8HCC - TERM 1: Australian identity

This poster says a lot about what it means to be an Aussie. From the sacred and the profound like sublime Uluru and the celestial Southern Cross to the almost unbelievable platypus -which English scientists initially though was a hoax - here is our pick of 100 Australian icons, beautifully illustrated by Jim Tzinganos. How many icons can you name?

Online encyclopaedias are great for short, concise and correct information. Access and specific sign on details are available on the Hale Portal - Encyclopaedias page.

	Variety of reading levels Quality resources including text, images, videos and ‘Web’s Best Sites’ Read aloud facility Size your font up or down Ready-made citation
	Easy-to-understand articles Built-in research tool

Suggested articles include:

• Britannica - Multiculturalism
• World Book - Multiculturalism

The focus questions here are "What does it mean to be an Australian?", and "Why do we need an identity?". Archival film is used to encourage discussion about traditional conceptions of the Australian image. Students are invited to challenge the legends and consider how they match reality. This thought-provoking program is presented by Richard Morecroft.

National identity is a complex phenomenon. How a nation is regarded on the world stage is a product of the history, beliefs and virtues that have influenced its character. In this Australian-made, curriculum fit program we explore the national identity of Australia, and the events, people, actions and conflicts that have helped to shape our unique identity. 

Australia has come a long way since its anti-migrant 'White Australia Policy'. The history of multiculturalism in Australia is an interesting journey that has not been without its controversies.
We see how multiculturalism has progressed since its initial stages while highlighting the many challenges to the ideals of multiculturalism within contemporary issues such as terrorism, detention centres and refugees
 

An excerpt from the article "Multiculturalism and Australian Identity" by Senator Jim Short:

"The elements I would identify include:

• an egalitarianism, with no discernible class structure;
• an essentially non-discriminatory attitude towards one another so far as racial, ethnic, national or religious differences are concerned;
• a strong belief in fair play and a fair go;
• a basic friendliness and outward-goingness (not to be confused with extroversion, which is not a characteristic.)
• tolerance;
• a dislike of pretence and arrogance;
• a healthy scepticism of authority;
• a self-deprecating sense of humour;
• despite our appearance of political apathy, a strong belief in liberal democratic political traditions (ours is, after all, one of the longest unbroken democratically elected parliaments in the world.);
• a basic stability and security in our major institutions;
• a concern for a total quality of life rather than measuring standard of living solely in material terms."

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It is important to provide evidence of using a variety of reliable resources. Use the online Reference Generator available through the Portal to create your citations. Make sure you alphabetically sort them afterwards.

A sample bibliography for 3 resources suggested on these pages would look like:

Barwick, J & Barwick, J 2007, Multicultural Australia, Heinemann Library, Port Melbourne.

Multiculturalism 2018. Britannica School. Retrieved 22 March 2018, from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/high/article/multiculturalism/600976

Short, J 2014, Multiculturalism and Australian Identity, Department of Social Services, accessed 22 March 2018, <https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/programs-and-publications/1995-global-cultural-diversity-conference-proceedings-sydney/political-aspects-of-diversity/multiculturalism-and-australian>.