The Australian working class in popular culture

Abstract

How can class be discussed in a society that claims to be egalitarian and classless? Australians like to imagine that there is no hierarchy and that all Australians have the same opportunities. A general dislike of snobbery is taken to mean that everyone is treated equally. But this is not the case, and Australia does indeed have a class system and a large working class. But working-class people are not often represented in the Australian media or culture products. This chapter focuses on some forms of Australian popular culture and considers where and how working-class life is represented. I consider whether these representations provide a nuanced picture of working-class experience or whether Australian popular culture reinforces class stereotypes, or renders the working-class invisible. This analysis is undertaken using a working-class studies approach that puts working-class people at the centre of the study.