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The traditions associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers – the Anzacs – comprise an important element of the Australian narrative. Although Australian and New Zealand soldiers did not officially become ‘Anzacs’ until they joined forces on the Western Front, the Anzacs are associated with the trauma of the Gallipoli campaign. Anzacs ‘live on’ in contemporary Australian culture, celebrated as national heroes by artists, politicians and writers. The Anzacs’ place in Australian history is enshrined through annual Anzac Day commemorations that legitimize idealized, heroic aspects of Australian identity. Drawing upon national survey data we show that Anzacs still have a strong influence on how Australians see themselves. Attitudes toward Anzacs vary only marginally according to social and political background, although they are most salient for middle-aged, less educated, Australian-born citizens, who are proud of their defence forces and exhibit a close attachment to Australia as a nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspects of the national narrative of an advanced industrialised nation are examined in this research. Nationally representative survey data suggest the most important collective figures for Australian identity are the Anzacs, colonial free settlers and post-Second World War immigrants, while sporting heroes have a negligible influence upon what it means to be Australian. Although many Australians have ancestors who were transported, the convict ‘stain’ persists, while indigenous people are also under-represented in Australian identity myths. The most important individual Australians are not the heroes, saints or sages of an earlier ‘golden era’ nor contemporary sporting heroes, but political leaders, medical doctors and scientists who have (had) actual rather than mythical influence upon the everyday lives of Australians. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the 1988 Bicentennial and the 2001 centenary of federation celebrations colonial images have flourished in Australia, highlighting the roles of convicts and free settlers during early colonization. Old sites, such as Port Arthur have been re-invigorated, and in 2004 Tasmanians celebrated the bicentenary of ‘white’ settlement. However, social scientists have given little attention to the role of colonial and post-colonial figures and myths as aspects of Australian national identity. We seek to address this issue by examining how convicts, free settlers, bushrangers and ANZACs are associated with contemporary identity in Australia. 2 We examine evidence from the 2003 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes and find that historical figures such as the ANZACs and post-World War II immigrants comprise important aspects of national identity. A substantial majority of Australians judged ANZACs to be important, countering recent claims of the ‘demise of the digger’. Sporting heroes are also at the core of Australian identity. Colonial figures appear to be far less important, although views on national identity vary according to social location. In particular, left-wing, university educated, younger, postmaterialist Australians view convicts and bushrangers as relatively important, indicating the salience of the larrikin in Australian identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]