Australia's culture is primarily a Western culture, originally derived from Great Britain, but also influenced by the unique geography of Australia and the cultural contribution of Aboriginal people, Torres Strait Islanders, and other Australian peoples. New Zealand is the national culture most closely related to Australia. New Zealanders have special rights of entry and there have been large population flows in both directions. Australians and New Zealanders compete vigorously in areas such as sports, but cooperate closely in international relations.
There is significant variation in ideas about good parenting, reflecting the diverse cultural values and traditions of parents' ethnicity. Since its days as a British colony, Australia has developed a complex national culture with immigrants from many parts of the world, as well as an indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Aboriginal cultures encompass the principles of traditional kinship in which large networks of relatives form the important communities of daily life. This reflects a cultural aversion to complaining, worrying too much, reflecting on mistakes and thinking about the past.
Since the 1960s, homes have been more diverse in terms of style and size, but the conventional single-story detached house is still the predominant one. Many of the statistics on Australian public attitudes come from the Cultural Competence Program. Approximately 10 percent of large companies provide some form of support or funding to artistic or cultural events. Australia is a highly multicultural society with a strong mix of indigenous groups, individuals with European historical roots and a diverse mix of immigrant populations.
Since the colonization of Australia, mass immigration has dramatically changed the social demography of the population and established a dominant cultural current in Western Europe. Most states have holidays to commemorate the founding of the first local colony, and there are annual art festivals that attract local, national, and international artists, as well as multicultural festivals. Increasingly, bicultural identity is seen as an asset to be treasured and proud of in Australian society. Criminal law is administered primarily through Commonwealth police forces, states and territories, the National Crime Authority, and state and territorial corrective or criminal services.
While many of those controls were lifted in the 1960s, effective rates of protection remained high. Many also maintain a range of institutions that deal with education, elder care, family services, immigration, health, youth, and the rehabilitation of inmates. Despite this adversity, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are still connected to their culture.
