Waltzing Matilda - our unofficial anthem

The famous song by Banjo Patterson is often regarded as the “unofficial anthem” of our nation. This notion is likely  due to the fact that it is positively loaded with Australian imagery (“billabong” “billie” “coolahbah”), and lexus (“jumbuck”, “tucker-bag” and “swaggie”). Whilst it would be a rarity to come across an individual today who employs lexus such as “jumbuck”, “tucker-bag” and “swaggie” in their vernacular, such vocabulary is part of an archaic hyper-Australian idiolect which is associated with a poignant sense of patriotism. A contemporary example is the ubiquitous usage of “g-day” and “mate” as indicators of Australianness.

Most notably, Waltzing Matilda is widely thought to encapsulate concepts that many regard as inherent to an Australian identity such as irreverence, a laid back attitude, a disregard for establishment and the rigid norms of propriety and a mockery and lack of respect for authority. Its lack of popularity in the Australian National Anthem Quest of 1973 could easily be attributed to such themes which evidently many perceive to be defamatory to Australians in the eyes of other nations.