Today is Australia Day – the one day of the year when Australians all over the world celebrate what it is to be Australian. In 1935, after separate states celebrating the day under different names for decades (Foundation Day in Victoria, Anniversary Day in NSW) the 26^th of January was officially known as Australia Day. On this date the nation, first discovered by Captain James Cook on 22 August 1770 was just 165 years old.

The reason for Australia Day has changed over the years, originally it was a celebration of the British occupation but more recently it has become a celebration designed to unite an increasingly diverse population however, despite this gradual evolution of the day the Aboriginal population continue to feel excluded as they see the day as a yearly reminder of the British invasion of their ancestral home and their subsequent dispossession of it.

There is no bigger patriotic celebration than this; today over 16,000 people have become Australian citizens and will be starting new lives as Australians at the National Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremony in Canberra, there are concerts and parties, fireworks displays, plenty of surfing,  parades and the obligatory barbeque or two. It is a day when Australians can look at each other and see their countrymen as brothers and sisters in a country that is more united than perhaps any other on the planet.

To be part of this celebration next year, book your flight and make sure you are there. If you have been thinking of making the move down under there is no better way than this of making the beginning of your new life truly memorable. Check out our visas page to see if you are eligible for citizenship and get planning, the rest of your life is waiting!

Aussies are proud of their lingo

Australians have a well-deserved reputation for colourful speech, and the country boasts its own dictionaries, which will explain the meaning of terms such as ‘ocker’, ‘drongo’ and ‘woop woop’.

But do 21st century Aussies really go around saying ‘Crikey, me old Cobber, don’t come the raw prawn with me’?

Well, no. Definitely not.

In a recent social research poll, 7 out of 10 Aussies said they do use ‘g’day’, ‘mate’ and ‘arvo’ regularly in everyday speech, and were proud to do so. And of course the ubiquitous ‘no worries’ is going so strong that it’s being exported around the world.

Phrases such as ‘chuck us a coldie’ (pass me a beer), ‘she’ll be right’ (it’ll be OK) and ‘bloody oath’ (too right) are considered perfectly acceptable. But many of the old slang often associated with Australia (ie strewth, crikey, cobber, Sheila) are in fact no longer used by most Aussies.

Such expressions are considered common, crass and outdated, perpetuated only by foreigners trying to do take the mick out of the Aussie stereotype.

The Aussie-isms that are surviving are those that tend to encapsulate Australia’s core values of cameraderie, equality and fun, while the more negative or crude terms are falling by the wayside, ‘dunny’ among them.

The survey of 100 Australians was run by McCrindle Research. Spokesman Mark McCrindle said that the most popular Aussie words encapsulate the nation’s famously warm and down-to-earth attitude.

“There is a self-consciousness and even a cringe factor which sets in. We have affection for our quirky language but this is balanced with a 21st century sophistication,” Mr McCrindle said. Seven out of 10 use ‘arvo’ and ‘g’day’ as a matter of course, while 40 per cent thought that yelling ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi’ at sporting events was absolutely ghastly.

The movers and shakers of language evolution are its youth; teenagers possess a keen sense of what’s cool to say and what isn’t, and what they don’t like doesn’t tend to survive. Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper interviewed 15-year-old Ned Zaina on the subject. His vocab was rich in ‘she’ll be right’ and ‘bloody oath’, but he would never, ever ‘stone the crows’. “I use what sounds friendly,” Ned said. “Other countries stereotype us because they think we say things that we don’t.”

this may soon be a thing of the past

Australian shopping centre Westfields has launched the nation’s first online mall, signalling that the retail centre is accepting the changing trends of buyers. By grouping the same shops present in its “bricks and mortar” shopping centre into one website, Westfields is able tap into the new evolving market place.

To allow the present and potential consumers to feel comfortable with a new medium the shopping centre has recruited Alyce Cowell, a 23 year old fashion journalist who won a contest for the $100,000 job to promote the new online shopping destination through blogging, tweeting and the ultimate networking tool; Facebook.  

“Shoppers trust the advice from other shoppers,” she said, “The benefit of researching online before heading out to the shops is that customers can be much more savvy.”

The Australian Centre for Retail Studies has recognised the rush from Australian retailers to compete in the digital forum with international e-commerce brands who have left some retailers far behind.

“Online channels will come along in leaps and bounds, because consumers like the instant gratification of buying online.” Sean Sands, a research fellow said.

“Young people do like the new and emerging technologies, but there’s a larger baby boom generation that likes to shop online for convenience,” Dr Sands said.

It is important for retailers to get online as the new generation of consumer demands cheaper goods and the only way to achieve this is to remove the overheads that come with large numbers of premises.

The psychology of shopping shows that consumers who seek value for money through multi-channel shopping actually spend up to four times more than any other type.

“We see it as a logical and long-term . . . piece of the business,” Westfields director of business development, Michelle Vanzella said. “The online market in Australia has lagged the US and UK markets, but we have seen the shopper demand building.

“We have had to wait until now for the individual retailers to be in a position to be part of an online activity.”

The Australian music festival season is up and running with dozens of festivals all around the country over the next few months, that boast the best dance, rock and Indie on offer.

If you like to dance the night away to thudding bass and techno beats head on over to Good Vibrations which will be held in Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Perth in the first half of next month and will be featuring the talent of the global dance powerhouse that is Faithless and Yolanda be Cool.

Another big festival for dance lovers is Big Day Out which will be featuring LCD Soundsystem, Rammstein and M.I.A and will be held all over the country throughout this month and creeping into the next.

Now for those of you who like your music with a melancholic edge to it there is Blues Fest in Byron Bay, this festival takes place in April but is worth the wait as headlining a strong line up is Bob Dylan, also playing will be Elvis Costello & the Imposters.

While you wait you can pop over to Laneway Festival for some alternative and Indie music that will blow your socks off. There are festivals in all major cities throughout February featuring artists such as Cloud Cover, Beach House and Cut Copy.

For anyone in the mood for some electro take a look at Future Music Festival which takes place in all major cities during March and features the likes of the Chemical Brothers, Ke$ha and Dizzee Rascal.     

So if you’re tired of standing in the rain listening to some factory cloned pop group or fringe growing emo group while trying not to be pushed up against that man with the hairy back then take a trip down under for the summer of a lifetime and enjoy music as it should be.

Sunlight being harnessed

Following the UN climate agreement in Cancun it is important for Australia to step up and be counted among those who are prepared to take action against climate change.

More than 190 countries agreed on establishing a carbon price and making real quantifiable efforts to cut carbon emissions. While the agreement is not legally binding it will have a hugely positive effect.

Major polluters such as the US and China are for the first time prepared to take Climate change seriously and this step up of intentions will hopefully kick start a global culture of competitive carbon cuts.  

“Just before dawn overnight in Mexico the UN got its mojo back in terms of taking action on pollution and climate change,” John Connor of The Climate Institute said.

“Australia is coming into 2011, the year the prime minister said would be the year of action on pollution and climate change.”

“We need now to not only meet international commitments, but to remain competitive, to put a price on pollution and to have a flexible mechanism to increase that ambition as years come.”

Australia’s target has always been to cut five percent of 2000 emissions levels by 2020 but in the face a new enthusiasm for tackling climate change Australia must up its game.  

“What’s important for us is that we get action that enables us to do the full range of our commitments to at least 25 per cent reductions on 2000 levels by 2020 and that investors in the market can see that’s potentially going to happen,” Connor said.

As well as committing to reducing emissions in their own economies, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change established a fund of billions that will help developing countries to tackle climate change as their economies grow.

“This is important because it provides an agreed pathway to achieve major emissions cuts,” Combet said.

Today Oprah Climbed the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge with her best friend Gayle King and a group of her audience members after it was lit up last night with a giant “O” to mark her arrival. Fans gathered underneath to watch the climb and waited to catch a glimpse of the chat show queen.

Last night Oprah enjoyed her first night in Sydney in style with a cocktail party on the harbour side that featured live music and a fireworks display over the water.

Image courtesy of Harpo Productions Inc.

Oprah with PM Julia Gillard

Oprah mania continued in Australia yesterday when Oprah arrived in Melbourne to meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard. They were filmed by Oprah’s film crew as they discussed their careers and the choices they have made while they walked along the banks of the Yarra River.

Next Oprah made her only official public appearance while in Australia. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” hosted a two hour public event in Federation Square where Oprah, Gillard and Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu appeared on stage in front of an estimated 10,000 strong crowd.

“Hello Melbourne! I’ve never had a welcome like this in my life,” Oprah said. She said that she had always wanted to visit Australia and that when choosing the location for the filming of her last series she decided to go to the country which, besides the US had supported her the most.  

The event saw performances by Jessica Mauboy and Human Nature and had a real celebratory feeling with some of Oprah’s Ultimate Viewers dancing on stage with Human Nature.

Oprah on stage at Federation Square

Oprah then made two surprise visits, the first of which was Catherine Schrank who had been hoping to travel to Sydney for taping of the Oprah show but could not because she is due to give birth in the next few days. Oprah surprised her with a baby shower, saying “You couldn’t travel to us, so I’m coming to you for your own baby shower.”

For her second visit Oprah went to the home of Megan Castran and family to surprise her during the family’s weekly taco night. Mrs Castran visited Chicago in 2008 for a taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and had invited Oprah to visit Australia. Oprah further surprised the family and their guests by inviting them to attend the shows being filmed at the Sydney Opera House.   

It has been evident so far that Oprah is intent upon spreading goodwill throughout her Australian visit.

Images courtesy of Harpo Productions Inc.

The location for Oprah's Australian chat shows

Oprah Winfrey kicked off her much anticipated Australian tour by landing at Cairns airport in Queensland and boarding a helicopter for an aerial tour of Uluru. The talk show host is expected to have a nonstop schedule during her visit.

She has already visited the Great Barrier Reef and Byron Bay, one of the world’s most beautiful beach locations. Winfrey’s 300 loyal fans have been experiencing the best Australia has to offer, courtesy of the great lady herself.  

So far they have been taking a balloon ride over the Hunter Valley wine region, taking surfing lessons in Byron Bay, visiting Kakadu National Park and many other cultural attractions.

While visiting a wildlife sanctuary Winfrey had her photo taken with a Koala and said “It’s spectacular, it is … God, I need to move here,”

In her first public appearance Winfrey is due to meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard tomorrow in front of an estimated 80,000 people in Melbourne. During her trip the chat show queen is also expected to meet some of the country’s indigenous people.   

Oprah Winfrey is famous not just for her chat show but for using it as a platform to achieve mega stardom. She is on the Forbes rich list with an estimated wealth of US$2.5 billion and her career has been marked out from her chat show competitors by the amount she gives away.

On Tuesday Oprah will be filming two shows at the Sydney Opera House, no doubt causing paparazzi and fans alike to descend on the city.

The official base rate puts mortgage payers out of pocket

The Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to keep the base rate at 4.75 for at least the next two months. The RBA announced an increase of 25 basis points last month which prompted outrage from the general public as the four big banks followed the rate rise by increasing their mortgage rates by an average of 40 basis points.

HSBC economist Paul Bloxham commented on the rate rise, saying that it ‘is plenty of tightening for now”.

RBA governor Glenn Stevens said that “Following the board’s decision last month to lift the cash rate, and the subsequent increases by financial institutions, lending rates in the economy are now a little above average.”

Mr Stevens also said that “The board views this setting of monetary policy as appropriate for the economic outlook.”

The decision to leave the official rate at 4.75 percent follows the announcement of economic growth for the September quarter of this year coming in at 0.2 percent.

This has not been helped by a combination of flood and drought which is having a negative effect on Australia’s agriculture industry and has already lost the industry hundreds of millions. There has also been a fall in retail trade and exports.

There has been pressure from consumers and smaller banks to encourage competition and choice. Treasurer Wayne Swan is expected to announce reforms to that effect this week.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is one of the most anticipated and talked about sporting events of the year. It has grown over the last 65 years to become one of the most iconic Australian events, it rivals the tennis and the cricket for coverage and this year is no exception with coverage being broadcast to over 45 countries.

The race will begin at 1pm on Boxing Day when entrants must travel 628 nautical miles south from the iconic Sydney Harbour to Hobart in order to claim the prize of the coveted Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece and the silver Illingworth Trophy.

The race attracts skippers from all across the world, this year there is representation from the UK, USA, France and Italy however the 90 yacht fleet is predominantly Australian. The yachts which range from 50 feet up to 100 will have to battle the elements and each other to claim a place on the winner’s podium. Last year 100 yachts took part and 95 made it to the finish line.

Commodore Garry Linacre from the host club, the Cruising Yacht said “A significant feature this year fleet is that 30% will be first time starters in the great race,” the race is open to anyone with a yacht of suitable size that meets competitor safety specifications so if you’re interested in yachting take a trip down under this Christmas and maybe next year you could be taking part.