Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows the response of US tourists to events during Australia’s bicentennial celebrations in 1988 in Sydney. Shots of a television Australia Day spectacular that they are viewing in their hotel room are accompanied by their commentary on Australian culture and history. Visuals show them at breakfast the following morning when they reflect on aspects of the celebrations including the response of Indigenous Australians. The final image is of a group of young Australians singing in the street, beer cans in hand.

Educational value points

• The clip illustrates an ethnocentric approach to intercultural understanding by the male US tourist explaining Australian culture by relating it to his own experience and knowledge of his own cultural history. Thus Indigenous Australians are ‘like American Indians’ and the tough beginnings of the first settlers in the USA are likened to the experiences of Australia’s early colonists. This viewpoint shows little awareness of cultural differences.

• A more empathetic approach to intercultural understanding is revealed in the comments of the female US tourist as she attempts to put herself in the shoes of Indigenous Australians to gain a different perspective on the event being celebrated at the time of her visit to Australia. She is aware that since she has not met any Aboriginal people any view she forms may be flawed. Her more open response indicates an acknowledgement of cultural complexity.

• The clip provides an example of the way careful editing can convey a persuasive message. The male tourist advances the argument that the 200 years of white settlement have ‘made a difference’. His intimation is that the difference has been a great improvement. Immediately the film cuts to the young drunken Australians, beer cans in hand, celebrating in the street. The question of what 200 years of progress have amounted to may be raised in the viewer’s mind.

• The filmmaker tells the visitors that ‘Mourn, don’t celebrate’ is the motto adopted by many Indigenous Australians in response to the bicentennial celebrations, and this presents a reminder to the viewer that for a significant proportion of Indigenous and for some non-Indigenous Australians the bicentenary commemorated an invasion, not colonisation. This perspective is rejected by the US man but stimulates a more reflective response from the woman.

• The clip invites the Australian viewer to consider what represents Australia by observing the tourists’ attempts to understand and interpret their experiences. The tourists view television images of early colonisation and the First Fleet. Then, at breakfast the next day, aspects of contemporary Australia discussed by the visitors include men wearing shorts, Australia’s national colours, Indigenous Australians and 200 years of white settlement.

• The context for this film, Australia’s Bicentenary, helps explain the film’s preoccupations. Tom Zubrycki and Gel Scrine made their film of US and UK tourists on a ten-day tour of Australia, confronting Australian culture at a time when Australians were being encouraged to reflect on the achievements and meaning of 200 years of non-Indigenous history.

This clip starts approximately 6 minutes into the documentary.

A group of American tourists sit in their hotel room and watch a broadcast of the re-enactment of white settlement in Australia on television, giving their responses to what they are seeing. The atmosphere is jovial, with people talking over each other, making jokes and laughing.
Woman These are the Aborigines? Well, what are these?
Others The Aborigines.
Paul Crank They’re much like the American Indians.
Others murmur in agreement.
Paul A tough beginning, a very tough beginning. We almost didn’t make it.
Woman On this trip?
Paul No, no. When I say we, the American colonists almost didn’t make it.
Woman Yeah, they almost starved to death.
Paul And Australia almost didn’t make it, very close to… And I suppose that’s what makes Australia Australia today. It’s a very tough… We picture them as very independent, very, very independent people, much like the Americans.

Day 2 (Australia Day)
The group of tourists gathers downstairs for breakfast.
Paul I’ve never had nuts for breakfast in the morning but I’m going to try it this morning. Why not?
Woman 1 Every morning it’s like coming down to a party when you come down and have all this nice fresh fruit.
Arnie Hello there!
Paul Good morning, Arnie. How are you this morning?
Arnie Wide awake.
Paul You finally got to wear your shorts, I see.
Arnie Yes, I do think they’re rather smart.
Woman 2 Oh, yes, I have to take a picture of…
Woman 1 I just found out that Australia’s colours are yellow and green.
The woman points to her clothing.
Woman 1 I’ve done my best here – here’s yellow, pretend this is green.
Woman 2 Pretender.
Woman 1 Yeah, I really wish I had some patriotic garb to put on so…
Woman 2 But the flag is blue, isn’t it? I bought a little one and it’s a dark blue like this. I brought a small one at the…
Woman 1 OK. Are they having any special … like, an Aboriginal section of the festivities?
Filmmaker Oh, yeah, you should see it today. Their motto today is ‘Mourn, don’t celebrate.’
Paul Oh! I think they’re making a mistake. I think they’re making a mistake that they’re going to be a long time recuperating from ‘cause it’s a known fact the white man’s here, he’s here to stay.
Woman 1 There may be Aborigines who say, ‘This should be our celebration. You know, we were here. This should be our country’s however-many-hundred-year birthday. Here. you people came in and you made the rules and reduced us to second citizenship’ and so – you know, we hope they’re going to enjoy it – I don’t know, I’ve not spoken with any.
Paul They were here, what, 40,000 years prior to, prior to the white man arriving, and the country was not as great as it is today. There’s no doubt about it that the 200 years have made a difference.

On the street a group of drunk young Australians, tinnies in hand, sing 'Botany Bay’.