Stereotypes In The Lucky Country

Australia is a modern multifaceted society, with many distinct demographics each with their own interests. In such a diverse society, it is impossible to expect complete harmony amongst every demographic, but ideally co-existence of all groups in a détente can be achieved through mutual recognition and communication. However, increasingly common social conflict, volatile relations and polarisation of demographics in Australian society is demonstrating a widening of divisions between communities, parties and ideologies in ‘The Lucky Country’.
CLASS
Australian society, quite distinct from it’s British heritage, is no longer a society that is primarily drawn along class lines. Where in the past class was one of the most significant issues in the
In the wake of the Martin Place Siege and in response to fears of racial tension between the Muslim community and other Australian racial groups the hashtag ‘#illridewithyou’ was broadly applauded by the community (daily mail). The ‘#illridewithyou’ hashtag was a movement designed to reduce fear and stigmatism towards Muslims, by providing support to Muslims who required to use public transport through persons volunteering to actively sit with and engage with Muslims during their commute. A more cynical perspective on this movement, could suggest that despite the well-intentioned origins of ‘#illridewithyou’, the perpetuation and evolution of the concept on social media resulted in an offensive patronisation of the Muslim community (al Jazeera), highlighting the significance of the racial divide in
This is perhaps best demonstrated through the state of female representation in federal politics. In the Abbott ministry initially only one woman (Deputy Liberal Leader - Julie Bishop) held a ministerial position, being two fewer than the Afghani government at the same time (news.com). This situation has changed under the subsequent Turnbull government, increasing the number of female ministry members to five (SMH Turnbul reshuffle), but is still not an accurate reflection of gender distributions in Australia. Further, under representation of women is also evident in politics as a whole with women representing 24%, and 30% of the NSW Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly respectively (Parliament NSW), and federally representing 42% and 27% of the Senate and House of Representatives respectively (aph), further corroborating the notion of a gender disconnect in