Is Inclusion a Two-Way Street, Mate?

Australians have a wonderful habit of shortening names. Nearly everyone knows me as Col. Barry becomes Baz, Michael becomes Mike, and Sophie becomes Soph.

It's part of our informality, our affection for one another and, above all, our mateship.

I once had a mate named Michael. Naturally, I started calling him Mike. One day he politely explained that he preferred Michael. No worries, mate. Michael it was from then on.

No offence taken, no argument, and certainly no need for either of us to change who we were.

Another mate was Greek. His name was Basil, but to us he was affectionately known as Baz. His family had Australianised their surname, yet they remained immensely proud of their Greek heritage.

I had the honour of being MC at his family wedding. Their hospitality was extraordinary, and I still remember the wonderful Greek food, the laughter, the amazing Greek dancing and the family celebrations.

They had embraced Australia without abandoning Greece.

I was so impressed by their traditional naming-day celebrations that when my daughter Sophie arrived, we celebrated her with a Greek-inspired naming day. My Greek friends loved her name because of its similarity to the Greek name Sofia.

Today, almost everyone affectionately calls her Soph. And she's not alone. All four of my children have affectionate shortened names. It's just the Australian way in our family, and I'm sure many others.

We embraced something wonderful from another culture. Our Greek friends embraced much of what they loved about Australia.

Nobody lost their identity.

And that brings me to a question.

If Australians are encouraged to understand and respect the cultures of those who migrate here, shouldn't those who choose Australia be equally encouraged to understand and embrace the culture of their adopted country?

Our informality, our willingness to laugh at ourselves, our egalitarian outlook and our tradition of mateship are not cultural embarrassments. They are among the qualities that have made Australia such an attractive place to live.

Yet I sometimes wonder whether, in our determination to be inclusive and avoid causing offence, we risk becoming hesitant about expressing our own traditions.

I worry particularly about what we teach younger Australians. They should learn to respect other cultures, certainly. But cultural inclusion should never be taught at the expense of the Australian traditions we should be proud of, and which have helped build this country.

And perhaps we should ask ourselves another question: who decides when familiar Australian customs and expressions are no longer acceptable? Shouldn't we be able to question proposed changes without automatically being regarded as disrespectful? Surely mateship is ultimately about how we treat one another, not simply the words we're encouraged to use.

Respect should travel in both directions.

A newcomer doesn't have to abandon their heritage to become Australian. Nor should Australians have to abandon their traditions to make newcomers feel welcome.

Of course, mateship doesn't mean insisting that everyone accept a nickname. My friend Michael demonstrated that perfectly. It means approaching one another with goodwill, humour, fairness and mutual respect.

But surely those who choose to make Australia their home should also make an effort to understand the customs and values of the country they've chosen.

And what could be more welcoming to someone arriving in a strange land than being accepted, not as an outsider, but as a mate?

I believe mateship is one of the foundations of Australianism. It's worth celebrating, teaching and preserving.

So here's my proposition:

Shouldn't successful integration mean embracing the best of our different backgrounds while preserving the Australian traditions that bring us together?

Isn't that teamwork?

And to Australians who have come here from other countries, I'd particularly welcome your perspective.

What attracted you to Australia? Which Australian customs have you embraced? And what traditions from your own background do you believe have enriched our shared Australian life?

That's a conversation worth having.

Many cultures. One Australian identity.

In Unity there is Strength.

I'll explore this question further in my next blog: “Who Decides When Ordinary Australian Language Becomes Unacceptable?”