Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi

Hey Guys,

Welcome to Mostly Unlearning, a newsletter that amplifies accessibility and disability voices towards more impactful commercial and human outcomes.

This edition comes at the end of a very eventful week. We returned from a four-week holiday; both started new jobs, plus our daughter started at a new Kinder, all while jet-lagged. Additionally, my daughter and I became Australian citizens 17 years after I first arrived.

Today's edition is about inclusive language and why referring to customers as Australian or Aussie might not be as inclusive as it is commonplace.?

This is similar to the evolving preference to avoid using 'Hey guys' in professional settings.

How did it feel to read this intro?

My Background

For 14 years, I’ve lived here on a Special Category Visa as a New Zealand Citizen, along with over 650,000 other Kiwi's, representing approximately 3% of the population. It wasn’t until July 2023 that we could apply to become citizens, and my family had a path to a secure future.

Over the 17 years since I moved here, I acquired a disability, lived in London, moved back with my British partner, had a baby, bought our first house, and built a career, all while navigating the challenges of a global pandemic in one of the most locked-down cities in the world.

It’s important to note that I have lived in Australia from a position of relative privilege. I am white, university-educated, initially non-disabled, and arrived already employed. Examples from my life are minor compared to many. By sharing examples from my life, we can also gain perspective for those who might be less privileged, non-white, less educated, disabled, underemployed, or unemployed.

In my journey, it has been surprising to see the ways and moments in which we’ve been excluded from financial support, products, services, and opportunities, where slogans like ‘here for Aussies’ may mean people in Australia or Australian citizens only.

Ways it excludes

Not being an Australian citizen excludes you from several rights and benefits, such as voting, working for the Australian Public Service (APS), and receiving numerous government benefits. These include the NDIS, unemployment benefits, and pensions such as the Disability Support Pension or Carers Pension.

Here’s where it can get tricky

• Sometimes, it excludes you from Medicare, but not always.?
• Sometimes, it excludes you from government benefits, but not always.?
• Sometimes, it excludes your domestic study choices, but not always.
• Sometimes, it excludes you from some home loan products, reduces lending choices and forces you towards less favourable loan terms.?

My partner is excluded from Medicare because he is British and was a NZ tax resident before we moved here, despite both countries having reciprocal healthcare. It costs us thousands in additional insurance.

During COVID, Job Keeper was extended to include New Zealanders in Australia—just not Partners of New Zealanders visa holders, like my partner.

We’ve had to use a mortgage broker to help find lending options. When refinancing, the term ‘temporary’ in our visa type became an issue. Frustratingly, it was inconsistent between and even within lenders.?

Allianz provided me with insurance before I became an Australian citizen. "Insuring Australians for over 100 years" might be better said as "Insuring people in Australia for over 100 years."

As a non-resident, as someone who is not Australian, you learn to check the fine print. A promotional statement such as “here for all Australians” translates to “here for Australian Citizens, may you too, but maybe not. Here, use your precious time to read a bunch of fine print to figure it out. And then, still, maybe not. Let’s see how we feel at the time.”

Having experienced unexpected exclusion due to not being a citizen or having a specific type of visa, I am wary—as are many others. It’s not about not using terms like Aussie or Australia; it's about understanding if / when / how this might not attract your customers. Use these terms, and use them deliberately.?

How many people might be excluded?

I’m just one person; my family is only 3 of Australia's ~26 million population.

Here are some Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) numbers for you:

Of people in Australia, ~30% were born elsewhere (and may have experienced exclusion on their path to citizenship)

• At 30 June 2023, Australia’s population included 8.2 million people who were born overseas (1)?
• The proportion of Australia's population born outside Australia was 30.7% (1)
• Nearly double the UK (14%) and America (15%) (1)?

Reference (1) ABS

Of people in Australia, ~6% are currently temporary visa holders (and may currently be experiencing exclusion)

• In August 2021, there were 1,614,000 temporary residents in Australia (2)
• The proportion of Australia’s population on temporary resident visas was 6.3%. (2)
• Nearly 40% are New Zealanders in Australia (2)

Reference (2) ABS

Who doesn't want to grow their communication reach, market size, or sales by 6% or 30%? What if the choice of language has excluded these groups from considering, connecting with, or purchasing your products and services?

Addressing objections

I have raised this point multiple times in various forums, and not everyone is receptive to the idea that 'Australian' is not inclusive.

This mirrors the resistance observed when discussing the use of 'Hey guys' in professional settings.

Here are three common ones

1. It doesn't bother me? / I wasn’t offended when I was overseas

That’s nice. Privilege shields understanding. Similar enough characteristics can also shield you. You may not realise the experiences of being outside the group when you're inside the group. When you are Australian, you may not realise how it feels not to be Australian.

Acquiring a disability has helped me to be more aware of my privilege and others' experiences.

2. Everyone knows what you mean.

True. People likely know what you mean and feel excluded. Both things can be true, even if subtly or subconsciously. Purchase decisions are not rational; they are emotional and unexplainable.?

3. The government uses it

Yes. Citizens vote for politicians, so they appropriately use the term Aussies or Australians. The NDIS is only for Australians, so it makes sense to pitch it that way. However, many retailers' customers include everyone living, working, and visiting Australia, so marketing to “Australians” can exclude them.

The risk of referring to all customers or potential customers as Australians may reduce their consideration of a product or service. For a consumer group with lived experience of sometimes not being considered, terms like Aussies or Australians can signal exclusion.

My point is not to stop using terms like Aussie or Australia; my point is to use them deliberately. Taking a moment to understanding if / when / how this might not bring consumers towards your brand, business or offering.?

Use these terms, and use them deliberately.?

Okay, so what’s the alternative

If your message is for people living in Australia, say that.

Try replacing Australians with “people in Australia” or invoke a sense of the land mass that is Australia and everyone who might be here today.

If your message is for people who are citizens, continue to use terms like Australian. Politicians, Government Departments, NDIS - using Australian makes the intended audience clear.

Every Australian Counts is a campaign to defend the NDIS, something only Australian Citizens are eligible for.

Whether you agree or disagree with me, I've given you something to think about.

Inclusive language is about being deliberate with our words. Sometimes, it requires stepping out of your experience and into someone else's.

Unlearning prompts

• Is this a product where we would exclude or treat someone differently based on citizenship?
• Are we a brand that wants to avoid the business of migrants or non-citizens?
• When might you be using the term Australia for customer groups that include non-citizens?
• When might referring to customers as Australian help get the message across?
• Where else might we be assuming the impact of language?

Join the unlearning.

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