The theme music and credits of Neighbours disappear just before the major evening news bulletin on BBC One hits the air to tell that Diana does not think Charles is fit to be king.
The juxtaposition illustrates the images Britain and Australia have of each other _ Australia as an easy-going open land of sun and Britain as the nation of royalty, history, pomp and circumstance.
It is not the reality, of course, but the stereotypes do hinder business by raising false expectations. The Australian High Commissioner in London, Dr Neal Blewett, says, “”It is easier to operate diplomatically and in business terms if you have got realistic images of each other’s society.”
On the republic, he says many Britons he speaks to cannot understand why Australia has not done it ages ago and they say that if it is to happen it should be dragged on, because sometimes in the heat of the debate anti-British sentiment is sometimes expressed.
But Dr Blewett says the British-Australian relationship has never been in better shape, but “”there still remains in the population of both countries rather stereotypical pictures. These are partly the result, in Australia’s case, of our own success. We picture ourselves for tourist purposes as a laid back hedonistic people, perhaps not overly dedicated to hard work. That the picture conveyed by much of our tourist advertising.
“”Again the very success of Australian soaps give a rather unreal picture of Australian society here. Equally so, the British emphasis on their history and all of those old traditional things about Britain are part of their tourist attraction. It means that a lot of Australians have an old-fashioned view of British society. “”If you live here you know that’s a pretty unreal picture.”
To update that unreal picture a British Government initiative, supported by the Australian Government, will aim to update those stereotypes.
The program, called New Images, will bring about 150 cultural, arts, sporting and science and technology events mostly from Britain to Australia (but some the other way) in 1997, the 50th anniversary of the British Council in Australia. Dr Blewett says a wrong picture can result in wrong expectations which could be damaging.
“”The laid-back hedonistic picture supports a view which is pretty old-fashioned that Australia has an industrial relations record which is the worst in the western world. Now, in terms of days lost, it is as good if not better than the other OECD countries.”
People in Australia needed to be aware of Britain’s much closer connection to Europe, both physically with the Channel Tunnel and the redevelopment of the docklands in eastern London which provide a quicker link between British business in London and Europe.
Dr Blewett sees London as the best base for Australian businesses wanting to go into Europe. “The law and language are the same and therefore you can get all the help from British experience moving into Europe in the same language.”
The extent of the British-Australia links are not widely recognised. Australia is the third highest direct investor in Britain _ ahead of countries like Germany and Japan. Britain is the second highest investor in Australia. About 450,000 Australians go to Britain each year and 350,000 Britons come to Australia. A million Australians were born in Britain and another 1.5 million have a parent born in Britain.
In those practical terms, Dr Blewett says the relationship was never in better shape, but it is maturing. A sign of that was that “”in the 18 months I’ve been here we’ve had a dozen Ministers in the British Government going out to Australia.
Australian Ministers have always come to Britain. Now in some years more British Ministers go to Australia than the other way.” If anything the fall-out over the French nuclear tests “”is the exception that proves the rule”.
“”It’s the only international issue since I’ve been here that there has been a distinct difference of opinion between the two governments,” he said. “”It is something that is an irritant, but I don’t believe it will have a long-lasting effect. Once the tests are over that issue will be behind us, at least in regard to Britain. With France, it may take more time to rebuild because that relationship has undoubtedly been damaged.”
Australia was a good place for British companies seeking an entry into Asia-Pacific. Whereas Dr Blewett hopes the transition in 1997 in Hong Kong is a politically smooth one, companies faced with a choice between and Sydney and Hong Kong would choose Sydney on commercial grounds.
“”Hong Kong is an extremely expensive city,” he said. “”If in fact you don’t need to be immediately proximate to the Chinese market, then a country like Australia offers much cheaper communications than out of Hong Kong, it offers cheaper accommodation in the central business district and a lower level of executive salaries. The great advantages Australia has is in educational systems and the environment for professional executive people bringing up children.
“”In the past decade many companies have made their regional headquarters in Australia, we see that trend continuing.”
On the republic he said, “”If you talk to people in the business community or public service who know Australia there is a bit of a surprise that we have not done it ages ago.
“”I think there is a bit of a feeling that if we are going to do it then we better to it quickly not drag out the process. There is no doubt that sometimes in the debate over the republic statements are made which have an anti-British tinge which I think is unfortunate but you can understand that in the heat of the debate these things get said and I think they are utterly unnecessary, there is nothing in the debate about the republic that is anti-British as such.
“”One of the things that people have told me here they think that if Australia is going to make this change the quicker and cleaner it is done the better for the relationship.”
He accepted that some older people in Britain who had long-term sentimental links _ people in British Australian societies _ have concerns over the republic.
“”I get more questions about republic when I talk to those people than when I talk to business, politicians public servants,” he said. “”I think, again, it is a case of updating the images of Australia in Britain. It is partly a failure to recognise how much Australia has changed in the last generation. It is a very different sort of society.”