Written by Zoe Davies

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship formulated the Australian Values Statement in 2007 outlining the core Australian value as:

“…respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, freedom of religion, commitment to the rule of law, Parliamentary democracy, equality of men and women and a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good” (Australian Values Statement, 2)

There was also a particular emphasis put on the equality of opportunity for individuals regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background. By examining the current population, it’s easy to see that Australia is an extremely multicultural country. In 2011, the Census revealed that over a quarter (26%) of Australia's population was born overseas and a further one fifth (20%) had at least one overseas-born parent. Throughout the 100 years since the first National Census in 1911, migrants have made up a large component of the Australian population.  This diversity can be seen in the variety of languages, religions, ancestries and birthplaces reported by Australians.

It becomes a pressing question then when we ask – is this reflected in Australian Reality Television? We argue that in some cases, most prevalent in lifestyle television diversity is shown. However, we do not accept that reality television goes so far as to invite other races to participate in Australian culture while also showing an interest in theirs.(Australian Values Statement, 2)

By simply including ethnic faces in the broad pool that reality television claims makes us ‘Australia’, are we complying with the value of respect and dignity we assign to our treatment of all Australians?

Schopflin (1997) suggests that myths and values held up by Reality Television create continuous narratives that become considered natural and accepted or alien and excluded within a culture which in turn leads the creation of a collective discourse. Australia’s ‘continuous narrative’ is made up on aspirational cultural tradition (egalitarianism) and values (mateship) for viewer identification. A common identifiable characteristic foregrounded by the Australian Values Statement is that Australians are ‘open and direct and they say what they mean’. They also typically ‘stand up for their mates, the disadvantaged and the underdog’. These are both qualities that lend themselves well to the production of digestible content as such as common ‘Australia specific’ traits and stock characters become characterisations of the values we associate with these representations.

Therefore, reality television plays an important role in fostering national culture and creating social identities. However, by sticking to traditional notions of ‘Australian-ism’ eliminates the scope for new narratives to emerge and will continue only to show diversity without explaining it.

Food has become a dominant part of Australian culture, which can be seen in the recent influx of cookery shows on free to air commercial television. Currently, the most popular Reality Television show is My Kitchen Rules (TV Tonight, 2013) that includes a cross section of Australian society and reinforces the myth that Australia is an inclusive country that gives everyone a go. However, we need to look deeper into the tensions that exist between the myth and how it is carried out on screen. Just because people of varying ethnicity and backgrounds are being shown on My Kitchen Rules does not substantiate the myth, nor does it automatically give weight to the notions of fairness, mateship and equality.

As Tania Lewis explains “the interesting thing about reality television is that it can peddle certain kinds of myths…and we’re also probably seeing more diversity in reality television than in drama or soaps. Lewis, Tania. (2013) How do certain Reality Television shows reflect popular myths in Australia. Interviewed by Zoe Annabel Davies and Katrina Varey [in person] RMIT University , 07/05/2013.

My Kitchen Rules knights humble home cooks appealing to it’ audience via a mode of commonality by depicting normal people engaged in a normal activity; cooking meals in a domestic style kitchen. However, this is only a small section of the appeal, as the narratives of each character are divided into soap opera like threads that create suspense and story. The focus on character increases the possibility for engagement beyond the action of the competition in order for audiences to relate more closely with the contestants and develop preferences for certain couples which is a direct reflection of the value that we, as Australians ‘stand up for our mates’ even if they are the ‘underdog’. The element of performance makes the myth seem real.

“The observational recording of events and characters even in situ or in constructed circumstances, and it’s subsequent representation into a hybrid format is essential to how this performance is achieved for television” (Andrejevic, 2004, 45-46)

True to form, the participants are ‘direct and say what they mean’, often attributing their directness as the quality of ‘being winner’. My Kitchen Rules aims to represent ‘normal’ pairings of individuals from across Australia. Stephano Guerra appeared on early episodes of My Kitchen Rules this season with his partner Lisa Gabel. Stephano is a recent arrival to Australia from his native home Italy and was presented as a stereotypical ‘playful Italian lover’ to a far more pensive, middle aged Australian Lisa. After proposing to Lisa during an early episode contestants Sophia and Ashlee made the comment that Gabel was a "cougar" and said it was a "mother and son" relationship My Kitchen Rules (2013).  Guerra fought back later confessing that "I have never experienced anything like that since I have been here in Australia. Australia gives me a beautiful experience with honest people, but I have never faced rude people like that before." He said they should learn some manners and to fight hard but fair. (Canberra Times, 2013)

This kind of common, over the table racism is not shown to be a problem in the moment it occurs. Stephano only reveals his upset in a private interview with the camera. This shows the kind of stigma attached to combating racism, and a pretension to shy away from conflict in a formal setting. Inevitably race based conflict implores viewers, who are emotionally invested in the characters they identify with, to take sides which does nothing to debunk racism or further the plight of multiculturalism.





Andrejevic, Mark (2004). Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 45-46. Print.



Canberra Times (2013) Ashlee and Sophia 'destroyed a beautiful moment', says Stefano about his TV proposal. [online] Available at: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/ashlee-and-sophia-destroyed-a-beautiful-moment-says-stefano-about-his-tv-proposal-20130228-2f7sl.html [Accessed: 17 May 2013].



My Kitchen Rules (2013) prod. Working Dog Productions, Network Seven. Sydney, NSW. 27 Feb 2013.



Tvtonight.com.au (2013) TV Tonight | Australia's leading TV blog. [online] Available at: http://www.tvtonight.com.au/ [Accessed: 17 May 2013].



Australian Values Statement – Provisional and Permanent. Living in Australia. Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship, n.d. Web. 17 May 2013. <http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/values/statement/long/>.