tesla is, in some sense, a social enterprise. And so that’s my headspace - the trick is to see if we can pull it off as a not-for-profit.

You have to opt in, and by opting in, you have to shed everything that is deemed “un-Australian”, which might be your culture, your language, everything that you’ve held dear, you might have to abandon that. When people who don’t appreciate something about you, or if you’re not the white fit that’s viewed as acceptable, then you’re not a real Australian, then you need to go back to wherever you came from. So, if you don’t like it, leave it. That’s the saying here.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia? The thing that probably scares me the most is the threat of another significant war, if you look at what is happening with North Korea etc. We should be de-escalating and not antagonising countries like China into action. We should be stepping up and probably yanking the chain on the Americans - Australia has a good blueprint for mateship which also includes mates who tell each other when they’re wrong, pulling them into line. That’s what mates do. My concern is a lack of political courage, and a continuous myopic short-termism.

TRANSCRIPTS

Bio: Rangan is Founder and CEO of One Education, a One Laptop per Child spin-off. At One Education, Rangan has developed an innovative approach to providing equity in education through the use of technology built for learning. Rangan came to Australia when he was two months old, as his family was fleeing the war in Sri Lanka. He graduated from University of Technology Sydney with a degree in computer science and business and started his career at Deloitte.

Bio: Prowling the Australian scene, Western Sydney artist L-FRESH The LION has quickly become renowned for his powerful presence, inspiring live shows and thoughtprovoking lyricism. His organic amalgam of world-class music and social activism has seen him seamlessly segue from underground events and ciphers to national tours and major festivals, the natural ascent of an MC with an abundance of purpose and self-belief. He is Australia’s only fellow for YouTube‘s Creators For Change program, an ambassador for All Together Now and White Ribbon Australia, as well as a brand ambassador for Holden, AFL NSW/ACT and RES Denim.

What is a country without culture? History is history, what has happened has happened. What we can control is the future. If we could go about the whole reconciliation process with dignity and full respect to Indigenous people, Australia would be one country. It’s not us and them. Australia is multicultural by force. The history of this country and the people that started to come into it – whether they are welcomed or not– you see the Indian community having a crazy impact over here for example.

I think our multiculturalism is our biggest strength and we need to get that right, we can be more open and educate ourselves.

We need to update the values that bring us together and be more inclusive even when showing signs of nationalism. What I mean is someone doesn’t necessarily have to be Australian for me to treat them humanely. We give Australians a fair go, but what about the rest of humanity? Do they have to be Australian to be treated like that?

There’s too much short-termism. I read an article where they spoke to Tim Fisher who was a minister during the Port Arthur massacre. And he was saying he came from a rural area, and they were going to be most affected by new gun-control laws. And what happened was they lost 10-12 seats. But eventually they clawed it back. If you look at them now, John Howard and Fisher are seen as messiahs. They did a lot of tough things that weren’t popular but they had political foresight. I think we need a bit more of that.

Essentially, for someone like me, automatically you look at my skin colour and it disqualifies me from what other people say Australian is. So I have to implement my values two times more powerfully, maybe three times more, and to be a better person, to be considered Australian. I think it’s time we redefine that. The values that represent us need to evolve, just like the country has.

We’re a freaking awesome country to live in. We don’t need to get dragged into wars that we haven’t created and let’s face it I don’t think Australians have ever created a war. I don’t know if the US would necessarily just wilfully jump into something that Australia just got into. It’s like your parents saying “Hey I don’t like you hanging around with that person because I don’t think they’ll do the same for you”.

And we probably lack a bit of perspective. I mean look at the Syrian crisis and things like that and countries like Turkey and Germany taking hundreds of thousands of people and we were nickel and diming over 1,000 people? It wasn’t too long ago when that was the only way you could get to Australia. So that’s probably the one thing we can get a bit better at. Then again it could just be the political discourse.

Overall, we need to have a bit of a course correction and probably get a bit more self-confidence in who we are in the world. And then that selfconfidence will help us attract talent back to Australia.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

If there’s one thing we could change, I think it is probably our political system.

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you’re always complaining?”. There’s a lyric in the song that says “Born in South West Sydney, I’m grateful to be breathing” because I’m so happy that I’m here, I’ve been to other countries, I love travelling and it’s such a great experience, but I’m so happy that I’m able to call Australia home, I’m like an ad for Australia, people are like “What’s Australia like?” and I’m like “You have to come, you have to see this, it’s amazing”, but there is this stuff going on, and you need to deal with it, there’s complexities, just like anything else.

Also, Australians have a deep rooted level of insecurity. If you start to make a critical point about something, particularly in reference to history, politics or in race or sexism or whatever it might be like, tears flow. They say “What are you talking about”, “Stop complaining”. But this anxiety and insecurity are coming to a head and meeting global attention.

How does the world view Australians?

It’s interesting because when I travel I get asked two questions repeatedly, “Is Australia really racist?” that’s one question. And the second question is, “Have you seen a spider this big?”.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

We’ve got a pretty good sense of humour, I love the Australian sense of humour, it’s so dry, we love sarcasm, which not a lot of people get the same way Australians do. Something else that makes people laugh and have a good time is obviously sport. Australians love supporting the underdog. They love the underdog story and when the underdog loses, that really hurts. I think that makes Australians cry. At the same time, I think it makes Australians cry when we also have like a layer in a deep, well not even like a layer, just a deep rooted level of insecurity.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

I think it depends on who you are and who you ask, but if we’re talking about the mood of the country, and we’re talking about politics, just generally speaking? I think there is a level of dissatisfaction. The plebiscite, the fact that even got put out, has created a level of tension and division and dissatisfaction in the process, the failure of the NBN, and they’re coming out and the Prime Minister saying it’s been an absolute failure, and it’s the project he headed, there’s a dissatisfaction over that, and what happened with the raids of the Union offices and then, a Liberal, members staff has leaked back and just a level of total dissatisfaction in the way in which politics is going, it would be true.

I think generally speaking as well it depends on where you go, but I also get the feeling that, we got it good, to an extent. I think there’s a little bit of gratefulness we’re in Australia as well, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t dissatisfaction there as well. There’s a lot of stuff that has been mismanaged.

What excites you the most about the future of Australia?

I’m excited about the good energy of the next generation. People just want to do stuff, they just want to build and create. Young people are really switched on because they have information, which means that they’re a lot more literate about politics at an earlier age. When I think about here in Western Sydney, I’m excited about the development of Western Sydney as a live music hub. This will hopefully generate support for the arts in a really positive way, so a lot of resources have been poured into places like Parramatta for example, where there’s a lot of music that’s infused with food and art and culture centred in a place, in a location. That’s pretty exciting, so I’m excited to see that shift happen. In Sydney, the city itself is kind of slowing down, at least from my perspective anyway, at least in terms of what it means for art and music, just because of how difficult it is, and how crippled it’s been by changes in laws around music or entertainment venues, it’s really been crippled.

But in the outskirts you have a lot more activity kind of brewing, it’s still got a while to go, but out west, in Western Sydney things are happening. So I’m excited about what comes next. In challenging times that’s when new scenes emerge, so, you know, I’m excited about that stuff for sure. Western Sydney is getting a lot of love right now, and I really like that.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

It feels like politicians aren’t listening, and don’t listen generally. There’s a genuine sense of distrust and lack of faith in political systems, and it feels like it’s been getting worse and worse. This breeds and gives space for very dangerous views and ideologies to take roots.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I wish that we had more courage to address our faults. I say “courage” in

particular because as soon as we bring up the wrongdoings of the past, and the reason why people bring up the wrongdoings of the past, is because they are still having real effects on today.

To me, to be an Australian today is to be open-minded and accepting of those who come from near or far. That is the Australian spirit and that is the foundation of our nation. We are a lucky country and we need to know that and not take it for granted.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

I feel that we have lost our way somewhat and with the world the way it is now, constantly changing at a rapid pace, the evolution of technology and the new wave of terrorism, we need inspiring leaders. Leaders that make the people feel supported, safe, valued and inspired. We need leaders who form alliances with other nations but don’t lose our Australian identity to them along the way.

How does the world view Australians?

I think it is all relative. Different cultures view us differently. I think we are on the whole a friendly, relaxed bunch, but in some places we can be classed as rowdy, uncultured tourists too and that’s a shame because we are a melting pot of diversity.

We are slowly becoming a tad too politically correct, a tad defensive, a tad selfish and a tad prudish. We channel other nations instead of being our own. We are forever being viewed as an adolescent country, “on its way” to reaching its potential. The number of leadership changes doesn’t give us the stability we need. I am no politician, but I feel there is no accountability and ownership when we “stuff it up”. We need our political frontrunners to make some bold moves and make the marks of true leadership, driving a strong vision that the people can follow.

Although we are one of the most liveable cities in the world, with a stable economy and some of the leading global developments, we are still often seen as being “behind the times”, or slow, or young. As a country we are so forward with multiculturalism and values as a community, yet we are so backward in equal marriage rights, in commercialising our own innovations and adopting change rapidly.

We are far more than Home & Away and Bondi beach. No, we don’t have kangaroos just jumping around our city centres. Yes, our Santa usually sports a pair of boardshorts because it’s scorching here in December. We have come a long way from the shrimp on the barbie, but we still have some advancing to do. We receive little recognition in many spaces, if other nations even view us as equals at all. I don’t think the world sees just how forward we are, how many nations we are made up of, how much we can achieve.

MISTRY

Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

Bio: Dr. Dharmica Mistry finished her Bachelor of Science from Sydney University, majoring in Microbiology. After discovering a scientific breakthrough in breast cancer detection, Dharmica co-founded a biotech company in Sydney called BCAL Diagnostics and is now working on providing a simple, affordable, non-invasive and accessible blood test to detect breast cancer in women and men. Dharmica wants to break ethnic and gender stereotypes in the world of STEM. She wants to make science cool, make geeks chic and inspire the young generation to achieve more than they ever dreamed they could.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

What does it mean to be Australian today? This is a difficult question for me to answer and I am rather conflicted by it. Personally, it is hard to relate to entirely because as an Indian, born in England and raised in a predominantly Caucasian Australian suburb, I am not sure who I am. There is a strange sense of displacement that comes when you are from such an amalgamation, when you are raised within one culture and live in another. You try to retain your heritage and adjust to a new environment and it can sometimes be hard to identify yourself. Being from an ethnic minority in the 90s in southern Sydney was on the whole wonderful, but sometimes alienating. No one was like me, no one had heard of a name like mine, no one juggled two cultures like me, no one even knew I spoke another language until I was much older. All I wanted to do was integrate seamlessly and be like everyone else. I was fortunate to have such amazing, strong role models in my parents, who for ethnic parents were truly liberal and free-spirited in so many ways and taught me to be adaptive and receptive to change.

I think with the way technology has snowballed, the world is a smaller place and when I look at my younger family and friends, they don’t face this confusion as much. Today, everyone, including the younger generation, is so aware of each other’s backgrounds and cultures and so worldly and sure of where they come from.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

We are some of the most fortunate people on this planet. Australia is the lucky country, the land far away but full of beauty and diversity. I think about my own parents and the strength of character it took them to move to a place they had never been before and the dream they had for my brother and me for a full, bright and active life here. Australia is unique because, unlike most countries, we don’t have a single historical narrative that has been documented going back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Instead, we have, in a sense, a fragmented history adopted and pieced together from different nations, and this can sometimes make us insecure about who we are and where we are going.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices? Coffee and beer. Just kidding.

We have an Indigenous history of thousands of years, we have a recent colonial history, and we also have a more contemporary multi-wave immigration history, with people from all over the world bringing their own histories and stories with them. Whilst this multi-narrative history can be confusing and contribute to national insecurity, it has also been enriching and produced a vibrant, and mainly, accepting culture. That is why I think Australia is the future! It could be what the world will look like in time to come.

This was Australia showing the world that although we are a diverse community, we will show solidarity to overcome these ugly threats and we will move forward, together. That was a true reflection of our values: The desire to help and comfort our fellow countrymen and women in a time of need and demonstrate tolerance.

The world is fast becoming fuelled by fear and it is up to us as a nation to remember what brings us together rather than what segregates us. We did that, we do that and we will continue to do that. We set an example and that is something really empowering and makes me proud.

We are also brought together through major achievements, especially on a global platform. We are a small isolated country, so when we win a title in the sports or arts or science, when we stand head-to-head with much bigger nations with our talents, inventions and ideas or when the world falls in love with one of our own, we feel a real swell in our chest, a real pride and it permeates through all of us.

TRANSCRIPTS

DR. DHARMICA

A roam along the streets of our cities and you will see the array of culinary delicacies from every nation of the world; the cultural experiences of Indigenous, colonists and immigrants marked in our neighbourhoods; the diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds. We are a multiracial nation and irrespective of our original history, we do, in the main, embrace the future of our country as one. The world is changing and we have everything it takes to be new age leaders, well at least the next generation does. They are equipped with the tools to say to themselves, “I come from a really multicultural group” and they will have the experience and those contacts and that attitude and that means we are ahead of everyone else. There are not many other countries like that. Science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) are platforms for creating, inventing, changing and revolutionising. How many other occupations are there that can radically change our world? STEM opens doors and windows to opportunities, only limited by our imagination. STEM, in particular science, is why I am here today.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

Laughter is what makes us Australian! Honestly, we are a nation of larrikins who enjoy laughing at ourselves. Our sense of humour is what makes us us and allows us to be so tolerant. It is our way of showing endearment to each other. Laughing at yourself is a prerequisite, embarrassing your friends and colleagues is a trust building exercise, sarcasm is our national language, and stereotyping is the not-so-delicate garnish we crave.

Through my work I get the chance to potentially change the lives of women, and their loved ones, around the world. So many people want to try to do something with their lives that will make a difference…and I get to do that, I get to try, and along the way I get to call that my job.

So this vision of mine, to create a blood test for breast cancer detection gives me purpose and motivation. However, my journey started with a form of serendipity and although I am driven and ambitious, it was (is) a risky path. I want Australians to have more chances to jump on this journey, should such a chance come their way and to have the courage to take the risk, to give it a go and run with it, confident that they will be supported by their family, friends, investors, community and their government.

I still remember Nick Giannopoulos’s “The Wog Boy”. It was so iconic for me and it was him taking a racial slur and owning it. He made everyone laugh with all of his stereotypes and then inspired others to want to own the name and wear it with honour. As someone with an ethnic background, that movie was the first time I felt I could relate to someone else’s journey and I felt like I too belonged to Australia, because the Wog Boy did. I love our humour; think Kath and Kim, Anh Do, Hamish and Andy and Chris Lilley. It’s all of those things I have spoken about and it encompasses our humour! I think because we are so easy going in our bubble of laughter, we get upset when we are misunderstood.

What excites me is that we have the foundations to be leaders, who lead with their heart, their spirit and can set an example. I look at the next generation of ambitious Australian influencers and how intelligent and worldly they are, and that makes me hopeful for an exciting future. There is work to be done and a lot of thinking that needs to be changed. I truly believe the next generation is on their way to taking those risks and thinking that way, but we have some time to wait. It is going to be interesting but also exciting.

We cry when we see our fellow people suffer, like in the 2002 Bali bombings. We shed tears when things are unjust, like the Sydney siege. We weep when random events end in tragedy, like the 1997 Thredbo landslide. We cry when there is restoration or resolve that has profound meaning to our nation, like in 2008 when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd finally said sorry to the stolen generation.

During my schooling years in the Sutherland Shire, in the 90s and early 00s, I was quick to integrate into my community but I really was a minority and I didn’t have many people “like me” around me, so I was often a little

Again, laughter and tears unite us.

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lost, conflicted and just felt “different”. Over the years I have found people who understand what I had felt and I have helped those who didn’t to understand what I had also felt. Consequently, I am far more sure of who I am and what I stand for and I take that on as a responsibility for the next generation. As a woman of ethnic origin who has gained a profile in STEM I feel proud and involved in Australia’s future. I feel valued.

I also think that I am demonstrating that as a young woman, from an ethnic background, in the outer suburbs of Sydney, without any particular advantages in life, that I can get to achieve significant outcomes on a global stage in science.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

Our geographical isolation is a two-edged sword. Whilst we have presence on the global stage, in everything from sports, fashion, arts, education and business, my biggest fear is that we become complacent with our achievements and not strive to better ourselves continuously. Our relaxed attitude is our strength, but we also need to take ourselves more seriously in order for everyone else to do the same. We need to make ourselves relevant and make ourselves present. Australia is small and far away and we need to get rid of these “barriers” and encourage other nations to want to come here, and do things here, and that is part of integrating into a global network. There is work to be done and a lot of thinking that needs to be changed. I truly believe the next generation is on their way to taking those risks and thinking that way, but we have some time to wait. It is going to be interesting but also exciting.

If we are the small, young country, then we need to be hungrier and advance Australia as our anthem says. We have spawned some of the most elegant and impactful developments in the world and yet we don’t get to be up there with the most “innovative” nations in the world. Australian John O’Sullivan invented the Wi-Fi out of CSIRO. THE Wi-Fi. Tiny, little Australia brought Wi-Fi to the world. Then there is Professor Graeme Clark and the bionic ear, a technology that has, and will, continue to change countless lives around the world. The next generation should be told these tales. We need to take ourselves more seriously and be more competitive, just like we did in the America’s Cup in 1983 when we took it from a nation who had been winning for 132 years! These are the stories that give me goosebumps.

And there are so many other success stories in other Australian companies like Atlassian, Canva, Qantas, Boost Juice, Kogan, The Iconic, Cotton On, ShowPo, RM Williams, Toni Maticevski. We have so many incredibly talented people, we have our foot in every door, everywhere, and it is so frustrating to see Australia have so much potential that may not evolve without adequate support and drive. If you have an idea, you should think globally. Help as many people as you can, change the live of as many people as you can. You have to be able to think into the future.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I would make it easier to do and grow business locally. We can be a mature economy sometimes. We only need to take a look at the cluster of Australian startups that have relocated to the Silicon Valley and the companies that have listed on offshore exchanges to see that we are not adequately supporting our own innovative thinkers. In my industry, we are well aware, Australia is great at coming up with innovative ideas but figures show that we don’t quite get them off the ground as well as our international partners. For small innovative companies, the biggest hurdle is access to funding at crucial time points. This is usually right before the “chasm” or “valley of death” and can easily determine a company’s success or failure.

Things like the R&D tax rebate do help, but grants and subsidised loans are usually reserved for more well established business who are closer to revenue. The innovation culture is present but the infrastructure and support are not. The federal government needs to help to: • Bridge the gap between industry and research by providing motivation and opportunities for new graduates (and companies) to work in these innovative companies; •O pen up doors to more accessible private equity for very small, early stage businesses (matched funding, dedicated grants); • Support more incubators so that they can be given the tools to foster, nurture and help small innovative businesses grow;

• Facilitate and support Australian companies to think global and show them that this is an accessible, realistic goal.

THEME 3

A GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT Onn OUR LOCAL e INSECURIT IES BAck tO CONTents

Although Australians have differing political views, we’ve always been united by a healthy disdain for authority.

A common theme in our conversations was the sense that our leaders are not truly listening to the people, or focusing their energy on affecting positive change. Short-termism might be the career politician’s mindset, but it’s not the Australian public’s.

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

wedeserve?

that

government

Do we have the

EEXECCU UT iiVE M u S y a Sm A mR

The idea that people overseas are casting a critical eye over what we do was confronting. Whether or not the world’s perception has always been this way, it seems we are not used to being perceived as backwards. Or perhaps we just never used to care.

More than just a division between people and leadership, there was the sense that government is exacerbating deep divisions within the country, rather than bringing people together. People spoke with great concern about the haves and have-nots, the welcome and unwelcome, and the included and excluded.

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SkiP this cHapter >>

Is there hope for the future? Yes. Across all 72 conversations we heard a desire for the country to be better and to do better with the issues we face. Remarkably, our optimism has not been tempered by the political experience. We might not know the solution or believe in the current system, but we have not given up.

Some pointed to inspiring leadership examples from the past, with a confidence that we could find that once again. We were reminded of leaders who had stuck their neck out and made progressive but unpopular decisions at the time, such as gun control. Others argued for stronger and more diverse representation in Parliament – particularly Indigenous Australians and the next generation.

People told us that this insecurity is exacerbated by politicians who embarrass us: Pauline in a burqa, Scott bringing a lump of coal into Parliament or Tony sharing his thoughts on climate change while he crunches a raw onion like an apple. For some, it is a matter of waiting for this generation to “age out” and vacate the Parliament premises so new leaders can step up – others were not so patient.

Divisions simmer beneath the surface when things are good, but people were concerned at how quickly they bubble up when something like a terrorist attack occurs. They questioned, “Will we stand together or splinter apart?”. For some, our response to an attack caused more anxiety than the attack itself. 62

We also discovered a self-awareness and selfconsciousness about Australia being in the global political spotlight. In some areas, Australian politics have led to different policy outcomes than countries we consider our peers, such as the same-sex marriage plebiscite, treatment of asylum seekers, care for the environment, climate change and reconciliation with Indigenous Australians.

Finally, a few pointed to what they believe is a cyclical pattern at play: poor leadership, followed by uncertainty and decreased national confidence, resulting in talent leaving our shores. There was a strong desire to reverse this trend and to position Australia as a place where you can “make it”. 63

Tolerance is on my mind a lot. The right to marriage is such a low bar. Is that all we can do? It’s frustrating. Natalie Chandra, Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

A lot of the time I feel like Australia is such a progressive, diverse and forwardthinking place. Then, the next minute, I’m online making sure my government details are correct so I can vote for marriage equality. Riley Blakeway,

Frida Las Vegas, Artist and Designer

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

Frida Las Vegas

of integrity would be nice.

SOMEONE with a smidgen

Holly Throsby

P H O T O B Y S T A V R O U L A A D AMEITIS

PHOTO BY YANNI KRONENBERG

I’d really love for a charismatic leader that wasn’t just a party puppet to come to the fray. Just someone with a smidgen of integrity would be nice.

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There seems to be a disillusionment about our nation’s leadership and the direction it’s taking (see the number of Prime Ministers we’ve had in the last 10 years). It feels like the country has ambled along at a relatively steady pace for a while, making small movements this way and that way, while dissatisfaction on a large range of matters was largely ignored and allowed to fester and boil. Now we’re at a point where these matters have been amplified, but so has the pushback against them. The advent of post-truth political tactics only add more fuel to the fire. Huw Parkinson, Video Editor and Storyteller, ABC

Writer and Director

There’s a real concern that the balance is out of sync with those who are to receive the benefits getting more and more and those who can’t access the economy poised to get less and less in the fourth industrial revolution. From companies that get away with not paying tax, to companies not paying workers or opting for technology – we have the potential to rejig the system for fairness while at the same time driving for the best and smartest outcomes for the collective. These issues can’t be approached in a way that vested interests or elites are not engaging the public. I hear people getting more and more frustrated that the elites are being self-serving and not actually helping us address the critical issues which erodes trust. The trust in institutions is being undermined, government and corporate institutions – all at record lows. The values of transparency and accountability aren’t being met. Katherine Teh-White, Managing Director, Futureye

Everyone’s extremely disillusioned politically in ways that we haven’t seen before... We’ve seen a lot of political cop-outs, which has been really upsetting. Also, we’ve seen the loss of so many great journalists, and the loss of sub-editors (in Fairfax publications, for example), which results in a decline of standards. Along with the state of the political discourse, it creates a wearing away of trust, I think, in institutions of authority. Holly Throsby, Songwriter, Musician and Novelist

I wish that we had the politicians that we deserve. Instead, we have politicians that make us laugh and cry and that’s rather sad. We worry that the government won’t do enough to protect Australian culture and Australian values. Australian culture and all its forms in music, in art, in literature, in film and everything that’s good about Australian culture that we export around the world. It’s the words, the pictures, the thoughts and ideas that matter. The politicians don’t even make the decisions that you think they should be able to make. Very simple things. Protect the Barrier Reef. Protect this for generations to come. Marriage equality, you know what we should do. We know what the right thing is. Look at other countries, look at what you should do. Do the right thing. Why spend all this money? Why waste people’s time? It’s a huge frustration and that’s why there is a big gap between politicians and people. They don’t do what people want. Andrew Jenkins, President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region

Andrew Jenkins

Huw Parkinson

PHOTO BY SIMON FARRELL

Anthony Lister, Contemporary Painter and Installation Artist

We have a general distrust and cynicism for politics, which I think is a good thing. Jade Hameister, 16-year-old Adventurer

We’re focused on legislation but not so on much social equality as much as social correctness. People are scared of being sued, so you can’t smoke where you drink, you can’t drink where you eat. Now, that in itself makes it a very uncomfortable experience to be anywhere for everybody. I think it’s all a part of the same garden. I like to use a garden as an analogy for graffiti and street art, because I feel that the tags are the worms and the weeds in the soil that actually cultivate the plot, which is usually a building or a wall. And if they stay long enough, the weeds that is, then something else grows in there, and

flowers start growing. The next thing you know, you’ve got a beautiful garden. To relate that back to Australia, there’s so many sanitised weed killers out there that are really destroying a lot of gardens. Actually, I asked this man who is in charge of destroying all of the graffiti in this city, how he would feel about a garden being ripped out. I said, “So are you allowed to rip out gardens just to kind of get rid of those colourful messes in people’s lawns?” And he said, “No, absolutely not.” I thought to myself, well isn’t it interesting that people can actually be allergic to things in gardens and have an allergic response, a physical reaction. Whether or not it’s aesthetically correct or even if it’s blocking some sort of function of a road, but they can actually have a physical reaction to it and it can be life threatening. Whereas art, I don’t think that it’s having that effect. The government and the law have played a very strategic and smart game in villainising the act of voting every day by writing on walls. The oppressive nature of the active sterilisation of this city and every other city around Australia stands before anyone’s ability or audacity to activate anything. I think that’s bullshit. It’s control: “If a law is unjust, it is not only a man’s right, it is his obligation to disobey it.” Anthony Lister,

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

It’s harder and harder for young people coming through to convey their message because the stronghold at the top is getting better and better at suppressing movements and revolutions. A revolution is never given to the people, it’s always taken. In Australia just recently protesting got banned right? So now, it’s illegal to protest. There’s something fundamentally abstract and wrong with that.

We need more people able to smile, laugh, sing and dance. They want you to be miserable. They want you to be fearful. That’s how they control you. And, it’s very sad. Just smile, be happy. Enjoy your one and only life. Live it. We must bring back humour.

Activist

I’m looking forward to people my age being in charge. If you look at things like entrenched racism in the country, and our grandparents, or our great grandparents, they’re all racist, to some degree because that’s how they were brought up. Once the old crew’s gone, I’m really, really curious and excited to see what happens. Jo Thornely,

Anthony Lister

Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

PHOTO BY REAGAN RULE

PHOTO BY NOW LOOK HEAR

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Taj Pabari, Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

Danny Lim,

Contemporary Painter and Installation Artist

Katherine Teh-White

can start working on setting goals for education, setting targets for climate change and things like that.

It is infinitely frustrating that a lot of us grew up when victories were won, so we’ve had that bedrock and we’ve felt that we can aspire for other things and for more nuanced things, and we just didn’t watch our back well enough. In fairness, a lot of us were kids coming up, we didn’t realise and now we’re watching progress being dismantled and that will either continue or it will slow down or reverse. And it needs to reverse. There needs to be so much more put into, not just those structures, but why they’re important, and why they need to exist and the capacity for what they can achieve. Advocacy arms have been dismantled, representative bodies dismantled, and the services that exist are constantly concerned about the future of their own funding, and constantly underfunded, and so yeah that worries me. Luke Pearson, Gamilaroi man, Founder of @IndigenousX

We’re going to miss

a BIG

opportunity.

Michael Burgess

Michelle Law

Our position on climate change and our internet is still in a stone age. Our treatment of Indigenous Australians as well. Michelle Law, Award-winning Author, Screenwriter and Playwright

I’m begging the Australian community, kindly end our pain and give us the same rights which humans deserved. We are human beings. The day when I got my feet in the Manus detention center, my torture began, instead of getting better it got worse. I was, I am and I will be the responsibility of Australia to send me to the third safe country or resettle me among the beautiful Australians who are working days and nights to get us released. Abdul Samad, Asylum seeker, Manus Island

On the outside we are positive, on the inside we are unsure. We are advanced but also behind. We are living in the moment and prepared for the present, but unlike countries like China, we are not effectively preparing for our future. Our government has gifted us extremely shit internet. Software will rule the world, but we are not investing in infrastructure or innovation that enables us to compete. Software enables technology to go over the top of our traditional infrastructure. We are in the midst of significant technological disruption. Amazon will soon drive our shopping experience. Netflix, Facebook and YouTube drive our content consumption and scrolling habits. Uber is taking over our private transport, AirBnB is changing the way we book accommodation, Google owns our search. They are all software companies that, as a country, we do not have a stake in. Software and human intelligence combined will provide the power to make change. The country that combines strong social and ethical philosophies with AI (Artificial Intelligence) will lead our world; and it won’t be us.

Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics A global spotlight on our local insecurities

PHOTO BY TAMMY LAW

Politically, at least amongst first world countries, they would see us as being a bit backwards when it comes to social issues like gay rights and the treatment of refugees.

I was in Shanghai last week hearing about what the Chinese Government is doing with climate change. We don’t look at China as someone that’s doing a huge amount of work in global warming. But they are. Taj Pabari, Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

We’re really backwards when it comes to political change. Jane Lu, Founder, Showpo

As a country we are so forward with multiculturalism and values as a community, yet we are so backward in equal marriage rights, in commercialising our own innovations and adopting change rapidly.

Steve Crombie, Professional Adventurer and CEO, Totem Advisory and Studio

Abdul Samad

I think the rest of the world thinks that we can be better because they want to love us as much as they always have.

PHOTO BY ABDUL SAMAD

Jo Thornely, Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

Steve Crombie 68

My biggest fear is that we become complacent with our achievements and not strive to better ourselves continuously. Our relaxed attitude is our strength, but we also need to take ourselves more seriously in order for everyone else to do the same. We need to make ourselves relevant and make ourselves present.

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The number of leadership changes doesn’t give us the stability we need. I am no politician, but I feel there is no accountability and ownership when we “stuff it up”. We need our political frontrunners to make some bold moves and make the marks of true leadership, driving a strong vision that the people can follow.

I think if we don’t innovate and radically change what education is in broader terms – if we just keep throwing more and more money at education while watching the indicators going down… We’re going to miss a big opportunity and we’re going to find that the whole sector loses, firstly, what is a significant export for the country but also one of the key drivers of innovation and future growth for businesses. We need some sort of circuit breaker to change the way we do things. Incrementalism is our enemy when it comes to this. I think that our Uni is a really good representation of the possibility that exists for the future. Michael Burgess, Chief Student Experience Officer, Western Sydney University

I worry as much as about how we might splinter as “one people” as much as I worry about a terrorist attack itself. I think we need to keep pulling together and seeing the threat for what it is – acts of terror by terrorist groups – versus a problem within our new groups and members of Australia. Caroline Overington, Author and Journalist

We are fractured. More fractured than I recall at any other point in my life. Except maybe at the time of the dismissal of Whitlam as that was a very stressful, difficultandconflictedtime. There are a lot of divisions, anxieties and anger in Australia at the moment. There’s a sense that people at the top are getting richer and richer and the wage growth at the bottom has slowed to a stop and people are really struggling. And we’re not taking any action on climate change that makesanysense. Policies towards people needing social security are more and more punitive, so I’m attracted to the idea of a universal basic income. The discussion of the issues that are facing our society are not around matters ofevidence and principle. In public debate, it’s about scoring points on the opposition so there’s little real listening or

Margaret Steadman, Activist and Advocate

As Australians, we have been asked to vote in a non-compulsory and nonbinding survey on whether or not we believe same-sex couples should be allowed the right to marry. As a raging lesbian woman, and a representative for the LGTBIQ community, I feel hurt and annoyed that a matter of basic human rights is being put to a public vote. While voting has been open, we have seen hateful campaigning directed at the queer community. I think about how it must feel for young LGBTIQ people and I feel ashamed of the system that brought us to this point.

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

proper responsibility or looking forward on the part of our elected representatives. I feel quite concerned.

Kat Dopper, Founder and Director, Heaps Gay

I think there’s been a change in the psyche and I think we’ve become more fractured and more complacent about just what it does mean to live in this country. I think there’s a whole lot of layers to that or a privilege and a loss of perspective. Michael Burgess, Chief Student Experience Officer, Western Sydney University

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Kat Dopper

Dr. Nikki Stamp, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker

I think for people who live in a place like Australia, with one continuous water border, that minds are shaped by topographical facts like that. Like a range of mountains between two countries, you can’t erase that from the national consciousness, just as you can’t erase the idea that we have these enormous geographical borders around our country that requires some kind of treatment to keep us safe. So many things make me afraid. What keeps me up at night is this high level lack of decency in humanity that is being shown to other people’s points of view. Let alone to the conditions of other people’s lives. But it’s my fear that everyone just pointing fingers at each other, whether that is in the senate or in the Daily Telegraph, will become the norm and people will remain transfixed by that as a means to deal with problems in Australia.

Just saying “Get the Chinese out of our country and then it will make our country safe” or “Get the refugees out, that will make our country safe”, or “Preserve marriage as an institution between a man and a woman, that will make our country safe” means people might be drawn to the immediate appeal of expressing their visceral rage in really simplistic ways. That scares me. Ashley Thomson, Student and Writer and Editor of HomerOnline.com

I could take you on a drive through towns that, when I was a kid, were thriving and bustling. Where I grew up in a little town called Hopetoun in Victoria, there were about 1100 people during its peak, but it’s probably under 500 now. And there’s only

Ken Solly PHOTO BY ABC RURAL_CASSANDRA STEETH

about ten shops left out of probably 30 to 40. So it’s a very much reduced town in some ways but it still has great community spirit. They have a difficult future ahead in maintaining what they have. And there’s people in those towns, like car dealers who maybe bought into that business 20 years ago. And now, with the population decline and their inability to compete with the big boys in the city, they have to shut the shop. Their life savings were in that shop and it is now relatively unsaleable. Most rural people also realise that if they don’t contribute to their community for their kids then they will miss out big time. Footy and netball are about the only thing they’ve often got left in their community to integrate young people. And when we see a football club close down, quite often the town follows suit. It just goes. We need a National Rural Summit on how to preserve, maintain and improve our

Chris Chong

The hope is that fear itself won’t be the thing that drives our thinking into the future. Gemma O’Brien, Designer and Artist

I find that we’re showing a bit of short sightedness when it comes to how we join our people together, but also build our cities. So I’m worried about that kind of stuff, and I fear it’s going to create more and more of a divide. Fenella Kernebone, Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

country towns.

Ken Solly,

L-Fresh,

Agriculture Business Consultant and Speaker

Musician and Social Activist

PHOTO BY AARON HUGHES

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meAFRAID.

I do worry how shattering it would be to lose that image which, on an international stage, is entirely possible with some of the more controversial policies and difficult humanitarian positions our government has adopted. We should work to live up to the ideal that we’re an affable group of people because that is an ideal we should be proud of.

Co-Owner, Brand Manager and Creative Director, Misfit Shapes

make

Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

Chris Chong,

So many things

Natalie Cope,

I fear any policies or legislation that goes against basic human rights. I fear that we move toward a culture that stops honouring, valuing and encouraging the best in people, especially our young. I fear we’ll lose our sensitivity and selflessness.

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

On the one hand, I feel that we live in slightly uncertain times which slightly depresses the mood. That currently all that makes us Australian, our openness, our tolerance, our freedoms of choice, and speech are up for debate. The national narrative is focused on determining who has and does not have the right to marry. We have suffered an ongoing debate on the freedom of speech with proposed changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. There is a lack of support for action against climate change. With such debate in the public, I feel that we are residing on a precarious precipice where we have the potential to become divided.

Ashley Thomson

Ruth Diggles

Rangan Srikhanta, Founder and CEO, One Education

The

I would say the decision [plebiscite] is one that probably should have been made by politicians or by the government. Not just by the politicians but by the government in general. Because you have the ones that were voted into to make those decisions. When you vote in the government, the government governs, when we voted in ours the people still govern. Why doesn’t the government?

I fear that Australia’s standing and competitiveness globally is hindered by a lack of vision, innovation and planning by both business and government; that we will literally get left behind. If I can add a second fear, it’s that our beautiful environment isn’t nurtured and preserved. Tom Griffith, Co-Founder of Emma & Tom’s and The Unite Project

We don’t acknowledge that we’re using up the resources of the planet faster than they can be restored. And we are changingtheclimate in ways that willbe disastrous if we continue as we are. My biggest fear is that we’ll continue to act as if tomorrow doesn’t matter. We’ve become consumers basically rather than caretakers.

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

There’s too much short-termism. I recently read an article quoting Tim Fisher, a Howard government minister during the Port Arthur massacre. Although he was a rural MP, he spearheaded his government’s campaign for tighter gun controls, it was political suicide and the following election they lost 10-12 seats. But eventually they clawed it back - but they didn’t let short-termism get in the way of what was good for the country. I think we need a bit more of that.

Margaret Steadman Activist and Advocate

Jane Lu, Founder, Showpo

What worries me is the general leadership of the country. Not only in the political area but in agriculture too. State-based farming organisations are struggling with leadership. And the people who should be leading are not. Also what worries me in agriculture, besides the leadership, is foreign ownership. If in Australia we haven’t got businesses that can step up or if we’ve got internal structural problems, then we can’t compete. I just don’t want to have people in other countries pulling the strings or making the decisions that impact upon our life. There’s a good case for a certain percentage of foreign investment coming into agriculture, because we just don’t seem to have it here internally within Australia to the level that we probably need to.

Lindsay Carmichael, Co-Owner, Daly Waters Pub

PEOPLE still govern.

Why doesn’t the government? Lindsay Carmichael

It makes me really sad when I hear about global warming. I know this isn’t only an Australian issue, but it had impacted our beautiful Great Barrier Reef immensely. The reef is dying at a very alarming rate due to the slight increase in water temperature, and without this, it will throw off the whole ecosystem. I wish this would be a topic that was stressed highly and that preventative measures were taken by everyone. Everyone knows about it, but there isn’t much that people are doing to prevent this from happening.

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Jane Lu There’s that old saying that you get the leaders that the time requires, and in times of crises you get the leaders that are strong and decisive and lead people through the problems. But these times are slightly in between. They’re not the boom times, they’re not the depression times, it’s kind of just somewhere there in the middle, so you just kind of get middling leaders, who are going to nudge it a little bit up or nudge it a little bit down, but they’re not going to deliver anything particularly significant.

There needs to be a lot of systemic change, but it has to be well thought out. But we need someone to come up, to step up to the plate.

Jonathan Pangu,

Rangan Srikhanta,

Founder, Death to Nuggets

There is a tendency for complacency. This is because of Australians rolling with the punches, resulting in all remaining the same. In living life with the attitude of “she’ll be right mate”, striving for more is not encouraged. Ruth Diggles, Psychic

Founder and CEO, One Education

On an international level, I think Australia really needs to figure out who we are. Politically, we’ve never really been independent. We’ve always taken cues from the bigger powers. The coming years politically are really going to define where Australia stands in the international order and whether we can stay true to our own values and priorities. Natalie Chandra,

I think we have also become a bit complacent – we have started to take things for granted – our environment and our openness to change and taking risks. We have become more inward-looking and closed - rather than open and sharing

Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

What does the future look like for us, what’s the road map? Michael Burgess,

Ken Solly,

Jade Hameister,

Agriculture Business Consultant and Speaker

16-year-old Adventurer

Chief Student Experience Officer, Western Sydney University

Rangan Srikhanta, Founder and CEO, One Education

As a small population are we going to be able to transform ourselves into a smarter economy that can participate in the fourth industrial revolution, or are we going to remain a current primary industry focussed community that hasn’t quite paved its way to the next industrial revolution? Katherine Teh-White, Managing Director, Futureye

Excited is not a word I’d use to describe it [Australia]. It doesn’t have a strong streak of entrepreneurship. Sydney isn’t the most exciting capital in the world like London. There’s a sense that you can’t make it from here, that you need to leave. We send our best and brightest abroad. It would be better if we were able to encourage people to stay at home and develop ideas and industries at home. It’s simply the size of the market. Australians who are breaking new ground end up in places like Silicon Valley.

I genuinely don’t think that the rest of the world cares much about Australia at all, I don’t think they’re terribly interested in our cultural output, because we’re not terribly interested in our cultural output. I don’t think they’re terribly interested in our industrial output and no-one’s interested in our politics, even the politicians. I think Australia has extraordinary potential, extraordinary people and extraordinary creativity, but it seems to wilfully export the best years of any young creative’s career. Everyone’s met Australians somewhere around the world, and they’re normally in that lost decade in their mid 20s where they are, basically, putting the most energy that they have to give, into some else’s creative economy, and then maybe they come back with those skills but also come back with frustration with what made them go away in the first place.

If we could invest in technical infrastructure, Australia would be very well poised to be a creative hub for the next 20 to 30 years. It would be really nice to see us invest in it a little bit more, and invest in our young people a little bit more and not kind of accept this drift overseas. Tea Uglow, Creative Lab, Google

One concern is all these 457s, stopping the flow of inbound talent. It’s madness. Wouldn’t you want the best talent to live in this country and pay Aussie taxes? That’s got to be the best thing ever. Tim Fung,

policies just recently. I mean, they’ve done two years of their sponsorship deal with the federal government and immigration, and now, all of a sudden, that particular deal that was signed two years ago is no longer valid. It’s over, it’s gone. So those people have given up two years of their ordinary life to live quite remote and rural to qualify as an Australian citizen. And all of a sudden they can’t do that anymore. They’re very disillusioned about the possibility of living and working in Australia. They want to live here. They don’t want to go back to their home country. They’ve moved here because they can see opportunities that aren’t in their country and they’ve come to Australia with that process in mind. Lindsay Carmichael, Co-Owner, Daly Waters Pub

Founder and CEO, Airtasker

We employ two sponsored people here in the NT and, at the moment, most of them are in limbo because of the changes that Mr. Turnbull made on his immigration

The people who make me most excited are the ones who refuse to accept that this is all we are capable of. Who refuse to accept that we can’t be more interesting and more creative and more exciting,

Caroline Overington, Author and Journalist

Caroline Overington

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PHOTO B Y CHRISTOPHER PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY

because we can. We are actually a market that is perfect for testing things out and exploring new ideas.

Tea Uglow

We pose neither threat nor enormous opportunity, what we are is a backwater that’s extremely nice, and intends to remain extremely nice for the people that are already here.

A global spotlight on our local insecurities

word I’d use to

DESCRIBE it

Excited is not a

We need a course correction and more self-confidence in who we are in the world. In time this new found self-confidence will help us attract the best to Australia.

I think this speaks to the pragmatism essential to the Australian character. We have the humility to call a spade a spade, and that goes beyond the bounds of the purely concrete world. We can say that a pedagogic technique isn’t working (“well, can she read?”) or that social norms have crumbled (“why is domestic violence still such an issue then?”) without succumbing to clashes of identity.

ALLA

Director, Red Earth

Bio: While volunteering in Cape York, Arthur Alla listened to the wisdom of Aboriginal elders and wanted others to have the same opportunity. So in 2011, Arthur set up Red Earth, an organisation that gives Indigenous Australians from remote homelands a way to host people from the city. For two weeks, visitors live with traditional owners and local kids, volunteering on projects and learning about the world’s oldest enduring culture. Arthur’s work is deeply rooted in reconciliation: elders show their country with pride, telling their stories with their own voice, and choosing the projects that will add the most value to their homelands. Aboriginal children make friends and gain insights into life in the city, while those visiting open their hearts to first Australians. Arthur’s work has connected 1,700 people who have spent over 555,000 hours learning from and working alongside Traditional Owners in Arnhem Land, Cape York and Central Australia.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

Being an Australian today means identifying with a culture that accepts the shared values of the Western liberal democratic order while also being tolerant of those who have yet to accept all our values but wish to join our shores. In that sentence, there are two important elements that are societal preconditions to fulfilment: shared values and tolerance. I think those are the pillars of any democracy that seeks to bring disparate people together so that they may together pursue their own individual fulfilment - but their importance is underlined in multicultural societies such as ours. And while we certainly are not the only country in the world founded on values rediscovered during the Enlightenment, we do have a special quality - pragmatism. I think what makes Australia such a unique place in the world is the sheer pragmatism with which we apply ourselves to concrete and conceptual tasks. This pragmatism makes us particularly resistant to specious arguments that may spread virally in other countries. I suspect our no-nonsense approach has to do with our dual roots as a convict nation and as an Indigenous nation whose original inhabitants have ties to the land going back 60,000 years. All Australians today, no matter whether they identify as Indigenous or not, are strongly tied to our beautiful land: we are brought up on beaches and farms, in deserts and in rainforests. Communion with nature has a way of creating fast and clear feedback that allows even the most beguiled among us to temper their ideologies. After all, there are right ways to avoid being caught in a riptide, right ways to grow crops, and right ways to find water in our Red Centre. Spend time outside and you will quickly learn which way is up and which way is down.

I see this every day in my work with Red Earth, taking young people from cities and allowing them to learn from Indigenous Australians in the forgotten corners of our nation. Every day, I see young people not only connecting with rainforests and rock plains and deserts but also with people who may not look like them or live like them and, yet, who have similar hopes and worries for the future. I see young people walking away understanding that there is infinitely more that unites us than there is that divides us. What strikes people most is that, on the whole, Indigenous people are ready to overcome a painful history in order to build a lasting legacy. They don’t discuss Keith Windschuttle or argue about the merits of the hybrideconomy model, topics which very much preoccupy our academics. They talk about good education for their kids, good jobs for their graduates and good healthcare for their wisest generation. The imperative to ‘close the gap’ is not the subject of a Grade 12 exam question; it’s a drive to solve the real problems of their lived experience.

NEIL

PEPLOW

This focus on problems rather than on people is made stronger by the strength of our social compact—the degree to which we trust one another and are able to put ourselves in another’s shoes. This is something the First Australians I’ve worked with have always understood; that effecting change in a democracy requires people being able all Australians to see that we share common dreams and common fears. That’s why they invite people into their most sacred spaces: to tell them their stories, on their own land and on their own terms. It gives them the opportunity to meaningfully plug into our national narrative and promote empathy, the thread that ties our national fabric together.

CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

Bio: Neil Peplow has a unique mix of film production, business and educational experience that has led him to his current role of CEO of the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. Neil is responsible for ensuring exciting, unique and impactful Australian talent is developed. His mission is to help the next generation of filmmakers take advantage of all the opportunities the digital revolution has created, teaching them while t at the same learning from them about what the future holds.

Empathy, and the compassion it gives rise to, is the cornerstone of a multicultural, democratic state exactly because it allows broad coalitions to form around issues that capture our attention. It prevents us from giving in to our tribal instincts. Activities that erode empathy erode our public compact and that is what gives rise to my greatest fear about our future. Indeed, I believe a confluence of the self-esteem movement, identity politics, inequality and social media have created a powerful loop that reduces our ability to connect with one another. Culture and policy have a way of interacting in such a way that makes national course corrections difficult. And I can only claim to have one view of the cathedral. But I am willing to offer my thinking on these four issues, which I believe together could swell to being an existential threat to our young democracy:

What does it mean to be Australian today?

I don’t think anyone can actually answer that, and I think that’s the interesting point that Australia is at in its history. That kind of colonial story which kick-started the country has morphed into a new reality, guided by different waves of immigration.

• Self-esteem movement: I think it is time to recognise that the focus on self-esteem has not led to the wellbeing we were promised. It isolates us, especially our young people, from one another by inflating our uniqueness rather than underlining our similarities to others. It leads us to believe that our experiences are unique and our perspectives universal when, in fact, the opposite is true. Self-compassion is a much more useful characteristic in navigating the world and our relationships with others, as it allows us to recognise our shared human condition.

• Identity politics: a focus on identities is the core of tribalism. In its most inoffensive form, it presents as a useful starting point for understanding another’s point of view. Taken to an extreme, it teaches us that we are different in ways that make relating to others impossible and thus forecloses the possibility of coalition-building necessary for civic and democratic polity. I increasingly fear that we are moving towards to the latter extreme. • Economic inequality inevitably leads to divergent experiences, which strain our capacity for empathy. Like all forms of segregation, economic segregation erodes democratic norms as citizens become increasingly disconnected in their everyday experiences. I worry that technology driving increasingly one-sided accumulations of capital will lead to even great disparity in our economic powers.

I think young creatives are still struggling with a sense of what it is, what it genuinely means to be Australian. AFTRS was set up in ‘73 after a decade when hardly any Australian stories had been told on the big screen or small screen. It was mostly US or UK directors and films and TV shows that were being shown. The school was set up as a cultural response to that, so the whole purpose of the school is to find and nurture storytellers for the screen industry and also broadcast for radio, to represent the Australian story.

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ARTHUR

• Social media promised to connect us to the world when, in reality, it has merely connected us to our own echo chambers. Algorithms designed only to increase time we spend on a platform exacerbate our natural inclinations for negative news and points of view to which we are already sympathetic.

Now there’s a new shift, with global international companies like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon that are driven by algorithms that don’t necessarily take into consideration national identity. And the ABC and the traditional broadcasters are struggling to understand what is the Australian story, because the average audience in the ABC is 65 years old. I think the youngest channel is Network 10 and they’ve got an audience with an average age of around 44 years old. So, ultimately the audiences are dying, which is not good for anyone’s business. The question is how do you tap into this rich seam of the Australian story which hasn’t been developed yet. We’ve had Indigenous units here, Indigenous units at the ABC and also at Screen Australia, that have nurtured our Indigenous talent. And now internationally, they’re the stories that people are engaging with most, so Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country has just won a prize at Venice and been commended at Toronto, and that’s the side of Australia that people aren’t used to seeing. It’s that difference which is really exciting. Now people are trying to understand all the stories which haven’t been told and are thinking about how to tell them. And that’s something which we’re trying to play a part in.

Fortunately, I think that there is a simple solution for all these ills: go outside, commute with nature and talk to real people. That’s why I started Red Earth and why I have devoted the majority of my adult life to bringing people from different backgrounds together. That’s me placing a bet on the pragmatism that has served us so well up till now. Because, if we’re not content with our world, we should put our phones downs and roll up our sleeves. There are footy clubs looking for referees; soup kitchens looking for cooks; animal shelters looking for dog walkers; community centres looking for English tutors; and yes, there are Traditional Owners looking to share their stories.

I think you’ve got gatekeepers still inside some of the big broadcasters or funders who may still be looking at stories from a particular perspective, and then they’re basically getting a lot of submissions from screenwriters who have been developed over the last 30 years. And so again, they’re coming from a different perspective. So, you’ve got to go somewhere like YouTube probably to find where there isn’t a gatekeeper, what the different stories are that are out there that are engaging with an audience.

My optimism is without bounds because, everyday, I see Australians responding to this call. People of every race, age and creed that understand the essential ingredient which makes us Australian, the one that has served the world’s oldest ongoing culture so well. It is pragmatism that reminds us that we are toiling for the same wealth on the same golden soil, girt by the same sea; all of us advancing an Australia that’s fairer, an Australia that makes us truly worthy of our title as the luckiest nation on earth.

Humour plays a big part in the way that those creators are actually tackling what it means to be Australian, so you’ve got Wog Boy or RackaRacka where it can be quite crude and quite full-on. And then there’s Ali’s Wedding. Humour still plays a big part, often a dark sense of humour, a mocking of authority, or a general hatred of the Brits that comes through.

There has to be a focus on why it’s important to have an understanding of what it means to be Australian, which is a sense of identity and pride and a sense of belonging. Because if you don’t have that, then you’ll find that elsewhere - and that might not necessarily be a positive identity that you then align yourself with. It’s not just Australia that’s struggling with this, it’s every country that suddenly has been faced with the internet that allows knowledge to be transmitted globally, which then kind of deconstructs the nation state. But if you’re living next door to somebody, you have to have common themes

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and common motifs and a common history that you both understand and share, because it just makes being a neighbour easier on a one-to-one basis.

I think it’s important that we don’t become global citizens, because we’re not America, we’re not Britain. We are something unique, and it’s that uniqueness that people want to see. And what I see in some of the stories that come through the school is trying to dilute that Australian perspective, or not even trying to grapple with that Australian perspective, which means that they’re then diluting that uniqueness and making it more bland and making it less interesting to the rest of the world. So there’s a kind of ironic outcome, which is intending to appeal to a wider international audience but actually losing the appeal of what’s been created.

I keep hearing about the cultural cringe, but I’ve seen better work and more talent here than I have in the UK. It’s just having the confidence to be able to use that talent and then the confidence to think that it could travel internationally. I do think there’s a general lack of understanding that to do something different is less risky than to do something which is boring and bland and the same as the audience has seen before. The risk isn’t investing in something which may fail spectacularly, because it may actually succeed hugely. And the audience doesn’t know what it wants to see until it’s seen it. It’s that balance between how do you give them something which is familiar, but something which is exciting and different and shows an element of the country that they’re in that they didn’t know or an element of the country that they do know that then gets reflected back to them, and they go “oh yeah, I recognise that, I can see this person, I know that person over there”.

It’s like Big Little Lies, it was actually set in the Northern Beaches and the characters that are in the American version I still recognise from the Northern Beaches. I also know America a bit and I didn’t feel it felt authentic, being set in America. I can understand why they set it in America, but I could relate to that school party that’s used for raising funds, but actually it all becomes about who’s got the best outfit and who’s performing, the highly competitive nature of what happens in public schools. It would have been great if that had been set in Australia, the question then is: Would it have had a bigger audience, would it have had a greater success? I think there’s a general lack of appetite for risk, which may be political because they’re worried that if it does fail spectacularly, that they will then be criticised and then funding be taken away from them. But I think you’ve got to go big and bold or you might as well just go home and shrivel. So I think if I would say what was one thing that I would hope I could change about Australia, it’s an acceptance and actually embracing failure.

There’s a stigma around failure here, which I can see within government, within the broadcasters, within the agencies that fund, which then gets transmitted to the producers. And also, you can see the critics can be really anti Australian films if they’re not very good, which then kind of creates this perpetual circle of trying to mitigate against risk rather than backing the talent.

Even in advertising, do you go for the safe commercial which plays well to the majority of your focus group, or do you go for the thing which in your gut you think actually will have a bigger impact because it’s bolder and because it’s different. And how do you persuade the clients to go with that risk? It tends to be those ads which are the outliers that suddenly have the biggest response, like the gorilla playing the drums for Cadbury’s. That was put on the shelf for months and then they put it out there and suddenly it goes viral, and then everybody retrospectively goes “of course it’s a success, it’s a gorilla playing the drums”. I come back to that whole thing about failure being a one-parent family, whereas success has many parents.

I admire the people who do things which are different and then engage with a bigger audience, like Redfern Now. It’s now one of the biggest TV series on the network. It’s those kind of risks that I think we should be encouraging people to take.

How does the world view Australians?

Someone I was speaking to in the UK said, “The Australians are very good at coming up with practical solutions and they’re very resourceful as they can come up with solutions with what they’ve got around them – but they’re not very innovative.” And I remember saying: “Wi-Fi was invented by an Australian, Google Maps was invented by Australians, the machinery which is used to make the iPhones (which is precision machinery) is made in Australia, the main processor which drives a lot of the self-driving cars is from an Australian team.”

There’s a huge amount of innovation that goes on which people don’t know about. They don’t know that 70% of the country lives in cities, they don’t know that it can be one of the most innovative places in the world because this tyranny of distance has meant that Australia can develop certain technologies quicker or see things differently. Australia itself isn’t very good at promoting these. Brand Australia needs a refresh. I think the world still sees Australia as mining, Crocodile Dundee, sharks, don’t go there, you’ll get killed by something that sits under your bed at night, and the ability to make do with what’s around you. People come here thinking, oh well, the food’s not going to be great, is it?

If I was going to talk to the government I’d ask for the Australian brand to tell a better story, a much more positive, upbeat, understanding story.

People don’t know that there was a wheat belt around Australia which was cultivated by the Indigenous people, and that Indigenous people were the first bakers. And they don’t know they’ve just found a rock shelter which dates back around 65,000 years. That’s going to rewrite prehistoric history. And that’s a story which has to be told and listened to.

And if you look at the filmmakers that have been more successful over the last ten years, many have come from Indigenous communities. They’re the ones that have been nominated for Palme d’Ors or won in Venice or have international recognition from a small base. Because those perspectives and stories are different and interesting, and the world wants to know about them.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

One thing is anti-authoritarianism. And that’s being instilled in the different waves of immigrants that come through at the same time as a dislike of pomposity, Australians don’t like pretension. That again informs filmmaking, especially what I’m seeing on YouTube and the younger creatives coming through.

There’s also a feeling that people should have a fair go. I see a lot of “there should be an equal opportunity and it should be based on merit and not privilege”. I think people want things to be fair. And I think there’s this whole thing of mateship, which is because Australia is a long way from most places in the world. Mateship is really important, that bonding, that belief that someone’s going to have your back.

And it’s actually quite a sentimental country, you can see grown men turn to tears talking about something which they feel passionate about and it’s okay to shed a tear. Like sports or talking about their family, you see people crying. Although there’s that macho Aussie man, there’s actually a sentimentality close to the surface. The other thing I observe is how it can be really bureaucratic, insanely bureaucratic. And people are very worried about challenging it - there are rules and you’ve got to follow those rules. And the government plays a big part in setting those rules. Even on the government website, there is a definition of the Australian story. The government decided to tell people what the Australian story is. It can feel more bureaucratic than other countries I’ve been in.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

Sometimes it feels like you’re at a Christmas party where everyone knows that somebody in the family has done something wrong in the past, but no one wants to talk about it - but it informs every single conversation as a subtext. There’s something which the family hasn’t confronted and needs to confront if it’s actually going to have more healthy conversations more widely. And there are refugees now who are saying “it’s actually got nothing to do with me, I wasn’t here when that happened, so how is that my issue?”. And there’s also a feeling that now we’ve said sorry, we can all move on. I think there is still a tragedy which is still unfolding.

because that’s where people grew up and gathered. That’s where they met at swimming pools. So you get diversity happening at public pools, but it’s also where there was segregation against Indigenous Australians. The thing which got me – it was on Radio National – was when somebody said now we’re introducing swimming pools into remote communities for Indigenous Australians, because it improves their health, their wellbeing, their sense of community, and it’s really had a positive impact, so swimming pools have had a positive impact. And you kind of go, well actually, the people that they’ve had a positive impact on probably had their own watering holes, probably had their own sense of community, probably didn’t need a hole in the ground filled with chemicals and water to give them a sense of identity - until you took it away from them. And now you’ve got a Western solution coming in saying they like swimming pools. There’s another tragedy in that story, someone told me that she went up to a community in the Northern Territories where they had a swimming pool, but the Indigenous Australians weren’t allowed to swim unless they had a lifeguard, and the lifeguard was only put in place when the white people were in town.

MARGARET

STEADMAN

Activist and Advocate

Bio: Margaret was the Tasmanian Senior Australian of the Year 2017. She is a climate and sustainable living advocate, former executiveofficerofS ustainableL ivingTasmania,a founding member of Climate Action Hobart, and a Council member of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Margaret also volunteers in the Migrant Resource Centre’s refugee program and is an avid food gardener and electric biker.

So, it’s a constant battering and someone needs to grasp that nettle and have this process that they had in South Africa where they just had public forums and acknowledged and processed that this happened. And the people who admitted to what happened were not chastised or punished, but it just was out in the open. I think if that doesn’t happen, there could be an issue that informs the rest of the culture negatively.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

This question doesn’t mean much to me. I don’t think of myself as an “Australian” as much as I think of myself as a human being. I really love this place, I love Australia and Tasmania. Tasmania is a really great corner of the planet and it’s my home - and we all love our home. But for me what it means to be Australian means to have won some sort of life lottery. My parentsbroughtmeto Western Australia fromEnglandafter the Second World War and here I am in this prosperous, peaceful beautiful place. I am so lucky.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

And I think generosity is something which the government should be leading on. Just be more generous because it is a beautiful country with great people, fantastic potential and a huge amount of space. And I think Australia could be taking the lead in welcoming in people who can bring benefit to the country, and being more generous in the way that it does that.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

The biggest worry is that it shuts itself down and reinforces the view that it’s unwelcoming, racist, backwards - and that whole debate around same-sex marriage hasn’t helped with that perception. My worry is that potentially politicians start to tap into the same rich seam of support that Donald Trump has. And I think the country would suffer, especially because it’s not in Europe and there’s a real sense that we want it to still feel like it’s a European country. We’re on the doorstep of 260 million people in Indonesia, 1.4 billion in China. That’s the region we’re in and that means that there has to be an acceptance of immigration and diversity. And by closing it down, you’re just not going to have any of those opportunities.

Hereisaquotefrom“AustralianCitizenship:OurCommonBond”bythe Department of Immigration: Australians believe in peace, respect, freedom and equality. An important part of being Australian is respecting other people’s differences and choices, even if you don’t agree with those choices. It is about treating people fairly and giving all Australians equal opportunities and freedoms, no matter where they come from, what their t raditions a re, o r whether t hey a re m ale o r female. Do we think this a ctually happening?

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

We are really good at taking the piss and laughing affectionately at ourselves. Think “The Castle”. Although social media has corrupted some of this, I shudder at some of the stuff people write on social media that is abusive and violent. What makes us cry is what makes everyone everywhere weep: Suffering and loss of others and those we love. We must remember that there’s more thatunitesuswiththerestoftheworldthanm akesusdifferent.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

We are fractured. More fractured than I recall at any other point in my life. Except maybe at the time of the dismissal of Whitlam as that was a very stressful,difficultandconflictedtime.

There are a lot of divisions, anxieties and anger in Australia at the moment. There’s a sense that people at the top are getting richer and richer and the wage growth at the bottom has slowed to a stop and people are One of the most disturbing aspects of the 21st century is the rise of really struggling. And we’re not taking any action on climate change that hyper nationalism; being Australian, or being American or whatever. We are makesanysense. Policies towards people needing social security are more struggling to be genuinely multicultural. We’re not doing particularly well and more punitive, so I’m attracted to the idea of a universal basic income. at that at the moment. The discussion of the issues that are facing our society are not around

Immigration is a positive thing and I think Australia has a huge amount of faith in it, which still hasn’t been explored or developed. And I’m not saying cut down every single tree and build dozens of new cities, but we could be more generous in welcoming more people and supporting more people, because obviously that’s good for the economy, that’s good for the country in that it brings in other people with other skills and other perspectives.

As Australians, we haven’t been honest about where we’ve come from. And matters of evidence and principle. In public debate, it’s about scoring points on looking forward, the increasing inequalities in society are disturbing me. the opposition so there’s little real listening or proper responsibility or looking OneofthethingsthatmostupsetsmerightnowisthattheUluruStatement forward on the part of our elected representatives. Ifeelq uiteconcerned. has not been taken seriously. It was a heartfelt statement by Indigenous people and we need to listen. While there are lots of questions around being What excites you most about the future an Australian today, we need to emphasise our common humanity. TRANSCRIPTS

My mate Peter went to the UK and he was taken to this Thai restaurant in Notting Hill. I can’t remember the name of it, but it’s a very famous highend restaurant. The producer that took him there asked “do you have Thai food in Australia?” And he said “yes, it has reached our shores” as he has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humour. Then the maître’ de came across and went to my mate Pete and said “Pete, what are you doing in town, I haven’t seen you for years”. Then the chef came across and gave my mate a hug, because they were all Australians.

Since I’ve retired I have become more of an activist and less of an educator. I’ve changed my tune - while it is important that we all do the small things, it’s not enough anymore. Now we need to do big things. We need to change the way we run our world to save our ecosystems and ourselves from an approaching ecological brick wall in terms of the climate and resourcesingeneral. We have created the problem; we can fix it.

When I’m not a climate change activist and volunteering in the Migrant Resource Centre or lobbying against our treatment ofpeople seeking asylum, I’m in my garden. I have an amazing food garden. My garden is a microcosm of us taking care of the world: building the soil, sharing the produce. It teaches me we are just part of the web of life. Iftheinsectsin our gardens die, so do we. In terms of sustaining life on earth and keeping the system going, insects are far more important than us.

I think the exciting thing is being in a different region and with the diversity that can then create something new, that this is a country that could reconcile its 50,000 year culture with the recent colonisation and immigration, to create something which is extraordinary and which has the potential to have a global impact.

How does the world view Australians?

of Australia?

It’s not about what excites me but who excites me and it’s the young people that I know. They are visionary and fearless and really committed to creating a compassionate, better and safer future.

The young people in the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, who run the food co-op at the university where I volunteer on Friday afternoons are working on a piece of land they’ve restored in Hobart to build a city farm that’s intensively growing organic food for sale to the local community. Theyareall just awesome. They are creating a sustainable future directly, with joy and energy.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

We don’t acknowledge that we’re using up the resources of the planet faster than they can be restored. And we are changing the climate in ways that will be disastrous if we continue as we are.

AnecdotallyIthinktheworldseesusasCrocodileDundee.Brash,confident, My biggest fear is that we’ll continue to act as if tomorrow doesn’t matter. the rest of the clichés. We’ve become consumers basically rather than care-takers. But with the things I’m most interested in - climate change and social justice - Australia has failed to meet its responsibilities. We think we’re great but we’re actually falling down in a lot of things. Most dramatically is our If you could change one thing about lack of compassion and courage in the treatment of the men seeking asylum Australia today, what would it be? who are still on Manus Island. We’ve become consumers basically rather than care-takers. I’d like us all to

And you’re also the oldest culture in the world but you’re also the newest. So that’s the exciting bit, how do they actually all come together and develop into something new? And I think that’s a potential.

What’s interesting about Australia, it’s one thing and the other at the same time. It’s confident and competitive, and at the same time there’s this whole thing of cultural cringe. It’s very competitive here, people like competing, and there is a thirst to compete globally. But it’s developing that confidence.

Whenever there’s a natural disaster - flood fire or whatever - we talk about how great Australians are at getting out and helping each other. But it’s actually what everyone does around the world, look at Mexicans with the earthquake and Japanese with the tsunami. Compassion and concern for each other is just human. It’s not “Australian”.

If you bring people in, you’ve got to allow them to have that culture, because that culture will then help define and redefine and bring different perspectives and create something new. And if you try and shut it down and go for the assimilation side, then basically they’re not going to feel comfortable and they’re not going to bring anything new. They’re just going to copy what everyone else does. So, I think that acceptance has to be there, definitely. It just needs leadership, that’s the other thing. It needs clear leadership from the government.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

wake up tomorrow and to become really aware of how connected we are to the natural world and how critical it is that we take care of everything in the natural world.

I want Australia to be on the path to a thriving, inclusive, sustainable future and to understand deeply what it means to be a human living on this planet and what we need to do to take care of it and ourselves.

A few years ago I might have given a more glowing response but the last few years have been so divisive in terms of the things that I care about - social justice and climate change. I am now more concerned about our sharedvalues thanIwouldhavebeenfive yearsago.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I think there’s a general lack of appetite for risk, which may be political because they’re worried that if it does fail spectacularly, that they will then be criticised and then funding be taken away from them. But I think you’ve got to go big and bold or you might as well just go home and shrivel. So I think if I would say what was one thing that I would hope I could change about Australia, it’s an acceptance and actually embracing failure.

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forces of

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In this moment when we are being forced to make tough decisions about who we are and where we want to go as a country, there’s a positive to people being so deeply entrenched in their own beliefs; divisions create friction, and friction sparks change. Throughout our conversations, energy and emotion ran high. People’s frustration about the status quo was matched by a massive appetite for change.

There is also a positive to widespread doubt of government’s ability to change things; people are taking responsibility and tackling issues on a personal and community level – and seeing the result, with achieving marriage equality as just one example. Growing from this is a sense of unity and collective power, a belief that when people come together they can make change happen – and change for good.

Momentum is building. People were quick to share examples of the small pockets of caring and determination that they had noticed within local groups. They explained how seeing others stepping forward and making things happen was exciting and confidence-boosting for the wider community – a ripple effect. Opportunities and optimism dominated the conversation. We can help, Australia can rise to the occasion and reach its potential. 84

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Rangan Srikhanta, Founder and CEO, One Education

It’s all about to open up. DyspOra, Sonic Activist and Founder of independent Hip-Hop label Playback 808

We stand on the cusp of change

We are primed for inspiration. We are ripe for significant disruption.

The mood of the country is pretty angry. When you’re reading stories in the media, you see people being angry about what’s changing or what’s not changing. I think millennials and progressive thinkers want and need things to change, because they are the ones whose lives depend on it. Whereas older generations and white Australians fear this change, because they will feel like they won’t be in power anymore. Michelle Law, Award-winning Author, Screenwriter and Playwright

The mood of the country is restless. Natalie Chandra, Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

People are struggling. People know the system is a bit broken and they can’t keep going about things the way they are financially, or with work life balance and things. Things are getting a bit edgy and stressful. It’s not that it’s too late, but we have to recognise that mood and feeling. I don’t really care what the media says we should do, or what they say is important to pay attention to. The mood of my tribe and community is far more important. I feel an edginess and a struggle that tends to permeate everyone I speak to. If everyone is talking about it, then we should do something about that. Ben Moir, Founder of Snepo Research, Wearable Experiments and FABLab

I sense that there is a great deal of frustration and tiredness at outdated views, and with this frustration there is a growing sense of urgency and unity amongst our communities to drive change and change for good. Including increasing compassion and care for people and the environment. So, while there is uncertainty and shared frustrations, this is actually great optimism and a sense that change and progress is possible, which is really energising and exciting and provides great cause for positivity, which also permeates. Natalie Cope, Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

Australians have a deep rooted level of insecurity. If you start to make a critical point about something, particularly in reference to history, politics or in race or sexism or whatever it might be like, tears flow. They say “What are you talking about”, “Stop complaining”. But this anxiety and insecurity are coming to a head and meeting global attention. L-Fresh, Musician and Social Activist

Ben Moir

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PHOTO BY CHRISTINA MOIR

We’re on the cusp of change, if we choose to accept it. It’s a good time to evaluate what the future means not just for one

Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker

Ashley Thomson, There’s a state of turmoil and entrenchment. People who want to treat people more humanely, be that the queer community or refugees, they are getting more and more angry and convinced of their own beliefs, that their way is right. The same is happening at the other end of the political spectrum, with people gearing up to vote “no” on marriage equality that just became more and more convinced of the historical rightness of their position. And the same goes for politicians who are essentially imprisoning and torturing refugees. They are becoming more and more convinced that it is the morally superior course of action. Then there is a big loud silence in the middle, which I couldn’t begin to make

Student and Writer and Editor of HomerOnline.com

There is frustration for various things, in terms of leadership from our leaders, but I think that people are doing good work in their various pockets and in their various communities. They sort of enter the ship to steer the country in a different direction.

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Dr. Nikki Stamp,

heads or tails of. But I also see emerging pockets of hopeful clarity when people are recognising that you are only angry because you are insecure in your life. That’s something we can help with and I’d love to help fix that.

Communities are more connected now, they understand each other, where they’re all coming from, and being able to work to solve some of the big problems in society I think.

CUSP

We’re on the of change,if we choose

It may be naive to say this right now, but the future doesn’t scare me as much as the present. The divide that has taken place globally over the last few years thanks to the Trumps and Brexits has definitely been felt here in Australia. It’s terrifying.

Ching Tan, Manager, PwC’s Indigenous Consulting

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happening now. Apathy is decreasing. We’re realising that our voices do matter and our actions can make a difference. And this shift has sparked a fire in the leaders of tomorrow. I believe that in 20 years those in power will be smart, compassionate and empathetic because they grew up in world where that barely existed. Stefan Hunt, Director and Artist

to accept it.

We’re a young country and it seems that we’re now reaching ahead with a number of issues that really have the power to dictate how we move into the future. I hope that we rise to the occasion and that we evolve our national identity into one that holds true some of our positive core values but respects many more people than we do now.

group of the country, but for everyone, and be sure that we make a much more equitable quality of living for everyone.

PHOTO BY STEF KING

I sometimes feel that we’re all under a tremendous amount of stress with the disillusionment surrounding politics and our leaders regarding racial and social justice issues. I think that this is especially profound for people who may be under direct stress from these things, like Aboriginal people or young people who can’t buy houses. It’s why I often get this feeling that we are at a crossroads, on the verge of making decisions that will either generate that excitement and pride or will result in further disillusionment.

Dr. Nikki Stamp

I feel like there’s a window. There’s an opportunity for so much change in so many different areas for Australia. And someone has to be brave enough to take that first step and lead and take everyone with them.

We don’t accept our current status quo as a ‘forever’. I do think that we feel empowered to make change and that we have that capacity to make change. I think our country provides for that, and the community provides for that as well.

Erica McLernon,

I think that we’ve kind of played the underdog for quite a long time and thought that everyone else did things better. But little by little we’re shirking this little brother quality that we have.

Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

I would hope that what it means ‘to be Australian’ is to change, and is to consider ourselves as the beginning of change. The Australians I think that we’re most proud of at the moment are the ones that are making opportunities for change, and speaking out.

We’re still a young country which means we’re still tapping our full potential, compared to some other places that may have been ahead of us historically but are now starting to slow down. But we have to earn it and we have to make it happen. There’s a big opportunity for the next generation to have a great existence. Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

Susannah George, Founder and CEO, The Urban List

Jo Thornely, Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

Jo Thornely

What excites me is we’re still such a young country, so there’s so much identity to be crystallised. And it’s great to be part of that history. Another exciting thing is how much Australians embrace younger ideas and the younger generation. I have really seen that in particular in my work. Australians and the government and companies, they embrace younger minds.

We stand on the cusp of change

PPORTUNITIES OPTIMISM

Stephanie Lorenzo

Susannah George

Stephanie Lorenzo, Founder, Project Futures

In one word I think the mood would be upbeat. Pow! A bit punchy! Like “we’ve got this!” It’s like quietly confident, happy. Tara Howell, Founder and Executive, Blue Derby Pods Ride

PH O TO B Y R E A G AN M A C K R I L L

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We’ve got all the opportunities and resources. I just think it needs to be organised and structured well – and that’s the job of the politicians. It’s not my job, I’m a musician. It’s their job. Ambre Hammond, Classical Pianist and Founder of Girl Piano Truck

The “Lucky Country” still resonates, even more so today perhaps given the global climate. The vast majority of Australians have a good life and it’s important that we don’t lose this and that we build on it to create a better life for an even bigger percentage of Australians. Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

Progress is one of those things that spreads, kind of like when you dip a piece

of tissue into ink and it goes up? Well, when you dip it in the end, that’s the City. The other side, the side that you’re holding, that is the country. It will just take time. Jake Bley, Content Creator and Social Media Strategist

For every issue Australia has I am still hopeful. We are a nation of dreamers and doers. I’m excited for us to continue pushing to be better because we absolutely have that capacity. The alternative is thinking that we can’t be better. And that’s too depressing for words. There’s a frustration with the structures of power – what that power looks like and how it is exercised. The way that old social norms still dictate the institutional rules and norms. We’re an aging country but we also have an incredibly vibrant younger generation. I do think my generation is at a turning point. There’s this feeling that the previous confines and ideas around identity is changing. Natalie Chandra, Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

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There’s so much land. This might sound like an incredibly simplistic thing to say, but when I think of all the land that we’ve got… They talk about there not being enough food but of course there potentially is. We just need to give people jobs creating beautiful farms, and produce and fruit trees.

Jake Bley When you look at our economic growth on a sector basis, we rely heavily on natural resources like iron and coal. We need to think about future sources of growth. We’ve got the education, we’ve got the tech savviness, we’ve got the early adopter mentality, we’ve got the small businesses and the entrepreneurs. But I think we could be pivoting faster for future growth, investing to become a smarter economy that is super entrepreneurial, driven by R&D, technology, innovation, and services. That’s exciting and I’m fundamentally optimistic about it. Aisling Finch, Head of Marketing Australia and NZ, Google

Ambre Hammond P H O T O B Y ALEX JUDGE

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As someone that is passionate about people, and the treatment of people, I’m excited that the majority of the nation still cares. This is evident through a growing number of organisations and initiatives for things like building awareness of mental illness, to abolishing human trafficking, to anti-bullying campaigns, to supplying basic needs for refugees new to Australia. Chris Chong, Co-Owner, Brand Manager and Creative Director, Misfit Shapes

Arthur Alla

PHOTO BY DAVID WHEELER

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What strikes people most is that, on the whole, Indigenous people are ready to overcome a painful history in order to build a lasting legacy. They talk about good education for their kids, good jobs for their graduates and good healthcare for their wisest generation. The imperative to ‘close the gap’ is not the subject of a Grade 12 exam question; it’s a drive to solve the real problems of their lived experience.

Elverina Johnson

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That’s why they invite people into their most sacred spaces: to tell them their stories, on their own land and on their own terms. It gives them the opportunity to meaningfully plug into our national narrative and promote empathy, the thread that ties our national fabric together.

I have survived and suffered for years just to convinced authorities I deserved a safe and independent environment, where I can build my life, where I can go to attend university, where I can study Human Rights, where I can become a social worker, where I can help helpless people, where I can play a game of cricket, where I can play different games. I’ve got lots of love inside me and I want to give it to the people of world. I can survive here without power, food and water but kindly stop playing political games.

Arthur Alla,

Abdul Samad,

Director, Red Earth

Asylum seeker, Manus Island

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

AVERY

SALIBA

Flying humans and hovering cars. It’s going to be awesome in the future. I want to be a songwriter slash a boss at some kind of company because I want to make sure I become a boss. It would also be cool to have my own house and to be able to go places without my parents.

Bio: Ten year-old Avery Saliba lives in St Kilda and attends St Mary’s Primary School, where she is in grade four. Avery loves all dogs and her favourite breed is a Brussel Griffon. She loves singing songs, especially ones she has written herself, and when she is not singing and songwriting, Avery is finding new reasons to convince her parents to get her a dog.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

To be Australian means to be diverse. When you go to Australia you think “wow” because there’s so many different cultures, religions, and points of view.

People think Australia is a peaceful country. A lot of people have wars in their countries and they don’t want that so they come here and they start restaurants and share their culture with people. When I walk down the street it’s fun to see how many kinds of people I can bump into. They say: I am Spanish, I am Maltese, I am from China. The diversity is fun in the classroom, last year when I was in year three we got to do a poster about ourselves and we got to see all kinds of different people’s posters and I thought it was amazing. I am Scottish and Maltese and Spanish and Greek. And Australian obviously.

How does the world view Australians?

They think we’re crazy because we like Vegemite. And people think we have funny accents and say “G’Day mate” or “Ayyyyyyy” - wait, no that’s a pirate.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

We are one big community. There’s not one thing we all believe in because we’re all different - we have different Gods and different beliefs and I don’t think anyone should pressure anyone else to be the same as them.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry? What makes us laugh is cheesy jokes.

What makes us cry is when an animal dies in a movie, such as “Marley and me”.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

It used to be peaceful and awesome, until the marriage equality [plebiscite] and then it became tipsy turvy with sides.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

How does the world view Australians?

People say “your generation is so self-obsessed”. But no, we just have the ability to express that part of ourselves. We take so many selfies, but in the 16th century people sat for days for a portrait and displayed it in their houses for everyone to see. There’s not much difference in the fundamental human nature of it all.

Sexy accents. For some reason speaking through the nose is something foreigners can’t get enough of. Maybe drunk, slightly racist, but also good people with big hearts.

I’m worried the marriage equality vote will end up being “no” because that wouldn’t be great. I think people will be sad. We’re not voting for people to be able to get married, we’re voting for equal rights.

I’m not allowed to be on Facebook yet - but I don’t really care, it’s not that interesting, it’s just taking a photo of yourself and posting it… Cool, great, good for you.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

The love of a good coffee. A Bunnings sausage sizzle is a religious experience. We have a complete irreverence for our political leaders, and a self-awareness of our own flaws. We value our environment to the point where we will put a price on the Great Barrier Reef. We value and are welcoming of all ethnicities but still have offshore processing of asylum seekers.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I want the vote to be YES. And I’d like it if every single human could fly and had elemental powers (fire, air, wind, water, earth) and Harry Potter awesomeness. I would have fire. Because I’m fiery.

Tall poppy syndrome is such a cultural attitude that you can only understand it once you leave this country, though this is tempered with a fierce pride for Australians who make it (we’ll even claim New Zealanders when it suits us).

NATALIE

CHANDRA

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

Australian humour is one of my favourite things. It’s a special mix of self-deprecating and sarcasm that has roots in good intentions. I think a lot of it comes from a self-reflective cultural cringe, and just owning that. It’s a snarky one-liner, a stream of jokey bullshit, and a punchline delivered in a deadpan tone. It’s such a unique strain of irreverence. I spent half a year in the US and was unable to say anything sarcastic for the entire time. Taking the shit is a beautiful art.

Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

Bio: Nathalie Chandra is a student at University of Sydney, completing her honours in Government and International Relations. She wrote her thesis on the non-use of nuclear bombs. Natalie is also a curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney and recently went to TEDWomen in New Orleans. In her spare time she is drafting her first fiction novel. Natalie is also a Black Belt in the Japanese martial art Aikido.

There’s a frustration with the structures of power – what that power looks like and how it is exercised. The way that old social norms still dictate the institutional rules and norms.

I hope people become more open and more inclusive.

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10-year-old

Our humour is something that unites us, it’s not superficial, it’s our deeper way of being honest and not naive about the world.

We need to get rid of the sexism, racism and homophobia. How do you fix a system that is benefiting a certain type of person? That’s the real question.

Feminism is really important to me. I hope I get called sexist by my kids one day because we’ve grown so much, it’s been taken to the next level. My parents have protected me from racism and hopefully I will protect my kids from sexism. Avocado toast makes Australians cry.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

Being Australian is not a singular identity. As a third generation culture kid, the child of immigrants who came here as children, I am as Australian as the descendent of convicts. For every question on Australia there are a million right answers. We are a country of immigrants. We’ve made our Indigenous Australians feel like aliens. I guess being Australian is the shared frustration that you never throw a shrimp on the barbie and if we did, it would be a prawn, by the way.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why? The mood of the country is restless.

I remember when I said I was Australian to someone in the US they didn’t believe it. “What?!” said a guy; but that made me feel more Australian. I’m proud of this land. I’m proud that my citizenship is an accumulation of all my grandparents and what they did and how hard they worked. What makes me Australian? A sense of belonging. I feel at home here. When I go around the world there’s part of me that pulls me to Australia. Identity is so varied and diverse – but if you feel you are Australian, then you are. Being Australian isn’t a particular personality, that’s just stereotypes. As soon as you get too specific you create an “other”.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

We’re an aging country but we also have an incredibly vibrant younger generation. I do think my generation is at a turning point. There’s this feeling that the previous confines and ideas around identity is changing. There is a lot of realisation about the things we’ve messed up in the past and there certainly is, as there always is, a frustration with how slowly things move.

Tolerance is on my mind a lot. The right to marriage is such a low bar. Is that all we can do? It’s frustrating. I feel passionate about it because I just want people to be happy.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

I think my biggest concern is being left behind socio-politically. We have had a very definite left-leaning political system and I think my biggest concern is this changing and widening of the gap.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I think critical thinking is important. It’s so hard. When you ask someone to think critically, you’re asking them to give up every institutional thought they had, even religion, and have conversations and be open to criticism and other points of view. I’m trying to be more flexible and open.

So if I could or had to change one thing I would give every Australian the ability to think critically, to remove themselves when asking the hard questions. I’ve been really critical of Australia, but it is completely home and for every issue we have, there are a hundred amazing things, a thousand amazing people that Australia still represents.

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be. There’s a sense of the culture being important, old and new, a sense that it is part of the general happiness people feel about being modern Australians.

How does the world view Australians?

ANDREW

Well, what people used to think about Australia way back was that you walk out of your hotel balcony and you immediately see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, which is exactly what happened to me on my very first night in Australia. If a kangaroo had passed by I would have had the full set!

President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region Bio: Originally from London, Andrew Jenkins first visited Australia in 1993. He now runs the Asia Pacific Region for Universal Music Publishing out of Sydney. Andrew has 36 years of experience working in the music industry, both in records and publishing. Prior to the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing by UMPG, he served as President of International for BMG and was responsible for signings such as the Bee Gees, Pete Townshend, Pete Waterman, The Cure, Robert Plant, Iron Maiden, Tom Waits and many more.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

When I first came here in 1993, Australia didn’t seem to really acknowledge the importance of its history before Europeans came to Australia. So Australia was a young country but also an old country which was, to some extent at least, being ignored. Now old Australia has rightly become very important to a lot of people. Witnessing the current debate about Australia Day right now is interesting because 24 years ago when I first came here, there would have been no debate. So it’s really interesting to see Australia’s looking back now, claiming its old culture and finding a place for it in modern Australia. Australia is a young and ancient land and Australians are coming to terms with reconciling it. It’s not just an old European culture. It has a European influence, but that’s all. There’s this old Aboriginal culture which everybody is right to be proud of and celebrate. And, at the same time, there’s a massive Asian influx that is part of everywhere you go, in every city. It’s fantastic.

I run the Asia Pacific Region for Universal Music Publishing. We look after songwriters principally, which can include famous artists as well who write their own songs. I look after the offices in Australia and all of Asia including Japan, India and China as well as Africa and the Middle East. Each of the offices signs their own local songwriters. We don’t just represent international songwriters. We represent songwriters from every single territory that we have an office in. And we encourage our offices to sign local writers, that’s what drives us. We are investing in local culture in a lot of countries and that is exciting.

Australians are also very good at laughing at themselves. I was thinking about this last night when I was watching Kath & Kim. Quite naturally Australians don’t particularly like other people laughing at them, but they love to laugh at themselves. And they’re very, very good at it. I think most people love cricket. A love of sport is a thing generally in Australia. I live in Manly and if I go to the beach any day, certainly any weekend, there will be people playing beach volleyball. There will be people surfing or swimming. It’s one of the things everybody shares, a love of the outdoors, a love of being outside and embracing it. It’s infectious.

However something very significant happened in 1997. I married my extraordinary, talented, beautiful Australian wife, an amazing jazz singer and songwriter. And when I got the chance to move here to Sydney, I did, because I always wanted to come here. What a beautiful country and what wonderful people. An amazing feeling of happiness. A lot of countries are sad and sometimes that’s often weather related. If it’s very cold or wet, it’s very hard to be happy all the time.

There’s generally a classlessness here as well and how much money you have is not really important. It’s more about whether you’re a good person – a sort of modern day extension of mateship. You don’t see that in all parts of the world. I think that’s great. And I think people accept that there’s a work life balance. You work hard, but you also have time off to enjoy being here.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I think it’s something that’s always evolving because the cultural mix changes all the time as well. There are common values within groups and there may be common values for the country, but they are not necessarily the same. There are common values that are shared within certain groups but not in other groups and as those cultures merge and blend more seamlessly, the values will merge.

I love the fact that Australians can be as happy sitting on the beach with a beer as they could be sitting in a beach club in St. Tropez with a bottle of Dom Perignon. It makes no difference if you’re Australian.

There are certain things that you can’t get away from if you’re in Australia however. The land and the sea. I love that word “girt” by the way. Our land is girt by sea. It’s a word I’ve never heard used before. It’s an English word but I’d never heard of it until I heard the Australian national anthem.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

I wish that we had the politicians that we deserve. Instead, we have politicians that make us laugh and cry and that’s rather sad.

It’s this incredibly huge country with enormous distances between cities, and with this extraordinary red centre. That red earth, when you fly over it, and you see it for the first time, and it actually is red, it’s kind of extraordinary. And then it’s surrounded by these beautiful oceans, these amazing beaches. So you can’t help but say everybody in Australia is affected by the country itself, by the size of it, by the geological features, and by the oceans. Most of the population lives around the coast. Very few people live in centre and that’s because the temperature in the centre makes it difficult. That wouldn’t happen anywhere else. That happens because of the continent, because of the land, and that shapes the way people think and what they care about. So things like the sea, the distances, the red centre, the Barrier Reef itself, these are important things for people.

I think in terms of what makes Australians cry, other than politicians and cricket, is maybe the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s such a beautiful country, especially the coastline, and to see that destroyed for mining or coal interests upsets Australians.

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JENKINS

And they are important for Australian culture and the cultural industries. There is such a weight of importance on culture here. Whether it’s in film, music, books or art. So much of it celebrates the land or the sea. On a global level, perhaps Australia punches above its weight in population in cultural terms.

There’s a book by Robert Hughes, a book called The Fatal Shore, which is probably the most famous book ever written by an Australian about the European invasion of Australia 200 years ago. Both the deliberate and accidental destruction of the Aboriginal way of life is something all Australians need to live with. I believe what makes Australians cry is thinking about that. Thinking about the past, the things that we would have loved to have done differently but we weren’t there 200 years ago. There are sadly all sorts of things we’ll never get back and are lost to us forever.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why? The mood of the country is divided.

When you think about Brett Whiteley, Tim Winton, Paul Kelly and Nick Cave you hope that successive Australian governments will do the right thing and support the Australian cultural industries in their struggles to obtain the true value from their endeavours in the face of opposition from massive overseas business interests. If you think about the great artists and the great authors like Tim Winton and Brett Whiteley, these people who wrote or painted the soul of Australia, and what it means to them, and to all Australians, and how what they did touches the world. Those cultural values are very important. And they’re not one cultural value, they are many and varied and so they should

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

Australians are excited by a belief in the future…and the end of the week! I think Australians are always excited about the weekend. But why wouldn’t you be? I think Australians realise they’re in a unique position geographically, as the probably most European country in the Asian sphere of influence. That offers huge opportunity to

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Australia, but doesn’t come without some threats either.

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Australia was that I always thought there was a huge amount of creative talent here, and there is. It’s extraordinary. Perhaps because it is so far from everywhere. I’m very lucky to have friends who work in art and other creative industries as well as music. This really is a country that punches above its weight in terms of creative talent. Perhaps because Australia is so far from Hollywood or wherever? Perhaps Australians have to try harder, or fight harder? Perhaps it’s because the country is so damn beautiful that you would only ever leave it for work so the gig better be world class! I think it is because it’s so far from anywhere people make an extra effort. They make things happen.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

There is a big concern about whether the mining companies destroy the coastline of Australia, the Barrier Reef may never recover and I think that’s a huge concern if you care about our planet. This is a very beautiful country, let’s try and keep it beautiful. Let’s do everything we can. I think there are worries about pollution, about global warming, and politicians saying they don’t believe that global warming is real and the scientists are wrong.

We worry that the government won’t do enough to protect Australian culture and Australian values. Australian culture and all its forms in music, in art, in literature, in film and everything that’s good about Australian culture that we export around the world. It’s the words, the pictures, the thoughts and ideas that matter. The politicians don’t even make the decisions that you think they should be able to make. Very simple things. Protect the Barrier Reef. Protect this for generations to come. Marriage equality, you know what we should do. We know what the right thing is. Look at other countries, look at what you should do. Do the right thing. Why spend all this money? Why waste people’s time? It’s a huge frustration and that’s why there is a big gap between politicians and people. They don’t do what people want.

It’s a worry in a country where the culture is so important. Australians had to strive to be different. Australia is not a little America or little England. Australia, is a culturally diverse country, rich in talent, and proudly unique in the world. My other big fear about Australia is that we never have our own Macron, the President of France who was elected to lead his country, not representing a political party. He won just by saying what he believed in. What Australia needs is someone who can win an election that they shouldn’t win.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I’d move Australia closer to Europe so I could see my kids more often. I’d move Australia there rather than me there because I don’t want to live anywhere else. I would just love to be able to be in Europe in a reasonable amount of time, perhaps three or four hours? That would be great.

If I could do one thing seriously, I would protect the Great Barrier Reef. It’s so beautiful, so extraordinarily beautiful.

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When we asked people what made them most excited about the future, they told us the answer was not what, but who. The leadership vacuum has given the creative class an opportunity to step forward and inspire the nation to change differently. The creative class includes any individual whose job or side project involves thinking and creating, engaging in complex problem solving to generate new ideas, technology, and products. They work in fields such as science, engineering, technology, design, arts, advertising, music, entertainment or architecture - but what unites them is that they form new intellectual property everyday. If Australia wants to fully transition from the Lucky Country to the Smart Country, this is the group that will make that happen. Australia’s creative class are not waiting for permission - they have already started and are standing up to the challenge. They have unapologetically started to design the future and they are calling on others to join in.

This group feels connected, supported, and empowered, either by their own smaller community or at the highest level. They have role models and they want to be role models for others. This is a powerful group.

The young and creative are revolting

e v EXeCUTi y SUMmAr WHO’S going i

person we spoke to was interested in becoming the next Prime Minister.

It was not just about where we have the conversation, but how. People told us that the most progressive point of view is easily distinguishable today: It will be the side that makes people feel good, versus driving people to act out of fear. For example, the different approaches taken by each side of the gay marriage campaign. From filmmakers to technologists to social commentators, this view is inspiring revolutions in tone and approach.

Rather than a realm for older white men - many are seeing politics as something that belongs to us all and a natural extension of being a leader in a particular field. More than one young

Interestingly, we heard from young talent that have chosen to remain in or return to Australia to work. The idea that ‘Home’ and ‘Australianness’ can be a source of competitive advantage is growing. This was not restricted to business capitals Melbourne and Sydney - we spoke to people from Brisbane to Launceston, Adelaide to Perth. We also heard about Western Sydney’s growing arts and music scene, thriving in the gap created by the lock-out laws in central Sydney.

Finally, we spoke with several Young Australians of the Year, who told us that diversifying the creative class has never been more important. Creativity, complex problem solving, critical thinking, people management, emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility - these are skills that should belong to us all regardless of geography, ethnicity, financial position or gender. Including as many young people as possible means that Australia’s future will benefit from more thinkers and richer perspectives - and only then can we fully transition from the Lucky Country to the Smart Country.

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As technology advances, new conversations arise. In our interviews we heard awesome debate from both sides about everyday Australians registering their vote every day through street art versus social media. There was heat around if our views should be stamped on the streets 102

versus screens, or shared with the public versus a social network. Above all, there is a new level of debate about how best to participate.

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The power has shifted, the energy is building, and the belief is growing: Anything is possible.

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The only reason you see, not just in Australia, but all around the world, you see people with darker skin being at the bottom of the food chain, it is not for any other reason but for the fact that knowledge has been kept from them or a certain group of people have monopolised the knowledge because they already figured out how important it is.

Musicians are the voices of their generations. I branded the type of music I make as sonic activism. The first thing I wanted to tackle was racism. Everywhere, people who look like me, their biggest limitation, whether they are sport stars or whether they were trying to be astrophysicists or politicians, or the Prime Minister of Australia; for people who look like me there is one thing holding them back, which is racism. So I want to tackle that. I started but then I realised there are steps and levels. Being at the lowest point of my career, which is the start, and trying to tackle the biggest topic when I really don’t have a voice yet was only getting me so far. I backed up on that a little bit and channeled more energy into teaching through music, I need to enlist some soldiers before I can fully commit to the battle. I always loved education, ever since I was young. I grew up in a refugee camp for seven years of my life. In places like that they make you know that there’s only one way out of here. You’re not going to play sports and become a sports star. Education is the way out for poverty.

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What I can do is empower and teach people through music. For example, in one song I could teach history based on some of the lyrics. I’m talking factual straight up history. Or another song could teach philosophy. Another song could teach nutrition. I can share one of the lines that I use, as a testament of what I am trying to do: “Welcome to the mind of a young black African king, DyspOra man from original skin, born to a lost world but he’s destined to win, let it begin. Dome full of Kush* and the knowledge it brings, acknowledging things that make us unique. Get knocked down, bounce back to your feet. If you ever get lost you just follow the beat...Less talk let the poetry speak.”

The young and creative are revolting

Australia I’d meet kids in Mexico or India or Africa who played hide and seek, let off fireworks and laughed at my poor gringo attempts to speak the local dialect. These kids also dreamt of becoming doctors and astronauts just like I once had. The only difference was their lack of access to basic needs such as clean water or education. The privileges so many of us take for granted. So I decided to flip the world of philanthropic story telling on its head and start using colour and comedy and imagination. The response was overwhelming. People related on a whole new level and felt inspired to support and empower these kids, not guilted into “saving” them. Rethinking how we communicate to one another can have the most profound impacts. Stefan Hunt, Director and Artist

Stefan Hunt

*KUSH: The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient civilization in what is now modern day Sudan - The Kushite civilization predates the Egyptian culture and was ruled by Nilotic ancestors. When I was tackling racism head on, I was fighting against a system, “us versus them” from the get go. When I come from the perspective of learning I realised that an African kid can learn that and a Caucasian kid can learn from the exact same words and understand me and people who look like me. DyspOra, Sonic Activist and Founder of independent Hip-Hop label Playback 808

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There’s no reason why Australia can’t be as progressive [as some other countries], I don’t see any reason, we have an incredibly active, multicultural society with teachings and customs and philosophies from many different parts of the world. They all have their high points, they all have their low points, but how great to be able to share that. I just think that in the whole looking towards other countries for constant validation is not doing us any favours. I don’t want Australia to be the United States of Australia.

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Frida Las Vegas I’m interested in ascending that inferiority complex of not being as dynamic as the States, and when I say the States I mean LA and New York which is what a lot of Australians compare our culture to. To try hard socially, to be accepted and to accept others, to strive for high quality in the work that we produce, to try and learn about other places and other cultures. I think complacency should have no place in current Australian culture.

It’s all about community consciousness. We spend so much time on Facebook writing on these walls with our comments. A lot of it gets out to the people we know, but really it’s a trap because the activation of real commentary has always been in the street and it wasn’t until 30 years ago when this thing became illegal that, that sort of started transitioning out of the street and now it’s technology, which is the worse place for it to be entirely.

I think that’s why as creatives, it’s important for us to encourage other kids to be creative and to try and let them know that you can be creative. The end goal shouldn’t be having X amount of followers. If you want to make music and you still work at a 9:00 to 5:00 job, you can do that.

I put an ad on the radio station - Fine Music FM - I think it cost me $180 for 55 words read out twice a day for two weeks. At 7:30am and 5pm. And I was absolutely

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I took a step away from music and picked up a camera. And just picking up the camera opened up a whole new world and creative direction. I’ve been out working as a photographer for the last two years. So now I have my music and I have a bunch of businesses that I’ve started up and am proudly running with them. And I own a barber shop. And we’re just trying to do things differently and I’m just trying to just stay as creative as I can without feeling it become a chore.

Ta-ku, Musician, Producer and Photographer

Ta-ku

I’m at the point where I’m trying to reimagine maybe what it means to be a commercial artist and what are the different hats I can wear and what are the services that I can provide to a new generation of creative businesses that aren’t necessarily based in Australia but want an Australian flavour. Frida Las Vegas Artist and Designer

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stoked to be able to do that and for the radio station to be okay with me doing that. It sounded like this: “Anthony Lister presents his public exhibition, ‘Do you have a right to vote?’ which juxtaposes the questions ‘Should you feel entitled to express your right to vote every day?’ and ‘Should public spaces be for public people?’ Lister believes art is not a crime and the way to vote everyday is to write that vote on walls. Lister’s work will be showing in progressive locations in Sydney. Look out for them. Anthony Lister, Contemporary Painter and Installation Artist

I make signs to share and spread my message with my dog Smarty. I want people to remember to laugh, to enjoy life, to spread peace and to treat other people well. I make signs like “Yes Smile Yes. Power of Love. Tears of Joy. Respect Equality Peace and Harmony” and ‘“Save Reef. No Adani” and “Vote 1 Smarty. Happy Erection 4 Peace. Smile, Election R U ready?”

massive groundswell of popular culture interest to just, you know, make, really gentle political statements.

Danny Lim,

Jo Thornely,

I love the idea of humour to slip your message across and it’s more likely to reach a broader audience, and they’re not going to feel preached to, which is super important.

Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

One of the reasons I love creativity and humour is that if you’re not making people feel better, then you’re not doing Australia any good. For example, if you look at the two sides of the gay marriage debate, one side is really happy and one side is making people feel bad about themselves. It’s obvious which side is the side for progress.

AFTRS was set up in ‘73 after a decade when hardly any Australian stories had been told on the big screen or small screen. It was mostly US or UK directors and films and TV shows that were being shown. The school was set up as a cultural response to that, so the whole purpose of the school is to find and nurture storytellers for the screen industry and also broadcast for radio, to represent the Australian story.

Pauline Hanson wearing a burqa into Parliament - I love that ripple that went through social media, because we got to laugh at bigotry, there was just this great swell of people pointing out that what she did was not ok. It shows that everyone gives a shit and that is encouraging. I think the important thing is to keep talking, one of the things I love is how during things like online chatter about the Bachelorette on TV, people were slipping in with the hashtag same sex marriage messages, and other messages about whatever was happening in politics at the time. They’d use the hashtag and the

There was a big wave of success with Phillip Noyce, Jane Campion and Gillian Armstrong among others. And there was a feeling of excitement that actually, for the first time, Australians were on the screen and you heard the Australian accent. There was this big shift and that led to a whole new wave of Australian cinema. Now there’s a new shift, with global international companies like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon that are driven by algorithms that don’t necessarily take into consideration national identity. And the ABC and the traditional broadcasters are struggling to understand what is the Australian story, because the average audience in the ABC is 65 years old. I think the youngest channel is Network 10 and they’ve got an audience with an average age of around 44 years old. So, ultimately the audiences are dying, which is not good for anyone’s business.

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Activist

that people are engaging with most, so Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country has just won a prize at Venice and been commended at Toronto, and that’s the side of Australia that people aren’t used to seeing. It’s that difference which is really exciting. Now people are trying to understand all the stories which haven’t been told and are thinking about how to tell them. And that’s something which we’re trying to play a part in.

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I keep hearing about the cultural cringe, but I’ve seen better work and more talent here than I have in the UK. It’s just having the confidence to be able to use that talent and then the confidence to think that it could travel internationally. I think there’s a general lack of appetite for risk, which may be political because they’re worried that if it does fail spectacularly, that they will then be criticised and then funding be taken away from them. But I think you’ve got to go big and bold or you might as well just go home and shrivel. So I think if I would say what was one thing that I would hope I could change about Australia, it’s an acceptance and actually embracing failure. There’s a stigma around failure here, which I can see within government, within the broadcasters, within the agencies that fund, which then gets transmitted to the producers. And also, you can see the critics can be really anti Australian films if they’re not very good, which then kind of creates this perpetual circle of trying to mitigate against risk rather than backing the talent. I admire the people who do things which are different and then engage with a bigger audience, like Redfern Now. It’s now one of the biggest TV series on the network. It’s those kind of risks that I think we should be encouraging people to take.

The question is how do you tap into this rich seam of the Australian story which hasn’t been developed yet. We’ve had Indigenous units here, Indigenous units at the ABC and also at Screen Australia, that have nurtured our Indigenous talent. And now internationally, they’re the stories

Neil Peplow, CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

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consultant and run my own art shop, I’ve had it for the last 12 years. Recently, I won the NAIDOC Artist of the Year award. At the moment my work is being distributed, printed on silk scarves, by a company called Mainie. It’s been really good and I’ve had the opportunity to present scarves to high profile people. There’s just so many things that have happened, positive things, relating to my artwork. Elverina Johnson, Indigenous Artist and Designer

I think it’s important to have a connection to where you come from and to invest in the cultural diversity of what it has to offer. For me, being Australian is a positive point of difference and I’m excited to see how Australia’s values, culture and stories will influence my work in the future. Gemma O’Brien, Designer and Artist

PHOTO BY WARREN SMITH

Creatively, places like Sydney are thriving. I moved to LA four years ago with the mindset of “must move to bigger city to create good work”. Now I feel the absolute opposite. I’ve moved back to Australia feeling more inspired than ever, making my best work and living where I choose to live rather than slogging it out in a foreign land. I think this comes down to perspective but also, so much has changed in those four years as a result of online connectivity and accessibility of technology. I don’t feel the necessity to go overseas to make the work I want to make and I think it’s cooler to do it with an Australian voice. That excites me.

From my point of view, there’s a lot of things that we’re thinking about, even with my business Semi Permanent, that I’m excited about and I don’t feel that living Australia is a constraint at all. And I feel other companies do it from here as well. We don’t necessarily need to go overseas. But we will go: we will travel, but not because we need to go over there and be validated; we want to go meet people. Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

Overall, for our business, I’m super stoked to be where we are. I’ve got many more good things to say, especially from a tech perspective, than bad things to say.

Riley Blakeway,

Tim Fung,

Writer and Director

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Gemma O’Brien

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Riley Blakeway

As someone in the creative industries I have thought more and more about the value of living and working in Australia. In the design world, there’s an underlying feeling that to become successful you should move to New York, London or Berlin, but I don’t think this is true. I travel a lot for work, but I always love coming home to Australia.

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Tara Howell, Founder and Executive, Blue Derby Pods Ride

Tara Howell

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I don’t see where I’m living in Australia as an advantage or disadvantage, it’s about your mindset. If you want to do something then you will do it. That’s it. When I was living in Launceston, in Melbourne or in Sydney - it was no different, there were no barriers. I live in Tasmania and I see the world as a glass half-full.

So now we are in 2017 and there’s not much you cannot do, see or buy from your fixed or ‘hot’ desk and I believe that is because of access that Australians have to the rest of the world from their desk. They are developing, contributing and creating home grown, world class, drawing on ‘our’ culture celebrating what we are and have. It was once that Australians needed to leave Australia to better themselves, in their work, in their self. But now, Australians seem to be blending their culture and knowledge with what they can access without buying a plane ticket. And the results have a fresh substance; Australians are flying our own flag that is global and unique.

The young and creative are revolting

When I think about here in Western Sydney, I’m excited about the development of Western Sydney as a live music hub. This will hopefully generate support for the arts in a really positive way, so a lot of resources have been poured into places like Parramatta for example, where there’s a lot of music that’s infused with food and art and culture centred in a place, in a location. That’s pretty exciting, so I’m excited to see that shift happen. In Sydney, the city itself is kind of slowing down, at least from my perspective anyway, at least in terms of what it means for art and music, just because of how difficult it is, and how crippled it’s been by changes in laws around music or entertainment venues, it’s really been crippled. But in the outskirts you have a lot more activity kind of brewing, it’s still got a while to go, but out west, in Western Sydney things are happening. So I’m excited about what comes next. In challenging times that’s when new scenes emerge, so, you know, I’m excited about that stuff for sure. Western Sydney is getting a lot of love right now, and I really like that.

A.R.T. In Australia today, we are creating innovative destinations to view old, new, local and international art. Mona (Tasmania), NGV (Victoria), GOMA (Brisbane).The world is watching, Australia is on the map! Bronwyn Kidd, Photographer

Add to that, the digital world has shifted Australia a hell of a lot closer to the rest of the world. The tyranny of distance may have affected us in the past, making it harder for us to compete or connect. But the digital world means you can sit in the Huon Valley having conversations with people in New York. You’re just as capable of doing a job in remote areas of Tasmania as you are somewhere else. That’s a

massive opportunity that’s not yet been fully realised, and It increases our ability to be bigger and stronger than we currently are. Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

I think Australians realise they’re in a unique position geographically, as the probably most European country in the Asian sphere of influence. That offers huge opportunity to Australia, but doesn’t come without some threats either. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Australia was that I always thought there was a huge amount of creative talent here, and there is. It’s extraordinary. Perhaps because it is so far from everywhere. I’m very lucky to have friends who work in art and other creative industries as well as music. This really is a country that punches above its weight in terms of creative talent. Perhaps because Australia is so far from Hollywood or wherever? Perhaps Australians have to try harder, or fight harder? Perhaps it’s because the country is so damn beautiful that you would only ever leave it for work so the gig better be world class! I think it is because it’s so far from anywhere people make an extra effort. They make things happen Andrew Jenkins, President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region

L-Fresh, Musician and Social Activist

It’s COOLER to do it with an AUSTRALIAN voice.

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I think if you are passionate about something, you will achieve it and you will find a way. And for me, I was in Brisbane, I wanted to start a business, I was 14. For young people coming through today, the internet has connected us. You could be living in Aurukun, start a business, it does not matter. Ten years ago it might have, where you were based could have had a huge impact on whether you could start a business or not. But today as long as you’re connected to the internet, that’s not a barrier. I had better internet speeds in Aurukun than I do in Brisbane!

The young and creative are revolting

Our hope and vision for Australia is to give every kid opportunity, regardless of age, gender or postcode.

the corporate side of Queensland, we’ve got people representing youth, we’ve got teachers, we’ve got corporates. This panel represents Queensland. It’s fantastic that our premier is listening to what the people want.

Beyond what I’m doing right now with the business, for me personally I’ve always been quite interested in politics, I’m actively looking at that, it’s something I’ve always been intrigued by and it’s something that I think could be a quite interesting path to go down in 10-20 years. We’ll see.

Taj Pabari,

At a federal level, that would be quite interesting if the top level of government listened to what the people wanted. For Queensland alone, it’s going to save the next generation a lot of money and a lot of time. We’re disappointed as a nation, but we’re getting there. We’ve got people who are trying to make a change and I think we will be able to make a change over the next couple of years.

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Founder and CEO, The Urban List

Because of our connectivity now everything’s a lot more global and the world is watching you know — I think it’s our opportunity to show what can be done given our history and where we’ve come from. Josh Gilbert Worimi man, Aboriginal Speaker, Farmer, Writer and Entrepreneur

Taj Pabari

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Susannah George,

There are amazing Australians that are taking risks, that are trying new things, that are creating the most amazing new

I live in Queensland and our government is doing a brilliant job at funding the startup community, and they’re really invested in it.

Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

I think we need to be listening to every sector of society, including young people. It’s our young generation that will be the one dealing with climate change and education. If we don’t start listening to young people right now there could be a time where we look and realise we’ve been left behind.

With the rise of social media we have never been so connected. We can connect with LinkedIn, we can connect with brilliant business owners on the other side of the planet through Skype. We can connect with amazing entrepreneurs and innovators and over the course of my journey, that’s what I’ve done. I’ve been able to connect with role models and mentors through the internet. I think that will be only more prominent over the next couple of years as every single kid gets their own computer, gets their own phone, gets their own tablet.

Josh Gilbert

innovations and creations. It’s going to be exciting to see what happens in the next couple of years. If you look at the young people that are coming through, the people that we are exporting onto the world’s circuit, you see some amazing people from the sports realm to the entrepreneurial realm. We’ve got the two guys who were in the A league that are now in the Premier League. And we have brilliant Aussie business owners like the Atlassian boys, they came from Australia. These are the people we need to be profiling and saying “Yes, we have traditional Australia, but hey we’ve also got people like Mike Cannon-Brookes - a person who really is changing the world.”

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generation. As a woman of ethnic origin who has gained a profile in STEM I feel proud and involved in Australia’s future. I feel valued.

I’m doing a PhD in Physics Education, I wanted to be part of a group that’s trying to figure out how to teach physics better. Petr Lebedev,

PhD Student

Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

Science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) are platforms for creating, inventing, changing and revolutionising. How many other occupations are there that can radically change our world? STEM opens doors and windows to opportunities, only limited by our imagination. STEM, in particular science, is why I am here today.

complacent with our achievements and not strive to better ourselves continuously. We should not be left behind. Our relaxed attitude is our strength but we also need to take ourselves more seriously in order for everyone else to do the same. We need to make ourselves relevant and make ourselves present.

During my schooling years in the Sutherland Shire, in the 90s and early 00s, I was quick to integrate into my community but I really was a minority and I didn’t have many people ‘like me’ around me, so I was often a little lost, conflicted and just felt ‘different’. Over the years I have found people who understand what I had felt and I have helped those who didn’t to understand what I had also felt. Consequently, I am far more sure of who I am and what I stand for and I take that on as a responsibility for the next

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Dr. Dharmica Mistry

something like 90 countries. Because of this open-sourced focus, we’re always conscious on how we design the app in order to capture a wide range of data that allows it to be used in ways we haven’t even thought about. The power of the data is in its specificity. For example, the data can tell us that young men in Melbourne between the ages of 18 and 24, who work in law, are most anxious between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00am on weekday mornings. So if you’re a law firm, this data can inform how you structure your office culture. For example, are you organising your team meetings when people are most stressed and are likely to be disengaged? If you’re running public transport, how do you design your services to cater (or counter) the fact that people are using your services in their most stressed mental state?

The young and creative are revolting

Last year Spur Projects launched “How is the world feeling?”, the world’s largest ever real-time mental health survey. It was an app for smart devices where people tracked how they were feeling over the course of the day. We received over 60,000 submissions in just seven days. The app doesn’t just log what people were feeling, but when and in what context.

It’s weird now that artificial intelligence is entering the political sphere. This is an opportunity to learn from our past so that we don’t go forward saying “artificial intelligence is better or worse” – it’s just another thing that we live with. Maybe artificial intelligence will bond us a little bit more as a society and as a community and as people, as males and females, of different ages, of different health levels, of different education. And we can live in unison with things that we’ve built and created. Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

Murray Bell

In short, we want to understand how people around the world are feeling at all times, so that people’s mental health can be supported in the most powerful, accurate and efficient ways. Our ultimate goal is eliminating suicide. Lee Crockford, CEO, Spur Projects, and Creative Director, SPUR:LABS PHOTO BY TREVOR KING

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Lee Crockford

What excites me about the future of Australia are the young people that we have in this country. They are creative and capable and if we would alter our education system so that they were able to engage meaningfully with content and think critically about ideas, we would be working toward an awesome future. If we focus on critical thinking, critical literacies, collaboration, problem-solving and creativity, and allow young people to spend time with ideas and differing views, they will flourish. We have a wonderfully multicultural society and if we can resist those who would try to divide us, and focus on our common humanity, the children will move us into a brilliant future.

Dr. Amanda Mergler,

Tea Uglow, Creative Lab, Google

It’s not about what excites me but who excites me and it’s the young people that I know. They are visionary and fearless and really committed to creating a compassionate, better and safer future. The young people in the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, who run the food co-op at the university where I volunteer on Friday afternoons are working on a piece of land they’ve restored in Hobart to build a city farm that’s intensively growing organic food for sale to the local community. They are all just awesome. They are creating a sustainable future directly, with joy and energy. Margaret Steadman, Activist and Advocate

L-Fresh

Australia is home to some of the most passionate and gifted people, most of whom are young people. I have been incredibly fortunate to have met some amazing young leaders who truly believe in their cause and have the skills, the

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Psychologist, Senior Lecturer and Co-Founder of the Girls Uniform Agenda

intelligence and the doggedness to get the job done. Traditionally around the world, we don’t always put a lot of faith in what the younger generations have to say or even to offer. Knowing the talent pool that we have here in this country, we should embrace them and really listen to what they have to say. I think that, if we let it, the country will be in great hands down the track. Dr. Nikki Stamp, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker

The young and creative are revolting

The people who make me most excited are the ones who refuse to accept that this is all we are capable of.

I think the young people coming through are really confident and smart and tech-savvy and they’re really doing something, turning their dreams into reality. Whether it’s starting a new business, jumping into a new career, that’s exciting for the future of Australia, just what can happen next with these young kids coming through. Kate Gaze, Professional Basketballer

Old people, they are so scared of change. But the youth can do it. The opportunity is right there, they just have to grab it. They have to stand up. You have to stand up to be counted. That’s how the youth can do it. Danny Lim, Activist

I’m excited by the fact that our younger generation are now taking more of a stand for the future of Australia. As the youth, we are given many opportunities and organisations and politicians that see the potential for us to create a greater good support us. Bridie Duggan, Physiotherapy Student and Community Activist

All the kids that are coming through is what makes me excited about the future. And if we take as many leaps as we can now, it’s an inspiration for them to continue that progress on. And what makes me so happy is when I see the kids come to Sea Shepherd and they want to get involved in the environment because they’ve seen people before them do it and how those people took leaps of faith and have made a change. Because they’re the ones that are going to have a better platform than what we have right now and can affect a lot more change.

L-Fresh, Musician and Social Activist

Bridie Duggan

Erica McLernon, Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

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We believe we can do anything with practice. Yes, I can do anything. I just might not be the best at it right away, like soccer. I’d love to be a pet owner and have four white puppies.

The young and creative are revolting

Eadie Velez

Eadie Velez, 8-year-old

Flying humans and hovering cars - it’s going to be awesome in the future. I want to be a songwriter slash boss at some kind of company because I want to make sure I become a boss. It would also be cool to have my own house and to be able to go places without my parents. And I’d like it if every single human could fly and had elemental powers (fire, air, wind, water, earth). I would have fire. Because I’m fiery.

PHOTO BY SAM WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Avery Sailba, 10-year-old

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HUNT

Director and Artist

Bio: Stefan Hunt is a freelance film maker based in Sydney, Australia. He is a director, cinematographer and editor who prides himself on storytelling. His most recent project, “We’re All Going to Die” is all about empowering young people to fear less, and live more.

What does it means to be an Australian today?

Australia is still trying to figure out who it is. It’s not as clear to us as other countries because they’re so old and have had centuries to grow and mature. We’re young. We’re only just coming out of our teen years which means we’ve been an arrogant little shit with a bad haircut - and we’re going into our 20s now and starting to explore our identity. That means making lots of mistakes and learning from them so when we reach our 30s hopefully we’ve matured. That’s why the prospect of our generation running the country someday truly excites me. I dream of Australia being a country that celebrates our diversity and champions it as a cornerstone of our identity. We’re definitely not there right now and that frustrates me a lot. Right now there is an undeniable divide that comes from fear and a lack of education. It upsets me to see Australia labelled as a racist country not because that isn’t true, but because people can’t see it ever changing. That divide, that lack of empathy, it hurts. I dream that our generation will find ways to connect people from all walks of life. To illustrate to them we’re not that different. We all want the same thing on the deepest level. I hope to see the day we all realise that.

I’ve been raised with so much privilege and it’s important for me to acknowledge that. My family, my country, the opportunities I’ve been presented with are truly a blessing. I feel an immense amount of gratitude and as a result I have burning desire to leave this world better than I found it. In Australia it’s so easy to live in your bubble of comfort and not worry about anything (or anyone) else. Personally I’m against that. I think we all have a unique set of talents and responsibility to make some positive social change. For me, it’s using my creativity. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of non-for-profit charities over the last decade sharing inspiring stories through film. But I reached a point where I realised there was a formula to a charity film that I didn’t agree with. The combination of sombre music and slow motion black and white depressing footage was enough to guilt trip anyone into supporting a cause. But after personally meeting the subjects of these films I soon realised how similar we all were. Just like my nieces back in Australia I’d meet kids in Mexico or India or Africa who played hide and seek, let off fireworks and laughed at my poor gringo attempts to speak the local dialect. These kids also dreamt of becoming doctors and astronauts just like I once had. The only difference was their lack of access to basic needs such as clean water or education. The privileges so many of us take for granted. So I decided to flip the world of philanthropic story telling on its head and start using colour and comedy and imagination. The response was overwhelming. People related on a whole new level and felt inspired to support and empower these kids, not guilted into “saving” them. Rethinking how we communicate to one another can have the most profound impacts.

How does the world view Australians?

But today they’re seeing another side of Australia. And to be honest I think it is somewhat a bit embarrassing and some of it is true. It’s the kind of Australian who travels the world with a sense of arrogance and thinks they are superior, and therefore can disrespect other cultures. It’s one of the biggest things that frustrates me and I think that shifted when the Cronulla Riots happened years ago. The world heard about these Cronulla Riots. I was overseas and I remember people asking me, “Is Australia a racist country?” and I think that’s when I realised, “yeah, it is”. It totally is. Not all of Australia is racist, but it’s there. That is so embarrassing.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

I don’t know the answer, to be honest. I think what we’ve come to learn in the last few years is that everyone is in their own bubble. Everyone is in their own echo chamber so it would be easy for me to say “This is what I think the mood of the country is” but that’s only my world. I think to truly understand where the mood of the country is at, you would need to speak to someone who goes out and interacts with every single subculture in Australia to really get a good grasp of where our country is at.

So in the terms of how the rest of the world views Australia? I think back in the day, the world thought of us as a really fun larrikin, and have now seen that sometimes we can be dickheads, and I hope that as we move forward they will see that we’re actually a really beautiful country that celebrates diversity.

I could say from where I’m at that there’s this real, forward-thinking, positive-minded, environmental, equal rights energy and mood about the country. That’s literally my own bubble. I don’t know that if I drive two hours away from here, I could find the exact opposite.

For now, I think we’re uneducated in certain parts. My girlfriend’s Indian and she feels so uncomfortable around some parts of Australia. How they look at her, and often there’s that sense that they’ve probably never spoken to an Indian in their life. All they know is what they read, or what they see on TV, and that’s often a load of shit, so to be able to form your entire views on an entire culture without even having one friend that is from that culture - that’s insane to me. I like to think that if we can find effective ways to communicate and bring people together, that empathy will naturally come out of that and we will realise that we’re all human at the end of the day. We all want that sense of belonging and we all want to feel loved and accepted. We all want to be happy.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

I know that at the top level of politics is this old fashioned way of thinking, but they’re in power and there’s no point in trying to fight people in power, it’s really difficult. I also know that sometimes you just need time and patience, and that those people, those old farts in politics, they just have the most messed up ideas – but they’re going to die someday or they’re going to move out and we’re going to have this new movement come through of just smart, educated, compassionate people who want to make a difference in this country.

And when they’re in power, we’re going to see such great change. There’s going to be a turn, a changing of the guards within this country and how it’s run. I think it’s also important to have those people fighting the people in power now, so they can’t get away with everything.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I do believe that things are going to change, Australia is 20 years old, and it’s going to come back to us when we’re in our 30s, I think we’re going to see some really powerful things happen. And not just Australia, I think in a lot of Western Countries around the world. Yeah, it’s exciting, you just need patience.

I think that Australia does have a really strong sense of self. It is this true blue hard yakka country. I grew up in the country and there is this sense of camaraderie out there.

I think of Australia as this young 20 year old country and when we get older we might look at our teen years and be like “That is so embarrassing, I can’t believe we said that, or we thought that”. At the same time, in your 20s, you’re still going to make mistakes, you’re still discovering who you are. The coolest thing is that you are an adult, and you do have the freedom to explore and discover and make mistakes but grow from it. So at the moment, Australia is on its way to finding its identity. And when I say finding its identity, I mean that in the sense of actually improving who we are and what we bring to the world. Because we have an identity and we have our abilities, but I think in terms of being a country that is really at the forefront of leading the world, I think we’re still trying to find that out and we’re not quite there.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia? TRANSCRIPTS

STEFAN

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

What makes us laugh is just larrikinism. Just watching your mate make an idiot of himself at the Cup. It’s really simple, I think that we have this amazing ability to find something funny in a lot of situations. And I think that does actually play a huge part in the level of happiness in the country, because there is a lot to laugh about. And I think it comes from a place of (for most of us) being really fortunate that we don’t have to worry about where the next meal comes from, and therefore it opens us up to just having a laugh and seeing the humour in a lot of things.

The current leaders are old farts set in their ways. They’re frustrating buggers. But when you look at history it’s the moments of despair when people rise and stand up together and I can see that’s happening now. Apathy is decreasing. We’re realising that our voices do matter and our actions can make a difference. And this shift has sparked a fire in the leaders of tomorrow. I believe that in 20 years those in power will be smart, compassionate and empathetic because they grew up in world where that barely existed.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

On a really superficial level, I think we’re losing the rough, DIY mentality. I think our government is actually taking away something that is rough around the edges, for example our occupation health and safety is killing a lot of fun and we’re becoming so nannied. And that actually upsets me, because I grew up in the country, I could ride around in the back of my dad’s ute and now I can’t do that. So I would go up to the people who are really uptight and are making these decisions, I would give them a slap across the face and just say “chill out” then just take it back to when it was a bit more fun.

I love that about Australia. I love the sense of humour and how much we value it. Even in high school, you knew you were mates with someone because they teased you and they’d tease themselves. It was a sense of acceptance with this unwritten ritual or cultural practice that if you can tease them, you don’t have to back slap them. It’s so honest, it’s very raw. And I think that’s where the thick skin comes from in Australia.

But in terms of something on a much deeper level I’d want to advocate for a connected Australia. No matter where you’re born, if you live here, you’re Australian. If I could change anything, I would say that regardless of skin colour or religion or age or ethnicity, everyone should just see someone else as Australian and the value which comes with that, a mate. So for me, what would I change? Bring mateship amongst all Australians, not just the Australians who think that way.

I think I can only go off the years I’ve been alive. Back in the day, when my dad travelled to the US, Australia was this really charming, foreign, larrikin country and everyone thought we were just a bunch of Crocodile Dundees out there. People thought every Australian male was Mick Dundee.

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FRIDA

LAS VEGAS

Artist and Designer

Bio: Frida Las Vegas (aka Stavroula Adameitis) is a Sydney-based Artist and Designer with a professional background spanning the fashion, animation, design, editorial and film industries. A heightened 1980s Pop Art aesthetic and a uniquely Australian sense of humour defines her razzle dazzle universe of turbocharged V8 glamour across visual art, illustration, fashion and jewellery. Her goal is to make a positive impact across mediums using humour, colour and flair.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

For me personally, I am tired of comparing my location to the rest of the world. When I was in London someone said to me “what happens on the island, stays on the island” and that profoundly affected me because it was saying that basically whatever cultural output we make in Australia; it stays here.

My own personal take on it is one of absolute rebellion and I think that some of the most incredible thinkers, writers, philosophers, activists, sportspeople (even though I really don’t care about sport but I’ll give them their time in the sun), basically there have been so many talented people that have come from Australia. So to be rendered as “Oh you guys are so far away and it’s a 30 hour flight and we’re not really interested”, I’m a bit over that mentality.

I’m interested in ascending that inferiority complex of not being as dynamic as the States, and when I say the States I mean LA and New York which is what a lot of Australians compare our culture to. To try hard socially, to be accepted and to accept others, to strive for high quality in the work that we produce, to try and learn about other places and other cultures. I think complacency should have no place in current Australian culture. There’s no reason why Australia can’t be as progressive [as some other countries], I don’t see any reason, we have an incredibly active, multicultural society with teachings and customs and philosophies from many different parts of the world. They all have their high points, they all have their low points, but how great to be able to share that. I just think that in the whole looking towards other countries for constant validation is not doing us any favours. I don’t want Australia to be the United States of Australia.

For me personally, it turns out that there is power in the niche and that there is potential for the community in the niche, and so I started selling my jewellery online and I did a few collections which were inspired by influences like the red neon lights of King’s Cross, which have since been turned off with the lockout laws… And I did this Acropolis Now sort of 80’s collection. I’m at the point where I’m trying to reimagine maybe what it means to be a commercial artist and what are the different hats I can wear and what are the services that I can provide to a new generation of creative businesses that aren’t necessarily based in Australia but want an Australian flavour

How does the world view Australians?

They view us in terms of the tourism campaign strategies from Australia - kangaroos, koalas, beer, maybe sport. Other than that I think they see Australia as just really, really far away, I went to the south of France as an exchange student when I was 14 years old and one of the students said to me “Australia might as well be heaven it’s that far away”.

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What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I do think there’s more division happening than unity at present. However in 2017, I think Australians all want to have fun; it might just be as simple as that. I think we just want to have fun - whether fun is to go out and get pissed, or to go to art galleries and appreciate other people’s work, or go to a footy match and cheer on our favourite team, or have friends over in our houses, or in our apartments if that’s all that we can afford. I think a sense of fun is the central theme.

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

So much makes me laugh. On a purely aesthetic level, I love the big things, the big banana, the big pineapple, the big lobster! I find it hilarious that the marketing strategy for these teeny, tiny, small towns was to build a giant pineapple so that tourists would stop by rather than continuing on the highway towards the next city. It’s genius. My dream is to build a big Ibis somewhere outside Sydney, I’d love to bring that tradition back. Early 90s Australian TV makes me laugh, shows like The D-Generation and Fast-Forward, the politically tinged, dorky, kooky, academic humour that Kath & Kim exported to the world.

I think there is a real sense of “We have one life to live, let’s make it a good one”, the optimism in Australia I find really engaging, deeply engaging. I was lucky that I grew up with my dad who had lots of Indigenous friends so, we just, we grew up with lots of Indigenous people in our homes…There are Indigenous people who just like everyone are working jobs, having families, shopping at Woolworths. I find that the way that Indigenous people are portrayed in the media is quite sad. And then it just perpetrates some really nasty stereotypes and prejudices in people of other cultures. It’s just not respectful for the people whose land the British colonised and stole. That makes me sad.

The copyright law in Australia may not be as important, but it’s a subject that I’ve recently become somewhat obsessed with. There is no protection or systems in place for designers that make things, and with no laws to govern them, it’s a free for all. And of course the plebiscite is an absolute joke. The fact that you can’t, in 2017, legally marry someone of the same sex, and the religious groups that are campaigning under the guise of love and prosperity - if America has passed same sex marriage in certain states, what’s that saying about Australia at this point?

And finally, Australian politics doesn’t make me sad, it just makes me angry. I’d really love for a charismatic leader that wasn’t just a party puppet to come to the fray. Just someone with a smidgen of integrity would be nice.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

I think there’s a general unease, to be honest. I mean there’s a general unease in the world since Trump came into power but even before then, Brexit. I think from an economic point of view there’s a feeling of distrust and uncertainty moving forward, not knowing how we can compete with the world whilst doing things our own way, being different, and getting invested in because of that. I’m talking from a Sydney point of view, but housing prices are just going mental and people’s incomes being squeezed in every direction possible, especially in cities like Adelaide where a lot of their manufacturing history has now been taken offshore.

I think Sydney is the second most expensive city in the world after Zurich this year. Like that’s crazy. Even more intimidating if you’re a creative but on the that level I am making a concerted effort not to have

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starving artist syndrome. I think that, having a creative job and having a creative mind will only serve me better in the future as jobs start to get roboticised. I used to be influenced by my parents’ conservative thinking that it was a gamble to get into a creative industry and now I’m convinced it’s the only sustainable future that I have.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

I find this really tough, so I know that my response when I was 10 would be vastly different today or 20 or about what it means to be Australian. And I think that when you watch the daily news cycle, we have our politicians telling us what they believe Australians are and what they should be. And I know that they often use the terms Australian values, and that’s why we had those changes to the citizen tests recently.

I’m glad that the conversation around mental health is changing in Australia, and on a very public level. I think social media may have something to do with it, but social media also creates a lot of mental health issues so I’m not going to give it full props. But even the most suburban Australian family has probably heard of the words mental health now, and knows what they mean.

But for me, other than all kind of the clichés that exist out there about what it means to be Australian, I think that it’s as simple as you live here, you’ve moved here, you’ve been born here or you feel a strong connection to here in that you’re specifically part of a community and you have a love for that community, that family, and you’re part of it, even if it’s a community of one.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

And beyond that, I think it’s as simple as the fact that everybody votes at elections. It’s compulsory. You have to, and it’s not unique to Australia. It’s certainly something that’s probably… It’s one thing that we all grow up with or who’ve moved here or who’ve migrated here, we all do it. Every Australian over 18 has the right to vote. Unless you’re a prisoner serving a sentence longer than three years, you can’t. So, that’s one thing.

I’m obsessed with Australian ideas, people, products, places and above all: The Aussie sense of humour. There’s something fascinating about a country that created the Big Lobster, Ken Done doona covers, Chiko Rolls, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, cans of Passiona, Life Be In It, Hills Hoists, the Gold Logie, plaster lion fences, Dollarmites and Plucka Duck. Australians are hilarious; the things we say, make, do, share, believe and express. On the downside, when it comes to international affairs and politics, we’re perennially showing up to the Christmas Lunch in a Bintang singlet and double pluggers. Right now, there are so many abominable ideas and actions happening on the political level, so it’s definitely the everyday Australian who inspires me the most. From the Italian-Australian grocer around the corner from my house, to the Vietnamese-Australian community of Arndale in Adelaide, the cultural mish-mash of this country is something to genuinely high five and celebrate.

To be an Australian today is reasonably nebulous – we are in some sort of transition. All generations will go through specific transitions, but I think there’s something unique about this moment, which I’m yet to put my finger on entirely. I read a description once about Australia, we’re all in one house but it’s made up of many different rooms. And I don’t think all those doors are open between each of those individual rooms, if that makes sense.

Sometimes the only way you really feel like you’re Australian is when you travel.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I just think that the whole looking towards other countries for constant validation is not doing us any favours.

Also, “Tradies”. I’ll premise this with saying that not every tradie is a leering, catcalling, sexist, pig, but I just find as soon as I see a construction site I make a beeline for the other side of the street, or I avert my eyes so as not to make eye contact and I try not to catch the bus at three o’clock after knock off time. There is something about “Tradies” in terms of an overtly toxic masculine culture that I just can’t deal with. I’m very lucky that I live in a self created bubble of incredibly loving, caring men who are very respectful towards women. The #metoo campaign that was on Facebook was shocking, even the women who hadn’t been physically sexual assaulted discussed feelings of discomfort at being ogled or catcalled. I for one would love to go for night walks. I love going for long walks, that’s my preferred mode of exercise, I just can’t go on night walks without my husband.

TRANSCRIPTS

We need to rely on more cultural capital besides kangaroos and koalas. We want people to invest in Australia, engage with Australia, so we need more than “how cute are koalas”. We have to set that benchmark.

I don’t think that there’s anything particularly unique about our values. I think we’ve been brought up, or certainly I’ve been brought up with this notion that Australians give everybody a fair go. That we’re egalitarian and that we’re larrikins, and that we reward people for their effort. And whilst yes that might be true in some cases, I would argue that we’re probably pretty average when it comes to these traditional “Australian” kind of traits more broadly. I think that sadly a major problem at the moment in this country is that, and I’m going to quote Stan Grant on this one, that racism is at the heart of the Australian dream. And I think that it’s a huge, huge problem. So how can we be egalitarian? How can we reward people for fair effort and give people a fair go when there’s such a huge divide in our communities, and lack of respect, a lack of equality and a lack of empathy? So whilst I’m very proud to be Australian, in so many ways I actually struggle with this idea that we are a country that is united in our values and our beliefs and our practices, because there are a lot of big problems that we’re having to put up with or deal with.

FENELLA

KERNEBONE

And I also think then that leads into the fact that I don’t think that we’re very open to the rest of the world, unfortunately, as much as we like to believe that we are. Because we close down our borders now, so severely. Each year there’s more and more changes. Obviously offshore retention is a big concern. And I think what ultimately that says is that we have a fear of the “other”, and a lack of respect for other or different communities.

Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

And that’s why we’ve got such a struggle at the moment with sort of the traditional view of the world with what’s actually coming through from younger generations. And I think that there’s a big battle to try and find a way to resolve that.

Bio: Fenella Kernebone is the Head of Curation for TEDxSydney responsible for leading the programming for one of the largest TEDx events in the world. Fenella is also a noted Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and has hosted radio and television shows on ABC TV, SBS TV, RN, Triple J, podcasts such as It’s a Long Story for Sydney Opera House Podcast and the TEDxSydney Livestream and Adventure Series.

Again, it’s a bit of a transition year. We have a world where people can communicate freely. You don’t have to wait for the newspaper to come out for the opinion pages to show what the society thinks, and the letters. It’s actually something that can be immediate and spontaneous, and it can be on Twitter or Facebook or whatever it is. So we all actually have an option to speak more publicly than we have ever have before. And so, whilst that brings us together, it also pushes us apart. But it also shows us who we really are, I think.

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But back to what makes us Australian. I think that we are associated with our community, whatever that community happens to be. But I actually do think the one thing, again, that does unite us as a country is back to our direct communities. So whether it’s just our friendship circles or a tuck shop or mother’s groups or church or mosque or book clubs, even the communities that we form online. I think that it’s the communities that we create that are sometimes uniquely Australian that unite optimally all of us, hopefully. This is my goal in life.

And I think that there is a lot of connection or certainly opportunities for new connections. And we could foster this better. We might be part of multiple communities. I might be going to church but I also might belong to a book club that other people are from. So communities can have crossovers. But the fact is that we are able to form groups freely and have the conversations that we need to have, whatever it happens to be. I think, again, it’s our connection to our individual tribes that are important. But I don’t think that’s uniquely Australian. Just another thing on what unites us, there is a general respect for law and for democracy. And again, back on compulsory voting, that probably is the one thing that definitely unites us entirely. I mean, that’s the one thing that we all do.

But if you look at what’s happening at the moment, in terms of the postal vote; that’s not really a vote. That’s like, as Benjamin Law says, that’s a $122 million vox pop. I think that marriage equality is something that is inevitable and it will happen in this country. Whether it happens now or later is simply just a matter of time. The process that we’re being forced to go through now is, I think, ultimately reprehensible. Ultimately I feel like we’re lacking a bit of a moral compass in this country, and certainly we lack strong leadership, and I think that’s a huge problem. It’s a massive problem to have something like this. The churches can pour millions of dollars into something like this, you can have people saying “no” written all across the sky. There can be vitriolic debates on both sides, online and elsewhere, but ultimately it will happen, if that makes sense. It’s not not going to happen. We’re the last one of the few countries, similar sort of economics, that don’t have this. It is entirely unnecessary to have this postal vox pop.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

I think unfortunately this plebiscite has created a really negative mood in the country. I remember being brought up and you said hello to people when you were walking past them in the suburbs of Sydney. You know what I mean? You walked down the street and you said hello to a stranger. And all those sorts of things are slowly being eroded. I don’t want to pop back to traditional values, but that’s the kind of thing that I think is really lovely. That was something that my parents taught me to do.

And as I was thinking about the marriage debate with this kind of license to say whatever we like, whether it’s online or in the newspaper with ads, where people feel that they have the ability to be as disparaging and damaging as possible, and to say what they like that are ultimately untruths or hurtful towards a particular community, is so against the traditions of what Australians think that they’re all about, which is about giving people a fair go and actually being good people. It’s so far removed from who we think that we are, and it’s now just a slanging match between different groups. And I think it’s an incredibly worrying thing to see. And again, it gets back to leadership. So I don’t think that at the moment there’s much that we can be proud of.

I think we can be proud and happy about our various achievements. For example, I think that whilst there’s been a lot of pushback and damage towards the arts community over the last few years, artists, musicians and creators are still doing great stuff and still working through that and they’re still making no matter what, which I think is really important and I think that needs to continue.

And obviously more support for that would be absolutely vital. But ultimately, I think when there’s so much negativity, the mood across the board is not great. We need to go and have conversations with total strangers now that we’ve never had before. And I was reading about some people who, obviously, the fact that they were gay or lesbian was sort of tacitly accepted as long as it wasn’t really talked about. And you could bring your boyfriend or your

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There’s always arguments when each type of technology comes through that it’s making us less and less social. They said that about the television; kids are just going to be watching television and they’re not going outside and playing. Don’t you remember reading those articles? Even if it’s just half an hour a day, it’s going to make you less social. In fact, I disagree. I think it actually made people more creative, and there’s somebody working out ways to actually make television themselves, and then people started to create film. So there’s other things that come from it that.

It improves social interaction in a different way. So I think at the moment yes, everybody’s got their heads in their phones, but what are they doing? Yes, they’re probably spending more time on their own looking at or listening to podcasts as they’re walking or whatever, but I also think it’s just, again, sort of a transition. It’s only been 10 years, or a bit more, since we’ve had computers in our pockets. So, I think we’ll get more and more used to it and it will be more and more embedded, and a lot of these kind of complaints, which are often generational, will probably transition. And then us oldies – I’m in my 40s now – will complain about what’s coming up. When I’m 60 I’ll complain about whatever the technology is.

It’s going to be a shift. And also, I mean honestly, it goes back to community. People are creating different communities, whether it’s online or in person. And it bleeds through, although that’s probably a terrible choice of word. But by osmosis, things that happen online then happen in real life. And I mean just to use an old example, the criticism towards Pokémon GO I thought was really interesting at the time, because these kids are going off on their own, and adults, and they’re just heads in their phone and they’re not even doing anything. And I was like “Well they are actually going for a walk”.

I think people do interesting things. They have rules, don’t open your phone at dinner, or make sure you go for a walk without your phone each day, and all those sorts of things are great. But actually, you do wear out from holding a device in your hand, so I think people do and will just continue just to put them down.

I think the biggest problem with phones is not so much the technology, it’s the way it impacts your posture. So I think that’s the biggest problem that technology is having. It’s just, i.e. holding a phone in one’s hand is causing people to have wrist problems and necks are facing down. And it’s actually impacting on our urban design, which I find fascinating. When you cross the road in the city, there’s a couple of those street crossings now that have the lights in the ground. As opposed to up high, which I think is fascinating too, but it’s also how people are moving around. And you can complain as much as you like, but actually, from a design point of view that’s probably improving how people are crossing the road. We’re all distracted, whether we’re holding our phone or not, and it’s just additional signals to provide better safety. Anyway, there’s ways of thinking that we go “Oh that’s negative”, where I go “That’s not so bad actually”.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

I think as a whole, Australia is not showing that it has a huge amount of empathy for people who are “other”, whether it’s recognising the trauma of Indigenous Australians or the lack of respect for the argument of why we should be changing Australia Day. But the reason that we’re not doing it is there’s a distinct lack of empathy, that’s my take on it. And back again to our treatment of refugees, incarcerated offshore. We have a mistrust of the “other”, and I think that’s a remarkable problem. So I’m really worried that, as we look towards the future, if we don’t resolve some of these really core issues about what it means to be Australian and how to bring people together, it’ll become more and

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more increased. And so far, I think that’s proving to be the case, that it is dramatically increasing.

TA-KU

Musician, Producer and Photographer

Also, one of my other big fears about Australia is housing and, as we age, where are we going to live? Who’s going to look after us? We have an aging population, and yet we have a bit of a disrespect towards those who are older. They become invisible. So I’m very worried about the future of our cities, and our outer suburbs as well.

Bio: Regan Mathews, better known by his stage name Ta-ku, Musician, Producer and Photographer born in Perth. In 2015, Ta-ku was a Youth Speaker at TEDxSydney. Most recently, he also co-founded Weston’s Barbershop in Northbridge, Perth. Ta-ku wants to do things differently. He wants to inspire the next generation to focus their energy on creating, for the sake of creativity, and having honest conversations offline.

All these conversations, we think it’s some kind of another person, but actually it’s every single person. It’s me, and it’s the people in their 20s and 30s, and it’s kids. But actually, the aging population that we’re talking about right now in 2050 is us. And we need it to be fixed.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

I think ultimately I am optimistic about Australia. I think Australia, although it has many faults, I am optimistic that in the future there will be some strong leadership from not only a political level but within. It might be rose-coloured glasses on, but I do have an optimism that there will be a growth or an increase of empathy.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

It’s hard work for me. My dad’s from New Zealand and my mom’s from the Philippines. And I was born in Perth – born and bred. I love Perth so much. And probably when people identify with other Australians, sometimes I don’t know what that means, even for myself. But what I do know, in regards to Perth, is it means that Australia is the kind of place where it enabled two people from two different parts of the world to come and live and to start a family.

For example, I think we’re going through a stage right now where there’s been some extreme views on both sides that gets a lot of attention, and perhaps once we get through these things... I did read a while ago that these sorts of extreme times come in cycles, like Trump, and that we’re sort of living in that moment. It happens. In each generation there is a cycle, and then it settles down again. And then it will happen again in the future.

There’s a whole lot of underlying issues around race in Australia, but I think for the most part, the fact that that was able to happen, especially as far as my mom coming all the way from the Philippines and being able to live here and to work here and raise a family. And my wife is Korean too and her family are from South Korea, and they’ve done the same thing.

So I don’t know how long these last. Does it last decades? Or is it just a short one? I’m not sure. I just have a hope that things will potentially settle down and there may be something to be optimistic about.

We need to interrogate our future and we say “Well no, this is actually what we want”, and put the stuff in place ourselves. We need to be the ones doing this. It can’t just be left up to others to do, we all need to be part of the conversation to shift whatever future it is that’s coming so that it works for all, not just for the privileged few.

Just because you’re 80 it doesn’t mean you don’t have a say. And actually, I’d like to see the voting age lowered to 16. I certainly think that people from 16 should be able to be part of that democratic process as well.

How does the world view Australians?

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girlfriend to Christmas parties but we don’t want to really talk about it too much. And you just sort of got through it and it would be fine. And now people are ringing up their family and finding out what their dad or their mom or their brother or sister are voting, and they’re voting no, for example. And unfortunately, this is what this has brought up for a lot of people and it is very upsetting.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

For a starter, I’d move to four year terms, set terms, so basically one has a chance of actually doing something, agreeing on something.

When I go overseas, a lot of people think Australia is all bush and outback and that there aren’t many different races in Australia. But I think people are surprised when they come here, they are surprised how multicultural Australia can be.

I try to let people know that Australia is a place you can go to as a person of colour and still feel relatively safe. And I think what Australia really represents, it’s a place that is quite forward-thinking not only when it comes to culture, but also other aspects like music and art. And the food in Sydney, it’s on, right? And the people that are behind it and the different kind of pockets of cuisine that you have around – I think you can’t really find that anywhere else. Well, I’m sure you can, but it’s unique.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

I’m a person of colour and have parents from different countries. Also, I’m religious too. I’m very much close to my faith and it’s a big part of me. But I never felt that it’s going to affect the relationship that I have with other musicians or other artists. They’re very open minded about other people’s beliefs.

They’re also very considerate too, never wanting to make me compromise in any way. I’ve really been touched by that. And I think the reason why they’re like that is because I think while other creatives, whatever they’re creating, whether it’s music or art, that particular thing is the one thing that they care about the most. Nothing else should really affect that. Whether your parents are from a different country or whatever religious background you are, or whatever beliefs or standpoints you have against something, the music remains the same. So I think having that kind of intertwining relationship based around one creative medium is what really brings people together in those circle of things.

I’d get rid of one live government because we’re over governed which is really expensive and all the rest of it. But I think if you can become leaner, more efficient but also just get greater engagement of those liberals, I think that would be positive.

I’ve done a bit of research on this and in other countries, people can vote from 16 to 18, but it’s not necessarily compulsory. It’s compulsory after 18 to whatever. But I would like to see slightly more respect towards an intelligent younger, including a humanity that we have in Australia. I think that we’re growing up a lot faster, and younger people have a right to be able to participate in that. So, I think that’s very important, to shift the balance.

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I feel like it’s a world work that way, but many other things too, that we’re all good as one. But of course, it’s not that black and white. When it comes to creating things, it can become that black and white, you know, where it’s just about the music or it’s just about self-expression.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

From my perspective, I would say definitely what’s happening in the US is quite severe with a lot of racial issues. And while I like that Perth is not like that, or Australia is not like that, we see it all the time on social media or in news coverage of social issues, especially with our Indigenous community, there are still things happening that are tearing people apart. Maybe not on such a severe style as America, but it still happens.

Something I’ve noticed is that the mood at the moment is that everyone is trying to work it out. There isn’t a time where I feel like Australia is hopeless and that “Oh, it’s never going to get better,” but I continually see some take quite a hard stance on something. There’s a discussion. And I’m not talking about Facebook or YouTube comments, because I don’t believe that they’re discussions at all. I just think they’re just comments to say...commenting. If you want to have this conversation, you better have them offline.

But I think the mood of Australia is that we’re trying to be better. And that people are wanting to definitely tell this perspective a little more. And that’s just the feeling that I have.

The sense of community I think it’s important. You’re going to get a group of people that will agree on one thing and then that’s absolute. As long as people are talking about it and are aware of why people feel certain ways, that will at least allow you to know why this person feels or acts the way they do. And if we better understand each other like that. It’s like a relationship, to know in turn what each other needs and how you act and feel about certain things. And it’s not about being on the same page as everything and agreeing with everything you go at. It’s knowing how each person feels and adapting to that. So I do feel that Australia is just like one of the countries around the world that does that quite well.

It’s more of a discussion. And obviously, I’m generalising, but I think that’s more or less how we all feel. I think the more that we’ve gotten on, the more we’ve been encouraged to talk about things. That’s kind of how I really want to define that attitude. If I talk to younger people than me, or ask for advice, my communication is so important. Not just creative communication, but just in general, every day.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

I think Australia has a really good chance to create strong communities regardless of where people are from. I think our youth could really shine in this way, because at this moment the rest of the world just seems to be going the opposite way.

I think for me it is also the creative field in Australia, I mean that’s one of the things that kind of a lot of people were interested about, is that with Perth, not a lot of them have ever heard of it. But a lot of people call Perth one of the top five cities in the world.

Here’s this guy making music coming out of Perth. I think Perth has a really awesome creative community and there’s a lot of interesting acts that have come out of Perth, that are being talked about worldwide. And I just think what we talked about before, it is being able to create. And all these other cultural references, or kind of viewpoints as well, bring everyone together.

There was a big kind of resurgence of Australian music and everyone was talking about this Australian sound that was coming out with Flynn, Chuck Baker, and even myself was being mentioned as being this kind of white music. But I think more or less it just shows that there’s a lot of talent in Australia. And I think that was more or less just a big

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I was born and bred in Perth. It’s who I am. And I’ll be honest, a lot of people in a similar situation for me, was first generation Australians. They can put a front of saying, you know, the country doesn’t support us. There’s an underlying issue of representing our country, but we are responsible for the kids and the next generation coming up, regardless of the state of our country.

If I can do that in Australia, it would just mean a lot to me because I was an Australian kid coming up and that’s pretty much the society I grew up in, an Australian society. That’s the outlook I had was that I could make something of myself if I wanted to. And I had the platform and the living conditions to do so. So to make sure that happens again is, I think, pretty important. Obviously, I’m trying to stick to it. But I just see a lot of talent with kids lately. Especially in the music scene. They’re playing music at ridiculous ages, like 12 through to 16. I just started thinking about a creative outlet until I was 20. So the future is bright, but it’s all about making sure that if you have a position of influence – and that’s a big word being chucked around lately, isn’t it? The influence of marketing. It’s important to give back a little.

In my career, I took a step away from music and picked up a camera. And just picking up the camera opened up a whole new world and creative direction. I’ve been out working as a photographer for the last two years. So now I have my music and I have a bunch of businesses that I’ve started up and am proudly running with them. And I own a barber shop. And we’re just trying to do things differently and I’m just trying to just stay as creative as I can without feeling it become a chore. I think that’s why as creatives, it’s important for us to encourage other kids to be creative and to try and let them know that you can be creative. The end goal shouldn’t be having X amount of followers. If you want to make music and you still work at a 9:00 to 5:00 job, you can do that.

I’m trying to do a lot more in Australia. There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve been invited to do overseas but I’m trying to do a lot more in Australia like workshops with the youth of Australia. The thing is you’ll never live in a perfect society. It’s impossible. And we’re all imperfect members, trying to govern each other and make everything work. But I feel like as a creative, and I mean that solely as a creative, my one thing is helping other kids believe that they can create something everyday, just because they have the ability to do so. And they have the ability to practice their craft and get better. It’s been great, but it’s all about branding yourself with people that kind of have the same vision as you, but also have a different perspective, and working together with them. I didn’t have a lot of people that I worked with. A lot of people that are behind the scenes, helping to get the project to be a success.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

A lot of kids think that when you create something, it’s solely made for an outward kind of expression to others or to be an output. But so, you just concentrate on the creative process for your selfish reasons only. So just to say to yourself I can create something every day. And no one has to see it. That’s not the point. It can get to that point if you wanted to, but I think it’s important for you to be able to lock yourself in a room and create something that does something for you. It’s just for your wellbeing, first and foremost. If you wanted to take it to the next move and share it with others, then that’s even better. But if instant gratification is what we’re brought by, but doesn’t have to be that way. Also, I’m so out of touch with our government. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, if that’s the thing that we’ve been trying to improve on, but in my direct experience, people in my society and community, it’s not just something that we don’t discuss at all. It’s not something that’s on our radar.

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If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

How does the world view Australians?

There are amazing Australians that are taking risks, that are trying new things, that are creating the most amazing new innovations and creations. It’s going to be exciting to see what happens in the next couple of years.

We have an Indigenous background and it’s a big subject to talk about, but we have a past, like most countries. And we also have a system in place which has helped us develop the society we have today. There is an imbalance in regards to our communities and to the Indigenous communities.

If you look at the young people that are coming through, the people that we are exporting onto the world’s circuit, you see some amazing people from the sports realm to the entrepreneurial realm. We’ve got the two guys who were in the A league that are now in the Premier League. And we have brilliant Aussie business owners like the Atlassian boys, they came from Australia. These are the people we need to be profiling and saying “Yes, we have traditional Australia, but hey we’ve also got people like Mike Cannon-Brookes - a person who really is changing the world.”

There is still a separation there. I don’t know what the answer is. We can pretend we know the answer, but I feel like it’d be oversimplified when in reality there’s so many layers to be discussed. But again, if we’re talking about it, I feel like that’s a better start than pretending it didn’t happen and trying to blot over it. And again, I’m not saying that people do that, even I’ve been guilty of knowing of issues in front of me and kind of dismissing them. So, again, if I can say anything about changing Australia, is just encouraging conversations about the Indigenous and our Indigenous history.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

Looking at Australia compared to New Zealand, even if you want to go into mainstream cultural or even their national themes, the Haka. The Haka is something that has been done for so long. Tthe actually cultural significance of them doing that at every single sporting event that they play – and not just the All Blacks team. We’re talking, a lot of their national themes that they partake in that.

We’re truly diverse. You consistently see the Young Australian of the Year List, the diversity in that list is huge. If you look at that, the value is that we are all Aussies, all born in Australia. From a young age in school, we are getting young people to think about what are the values that make up Australia. Things like honesty. We have an honest generation of young people. The majority of young people coming through schools of today are fantastic young people that were brought up with the right values. The values we are admitting in schools are fantastic. The honesty and creativity we are seeing in the classroom, in the young people that we are working with, is something that I think is quite exciting for generations to come.

It just shows a kind of pride they have for the Indigenous culture, that it’s instilled throughout the whole country that this is something that will represent every time we’re on the national stage. But again, it’s hard on our countrymen. It’s hard to try and to shape society. It’s not up to anyone else but ourselves. And when I see these huge conversations had on Facebook when someone uses blackface at a party - I just think if they put all their energy in trying to change the direct fear around them, as opposed to only thinking about it when something like that happens in social media, we might be in a better place. But yeah, Australia is great.

TAJ

PABARI

Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

Bio: Winner of The Australian Young Innovator of the Year for 2014 (OR 2017 Young Queenslander of the Year), Taj Pabari is an inventor, a social entrepreneur and an educational pioneer. He is passionate about inspiring to children discover and embrace the world of creativity through technology and innovation. Taj founded a social enterprise called Fiftysix Creations running workshops in schools and teaching young people about computer science, creativity and Entrepreneurship.

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coincidence that everyone was making noise at the same time. But it’s always been like that, really.

I get to work with kids in private schools and in national schools. It is absolutely fantastic. We just released a video from our trip to Aurukun. Last year, students in Aurukun started throwing rocks at teachers saying “we don’t want education, get out” and the teachers were removed. This year, the Queensland government contacted us and said “hey, we would love for you guys to come down and work with these kids”. When we got to this community we found the kids were seriously awesome...They wanted to learn. They were more than happy to try new things, they were curious and wanted to take different risks. And for us, what we had seen on the news was completely different to what we saw in this community. So, we profiled that in the form of video and, for us, it was just amazing. It was enriching. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and an opportunity I was very lucky enough to be apart of.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

We’ve always been the little brother or sister to the UK or the US but the next big thing doesn’t need to start from the US or China. It can start here in Australia.

For us, the young people that we work with can see that we, Australians, have the resources and the talent to change the world. I think it’s a belief that comes from seeing those role models, who are doing it, who have changed the way we look at the world.

I think if you are passionate about something, you will achieve it and you will find a way. And for me, I was in Brisbane, I wanted to start a business, I was 14. For young people coming through today, the internet has connected us. You could be living in Aurukun, start a business, it does not matter. Ten years ago it might have, where you were based could have had a huge impact on whether you could start a business or not. But today long as you’re connected to the internet, that’s not a barrier. I had better internet speed in Aurukun than I do in Brisbane!

What does it mean to be Australian today?

Given that we are so isolated from the world, I think to be Australian means you have very unique ways of thinking. Every time I am in the US, they want to listen because we bring a completely different light.

We’re more energetic, the words we use, we’re just a unique breed. Yes, we’re all humans, but Australians are unique. We speak a completely different language with our slang. We’re on an island, 20 million people, we’ve got such a diverse range of people. I think we are very accepting. We debate ideas respectfully and I think that’s something that’s quite different to anywhere on the planet. That’s something quite true to Australia. We truly are a diverse country. We’re accepting of every single person’s point of view. We’ll listen, we’ll debate, we’ll challenge. And I think that’s something that’s quite unique to Australia. You can literally put people who actually hate each other on a panel, we see it on Q&A, and you’ll get diverse thinking constructively. That’s something you see only in Australia, you don’t see it anywhere else on the planet.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

Every single time one of our leaders want to get something through, or something decisive through Parliament, we remove them. I think we’ve seen that over the last couple of years, that as soon as a major piece of legislation wants to come through. Right or wrong, it gets knocked back and we remove the leader.

Give our leaders a chance and we’ll see things get done. But the system that we’ve got doesn’t allow the leader to get things done or to take a stand, because he or she will just get removed by their own party. And I think the country is disappointed with leadership. If we could start listening to the next generation we can start working on setting goals for education, setting targets for climate change and things like that. We’re disappointed as a country and I think we do need that spark. I think right now we are disappointed, but I think we have a lot to look forward to. We’ve got a generation of young people who want to get things done, we’ve got young people who are getting things done right now. I think that’s a generation I’m very, very excited to look to. I was in Shanghai last week hearing about what the Chinese government is doing with climate change. We don’t look at China as someone that’s doing a huge amount of work in global warming. But they are. They are probably the leading nation for climate change combating global warming. And hearing about their plan to stop it, they don’t want to be using unleaded/diesel vehicles by 2030.

We need to have some sector of the people running our country who can connect with the future of this nation. And I think we need to get that spark back, right now we are disappointed - but we have a lot to look forward to. We’ve got a generation of young people who want to get things done, it’s exciting. This new generation is the innovative Australia, the creative Australia, the ones that are able to take risks, the ones that are ok with trying new things. I think we need to be listening to every sector of society, including young people. It’s our young generation that will be the one dealing with climate change and education. If we don’t start listening to young people right now there could be a time where we look and realise we’ve been left behind.

In Queensland, they have developed an Ambassador panel put together by the premier of Queensland to ensure that the government plan is in alignment with what the Queensland community wants. They’ve got a very diverse group of people, of which I’m the youngest. We’ve got people representing the Indigenous side of Queensland, people representing the corporate side of Queensland, we’ve got people representing youth, we’ve got teachers, we’ve got corporates. This panel represents Queensland. It’s fantastic that our premier is listening to what the people want. At a federal level, that would be quite interesting if the top level of government listened to what the people wanted. For Queensland alone, it’s going to save the next generation a lot of money and a lot of time. We’re disappointed as a nation, but we’re getting there. We’ve got people who are trying to make a change and I think we will be able to make a change over the next couple of years.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

There should be a quota for Ministers under 29 or under 39. Someone to represent youth. We’re going to be inheriting this government and this country, we should have a voice right now or have someone to bridge the voice and pass down the messages and the wisdom and give feedback now so we can inherit an Australia that we’re all proud of.

The immediate goal for our business is to reach 1,000,000 kids by 2020; that’s something the whole team is committed to achieving. Our hope and vision for Australia is to give every kid opportunity, regardless of age, gender or postcode.

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e EX CUTiVE There’s an imbalance of power that we just seem to accept as a nation and it might all just be happening in our minds. We’re excited to be noticed by global (particularly US) media when our actors or actresses, sportspeople and artists make it on the world stage - even when they’re making fun of us. In competitions and awards, there’s a fierce swelling of pride when we’re able to match it with the best in the world.

Each of our conversations made us think that we should be aiming for more. How we see ourselves is out of step with what we’re achieving, and are capable of achieving in the future. It seems that what we’re battling with is reality. Of course, our geography plays a part. Australia has a relatively small population and is situated on the other side of the world to the US and Europe. It takes longer to get places. Some industries and talent don’t receive the same funding as other countries. But are these things really as much of a barrier in 2018 and beyond as they were in the past? We can now be as connected to the world sitting in the Tarkine as we are in an office

in New York. Our technology and businesses can scale to global audiences. Big ideas can finally come from anywhere.

Some people we chatted with pointed out how, in many ways, Australia actually leads the world. Indigenous Australian culture is one of its most ancient civilisations, rich with stories and learning. Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the world per capita and we are learning as we go, to best embrace differences.

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

CanweEVER mo v e beyond being the “Underdog”

Elements of the quintessential Australian attitude were held up as one of our greatest strengths. Optimism, tenacity and an unflinching attitude towards hard work. A strong desire for equality and fairness. Having a go and having the courage to buck the trends. People told us this is what made Australians respected overseas, whatever the field, and was something they felt set them apart. Finally, our connection with the environment was seen as a strength and something the world may come to learn from. We are all too aware that what so many of us enjoy is being in nature and what attracts foreigners is our land and sea. Losing this would mean losing what it means to be Australian for many, and these same people argued that this attitude and consciousness will only get more relevant over time. “Down under” and “Underdog” may be nonthreatening, accessible, charming words - but do they do us any good? At some point in the future, Australia will need to reimagine who it is and where it stands on the world stage. Our conversations suggest that the time is now.

Our history gives us a strong strategic connection with Europe and our geography puts us on the doorstep of Asia. Australian entrepreneurs and business owners told us they felt respected and listened to in overseas dealings, there were examples of Tasmanian family brands on display in stores all over the world, right alongside billion dollar global brands. We spoke to physicists excited about the new Space Station in Australia, and we heard from thinkers who see no reason that Australia couldn’t become a hub for innovation and creativity in the future.

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ITED NOTiCED BYGLObAL ADERS LE

Because of the artists, the sportsman, the actors and actresses that are proving themselves overseas I think the world has taken notice of us more. But, I think because of the distance we’re seen as this almost mysterious entity. Ambre Hammond, Classical Pianist and Founder of Girl Piano Truck

Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

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We’RE this

We are a small isolated country, so when we win a title in the sports or arts or science, when we stand head-to-head with much bigger nations with our talents, inventions and ideas or when the world falls in love with one of our own, we feel a real swell in our chest, a real pride and it permeates through all of us.

Founder, Showpo

Dr. Dharmica Mistry

Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker

Jane Lu,

CoUNTry, miles AWay

Dr. Nikki Stamp,

Although we are very isolated from everyone, I think Australians have made their mark on the world. Not only have we produced some of the world’s talented people like Hugh Jackman, Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, heart-throb Chris Hemsworth and never forgotten Heath Ledger (to name a few), we are also known to be very friendly and with a great sense of humour.

LIttLe

I always feel like we’re the underdogs on the national stage, which is why we love rooting for the underdog; because we often are. Then, all of a sudden, we come and claim the prize. I think there’s a bit of national pride that we’re this little country, miles away from anyone else that still manages to outshine bigger countries. I think we see this in sport more than anything, but in reality, we definitely punch above our weight in arts and science, which I think a lot of us are very proud of.

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

TO BE

We SHOuLDBe MORECOnF DENT I

We punch above our weight—we have a big land but a small population as a country, but we have a disproportionate presence on the world stage—in sport, politics and business.

The world is in such a state at the moment that you really could do quite bold, surprising, brilliant things with strong leadership. Jonathan Pangu, Founder, Death to Nuggets

Jade Hameister, 16-year-old Adventurer

The mood of the country is quite down. Things aren’t bad, but people are looking at things in a glass half empty sort of way. Australians are not as confident in the future as they should be.

I just think that the whole looking towards other countries for constant validation is not doing us any favours.

Tom Griffith, Co-Founder of Emma & Tom’s and The Unite Project

Frida Las Vegas,

Jonathan Pangu

Taj Pabari, Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

The world is changing and we have everything it takes to be new age leaders; well at least the next generation does. They are equipped with the tools to say to themselves, “I come from a really multicultural group” and they will have the experience and those contacts and that attitude, and that means we are ahead of everyone else. There are not many other countries like that.

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

Artist and Designer

Tom Griffith

Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

I don’t think the goal should be to become a supreme being that leads the world, but just a group of people that just are a bit more connected to our essence. Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

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LD’SOLDEST CiViLiZ I think the exciting thing is being in a different region and with the diversity that can then create something new, that this is a country that could reconcile its 50,000 year culture with the recent colonisation and immigration, to create something which is extraordinary and which has the potential to have a global impact. And you’re also the oldest culture in the world but you’re also the newest. So that’s the exciting bit, how do they actually all come together and develop into something new? And I think that’s a potential. Neil Peplow, CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

CLEAD AN

Australia’s done things in reverse. Most countries have an ancient history which they build on over the years, and that becomes absorbed into their culture and the way they do things. If you’re in the UK, you happily talk as much about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and the Battle of Hastings, as you do about recent history. When I first came here in 1993, Australia didn’t seem to really acknowledge the importance of its history before Europeans came to Australia. So Australia was a young country but also an old country which was, to some extent at least, being ignored.

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The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

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Now old Australia has rightly become very important to a lot of people. Witnessing the current debate about Australia Day right now is interesting because 24 years ago when I first came here, there would have been no debate. So it’s really interesting to see Australia’s looking back now, claiming its old culture and finding a place for it in modern Australia. Australia is a young and ancient land and Australians are coming to terms with reconciling it. It’s not just an old European culture. It has a European influence, but that’s all. There’s this old Aboriginal culture which everybody is right to be proud of and celebrate. And, at the same time, there’s a massive Asian influx that is part of everywhere you go, in every city. It’s fantastic.

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If you think about the great artists and the great authors like Tim Winton and Brett Whiteley, these people who wrote or painted the soul of Australia, and what it means to them, and to all Australians, and how what they did touches the world. Those cultural values are very important. And they’re not one cultural value, they are many and varied and so they should be. There’s a sense of the culture being important, old and new, a sense that it is part of the general happiness people feel about being modern Australians. Andrew Jenkins, President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region

The tough and tense times bring out the best in us and unite us as one. I think a good example of this is in the aftermath of the Sydney siege in Martin Place from which came the “#illridewithyou” hashtag. This was Australia showing the world that although we are a diverse community, we will show solidarity to overcome these ugly threats and we will move forward, together. That was a true reflection of our values: The desire to help and comfort our fellow countrymen (and women) in a time of need and demonstrate tolerance. The world is fast becoming fuelled by fear and it is up to us as a nation to remember what brings us together rather than what segregates us. We did that, we do that and we will continue to do that. We set an example and that is something really empowering and makes me proud.

I know it’s a cliché word but to hear the term “melting pot” I think describes Australia so beautifully.

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You look at how immigration has created this country to be even better, even on a very basic level - food. Look at the coffee that the Greeks and Italians brought us. Asian cuisine. We’ve have such high quality of everything and this also applies to music and art.

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

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And the acceptance for people, being able to be completely themselves. The fact that we are full of people from every other culture and walk of life, race, religion. I think we’ve been viewed upon as being some kind of magical place, actually in a way.

Classical Pianist and Founder of Girl Piano Truck

Dr. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

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common purpose. That egalitarian nature of surf lifesaving is very strong. We, as a community, are inclusive across the board. That’s what modern Australia’s about. Modern Australia is not about who can and cannot do something. Melissa King, CEO, Surf Life Saving Australia

Ta-ku, Musician, Producer and Photographer

What I find amazing about Australians is the real can-do attitude and we’re also explorers, there’s a real curiosity in our DNA. I love Surf Life Saving Australia. I fundamentally believe in the organisation. I’m humbled by the people who give their time and, on many occasions, put their lives at risk or for the community. This year is our 110th year on patrol, that in itself is amazing. What’s also wonderful about the organisation is the fact that you’ve got five year olds to infinity and you’ve got young people who are affecting rescues who are 12 and 13 years old. And they’re everyday Australians. What’s behind the Surf Life Saving is vigilance and helping the community. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a boy or a girl. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from Australia or not from Australia. Doesn’t matter who you are, where you are - when you wear the red and yellow, you have a

Ambre Hammond,

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Being an Australian to me is about the personal freedoms and liberties that we are afforded. As an Australian today, we enjoy rights denied to so much of the world. We live in a democracy where we are entitled to freedom of speech, thought, choice and religion. We have access to civil, legal and political rights. We are blessed with opportunity, safety and security and we are free from conflict. We have access to institutions that protect us when we are sick, unemployed and vulnerable. Equally, we are entitled to challenge those institutions, free from reprimand if we so choose. While there is progress still to be made, we are fostering a culture of tolerance and acceptance and one that embraces our diversity. These liberties and characteristics are what make us Australian. Natalie Cope, Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

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I can’t help but feel incredibly proud when I see the Blundstone brand on walls of boots in the USA or Europe, in these advanced economies with big brands that spend billions - and our brand is right there alongside them. For over a quarter of a century, we’ve been able to sneak our offer into the main game which gives us enormous amount of pride in the product and that we’ve found a way to have that opportunity.

years back we were gobsmacked by what they were doing. And we felt there was no way we could get to that level. But we thought about it and we realised, they’re another small family company and they found a way - so we can. We saw no reason why we couldn’t be just as good as them. What started as a confidence issue became a challenge to say “well why can’t we?”.

The fact that Australia has rugged outdoors does help sell our product. We openly tag “Tasmania Australia 1870” on it and explain that our product is built for Australian conditions which can be some of the toughest in the world - and Tasmania even tougher. We have a great marketing base to work from - because it’s true and authentic.

As Australians we have a steely determination to succeed and as a nation we’ve been pretty good at that over the years - we’ve improved at a pretty rapid rate.

We can all have a crisis of confidence from time to time, even at Blundstone when we visited Timberland over ten

Steve Gunn,

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

BuSI- Can NeSSES BEAS

We are world class. A couple of generations ago we might not have had the confidence to say that but today we should and do.

CEO, Blundstone PHOTO BY JANETTE GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

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I really feel that Australians are being taken extremely seriously on the world stage in terms of creative industries and business, and this excites me.

I think why Silicon Valley is good is that it’s 10th generation money. Money is just a manifestation of experience and all those kinds of things, but seeing that repeated over and over would be awesome and build confidence.

Adrian Norris, CEO and Creative Director, Aje

Over the long term, I think we’re in a good position because we have highly educated people that turn towards these kind of industries. If anything, if you look at market share, you are more worried if you’re in a big country because if you look at ecommerce globalising, small countries have lots to gain and not a lot to lose. Those big countries have lots to lose and not as much to gain. I’m optimistic about being here. I think the best thing about what’s coming up soon is that actually we will start to see some tangible wins. And then secondary money going back into business is awesome. If someone makes a billion dollars and puts that into the next project, then puts that into the next project. I think one of the reasons why we’re cynical here about tech is that nobody has really seen the wins yet.

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Tim Fung, Founder and CEO, Airtasker

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

Australia is a super attractive place to both invest and build businesses because it is large enough. The total addressable market is the last thing you should be thinking about when you’re building a business. If someone gives you a pitch and the addressable market is three trillion; then that’s ridiculous. I’d rather see an addressable market of a thousand people that are going to pay me a thousand dollars knowing that I can then build on that.

The mood of the country? Total optimist. I don’t think there’s much to be upset about in this country. It’s great. We’ve got massive R&D brands that the government supports.

We used to look overseas in terms of the quality of the fashion or the quality of the nightlife or the quality of the chefs and now I think that actually in our backyard, we have excellent examples. There are lots of examples of Australian expats killing it in every industry. You see a lot of Australians top of their field leading agencies in New York or lots of culinary exports that are making it big and so I think that that’s really contributing to our nation’s identity. I think that we develop great ideas, but we don’t develop them in a way that we look to scale them and grow more globally. That idea of thinking bigger. About how we can have an impact. I see that happening more. I see the more Australian start-ups or companies start to succeed, in a truly global sense, the more people are going after it. So that’s exciting to me. Susannah George, Founder and CEO, The Urban List

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The idea of “backing the underdog” comes out in the sports arena and the arts: There’s a real sense of openness and a support to try new things which creates the perfect conditions for innovation and creativity.

AUSTRALIAN

CREATIVES &S T E M

I heard an interesting idea from Judd Apatow the other day, that Game of Thrones is going to be the last TV show that we watch on a periodic schedule. Everything from here on in will be consumed on your schedule. Game of Thrones is a dinosaur - we’re watching a dinosaur die. He said that he’s designing an entire TV series, with the assumption people will consume it in two or three sessions max. Watch four episodes. Go to bed. Smash out the other four. That’s a big shift, and Amazon and Netflix are playing in an immediate global market. So, I think creativity in Australia will be limited only by our minds.

Fenella Kernebone, Designer and Artist

Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

I think we can be proud and happy about our various achievements. For example, I think that whilst there’s been a lot of pushback and damage towards the arts community over the last few years,

I’m really passionate about accessing the internet and technology as a fundamental right. And by this I mean both the access and the skills to really harness technology for good.

Gemma O’Brien,

Aisling Finch, Head of Marketing Australia and NZ, Google

The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

THiNKERS ARE LIMiTeD ONLY byTHEIR MINDS

artists, musicians and creators are still doing great stuff and still working through that and they’re still making no matter what, which I think is really important and I think that needs to continue.

Australia in general I think, for a relatively small country it does do really well in regards to science and technology, that’s cool. I’m really excited about, ok, this is the nerdiest thing, but I’m really excited about the space agency. Australia just announced a Space Agency in Adelaide last month at the International Astronautical Congress, so we’re going to have a Space Agency. There’s already been two Australian Astronauts, Australia born Astronauts that joined NASA, so they’re technically American Astronauts, but it will be cool to be able to have Australian Australian Astronauts, and being one of the only space agencies that are in the Southern Hemisphere, it will be really useful for launching, to launch satellites close to the Equator, so a place like Broome or Darwin would be really, a really good kind of a launch point. I think Australia is doing cool things. Petr Lebedev, PhD Student

Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

We are actually a market that is perfect for testing things out, and perfect for exploring new ideas. If we could invest in technical infrastructure, which I think we could do eventually, Australia will be very well poised to be kind of a creative hub for the next 20 to 30 years. Tea Uglow, Creative Lab, Google,

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Petr Lebedev

From a tech background, the Australians do the more edgy, interesting projects. Australian creatives working overseas end up being the ones that push the boundaries. We don’t really care about what people think. We have a healthy cheekiness and ambition. We’re not self conscious.

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We don’t really care what people think so you can stand in a boardroom and say ‘“you’re all wrong” and challenge the status quo, or see something wrong in the world and think “‘f* that, I’m going to fix it”. But in Australia, because that sort of attitude is ingrained in the culture, it means we are not so good at collaborating. Collaboration is our weakness.

I like to think that being an Australian means being bold and carefree enough to take risks without worrying too much about what other people think. My friend and writer Roland Hulme sums it up: “I think Australians kind of represent the country they come from - sun-kissed, wild, and without all the barriers and fences we’ve built in America and Europe. We love Aussies because they represent so much of what we wish we were brave enough to embrace about ourselves.” Bryony Cole Sex Futurist

Australians are excited by a belief in the future…and the end of the week! The land down under needs to reimagine itself on top

Because of our culture, we will be the first ones buck the trend and just go “up yours” to the system. All the cities I travel to, they are too far down the hole. They have already lost touch with nature. In NY, no one knew where I could go down and watch the sunrise. If anything, Australia could say “f* this, I’m over it”. Once that ground swell approaches, collectively we can make a change and look after the community. That “up yous” mentality might result in interesting things over the years. That’s my hope for Australia, anyway! Ben Moir, Founder of Snepo Research, Wearable Experiments and FABLab

Andrew Jenkins, President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region

I’ve always been very proud to be Australian. I think that we have had so much good fortune in our country and so much to offer in terms of who we are, our beautiful country and what Australians are achieving in so many arenas. To me, being Australian means that I’ve been born into a country that offers tremendous privilege and opportunity, coupled with some incredible tenacity that just seems to be a part of our national identity. Dr. Nikki Stamp, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker

In the sporting realm, Australians traditionally have been viewed as relentless and never to be underestimated. This image has undoubtedly evolved over time, but I like to think that we are viewed as teams who play fair, give our all and have fun doing it.

The world sees Australians as welcoming, “laid-back” and resilient. That we are able to think creatively and communicate directly, and that our engagement with others is driven by an egalitarian view of the world. That we are fair, generous, tolerant, humble and respectful. That we are an open minded, multicultural and accepting society blessed with sunshine, natural beauty, surf and the outback.

Kim Brennan, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion

We are casual creatures. Our sense of larrikinism and mateship sets us apart from other nations. While there is still an undercurrent of conservatism that weaves through Australian culture today,

Natalie Cope, Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

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Having success stories that actually make people go “oh great, they succeeded, I can too”.

TIM

BEN

One of the things the government doesn’t do well in Australia is market Australia to the rest of the world very well. I would find it challenging to go to the US and have a really good reason for a US person to come and move to Australia. It’s just not supported by PR. If you ever look at the Israeli government, they are massively promoting Israel all the time, the place to be. That’s really important for us to get on top of.

Founder and CEO, Airtasker

Bio: Tim founded Airtasker in 2012, a services marketplace allowing people to outsource chores and errands to people in their local neighbourhood community. Tim is also a mentor at Founders Institute Sydney and was named in SmartCompany’s Hot 30 Entrepreneurs under 30 and Shoe String Startup’s Young and Influential List in 2012.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

Australian culture is whatever the people feel or people want to follow here. It’s not tied to the geography mass that we happen to live on. It would be correlated with that, because it’s a big driver of the things you hear and see, but especially in Australia when half the people aren’t even from here, I see being Australian as a fairly global concept.

How does the world view Australians?

My impression of going over to the US is they think we’re still small fry. Sometimes irrelevant. They don’t care. You might get a pat on the head… I also think that their time is probably over. I mean, it’s a very slow decline, but the US empire may not last longer. If I compare it to China, Australia is still small, but the time that I have spent in China indicates to me that they think we’re very high quality.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

It’s undeniable that there is a culture at play in Australia. You’d be crazy to think that you could do certain social initiatives that work in China and import them directly into Australia. To say there’s no culture or would be obviously not correct. But it is difficult to identify or articulate what those specific cultural points are.

There’s a higher proportion of people from other places. If you look at all of our food, the big thing in Australia is that it has to be authentic. Whereas in America, you’d see Chinese restaurants that are Americanised - you don’t get that here. I’m Chinese, I live in Australia, and I embrace the Australian way of life - but when it comes to Chinese food, I don’t want to lose the authenticity. Then there’s tall poppy syndrome and cynicism. That’s definitely Aussie. In contrast, I really love the American “give it a go” approach. I find it massively inspirational that people are inspired by each others success. Americans might say “He’s driving a Ferrari, I want to drive a Ferrari” whereas Australians might say “He’s driving a Ferrari, what a knob”. Part of it though is that we really hate fakeness in Australia.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

The mood of the country? Total optimist. I don’t think there’s much to be upset about in this country. It’s great. We’ve got massive R&D brands that the government supports.

I think that a lot of Aussies look for the reasons why they can’t do something. And that’s why I reckon the American way in that sense is powerful. But I think we just need to stop worrying about why we can’t do something, and just focus on what it takes to do something, and do that.

MOIR

Founder of Snepo Research, Wearable Experiments and FABLab

I think Americans to a certain extent are like “oh, where are you from?” “oh, is that down there?” because they don’t know what the population of Australia is. They assume that there is really no population, which is bad for businesses. It’s terrible for Uber, for AirTasker, to have a spread geographic density, but that’s actually not the case. It’s the opposite.

Bio: Formally trained as an Electrical Engineer, Ben Moir is the founding member of Snepo Research, where for the last 10 years he has used his diverse knowledge to design systems incorporating new hardware technology and software. In 2013, Ben setup Wearable Experiments (We:eX) and heads up the technical development and integration of electronics into garments and accessories. He is also the creator of one of the first FabLabs in Sydney, Australia. FAbLab is a place where digital fabrication tools are used that allow a person to make whatever they want.

Australia is dense compared to the US. In Australia, you do Sydney and Melbourne and you’ve nailed most of the country. The rest of it you can try to attack later.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

Overall, for our business, I’m super stoked to be where we are. I’ve got much more good things to say, especially from a tech perspective, than bad things to say. Our location means we are good at perspective and balance. We have the ability to look at both sides of an opportunity or issue and learn. We also have a level of realness where we can be honest that we want to make some money.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

It’s about discovering the community and going back to local. That is a trend globally. Australians punch above their weight in terms of engineering, product design, acting, film production, advertising and other things we are known for. We’ve gone through a resurgence of Australians going overseas and making their mark.

I have a sense that there seems to be a return to home. Being Australian today seems to be happy with being in Australia and not trying to get away from it and travel and run away from it, or travel away for work. Being Australian today is embracing Australia and the flaws and wanting to come back to it and accept it for what it is, and enjoying it for what it is. And wanting to fix it locally.

I think the best thing about what’s coming up soon is that actually we will start to see some tangible wins. And then secondary money going back into business is awesome. If someone makes a billion dollars and puts that into the next project, then puts that into the next project. I think one of the reasons why we’re cynical here about tech is that nobody has really seen the wins yet. I think why Silicon Valley is good is that it’s 10th generation money. Money is just a manifestation of experience and all those kinds of things, but seeing that repeated over and over would be awesome and build confidence.

The country means my local tribe and my local community. There’s hundreds of countries in Australia but for me, the country is my local area. TRANSCRIPTS

FUNG

I think the powerful players are very top down and don’t understand what is happening on the local level. Every part of our lives have something influenced in it by someone that has no idea what is happening at the local level in Australia.

How does the world view Australians?

Everyone thinks we are pretty crazy - be it work, play, partying, or sport. People look at us and think “you guys are nuts!”

From a tech background, Australians do the more edgy, interesting projects. Australian creatives working overseas end up being the ones that push the boundaries. We don’t really care about what people think. We have a healthy cheekiness and ambition. We’re not self conscious.

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

Nothing specifically keeps me up at night. If anything, I’d probably say tech talent, which is a bit of a cliché. One concern is all these 457s, stopping the flow of inbound talent. It’s madness. Wouldn’t you want the best talent to live in this country and pay Aussie taxes? That’s got to be the best thing ever.

More broadly, I think there’s definitely discrimination and racism. Asian Australians make up such a large proportion of the population now, but for smaller minorities it can be tough. But I think it’s becoming less and less, just my perspective as an average person.

What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

The outdoors. You wouldn’t be here or stay here if you didn’t like the outdoors. Our houses are open, have balconies, we go to public pools and parks on the weekend. It’s part of our culture.

I’d just say the time it takes to get to places. If you could get shot out of a cannon and get to the UK in an hour, that would be awesome. Just the speed of transport is a joke.

Rural Australia is even more connected to the outdoors and nature. It doesn’t matter which way you break it down or which values you try to unify us with. There is too much diversity in the multiculturalism to have unified belief systems or practices. So, the only thing that unites us is that we are all different.

The other thing would be to double down on density. I would like to see people living in cities. We can get over the Australian dream or change the Australian dream - it’s crazy that we’re working so hard and what are we doing it for? So that you can say you own your joint while working your life away. Is that really that important?

What makes Australians laugh and what makes us cry?

We’re really good at taking the piss, satire and sarcasm. It is usually directed at someone or something, sometimes even directed at ourselves. We’re really good at “paying people out”, just bordering on being really offensive. But because there is a bit of truth to it, everyone can laugh at it. Sometimes people don’t know how to take that style of humour.

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Being told what to do makes Australians cry. If it doesn’t fit with what I want to do, I can find that very distressing both on a personal or a professional level. If a client tells me I have to do something, it’s not sadness in a physical sense, but there is disappointment. It’s the opposite of laughing. It’s a reflection of what it means to be Australian: To be honest, to be cheeky, to not care what other people think. So, when someone tells you to do something you don’t want to do and you push back on it, if you are still being told what to do that can be incredibly frustrating. By comparison, if someone in England told you to do something, you would very quietly oblige and go and do it and comply with it. But you also wouldn’t feel sad about it because it’s just what you do. But in Australia, if someone tells you do go and do something and you don’t want to do it, but you still have to do it, that’s sadness. That’s just shit. Because we don’t care as much about what people think, we can be more honest. I think there is an honesty to it as well. That’s where the sadness comes in. As if you are honest with someone and you are still disrespected, that’s what makes Australians sad.

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

The good thing is that I don’t watch the news and I don’t read a paper and I don’t expose myself to any dissemination of any public general service news. This means that my sense of mood is more the people I see and the people that tell me things. People are struggling. People know the system is a bit broken and they can’t keep going about things the way they are financially, or with work life balance and things. Things are getting a bit edgy and stressful. It’s not that it’s too late, but we have to recognise that mood and feeling.

I don’t really care what the media says we should do, or what they say is important to pay attention to. The mood of my tribe and community is far more important. I feel an edginess and a struggle that tends to permeate everyone I speak to. If everyone is talking about it, then we should do something about that.

Through our digital subscriptions, three coffees a day, tapping our credit cards, we have lost touch with value. If you add up all things things that you probably don’t need, you can probably go skiing for three weeks. We have traded real experiences for this feeling that we just have to work harder, which is a backwards way of fixing it. The system has made us lose touch with value and what is tangible. Australia is very good at that system.

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

If anything, Australia could say “f* this, I’m over it”. Once that ground swell approaches, collectively we can make a change and look after the community. That “up yous” mentality might result in interesting things over the years. That’s my hope for Australia, anyway!

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

That people just don’t wake up. My eyes are open and lots of other people’s eyes are open. I want to find more people to get a ground swell resistance to help show more people what is going on.

But some people might want to have their eyes closed to the system. The system that is missing is the local system. We’re playing in the global system and, to some degree, the Australian system with Australian brands; but where are the local brands? Local shouldn’t be the cool thing to do; it should be your life. Local should make up 60% of your spending and then 20% of you spending should be Australia and then 20% is global. It’s the wrong way round.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be? The three day weekend. We don’t need to work that much.

It’s one solution to the problem. Let’s cut it off from the other side. Instead of working harder to increase the flow of money, you just mandate that everyone works four days and then everyone has to work out what to do with that extra day. Sport might come back in, you might go to the beach more. Bring back the connections, the markets, the festivals. Some of my employees work four days a week. I work four days a week on commercial projects and Thursdays are my community days, when I work on the FabLab stuff where I have volunteers come in and use my equipment to make random stuff and collaborate.

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What unites us as a country: values, beliefs, practices?

Sonic Activist and Founder of independent Hip-Hop label Playback 808

Bio: Gabriel Akon, also known as DyspOra, is an Adelaide-based rapper, Sonic Activist and Founder of independent hip hop label Playback 808. Moving to Australia with his family 13 years ago after fleeing conflict in South Sudan and living in a refugee camp in Kenya, DyspOra wants to use his voice for what he calls sonic activism, teaching and empowering people through his music. He won Best Male Artist at the 2017 SA Music Awards, and will be releasing his debut project in early 2018.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

One thing I think a lot about is culture: What is a country without culture? History is history, what has happened has happened. What we can control is the future. If we could go about the whole reconciliation process with dignity and respect to Indigenous Australians, Australia would be one country. I’m talking about vast, untouchable culture. Their culture is our culture. It’s not us and them. Musicians are the voices of their generations. I branded the type of music I make as sonic activism. The first thing I wanted to tackle was racism. Everywhere, people who look like me, their biggest limitation, whether they are sport stars or whether they were trying to be astrophysicists or politicians, or the Prime Minister of Australia; for people who look like me there is one thing holding them back, which is racism. So I want to tackle that. I started but then I realised there are steps and levels. Being at the lowest point of my career, which is the start, and trying to tackle the biggest topic when I really don’t have a voice yet was only getting me so far. I backed up on that a little bit and channeled more energy into teaching through music, I need to enlist some soldiers before I can fully commit to the battle. I always loved education, ever since I was young. I grew up in a refugee camp for seven years of my life. In places like that they make you know that there’s only one way out of here. You’re not going to play sports and become a sports star. Education is the way out for poverty.

*KUSH: The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient civilization in what is now modern day Sudan - The Kushite civilization predates the Egyptian culture and was ruled by Nilotic ancestors.

When I was tackling racism head on, I was fighting against a system, “us versus them” from the get go. When I come from the perspective of learning I realised that an African kid can learn that and a caucasian kid can learn from the exact same words and understand me and people who look like me. People react to that with two words: Cognitive dissonance. There’s a reason why in the curriculum of white Australian schools, which is pretty much all schools, that something as intricate and as vital and as important as Indigenous Australian history is glossed over in, let’s say, two lessons. I think the attitude is often “it doesn’t bother us so we don’t need to know”. But we don’t understand just how deep it really bothers others or that it should bother everyone.

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The pursuit of happiness unites us. And besides sports, music, food and the ongoing search for identity, there’s also the spirit of a fair go which most Australians genuinely believe they embody.

We can heal our fuck ups by doing good. I’d love Australia to become a country that redeems itself. I’d love to see a future where we bring in the people of the world who need a new home. When the world needs us the most, Australia steps up. 23 million here, another 20 million come in and makes us 40 million and we make it work.

But just like the country has changed, we need to update the values that bring us together and be more inclusive even when showing signs of nationalism. What I mean is someone doesn’t necessarily have to be Australian for me to treat them humanely. We give Australians a fair go, yes, but what about the rest of humanity? Do they have to be Australian to be treated like that?

Let’s build our own identity, let’s show the world what we can really become and what potential this country really has. Let’s give the Indigenous people the respect they deserve.

Essentially, for someone like me, automatically you look at my skin colour and it disqualifies me from what other people say Australian is. So I have to implement my values two times more powerfully, three times more, and to be a better person, to be considered Australian. I think it’s time we redefine that. The values that represent us need to evolve, just like the country.

For the future, the values I’d love all Australians to have would be 1) Love; to love a person, just as much as you love yourself. 2) Honesty to always move the nation forward. 3) Courage to do what is necessary always, courage for when there’s an element of white Australia that’s trying to move us back to where was comfortable,we need courage to step up against that. Courage for me to say “ok, hold on, maybe I’m not just Australian, maybe I’m a South Sudanese man, is there a problem with that?” I need courage to ask why when I don’t do something right I’m south Sudanese, but when I do something great then I’m Australian. Love, courage and honesty. I think these are the pillars to any great society.

I think Australia is in the middle of complacency. We’re good, everything is sorted because we’re not starving. But there’s so many underlying, undiagnosed issues in this place that are ignored because we’re ok right now. But it’s about to open up.

To open it up we need conversations. Having conversations. Not only on a basic level, but at the top level. Why don’t we create a show on cultural dialogue? A deep, meaningful one where every single week, regardless of how little your school is teaching you or whatever; you know there’s this program that will keep it real and will open these conversations up. Conversations are happening on street level, but there are initiatives we can make to get them at high level. Initiating conversation.

Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

Bio: Murray Bell is the Co-Founder of Semi Permanent, a design platform and community that seeks to inspire and enable creative minds. Before Semi Permanent, and before blogging was a thing, Murray ran the site Design Is Kinky. Murray Bell and Semi Permanent don’t just create, collate and share good design, they also aim to be influencers and empower the design community to thrive.

I must answer the question from different angles. Economically, people realise we can’t sustain this forever. On a social level, there is a total lack of understanding, because there hasn’t been any effort to create any cultural, social understanding.

What does it mean to be Australian today?

What excites you most about the future of Australia?

Multicultural by force. The history of this country and the people that started it. Whether they are welcomed or not, people are doing what they have to do. I think our multiculturalism is our biggest strength and if we can get that right, if we can be more open and educate ourselves, it could be our biggest strength instead of a weakness.

I find that hard to answer that question because I don’t feel like I represent all Australians.

I think the ultimate goal for us is to become less Australian and become more human. I’m more excited about the idea of us ditching the title of Australians and just becoming borderless and just being people. Being Australian is great and I’m proud of it, but just being an honest person that knows yourself is more important. I think people are searching for validation. But why are you searching for validation? You’re an awesome human being. I don’t like the idea of America saving us, or even Australia saving the world. People can save the world, people can inspire the world, people can make the world more exciting, not Australians, not Americans and not the French. I think maybe it feeds into why I do what I do. I run a company, but it is very community based. It’s about sharing with as many people as possible. Empowering, enlightening and listening as a group. I’m happy to share all I’ve learnt, what I’m learning.

How would you describe the mood of country today - and why?

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

For such a country that has well educated and empowered people that could literally be a leader for the whole world on how things could be, we’re failing at our job - we’re behind.

I’m personally optimistic, but I also feel a little bit nervous about the future, to be honest. I’m not strictly concerned, worried or angry - but I am interested and I’d like to learn more about some big things that will profoundly shape our world in the short and long term, like artificial intelligence, the environment, and about us as humans connecting as humans. We sometimes don’t have a great history of learning from our mistakes.

My fear is the history repeating itself. As scary as it is to say that, I think we’re founded on dark things; and if we go back to places like Pauline Hanson and where she wanted to take the country, it is a potential threat. People are gravitating towards it and what people usually gravitate to, no matter how messed up it is, no matter how violent it is, it is a person’s truth. When she comes out she truly believes her truth and she intentionally and forcefully will not back down or listen.

For Australia, I think things are pretty positive. We’re certainly not in the space where our political landscape is as polarising as in the US, which is a good thing. I think politics globally and in Australia needs to improve and get closer to a place of debate, forming better ideas together, and less of a battle ground for “my policy’s better than yours, so you’re an arsehole”. No one wins in that scenario.

If people like her get to positions of power like the Donald Trumps down in America, any advancements or progress, or the very little of it we had will fall because it takes months and years to build a skyscraper but it takes days or weeks to bulldoze it down. That is scary and it could happen if we don’t educate ourselves.

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BELL

How would you describe the mood of the country today - and why?

women operating in 3D. But I also feel it should be just, people. We’re people, we’re humans, each with a being. This brings up an interesting discussion around artificial intelligence – it’s neither male nor female.

I’m disappointed about how we treat the Indigenous Australian community. I’m disappointed that I don’t have more people from the Aboriginal community in my life to learn from and share with. One thing I remember thinking when I was having the conversation with Oliver Stone was “you’re a global archive, you’re full of information” - whether or not you agree with him, I felt like I needed to download him for the next generation. I then realised we’re lucky enough to have his films to pass that on - and that’s the gift of creativity. But I feel disappointed that I don’t have more people that represent the long history of Australia in my life, that I can learn from.

Let’s not whitewash history. There’s an ugly truth, and it happened. So let’s teach it. And then let’s say, what we can do is make up for it. Let’s go forward and be honest.

TRANSCRIPTS

DYSPORA

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

What’s your biggest fear concerning Australia?

In some places of the world it feels like very forced growth. I feel like it’s very calculated. They want to be the dominant force. But why? Sure, we want to evolve, and we’re following a momentum, but why the domination? For Australia, I don’t think the goal should be to become a supreme being that leads the world, but just a group of people that just are a bit more connected to our essence. I had an interesting conversation recently with two musician friends, and we went down the rabbit hole about living in the future, especially having young kids, and what kind of world they’ll live in: AI, climate change etc. I went to bed that night, after I hugged my kids that little bit tighter and I hoped that I can do as much as I can to at least help them live in a way that is safe, inspiring, fun, honest and loving. If I woke up in the US, the thought of Tweets setting off a war would be a hard feeling to shake. I’ve gotten into a little bit of a habit of checking the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in the morning to see what has been fired overnight.

If you could change one thing about Australia today, what would it be?

I think currency, money, should change. And because we’re a relatively young country, with less baggage of history, maybe Australia can lead the way in that.

I read a story about an athlete that recently retired and he was most excited about a future where he wakes up and asks “I don’t feel 100% today, so I’m going to stay in bed” and I’m sure that is a huge change for a person that is wired to be better or bigger or faster. I like the idea of waking up, and if I feel a little bit down, I take it a little bit easy on myself for the day. That’s a cultural shift we could look at. I understand that during the industrial revolution, it all came down to scale. To manufacturing, building and just making... more. And I maybe that thinking needs to be undone. I don’t think we need to make just for the sake of making. Maybe Australia can be a bit of a leader in that sense as well.

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156 If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

FUTU REIS THE T H E ME

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SuMmAR This was the question we asked all 72 voices at the end of each interview. It was also the question that got the most mind-opening answers. Testament to the diversity of the people we spoke with, their responses were greatly varied - no two were alike.

Some ideas were grounded in the issues we face here and now: reconciliation and respect for Indigenous Australians, coming to terms with our cultural and colonial amnesia, becoming more open minded, evolving into global citizens, changing who and how we govern, decreasing the voting age and allowing girls to wear shorts or trousers at school.

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

E EX CUtiVe

If YOU could change one thing about Australia what would it be?

Other ideas were futuristic or seemingly impossible to achieve: increasing the population immediately to 100 million, moving Australia closer to Europe, creating a cannon that can send us overseas, starting a revolution and (somehow) changing the temperature. But all were united with a common attitude that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re capable of great change, and when it comes to Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot to be optimistic about. 158

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ter A BET FUTuRE.

FOR

RecogniseOURPAST

I don’t know how you do it, because it’s a problem that goes back now generations and there are certain things that have been done that can’t be undone, but I would love to see them play a stronger role in our lives and culture and communities, because they’re uniquely of this place in a way that we’re not and that would be fair and right and it would also bring kind of a unique perspective and knowledge of the place as well. Jonathan Pangu, Founder, Death to Nuggets

We can heal our fuck ups by doing good. I’d love Australia to become a country that redeems itself.

I’d love to see a future where we bring in the people of the world who need a new home. When the world needs us the most, Australia steps up. 23 million here, another 20 million come in and makes us 40 million and we make it work. Let’s build our own identity, let’s show the world what we can really become and what potential this country really has. Let’s give the Indigenous people the respect they deserve. Let’s not whitewash history. There’s an ugly truth, and it happened. So let’s teach it. And then let’s say, what we can do is make up for it. Let’s go forward and be honest.

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

It saddens me the extent to which Aboriginal people and their culture are suffering and marginalised. I would like to see both their people and culture thriving in today’s Australia.

DyspOra,

Sonic Activist and Founder of independent Hip-Hop label Playback 808

communities.

Ta-ku,

Musician, Producer and Photographer

The appropriate treatment of the nation’s First People. Currently the treatment of the Indigenous people of this land is a stain on Australia, we need to dismantle the laws of oppression that have been built and create a better future, one where we are all accountable.

Katie Eraser, Artist

I’m not sure just how long it will take, but I have great hope that Australia will indeed be able to find its feet and reform its identity. It probably still won’t be perfect, but at least it will be something a little more stable and harmonious. We’ll be able to embrace the best of ourselves as we’ve always liked to do, but we’ll be better able to acknowledge where we got things wrong and finally take more constructive steps to correct the matter. Thanks to technology and cultural enrichment, each generation gets a head start on the last in discovering the complexities of our society and learning the better ways to deal with these issues. Huw Parkinson,

Video Editor and Storyteller, ABC Probably just to have a safe space to start this conversation without the stereotypes behind them. We can’t go back in history, we are where we are but I think together in a good space, we could spend the time we could actually achieve a lot. We can move on that journey, we can really start something.

Josh Gilbert,

Worimi man, Aboriginal Speaker, Farmer, Writer and Entrepreneur

I wish that we had more courage to address our faults. I say “courage” in particular because as soon as we bring up the wrongdoings of the past, and the reason why people bring up the wrongdoings of the past, is because they are still having real effects on today.

I also think we have to change our mindset. That’s what I’m doing with myself and my children, I’m changing my mindset that I’m not gonna live under oppression, even though I’m fighting it every day, just by being black. We’re trying to move forward and be two-way strong as Indigenous people: Strong in our culture and strong in taking hold of all the successes that we could possibly have in the future for example getting that education, getting that degree, getting a job, taking opportunities - just because we’re Aboriginal doesn’t mean we are limited to the stereotype.

L-Fresh,

Elverina Johnson,

What excites me about the future of Australia is that we will get over our cultural and colonial amnesia and stop oppressing Indigenous people. I say to Australia: The sad thing is you have a history of oppressing the things that make you vibrant. The great thing is that you don’t have to anymore (you never had to!) And I believe you can change. I need you to change. I demand this. Because Australia, you’ve broken my heart and break my heart. Because all I have ever asked is for you to just love me. Love me black, love me back and near and far. And stick up for me as much I do you. Sort your sh*t out mate, I know you’re worth the trouble. We’ll get through this together.

Amrita Hepi,

Bundjulung and Ngapuhi woman, dancer, choreographer and activist

Musician and Social Activist

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I want us, as all Australians, to face up to some truth tellers and accept the history that happens in our country, so we might be able to look forward as a nation, as a collaborative unified nation.

Indigenous Artist and Designer

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Luke Pearson,

Gamilaroi man, Founder of @IndigenousX

It would be so nice if magically we could have exactly the same conversations, but in a calmer, logical way. That would be glorious. Let’s be larrikins.

Jo Thornely,

Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

I wish that we were less afraid of things we didn’t understand. Jake Bley,

Content Creator and Social Media Strategist

Don’t make assumptions on people. Don’t judge

We’ve got the education, we’ve got the tech

a book by its cover. Ask a question. Stand in

savviness, we’ve got the early adopter mentality,

somebody else’s shoes and take that away. That

we’ve got the small businesses and the

doesn’t mean that everything has to be love,

entrepreneurs. But I think we could be pivoting

peace and brown rice, right? I get there’s

faster for future growth, to become a smarter

competition. I get that on occasion you’re

economy that is super entrepreneurial, driven by

fighting for what you need and all of that sort of

R&D, technology, innovation, services.

stuff. But actually, take the time to understand a human being before you make assumptions about

Aisling Finch,

Head of Marketing Australia and NZ, Google

O R U a E Ch NG who they are, what they want, why they’re there and walk into a room with the view that people

are actually here with a good outcome in mind.

Melissa King,

CEO, Surf Life Saving Australia

I find that there’s a level of pessimism that’s kind of creeping into Australia’s media and sensationalism, in particular. And that kind of, as a result derived, with pessimism. And I think that is, unfortunately, part of the older generation who are incredibly still lucrative from that sensationalist view of delivering news and the media. I hope that changes because that, unfortunately, is becoming far more Americanised. And the feeling of pessimism doesn’t help anything. It’s like that risk attitude. It never used to be like that. I think it could be political climates now, and things changing overseas that infiltrating our society as well. But I really hope that that doesn’t kind of stick around, and things take a turn for the better. Tin Pang,

I think that, on the whole, looking to other

countries for constant validation is not doing us any favours.

Also, “tradies”. I’ll premise this with saying that not every tradie is a leering, catcalling, sexist, pig, but I just find as soon as I see a construction site I make a beeline for the other side of the street, or I avert my eyes so as not to make eye

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

Mi ND

contact and I try not to catch the bus at three o’clock after knock off time. There is something about tradies in terms of an overtly toxic masculine culture that I just can’t deal with. I’m very lucky that I live in a self created bubble of incredibly loving, caring men who are very respectful towards women. The #metoo campaign that was on Facebook was shocking, even the women who hadn’t been physically sexual assaulted discussed feelings of discomfort at being ogled or catcalled. I for one would love to go for night walks. I love going for long walks, that’s my preferred mode of exercise, I just can’t go on night walks without my husband.

Writer and Director

Frida Las Vegas, Artist and Designer

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SeT. All I would want is for Australians to be more - open minded, more accepting. I don’t want to say tolerant, because I don’t think tolerance would really make a difference, I would say accepting. Because I do, I do feel there’s a certain knee-jerkism that happens in Australia that people are not afraid of having opinions, and people have loud and strong opinions. I think that’s great, that’s fine, but I do think a lot of the time it shuts people down to listening.

I wouldn’t change a thing. It is a privilege of absolute enormous proportion that I, and everyone in this nation, can and do express our opinions and can act to change things. With this right and with the essential goodness that permeates all Australians, I think everything will be alright. It’s not just about getting to an outcome, it’s what it takes to get to that outcome. It’s the process of getting there, coming together, discussing, deciding and becoming that thing. The learning process is more important. That’s more important than a perfect solution we could be given. Ten minutes or ten years, we change and adapt. We have to talk about tough things. I think critical thinking is important. It’s so hard. When you ask someone to think critically, you’re asking them to give up every institutional thought they had, even religion, and have conversations and be open to criticism and other points of view. I’m trying to be more flexible and open. So if I could or had to change one thing I would give every Australian the ability to think critically, to remove themselves when asking the hard questions. Natalie Chandra,

Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

Holly Throsby,

Songwriter, Musician and Novelist

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I strongly believe that mindfulness training through meditation should be

Bryony Cole,

Lee Crockford,

find Tall Poppy Syndrome really limiting for people’s potential and where they think they can take their work. If we cultivated a culture of celebrating icons and achievements I think we could go a lot further and ideas of what is

Sex Futurist

CEO, Spur Projects, and Creative Director, SPUR:LABS

practiced daily. This has the potential to halve the alarming statistics of mental health within Australia. If we learn to love ourselves on a greater level then we could show more love to those around us. It would give us a moment every day to set our intentions and carry them out accordingly.

Bridie Duggan,

Physiotherapy Student and Community Activist

One thing I’d change would be the opportunities for women, whether it be in the workplace or on the sporting stage. I think there’s still a glass ceiling that exists, while Australia is taking steps towards equality in sport especially, and I’m very thankful to be able to play basketball somewhat professionally at the moment, it’s nowhere near where it needs to be. I think that’s the same for the women in workplace, a situation where there are various steps being made to get more people in executive roles and things like that, but there’s still ceilings that aren’t being taken away. I think it’s very relevant, and we need to provide better pathways for young girls to succeed and allow them to even believe they can exceed, no matter what they choose to do. So I think that would be one thing I would change in Australia today. Even though we’re sort of heading towards that, I would like to see that change faster.

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

possible would expand.

If I could change one thing about Australia it would eliminating masculinity and femininity constructs.

That we keep our ambitions local and small. I

compulsory in every school and

BecoME TRUe GLObAL CiTIZENS

Kate Gaze,

Professional Basketballer

I think to start with, Australia needs to be more proactive in looking at the realities of the world rather than the realities of our own country. To see what’s going on, to understand what’s happening in remote areas, what’s happening in communities, what’s happening in cities. Give people what they really want rather than just saying, “This will be a good idea, we’ll do this for you”. 10% of people say yes and the 90% think what do we want that for.

Lindsay Carmichael,

We all need to think bigger, not just about our 24 million people, but about the world and be part of solutions for the global economy and the global ecosystem rather than just our corner of the world. Susannah George,

Founder and CEO, The Urban List

Co-Owner, Daly Waters Pub

We need to take our school kids overseas and show them what the world has to offer and what makes Australia special. The world has far bigger opportunities for them than what they see at their local school career day. We can help them be good global citizens, broaden their horizons and see the world beyond Hollywood and the mainstream news.

If we’re talking about a global village there’s no point taking kids to the corner store, you’ve got to let them see the world.

Neil Peplow,

CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School

Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

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ethnicity everyone should just see someone else as Australian and the value which comes with that, a mate. So for me, what would I change?

I would change nationalism and racism. But I

think we need to figure out a better solution than just segregating ourselves from people with

differences. For example, I’m disgusted by racism and the majority of the time it’s easy enough to

Bring mateship amongst all Australians, not just the Australians who think that way.

Stefan Hunt, Director and Artist

distance myself from that type of person or behaviour. But I think there needs to be some kind of forum for discussion to educate, rather than to push the people of a different opinion further and further away. Otherwise, there’s not really any solution or progress.

Riley Blakeway, Writer and Director

If it were one thing I could change, I’d put an end to racism and discrimination. How? Well that’s the million-dollar question, and one that I’d give

I would build a meaningful platform for multi-stakeholders, multi-community dialogue about the vision we have for Australia. Katherine Teh-White, Managing Director, Futureye

a million dollars towards.

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

regardless of skin colour or religion or age or

ENVI-

If I could change anything, I would say that

CArEForouR

We’vebecomeconsumersbasicallyratherthancaretakers. I’dlikeusalltowakeuptomorrowandtobecomereally aware of how connected we are to the natural world and how critical it is that we take care of everything in the natural world. I want Australia to be on the path to a thriving, inclusive, sustainable future and to understand deeply what it means to be a human living on this planet and what we need to do to take care of it and ourselves.

rO n MenT

EMB race OURDIFFERE N C -

Chris Chong,

Co-Owner, Brand Manager and Creative Director, Misfit Shapes

Margaret Steadman, Activist and Advocate

If I could change one thing about Australia today, it would be to set a near term objective to shift to 100% renewable energy. We need to be a leader on this, not a follower. I think increasingly, we all need to start thinking as one species on our one irreplaceable planet and move beyond the borders of countries and political and commercial selfish interests. I hope that not just Australians but humans from all countries remain proud of the country in which they live, but start to elevate their thinking to global citizens who are all in this together. The living systems in nature (like our oceans, rivers, forests and polar regions) on which our survival depends don’t care about what country we live in. I am super proud to live in Australia. I love my home country, but I love our planet more - I am a human of Earth first and foremost. Jade Hameister, 16-year-old Adventurer

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CaRE FOr

Don’t waste electricity and turn the lights off.

Eadie Velez, 8-year-old

It makes me really sad when I hear about global issue, but it had impacted our beautiful Great Barrier Reef immensely. The reef is dying at a very alarming rate due to the slight increase in water temperature, and without this, it will throw off the whole ecosystem. I wish this would be a topic that was stressed highly and that preventative measures were taken by everyone. Everyone knows about it, but there isn’t much that people are doing to prevent this from happening.

Jane Lu,

Founder, Showpo

If I could change one thing it would be our appreciation and mindset around the environment. We’ve talked a lot about the

mindset and the culture and how amazing that is. But what we also have in Australia is an amazing,

The thing that I think would need to change is people’s relationships between themselves and the environment. Because it gives you the ability to care for something outside of yourself and therefore the ability to care more for the people around you.

natural environment and if we don’t continue to appreciate that and look after and value that, then that could end up changing our identity.

Tara Howell,

Founder and Executive, Blue Derby Pods Ride

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

warming. I know this isn’t only an Australian

The three day weekend. We don’t need to work that much. It’s one solution to the problem. Let’s cut it off from the other side. Instead of working harder to increase the flow of money, you just mandate that everyone works four days and

COMmuNIT ies

OUR

then everyone has to work out what to do with that extra

day. Sport might come back in, you might go to the beach

more. Bring back the connections, the markets, the festivals.

Ben Moir,

Founder of Snepo Research, Wearable Experiments and FABLab

Homelessness. Having somewhere that you can feel safe is so important. In Australia, we have over 100,000 people living on the streets and so many of them are younger than 25 years. How great would it be if we could create safe spaces in some of the

thousands of government-owned properties that sit empty in every major city. This is one thing among many others that I’d love to change.

Kat Dopper,

Founder and Director, Heaps Gay

Australia is very expensive. Imported goods, local goods, travel within our own back door. It feels like we’re being taken for a ride. Of course, people still want these

things so they need to earn more money, they need to work longer hours, the city never stops, the days feel short, the “She’ll be right mate” is said less because we’re

all so stressed. The kids are in child care, dinner is at 8:00pm and there’s no time to digest your meal, let alone the day. Something has to give, and maybe that starts

with cutting prices, working hours, accessibility. In Germany, Sunday is a day of rest.

I think the changes Australia needs to make are the same changes that need to be made around world in general. With global unrest, the coming changes brought by artificial intelligence, and the impact of climate change, it’s more important than ever to remind ourselves that we are all human and we’re in this together. To act out of love rather than fear would mean greater respect and consideration for all. Gemma O’Brien, Designer and Artist

You are fined if you even put your rubbish out on a Sunday. That sounds good to me.

Bronwyn Kidd, Photographer

I want gay marriage, I want the NBN to connect to homes, not to nodes and I want a commitment to renewable energy. That’s what I want. I want those things, those things would be really important to Australia. Tea Uglow,

Creative Lab, Google

Erica McLernon,

Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

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CaTI N EDu So many candidates! Climate change policy, bicameral Parliament, journalism, federalism… but I actually think I’ll start with something close to my heart. I’d love to see compulsory Physical Education in schools.

HeA L h

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

Kim Brennan,

I would change how we prevent and treat disease. I would plan and fund better hospitals and health services, implement better preventative programs and tackle social inequalities that lead to poor health. And then I’d probably have to start on the rest of the list !

Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion

I would make it a legislative requirement that all schools (public and private) be required to offer girls shorts and long pants as part of their everyday school uniform. While this might seem like a small change, the forced wearing of skirts and dresses is one way in which girls are reminded of their unequal status. Dr. Amanda Mergler,

Psychologist, Senior Lecturer and Co-Founder of the Girls Uniform Agenda

If I could I would change three things in the Australian educational system. First and foremost is the need to improve our interpersonal, communication, problem solving, negotiation and time management skills, those are all things that should be taught in schools. The second thing is financial management. It needs to be done at school rather than by the parents.

The third thing is the environment and waste. I’ll drive onto the farms and there’s a lot of empty chemical drums. When I drive across this country, I cross the rivers and we claim to be a clean, green country. In fact we’re just a little bit less dirty than the rest of the world, that is the way I see it. Because our rivers are in some ways disguised sewers.. And we can blame the carp, the fish, because they can create the muddiness in a lot of rivers but still there are a lot of community and farming practices that aren’t helpful. Ken Solly,

Agriculture Business Consultant and Speaker

I would ensure that all people, wealthy or poor, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, have the same access to education. The better educated we are, the more capable we are of facing the future.

Dr. Nikki Stamp,

Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker

Steve Crombie,

Professional Adventurer and CEO, Totem Advisory and Studio

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AUS Ral ian ... SUPpORT FoR

t cul. turE

If I could change one thing it would be greater support of the arts, without a doubt. Because the arts funding has been cut back recently, God knows why. No one knows why … Because there’s always going to be 30 pages of sports in the back of the newspaper, which is fine. I’m okay with that, but it doesn’t really balance out with when you get half a page of the arts. I would like to see a significant amount, more support for the arts. We can do it.

ter A . . .EMPHAsis ON

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

A GRe There’s no reason why not.

Ambre Hammond,

Classical Pianist and Founder of Girl Piano Truck

FoSTERING

aUSsIe

S BU II would lower taxes. The tax system and high welfare are a disincentive to business, and therefore employment.

Tom Griffith,

Co-Founder of Emma & Tom’s and The Unite Project

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I want Australia to become the country for great innovations, leaders in science, health, technology. Australians are proud to support, encourage and identify as a country of great innovators and forward thinkers. Ruth Diggles, Psychic

HOWWE

The most important thing for young people, they must reduce the voting age to 16. It is very, very important. You know why? Because they’re still in school. They can discuss it and be learners. Danny Lim, Activist

I would like us to start being decent to each other. I’d like to change our two party system to a multi-party democracy.

Ashley Thomson,

Student and Writer and Editor of HomerOnline.com

&Who

Abdul Samad,

Asylum seeker, Manus Island

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

GOV eRN

My only question for Australian people is: imagine if we were your sons, your brothers, your family members or your good friends then what would be your action? We need all of you to please please stand up for the sake of humanity.

GoV ERNs.

Increase the time between federal elections from three, to four or five years. Three year terms drive short-term thinking, and forces the government elect to be more concerned with popular politics than good policy. Longer terms, and an extended time between elections, will encourage governments to make long-term policy decisions, as well as provide courage to consider and implement unpopular but necessary reforms.

I would ban the churches from commenting and having a say on the social situations of everyday people. It baffles me that a religious organisation has a voice over what a non-religious person is doing with their life.

Adrian Norris,

CEO and Creative Director, Aje

I would change our politicians. They should be leading us in a better direction. They are encouraging fear, and using that fear to be re-elected. I wish we had politicians who were using inspiration and hope instead. Nicola Gray,

Founder, New Humans of Australia

If I could, I would change the political discourse and the whole political environment, because I think that has such an effect on so much what we do today: the way we behave, the way we perceive the world, our future and prosperity. For a starter, I’d move to four year terms, set terms, so basically one has a chance of actually doing something, agreeing on something. Just somehow, we need to get a greater and broader and deeper representation at the political level. We’ve got to shift away from

Natalie Cope,

this trend of political operator - purely politically risen, raised and

Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council

driven operators running things. And I don’t know how you do it, but we need to get young people more involved in politics.

Michael Burgess,

Chief Student Experience Officer, Western Sydney University

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For a starter, I’d move to four year terms, set terms, so basically one has a chance of actually doing something, agreeing on something.

people were more tolerant of politicians and the fact that things take a long time, but I also wish that the politicians stand by their convictions, whether their job is in jeopardy or whatever. I just wish they would just push what they wanted

If there’s one thing we could change, I think it is probably our political system.

to push with more conviction because they have

Rangan Srikhanta,

the power to do it.

Founder and CEO, One Education

Stephanie Lorenzo, Founder, Project Futures

People from diverse backgrounds, whether it’s to do with gender, race or LGBTQ people, instating them in a position of power where they can recognise what the needs of the nation are. Michelle Law,

Award-winning Author, Screenwriter and Playwright

I would change the leadership. And secondly, you know how they do those stories where you can live in other people’s shoes and things like that? It would be interesting to just have everyone be able to swap their identity for a day and spending some time living in different cultures. Ching Tan,

Manager, PwC’s Indigenous Consulting

If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

I would change the political situation, I wish

Greed. I reckon greed is one of the main things that influence the way the world turns. You look at the prime ministers, the kings, the presidents who are so much about themselves and their greed of control and power. Greed that is completely killing their own countries. I’m looking at presidents of say countries in Africa where they are worth millions or billions of

Just somehow, we need to get a greater and broader and deeper representation at the political level. We’ve got to shift away from this trend of political operator, you know, purely politically risen, raised and driven operators running things. We need to get greater representation because if you have disengagement from the political process then you end up getting what you have for the US. And I don’t know how you do that, but it’s something we need to get young people more involved in politics. I’d get rid of one live government because we’re over governed which is really expensive and all the rest of it. But I think if you can become leaner, more efficient but also just get greater engagement of those liberals, I think that would be positive. I’ve done a bit of research on this and in other countries, people can vote from 16 to 18, but it’s not necessarily compulsory. It’s compulsory after 18 to whatever. But I would like to see slightly more respect towards an intelligent younger, including a humanity that we have in Australia. I think that we’re growing up a lot faster, and younger people have a right to be able to participate in that. So, I think that’s very important, to shift the balance. Fenella Kernebone,

Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

dollars but their whole country’s starving. That’s greed. So if you could change that, that would be what I would like to see.

Simon Lister,

Director, Nylon Studios and Photographer, UNICEF

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• Open up doors to more accessible private equity for very small, early stage businesses (matched funding, dedicated grants); • Support more incubators so that they can be given the tools to foster, nurture and help small innovative businesses grow; • Facilitate and support Australian companies to think global and show them that this is an accessible, realistic goal. Dr. Dharmica Mistry,

Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

Taj Pabari,

Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

I dream of a day when there is a revolution of sorts and an uprising of dissatisfaction from the youth because that’s where it’s going to have to come from. I would try to change how the parliament actually process how they do things. I would basically take it back to the bottom and I’d say, “Okay, we need to restructure how decisions are made in this country.”

MOON HoT S If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?

In my industry, we are well aware, Australia is great at coming up with innovative ideas but figures show that we don’t quite get them off the ground as well as our international partners. For small innovative companies, the biggest hurdle is access to funding at crucial time points. This is usually right before the “chasm” or “valley of death” and can easily determine a company’s success or failure.

The power to be sensible has been taken away from Australians. There’s no self-monitoring so it’s all being policed and it’s actually not teaching any of the youth how to think for themselves.

IDEAS.

10-year-old

I think currency, money, should change. And because we’re a relatively young country, with less baggage of history, maybe Australia can lead the way in that.

To be honest, Australia is just as inhospitable as it is in some places in the US e.g. Alaska. It seems it would be a benefit to have much a larger, more dynamic population, more cities to visit, more places to go, more things to do.

I’d move Australia closer to Europe so I could see my kids more

Caroline Overington, Author and Journalist

Make it slightly less hot.

Murray Bell,

Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent

often. I’d move Australia there rather than me there because I don’t want to live anywhere else. I would just love to be able to be in Europe in a reasonable amount of time, perhaps three or four hours? That would be great.

Andrew Jenkins,

President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region

I’d just say the time it takes to get to places. If you could get shot out of a cannon and get to the UK in an hour, that would be awesome. Just the speed of transport is a joke.

Founder and CEO, Airtasker

Petr Lebedev, PhD Student

Contemporary Painter and Installation Artist

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Avery Saliba,

I would increase the population to 100 million. Other countries have more than three cities. We have Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - so 2.5 cities.

Anthony Lister,

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Agenda to advocate for the choice of shorts and long pants as part of girls’ school uniforms as a key factor that holds girls back in feeling comfortable in the classroom, learning and playing sport. Since then, Amanda has been working with education departments, parents, school principals, teacher unions and other education associations to enhance gender equity for girls at school through uniform choices.

friends and gain insights into life in the city, while those visiting open their hearts to First Australians. Arthur’s work has connected 1,700 people who have spent over 555,000 hours learning from and working alongside Traditional Owners in Arnhem Land, Cape York and Central Australia. A shley Thomson, Student and Writer and Editor of HomerOnline.com

A mbre Hammond, Classical Pianist and Founder of Girl Piano Truck

shley Thomson is the founding editor of Homer (homeronline.com), A a website dedicated to challenging the idea of what it means to be a man. He is currently completing a Masters of Culture, Health and Medicine at the Australian National University. Prior to that, he was a book editor at Pan Macmillan, and his stories and essays have been published by Award Winning Australian Writing, Seizure and Feminartsy.

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Ambre Hammond is a classical Pianist and Founder of Girl Piano Truck, born in Cairns and of English, Spanish, German, Irish descent. Ambre has collaborated with various artists including Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the Indian legendary slide guitarist who won a Grammy for his album with Ry Cooder. They united with their unique and individual styles playing a special one off fusion concert at the Sydney Opera House billed as “Raag Beethoven”. Ambre is a proud Ambassador for the NSW Brain Foundation of Australia and is an Ambassador of the Peace Program for the United Nations Association of Australia, as well as showing support for the ACRF (Australian Cancer Research Foundation).

Ten year-old Avery Saliba lives in St. Kilda and attends St. Mary’s Primary School, where she is in grade four. Avery loves all dogs and her favourite breed is a Brussel Griffon. She loves singing songs, especially ones she has written herself, and when she is not singing and songwriting, Avery is finding new reasons to convince her parents to get her a dog.

Samad, 27, originally from Pakistan, has been detained on the Manus Island detention center for the last four and a half years. He first arrived to Australia on a small, leaky boat on the 21st of July 2013, seeking asylum after a dangerous journey across the ocean. Adrian Norris, CEO and Creative Director, Aje Adrian is the CEO and Creative Director of Aje. He is originally from the Sunshine Coast. A isling Finch, Head of Marketing Australia and NZ, Google In this role, Aisling looks after the Google and YouTube brands, connecting Aussie and Kiwi consumers and businesses with Google’s product magic. Aisling has over 18 years marketing experience across telco, tech and media sectors. Aisling joined Google seven years ago in Europe, helping to grow the Android ecosystem and drive consumers’ engagement with core Google apps. Aisling returned home from London and led Google’s Media across the Asia-Pacific region, ensuring Google marketing delivered best-in- class media strategy and execution. Prior to Google, Aisling spent 10 years at Telstra, where she held various leadership roles in strategy, finance, marketing, and retail and online channels. Aisling holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business, with majors in Marketing, PR and French. Aisling also has a graduate qualification in French Literature and Art History. Aisling lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children. She loves kayaking, travelling, languages and spending time with family and friends. Her vices are chocolate and wine!

B en Moir, Founder of Snepo Research, Wearable Experiments and FABLab

72 Bios

Abdul Samad, Asylum seeker, Manus Island

Dr. Amanda Mergler is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education at Queensland University of Technology. A registered Psychologist, Amanda teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students in human development, educational psychology, educational counselling and behaviour management. In 2017, Amanda co-founded a national group called Girls’ Uniform

Formally trained as an Electrical Engineer, Ben Moir is the founding member of Snepo Research, where for the last 10 years he has used his diverse knowledge to design systems incorporating new hardware technology and software. In 2013, Ben setup Wearable Experiments (We:eX) and heads up the technical development and integration of electronics into garments and accessories. He is also the creator of one of the first FabLabs in Sydney, Australia. FAbLab is a place where digital fabrication tools are used that allow a person to make whatever they want.

A ndrew Jenkins, President, Universal Music Publishing Australia and Asia Pacific Region

Bridie Duggan, Physiotherapy Student and Community Activist

Originally from London, Andrew Jenkins first visited Australia in 1993. He now runs the Asia Pacific Region for Universal Music Publishing out of Sydney. Andrew has 36 years of experience working in the music industry, both in records and publishing. Prior to the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing by UMPG, he served as President of International for BMG and was responsible for signings such as the Bee Gees, Pete Townshend, Pete Waterman, The Cure, Robert Plant, Iron Maiden, Tom Waits and many more.

Bridie Duggan, recipient of the 2017 Northern Territory Young Australian of the Year, is a prolific community supporter and volunteer who rallies support and awareness for people dealing with a range of mental health issues. Currently working towards her Masters in Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney, Bridie already has a degree in exercise and sports. Her passion lies in breaking down the stigma attached to mental illness and creating a positive life for everyone.

A nthony Lister, Contemporary Painter and Installation Artist

B ronwyn Kidd, Photographer

Brisbane born painter and installation artist, Anthony Lister (@anthonylister) is known for his provocative and compelling pieces that are simply open to interpretation. Whether it’s his use of bold writing styles or a specific shading and colour scheme, Lister provokes thought and questions reality. His most recent project was a painting show called “Homeless Among Gum Trees”.

Bronwyn Kidd studied photography at the prestigious Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology before heading to London, where she landed assisting roles with celebrated British photographer Clive Arrowsmith and with fellow Australian portraitist Polly Borland. With a career spanning over 20 years, Kidd is a modern portraitist. Her style is characterised by an unyielding dedication to elegance, precision and timeliness. Her work was featured in global campaigns for Adidas, Gossard, Levis, Mikimoto, Renault.

A rthur Alla, Director, Red Earth

D r. Amanda Mergler, Psychologist, Senior Lecturer and Co-Founder of the Girls Uniform Agenda

While volunteering in Cape York, Arthur Alla listened to the wisdom of Aboriginal elders and wanted others to have the same opportunity. So in 2011, Arthur set up Red Earth, an organisation that gives Indigenous Australians from remote homelands a way to host people from the city. For two weeks, visitors live with traditional owners and local kids, volunteering on projects and learning about the world’s oldest enduring culture. Arthur’s work is deeply rooted in reconciliation: elders show their country with pride, telling their stories with their own voice, and choosing the projects that will add the most value to their homelands. Aboriginal children make

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Caroline Overington is a two-time winner of the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism; and a winner of the Sir Keith Murdoch Award for Excellence in Journalism. A former New York correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Caroline is the author of two non-fiction books, including Kickback: Inside the AWB Scandal, which won the $30,00 Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature, and Only in New York, a comedy about taking her infant twins to live in Manhattan. Her study of the execution of Louisa Collins at Sydney’s Darlinghurst Goal, and19th century suffrage, Last Woman Hanged, won the 2016 Davitt Prize. She has written nine crime thrillers, including the No.1 bestseller, The One Who Got Away, which is a finalist in the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year. C hing Tan, Manager, PwC’s Indigenous Consulting

Avery Saliba, 10-year-old

A mrita Hepi, Bundjulung and Ngapuhi woman, dancer, choreographer and activist Amrita Hepi is a professional dancer and dancer maker whose work spans performance art, writing, radio and teaching. A Bundjulung and Ngapuhi woman, she has exhibited and performed at the Sydney Opera House, Nextwave festival, Australia’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Banff Centre in Canada and hosts a radio show about independent dance on FBi radio. Most recently she has joined Western Australia’s Indigenous Contemporary dance company OCHRES while she continues to also teach pop culture dance classes around the country. She was recently invited to speak at Barangaroo Reserve’s Wulugul pop-up event, on the subject “Australia - I love you, but…” in time for Survival Day.

C aroline Overington, Author and Journalist

and his team are working with the Department of Human Services around prioritisation of Aboriginal Funding in terms of how do you implement that from an organisation perspective. C hris Chong, Co-Owner, Brand Manager and Creative Director, Misfit Shapes Chris is one of the owners of the Misfit Shapes brand, as well as the brand manager and Creative Director. Misfit Shapes defines itself as a progressive surfboard & apparel brand inspired by art and individuality. It is focused on evolution and design and spirited by a counter culture movement and the colourful personalities and advocates that proudly fly its flag. Chris always had a desire and a heart to give back. Hence, Misfit Aid was formed; a not-for-profit arm of Misfit Shapes. Misfit Aid partners with local organisations and in country partners to empower the aid and development of communities impacted by poverty, disaster and humanitarian crisis. The organisation has recently rebranded to Groundswell Aid but continues with the same work and original desire to reach and help those in need. D anny Lim, Activist Elected at the end of 2008, Danny Lim had eighteen claims of breaches of conduct levelled against him and received death threats before resigning in July 2010. Most of the controversy revolved around Virginia Judge, the Labor member for Strathfield from 2003 to 2011. Danny now makes sandwich boards, decorated with smiley faces and rainbow peace signs, and is accompanied by a Pomeranian-Chihuahua named Smarty. Danny is imploring politicians to think about the nation first. D r. Dharmica Mistry, Scientist and Co-Founder of Biotech company BCAL Diagnostics

B ryony Cole, Sex Futurist Bryony is a Sex Futurist who speaks globally about the impact technology is having on intimacy. Her podcast and event series Future of Sex reaches thousands every month to explore the merging worlds of sex and tech. Mashable has called it “the podcast helping women to build the future of sextech”, and it has been featured in global media such as The New York Times, Wired, TechCrunch, Vice, Thrillist, and The Humanist.

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With a background in design and anthropology, Ching Tan is a manager at Callida Indigenous Consulting, under the PwC brand, and works across service design and innovation. At the moment, Ching

Dr. Dharmica Mistry finished her Bachelor of Science from Sydney University, majoring in Microbiology. After discovering a scientific breakthrough in breast cancer detection, Dharmica co-founded a biotech company in Sydney called BCAL Diagnostics and is now working on providing a simple, affordable, non-invasive and accessible blood test to detect breast cancer in women and men. Dharmica wants to break ethnic and gender stereotypes in the world of STEM. She wants to make science cool, make geeks chic and inspire the young generation to achieve more than they ever dreamed they could.

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DyspOra, Sonic Activist and Founder of independent Hip-Hop label Playback 808 Gabriel Akon, also known as DyspOra, is an Adelaide-based rapper, Sonic Activist and Founder of independent hip hop label Playback 808. Moving to Australia with his family 13 years ago after fleeing conflict in South Sudan and living in a refugee camp in Kenya, DyspOra wants to use his voice for what he calls sonic activism, teaching and empowering people through his music. He won Best Male Artist at the 2017 SA Music Awards, and will be releasing his debut project in early 2018. E adie Velez, 8-year-old Eadie is an 8-year-old girl in Year Two She loves to read. Her favourite books are the Harry Potter series and she enjoys dressing up as Hermione. Eadie enjoys spending time with her friends each week at her Jazz and Ballet dance classes. Her favourite colour is aqua. Elverina Johnson, Indigenous Artist and Designer Elverina Johnson, from Yarrabah in far north Queensland, is a Gungganji woman and direct descendant of King Menmuny of Yarrabah and King Yini of Cairns Yidinji Gimuy. She is a highly respected Indigenous artist, winning the NAIDOC 2017 Artist of the Year. Elverina believes that the arts can empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and restore a genuine sense of pride in their culture and communities.

Holly Throsby, Songwriter, Musician and Novelist

Josh Gilbert, Worimi man, Aboriginal Speaker, Farmer, Writer and Entrepreneur

Holly Throsby is a Songwriter, Musician and Novelist from Sydney, Australia. She has released five critically acclaimed solo albums. Holly’s debut novel, Goodwood, was published by Allen & Unwin in October 2016. It came in at #7 on ABC’s The Book Club’s Top Ten. Holly has been nominated for four ARIAs - including two for Best Female Artist, and one for Best Children’s Album. Holly is now working on her second novel.

Huw Parkinson has been a freelance video editor for 10 years and is currently working with the ABC, where he’s successfully exploring new forms of storytelling in programs, including Insiders. Huw has an innovative way of approaching big news events by framing them in popular culture for both a traditional TV and Internet audience. Huw is the recipient of a Walkley Award for Multimedia Storytelling. His videos for Insiders receive tens of thousands of hits on ABC websites and are always picked up by other online media outlets in both Australia and internationally.

Kat is an Event Producer specialising in the music and youth market and has over a decade of experience across agency and freelance. She is also the Founder and Director of Heaps Gay, an all-inclusive community which produce events, experiences and charity support for the LGBT+ community and their allies. In December 2015 she launched www.heapsgay.com and video channel - both not for profit platforms for young LGBT+ storytelling. In 2016 she won “Party Queen of the Year” the Time Out Sydney Bar Awards and “Best Music Event” at the FBi Radio SMAC awards for Heaps Gay. Kat is on the Board of Directors for The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and is also a fortnightly guest presenter on FBi Radio.

Fenella Kernebone, Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and Head of Curation for TEDxSydney

Jake Bley, Content Creator and Social Media Strategist

Fenella Kernebone is the Head of Curation for TEDxSydney responsible for leading the programming for one of the largest TEDx events in the world. Fenella is also a noted Television and Radio Presenter and Producer and has hosted radio and television shows on ABC TV, SBS TV, RN, Triple J, podcasts such as It’s a Long Story for Sydney Opera House Podcast and the TEDxSydney Livestream and Adventure Series.

Previously working in New York and Adelaide, Jake currently resides in Sydney where he specialises in consumer social creative strategy with Ogilvy Public Relations Australia. Jake is a content creator, documenting and posting on YouTube his thoughts, stories about his life, travels, making fun of himself, and talking about things he’s passionate about.

Frida Las Vegas, Artist and Designer

Jane Lu, Founder, Showpo

Frida Las Vegas (aka Stavroula Adameitis) is a Sydney-based Artist and Designer with a professional background spanning the fashion, animation, design, editorial and film industries. A heightened 1980s Pop Art aesthetic and a uniquely Australian sense of humour defines her razzle dazzle universe of turbocharged V8 glamour across visual art, illustration, fashion and jewellery. Her goal is to make a positive impact across mediums using humour, colour and flair.

Kate Gaze, Professional Basketballer Kate Gaze is an Australian professional basketball player. She currently plays for the University of Canberra Capitals in the WNBL. 72 Bios

Erica is the Operations Manager for Sea Shepherd Australia and in a former life worked in corporate finance. Her career with Sea Shepherd commenced as a nervous deckhand onboard the MV Steve Irwin which went to sea and shut down a fleet of illegal poaching vessels.

Jane Lu returned from a year abroad inspired. She decided to quit her job in accounting and corporate finance to start her own business. Jane founded Showpo in 2010 from her parents’ garage. Showpo is an online global fashion website, offering shipping to 80 countries, boasting a social following of over 2.8 million. Jane is also active in Australia’s startup scene and has won the title of Cosmopolitan’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2016.

taken her passion for typography and built a flourishing career around drawing letters. Her bold type, expressive calligraphy and detailed illustration can be seen in advertising campaigns, editorial publications and large-scale murals in galleries and interiors around the world. A number of her projects have received

Jo Thornely has been writing for whoever swaps money for sarcasm for more than a decade, which means a lot of reality TV recaps and opinions about vaccination, popular culture, and sex festivals. She has a day job in music copyright, a battered-up pair of boots, and a podcast about cults called Zealot.

Ken Solly, Agriculture Business Consultant and Speaker Having spent the first 12 years of his career as a farmer, Ken Solly decided to become a TAFE Farm Management Lecturer in South Australia and then moved on to become an Agribusiness Consultant, mentoring, coaching, teaching and generally helping people in agriculture. Mr. Solly has also been writing a feature article “Mind Your Business” in the South Australian Stock Journal for the past 10 years. He coaches Nuffield Scholars and Churchill fellows, speaks at conferences and delivers training workshops across Australia.

the Award of Typographic Excellence from the New York Type Directors Club, in 2015 she was recognised as an ADC Young Gun and

Jonathan Pangu, Founder, Death to Nuggets

in 2016, named one of PRINT Magazine’s New Visual Artists: 15 under 30. She has collaborated with numerous global brands and publications including Apple, Adobe, Westfield, Volcom Stone, Oreo, QANTAS, Kirin, L’Oréal, Entertainment Weekly, Playboy Magazine and The New York Times.

With more than 20 years international work experience in marketing and advertising, Jonathan Pangu founded Death to Nuggets to put brand thinking and creativity to work against one of the issues of our time. Death to Nuggets is a creative company focussed on food for children.

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Katherine is the managing director of Futureye. Futureye was established by Katherine in 2002 in Melbourne, Australia, and has since expanded to a global team of specialists. Futureye works to develop proactive organisations that will succeed in the new stakeholder era. The company’s aspiration is to enable sustainable development in governments, companies and communities. Their unique selling proposition is their unique social licence to operate risk assessment, strategy development and execution process.

Katie Eraser is an Australian contemporary artist currently residing in Melbourne. Born of the appetite to destroy perceptions of perfection, tearing fluoros and bold textures expressively layer her painting and sculpture. Seeking to create newness through the dismantling of her work, these expressions are vibrantly executed by the untamed carnage of her pieces. The works she creates are ultimately steered by the Queer and Feminist identities that inform her life and work. Katie completed a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) at Billy Blue / Swinburne University.

Jo Thornely, Writer, Podcaster and Copyright Specialist

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Prowling the Australian scene, Western Sydney artist L-Fresh The Lion has quickly become renowned for his powerful presence, inspiring live shows and thought-provoking lyricism. His organic amalgam of world-class music and social activism has seen him seamlessly segue from underground events and ciphers to national tours and major festivals, the natural ascent of an MC with an abundance of purpose and self-belief. He is Australia’s only fellow for YouTube‘s Creators For Change program, an ambassador for All Together Now and White Ribbon Australia, as well as a brand ambassador for Holden, AFL NSW/ACT and RES Denim. Lee Crockford, CEO, Spur Projects, and Creative Director, SPUR:LABS Lee Crockford is passionate about instigating social change through innovation, design, and engagement. He is both the CEO of Spur Projects, a charity working in the area of men’s mental health and suicide prevention, as well as Creative Director of SPUR:LABS, which designs social impact-centric strategy. He is also an experienced facilitator and speaker - presenting and mentoring in numerous countries on social change, mental health, entrepreneurship, innovation, education, and arts.

Katherine Teh-W hite, Managing Director, Futureye

Katie Eraser, Artist

Gemma O’Brien, Designer and Artist Australian Designer and Artist. Over the past 10 years, Gemma has

L-Fresh, Musician and Social Activist

Kat Dopper, Founder and Director, Heaps Gay

Jade Hameister, 16-year-old Adventurer

Erica McLernon, Operations Manager, Sea Shepherd

Kim Brennan is an Australian World Champion, Olympian and Olympic Gold Medal winning rower. Passionate about sports related issues and the Olympic movement, she was elected chair of the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission in 2012, and is involved with various charity initiatives. Kim graduated from Melbourne University, with Media and Communications/ Law degree with first class honours, being the top female graduate of the year. Kim is currently a management consultant at EY, specialising in major organisational change and technology driven transformation.

Josh is a Worimi man who uses Indigenous wisdom and values, alongside his environmental and agricultural knowledge to shape modern society. In 2015 Josh led the NSW Young Farmers’ Council in moving one of the first international agricultural climate change motions at the NSW Farmers Annual Conference. His advocacy in Indigenous, agricultural and environmental fields focuses on bringing people together on a journey of change, rather than alienating them through agitation. His work has been recognised with multiple awards, including the Australian Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year, and being named as one of the top 25 most influential people in Australia by Pro Bono Australia’s Impact 25.

Huw Parkinson, Video Editor and Storyteller, ABC

Jade Hameister became the youngest person in history to ski to the North Pole in May 2016 (age 14) and the youngest woman in history to complete the 550 km crossing of the Greenland icecap in June 2017 (age 15) and in December 2017 will attempt to become the youngest person and the first Australian woman to ski from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole (age 16), all unsupported and unassisted. She was awarded the Australian Geographic Society Young Adventurer of the Year Award in 2016, gave a TEDx talk aged 15 and has attended the invite only National Geographic Society Explorers Symposium in Washington DC in 2016 and 17. Her polar expeditions are being captured by National Geographic in a feature length documentary due for release in mid 2018.

Kim Brennan, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion

Lindsay Carmichael, Co-Owner, Daly Waters Pub Lindsay Carmichael, alongside his partner Robyn, ran the famous Daly Waters Pub for over 18 years. The former stock driver watering hole that has become a magnet for tourists in the Northern Territory’s and is known for its cheeky decor and epic misspellings. Luke Pearson, Gamilaroi man, Founder of @IndigenousX Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man, who founded @IndigenousX in 2012. Luke left his professional career as a primary school teacher in 2008, but continued to take an interest in education and advocacy both professionally and voluntarily. Throughout his various involvements Luke has been a teacher, mentor, counsellor, public speaker, collaborator, mediator, facilitator, events manager, researcher, evaluator, reporter and much more. Margaret Steadman, Activist and Advocate argaret was the Tasmanian Senior Australian of the Year 2017. She M is a climate and sustainable living advocate, former executive officer of Sustainable Living Tasmania, a founding member of Climate Action Hobart, and a Council member of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Margaret also volunteers in the Migrant Resource Centre’s refugee program and is an avid food gardener and electric biker.

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Melissa King, CEO, Surf Life Saving Australia

Natalie Chandra, Student and Curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney

Melissa King is the first ever female CEO of the peak body SLSA. Melissa has experience in the Private, Public and Not-for-Profit sectors nationally and internationally. Prior to being the CEO of Surf Life Saving Australia, Melissa was the General Manager of Communications and Business Development of SLSA, having been responsible for the national body’s external relations, marketing, fundraising (commercial and philanthropy) and partnerships for the national body since mid-2013. Her previous experience also includes driving corporate positioning, partnerships and fundraising at Sydney Opera House.

Natalie Chandra is a student at University of Sydney, completing her honours in Government and International Relations. She wrote her thesis on the non-use of nuclear bombs. Natalie is also a curator for TEDxYouth@Sydney and recently went to TEDWomen in New Orleans. In her spare time she is drafting her first fiction novel. Natalie is also a Black Belt in the Japanese martial art Aikido.

Michael Burgess, Chief Student Experience Officer, Western Sydney University Michael Burgess is a strategic marketer and business strategist with 20 years of marketing, operational and strategy leadership in complex consumer environments. He has a broad marketing and leadership skill-set, and is a creative innovator with extensive experience in business strategy, marketing communications, digital, brand, data analytics and customer experience. Michael is the Chief Student Experience Officer (CSEO) at Western Sydney University. He is responsible for delivering on the University’s core ambition of being distinctively student centred, leads a broad operational portfolio and is helping spearhead a strategic transformation of the university’s offering, experience and capabilities.

The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Pitchfork, NPR and The Los Angeles Times. Over the past five years, Riley’s online films have garnered a handful of film festival awards and millions of online views.

conversations offline.

Ruth Diggles, Psychic

Winner of The Australian Young Innovator of the Year for 2014 (or 2017 Young Queenslander of the Year), Taj Pabari is an inventor, a social entrepreneur and an educational pioneer. He is passionate about inspiring children to discover and embrace the world of creativity through technology and innovation. Taj founded a social enterprise called Fiftysix Creations, running workshops in schools and teaching young people about computer science, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Ruth Diggles is your Fairy Godmother. She has the ability to clear the emotional patterns, the unseen, the blocks one may not even be aware of. She is out to transform people from unhappy to brimming with confidence, happiness and authenticity.

Neil Peplow, CEO, Australian Film Television and Radio School Neil Peplow has a unique mix of film production, business and educational experience that has led him to his current role of CEO of the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. Neil is responsible for ensuring exciting, unique and impactful Australian talent is developed. His mission is to help the next generation of filmmakers take advantage of all the opportunities the digital revolution has created, teaching them while at the same learning from them about what the future holds.

Simon Lister, Director, Nylon Studios and Photographer, UNICEF Originally from New Zealand, Simon Lister is an audio engineer and Creative Director of Nylon Studios. Recently, he has worked with brands like Honda, Defence Australia, Hyundai, Audi and Toyota. In 2016, Simon became the global photographer and filmographer for Unicef. Simon worked on the Unicef global rebranding TVC and had the opportunity to film and direct the commercial.

Nicola Gray, Founder, New Humans of Australia

Stefan Hunt, Director and Artist

icola Gray is the founder of New Humans of Australia, a social N media project that seeks to promote social cohesion and tolerance by telling the stories of refugees and migrants who now call Australia home. She has recently published a book of the stories from the last two years of the project.

Stefan Hunt is a director and artist based in Byron Bay, Australia. He strives to inspire positive social change through creativity. His most recent project, “We’re All Going to Die” uses death to empower young people to fear less and live more. Stephanie Lorenzo, Founder, Project Futures

Michelle Law is a writer based in Brisbane, Australia. The main themes she tends to focus on include race and gender, and other social issues that affect her life and the lives of the people around her. She is the co-author of the comedy book, Sh*t Asian Mothers Say, and has had her work anthologised in books like Women of Letters and Best Australian Comedy Writing. As a screenwriter, Michelle has received an Australian Writers Guild AWGIE award for her interactive media work, and had her films screened on the ABC and at film festivals locally and abroad. In 2016, she won the Queensland Premier’s Award for Young Publishers and Writers. Her debut stage play Single Asian Female was performed to sold out audiences at La Boite Theatre Company in 2017 and will have a second run at Belvoir St Theatre in 2018. Homecoming Queens, a web series that she co-created, co-wrote and stars in will be available on SBS On Demand in 2018. Murray Bell, Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent Murray is the Co-Founder and Creative Chairman of Semi Permanent, a design platform and community that seeks to inspire and enable creative minds. Murray and Semi Permanent don’t just create, collate and share good design, they also aim to be influencers and empower the design community to thrive. Natalie Cope, Chief Executive Officer (NSW), Australia China Business Council Natalie Cope is the Chief Executive Officer (NSW) at Australia China Business Council, working on fostering business relations between Australia and China. Natalie was Australia’s 2015 Top Emerging Leader and MBA Scholar, receiving the 2015 Emerging Leaders MBA Scholarship by the University of Sydney Business School and The Australian Financial Review’s BOSS Magazine. She is the Ambassador of the Westpac Bicentennial Foundation, Asian Exchange Program and is a founding member and current Chair of the Australia-China Youth Dialogue and also sits on the advisory council of China Matters, a leading China focused public policy initiative.

Dr. Nikki Stamp, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer and Speaker Dr.Nikki Stamp FRACS is an Australian trained cardiothoracic surgeon and holds a Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine with Honours. She also holds a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in cardiothoracic surgery. Nikki has a strong desire to change the way we think about health and is a passionate supporter of the Heart Foundation. She is a sought after speaker and mentor and a prominent participant in the social media campaign #ILookLikeASurgeon. Nikki writes regularly for The Huffington Post and has also contributed for The Cusp, Mamamia and Steel Heels. She was chosen as one of 40 under 40 for Time Out Sydney, as well as one of Mamamia’s Inspirational Women You Can Look Up To. She has appeared as the host for ABC’s flagship science show Catalyst. Her first book, Can You Die of a Broken Heart? Will be released in March 2018.

Steph Lorenzo is the founder and former CEO of an Australian not-for-profit organisation called Project Futures. Project Futures raises awareness and funding to support anti human trafficking projects in Australia, Cambodia and Nepal. After eight years of running Project Futures, Steph stepped down and travelled for six months to Bali, Europe and visited her family in the Philippines. 72 Bios

Michelle Law, Award-winning Author, Screenwriter and Playwright

Steve Crombie, Professional Adventurer and CEO, Totem Advisory and Studio Founder, CEO, Adventurer - Steve was invited by YouTube to start Totem Advisory & Studio, one of the leading social video consultancies in Asia Pacific. He is also the author of Lost On Earth, a memoir of his 90,000 km adventure from Australia to the Arctic Circle via South America on motorbike. He has written, produced and presented several TV shows for BBC Worldwide, Discovery Channel and Lonely Planet. He is currently traveling by motorbike and boat from Australia to New York.

Petr Lebedev, PhD Student Petr was born in Russia and moved to Japan when he was two years old. Petr grew up in Japan and moved again to New Zealand. When he was 11 years old, Petr came to Perth, in Western Australia where he finished his school and went to University. Petr is now doing a PhD at Sydney University in Physics Education, hence the faculty. He is part of a group that’s trying to figure out how to teach physics better. Rangan Srikhanta, Founder and CEO, One Education Rangan is Founder and CEO of One Education, a One Laptop per Child spin-off. At One Education, Rangan has developed an innovative approach to providing equity in education through the use of technology built for learning. Rangan came to Australia when he was two months old, as his family was fleeing the war in Sri Lanka. He graduated from University of Technology Sydney with a degree in computer science and business and started his career at Deloitte.

Tea Uglow, Creative Lab, Google TL (Tea) Uglow is based in Sydney, Australia and has worked at Google for 10 years, as part of their Creative Lab. Her work consists of experimental design and culture projects that merge physical and digital properties of culture. Projects are collaborations with artists, publishers, museums and culture organisations that explore new forms of creative practice using digital tools. Previous projects include Editions at Play, Life in a Day, (with Ridley Scott) and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and partners like the Royal Shakespeare Company, LEGO, NASA and the Science Museum. Tea speaks globally on innovation, creativity and diversity. Her 2015 TEDx talk has over 1.5 million views. She is/has been a board member for Biennale of Sydney, and a member of AGI. She is also transgender. There is an open letter about her transition at bit.ly/about_tea but really, it isn’t that relevant to her work.

Steve Gunn, CEO, Blundstone

Tin Pang, Writer and Director

Steve Gunn is the CEO of Blundstone, the iconic Australian boot manufacturer. Steve moved from Canberra to Tasmania to take up an HR position at Blundstone in 1994. By 2001, Steve sat in the chief executive’s chair.

Tin Pang is a writer/director with a passion for short films. Tin grew up in the Gold Coast and studied Screen Media at QCA in Brisbane. He started out in the industry in Los Angeles, and worked in Vancouver before coming back to Australia, in Sydney. Tin’s most recent project is a short film called “Mother, Child” that is based on his own experience and psychological challenges of becoming a carer for his mother. It premiered at the 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival, and has screened at festivals in Australia and overseas.

Susannah George is the founder and CEO of The Urban List – Australia and New Zealand’s most influential local lifestyle guide. Started from her bedroom in 2011, The Urban List has grown to showcase the best of city culture across seven markets, empowering an audience of 2.5 million people to explore beyond what they know - to create a life they love; a life that inspires. Ta-ku, Musician, Producer and Photographer Regan Mathews, better known by his stage name Ta-ku, is a Musician, Producer and Photographer born in Perth. In 2015, Ta-ku was a Youth Speaker at TEDxSydney. Most recently, he also co-founded Weston’s Barbershop in Northbridge, Perth. Ta-ku wants to do things differently. He wants to inspire the next generation to focus their energy on creating, for the sake of creativity, and having honest

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Tara Howell is the founder and executive of the tourism business called Blue Derby Pods Ride. It is a three-day mountain biking experience that combines Tasmania’s world-class Blue Derby trail network with unique, private pod accommodation and exceptional Tasmanian food and wine.

Tim founded Airtasker in 2012, a services marketplace allowing people to outsource chores and errands to people in their local neighbourhood community. Tim is also a mentor at Founders Institute Sydney and was named in Smart Company’s Hot 30 Entrepreneurs under 30 and Shoe String Startup’s Young and Influential List in 2012.

Riley Blakeway, Writer and Director

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Tara Howell, Founder and Executive, Blue Derby Pods Ride

Tim Fung, Founder and CEO, Airtasker

Susannah George, Founder and CEO, The Urban List

Riley Blakeway is an Australian writer/director, primarily working between Sydney and Los Angeles. Since becoming a director at 19 years old, he worked with brands like Corona, Samsung, Nike, Red Bull, Quicksilver, Wrangler, Monster Children and Skull Candy. His films have been shown at festivals around the world, including the Vimeo awards, SXSW, Raindance and New Orleans Film Festival. His music videos and content have been shared by The New York Times,

Taj Pabari, Inventor, Social Entrepreneur and Educational Pioneer

Tom Griffith, Co-Founder of Emma & Tom’s and The Unite Project Tom Griffith is a qualified chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne. He also has a Fellow-ship of Finance and has enjoyed a diverse and international professional career. Alongside childhood friend Emma Welsh, Tom co-founded Emma & Tom’s in 2004 out of the desire to bring Australians super premium whole fruit smoothies. Tom also makes outstanding contributions in the community. He has co-founded The Unite Project with the Cotton On Group, which has the mission to fight youth homelessness across Australia.

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