Kim67

ABC3 currently runs at 40-50%+ Australian content, the rest is from all over the place, so sorry, it's not thanks to BBC. Australia makes some fantastic children's programs. It's one area they excel.

unfair dinkum

I'm talking about ABC2, and belive me, a LOT of that stuff is BBC

jad n rich

I liked rasta mouse in the UK, which probably explains why my brood hated the wiggles with a passion.

Blues Clues, if that was an aussie one my youngest used to love that show.

Kim67

Not really Wiggles fans in our house either but can see their appeal, my lot were more into Hi-5 and The Fairies. Blues Clues is American but the oldest got into it in a big way when she was small. Now it's Dance Academy all the way (even the boy child likes it) can't wait for the new season to start. Even some of the grannies I know watch it.

GarryP

It's the implicit translation that gets me. To an aussie it seems to be battler = poor but noble working class individual, salt of the earth. To someone from outside battler = sub chav scumbag and/or antisocial thief.

I suppose its similar to "The Sun" lauding their readership as 'Britain's working class'; most of whom seem not to be working and are in fact the subject of many of their 'evil freeloader' stories...

exsquaddie

It certainly is not unique to Australia. The main core root of the Australian 'mateship' culture is from the ANZAC tradition which has taken on an almost a mythic status thanks to the media (sometimes a rose tinted view of history portrayed in Film etc) and the evermore enthusiastic Aussie public.

There is essentailly nothing wrong with the idea of 'battler' etc but as other contributers have alluded too, when its rammed down your throat 24/7 by the Aus mass media it gets rather clichéd.

Intresting with the latest 'skype' sex scandal at the ADF, the institution of the Aus Armed forces where the ideals of mateship originate from, when its shown to be flawed alot of Aus commentators just cannot believe it and the media here goes mad. After speaking to the locals it seems that some have been in a state of shock thinking that the 'diggers' are perfect upstanding citizens in the ANZAC tradition.

Back in the old country however the tabloids and public always seemed use to another story about 'pissed up squaddies' on the rampage and so forth. I however never got into trouble got my LSGC medal to prove it... (Long Service not Getting Caught medal)...

slapphead_otool

18 years of undetected crime

Fully agree with you on the ANZAC legend, mateship etc.

The ADFA story is a bit complex.

Duntroon is an military establishment where potential officers get some tertiary education.

ADFA is a tertiary establishment where potential officers get some military education.

The public and politicians don’t seem to grasp the difference.

There are strong rumours that ADFA will be closed, as its not really working. Potential officers will go to conventional universities on military scholarships and go away on UTC type camps during the holidays.

exsquaddie

If you watched the Insight discussion programme on SBS a few weeks ago it opened up few more skeletons in the cupboard for ADF that the media did not know about and again (because of the 'mateship culture') general public in audience could not comprehend it.

However since I've been here Aussie Diggers that I've met are quite prim and proper, very well behaved compared with my old lot!

slapphead_otool

They are removing the army’s testicles slice by slice, destroying what existed and making it a risk averse bunch of public servants.

Many of the problems come from compensation claims. Some kid goes to Kapooka and misses his mum. He doesn’t want to admit to his mates that he got homesick, and so a rash of medical problems come up, he gets a med discharge and a pension for life.

Can’t carry troops in the back of trucks, they get bad backs. WTF?

Can’t ask troops to run in boots. Bad for their shin splints.

Cant order then to do pushups unless you are a PTI.

All a lad has to do is hint about harassment or bullying and everything stops for an enquiry. If he says he feels suicidal the army sends him home for a holiday.

Officers spend more time on risk assessment reports and risk monographs than in planning an exercise.

Then they send them to war.

Amazulu

I don't like it when girls call you mate, and vice versa. Thing is, I find myself saying it now and again - aaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!

LouiseR

London still is, especially on public transport.

Sydney on the other hand, I've had business people helping me with my pram in rush hour. Wouldn't have had that in London I don't reckon.

I call blokes mate and I'm not bothered if they call me mate. I draw the line at people calling their wives/husbands mate, that's just weird.

paulry

Cripes some are agreeing with you now Sympathy votes surely?

...Must be after a slice of your wildest dream

paulry

Maybe not London business people in their suits but almost certainly someone would help.

Not too bothered about the mate thing. Seems a bit odd to begin with.

Pollyana

Must say living here has changed the whole tone of the word "mate" for me. I used to use it to refer to friends, but its so overused here that I now loathe the word and it certainly doesn't make me think of friendship any longer. As for the "she'll be right"attitude - its just a way of saying that people are too lazy to be bothered about something so they'll leve it to fix itself.

Yeah, as if everyone else in the world is having a really rosy time. Its a loathsome phrase.




Its just bleedin nosey!! Somebloke did that to me in Coles the other day - I was checking a box of eggs and he came up and said "f***** bewdiful eggs maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate"I just handed him the box and said "ÿou buy them then" and walked off. I mean WTF does it have to do with him?!!!

Pollyana

I committed the ultimate sacrilege at work the other day and said I just don't understand why people are prepared to keep volunteering to go out in all weathers putting their lives at risk for no reward when if they all downed tools and sat back and said NO then the government would have to do something about actually funding a workforce for storm repairs.........

I got hammered with a whole barrage of people going on about it being "mateship" and "the Aussie way" and all that sort of noble statement. I did notice that those shouting loudest are the ones who won't even answer a phone for you because its "not their job"