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Australian culture

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“I’ve never seen myself as anything but Aussie” … Gurmesh Singh, the new leader of the NSW Nationals.

What does ‘Australian’ look like? Our identity crisis is hiding in plain sight

What truly defines “Australian”? Appearance or values? 

  • Jasmine Batra

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Gray was said to be “one of the contemporary masters of poetry in English”.

‘A great humanist’: One of Australia’s greatest poets dead at 80

Friend of 56 years and fellow poet Geoffrey Lehmann pays tribute to Robert Gray’s unrivalled talent.

  • Geoffrey Lehmann
The Age, Spectrum Lunch with Anna Schwartz. at Gimlet with Stephen Brook. Pic Simon Schluter 16 September 2025

‘You’re turning me into a liar’: art dealer Anna Schwartz unveils major life change

The gallerist is one of the biggest names in Australian contemporary art. And now she’s reinventing herself.

  • Stephen Brook
Meanjin will soon be no more.

Hardly anyone reads Meanjin any more. So why does its end even matter?

The axing of the 85-year-old literary journal “on purely financial grounds” is symptomatic of a broader malaise in Australia. 

  • Karl Quinn
Tony Yeldham in his Double Bay shop in 1998.

Elton, Jagger, Sinatra: raconteur’s luxury shop was the destination for the stars

One of the first to stock designer European labels, Tony Yeldham’s Double Bay menswear store became the sartorial and social hot spot for the “it” crowd.

  • Andrew Hornery
Ryan Corr, Maddy MacRae and Tai Hara star in the latest Australian audio drama.

‘Primal memories’: How radio plays are making an unlikely comeback

Shows without visuals might seem old-fashioned, but they’ve never been more timely. Here’s how audio drama is being reinvented.

  • Daniel Lo Surdo
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Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who.

The Dr Who theme song is now a national treasure. Here’s why

Our pick of almost 200 audio recordings since 1896 that have been recognised by the National Film and Sound Archive.

  • Garry Maddox
Would it be the cricket without a beer snake?

School drop-off parking cops, cricket fun police: It’s Australia’s punishment culture

Australians like to think they have a larrikin, rebellious spirit, but they are remarkably tolerant of official intervention and petty-minded bureaucracy.

  • Nick Bryant
Illustration: Simon Letch

Let’s rethink The Lucky Country. Australia’s fortune was never dumb luck

Donald Horne’s seminal book cast Australia as a mediocre country run by second-rate people. The truth is its brand of democracy has often led the world.

  • Nick Bryant
Powerhouse president, David Borger, says there is a lot riding on the opening of the Parramatta museum.

‘We don’t want to be too stuffy’: New Powerhouse boss on what we can expect

The new trust president overseeing delivery of the Parramatta Powerhouse says the two million visitors can expect an “unpretentious” museum experience.

  • Linda Morris

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/australian-culture-1nt1