<P> The phrase has influenced a similar phrase used in the Tok Pisin language in Papua New Guinea . No worries utilization migrated to New Zealand after origination in Australia . Its usage became more common in British English after increased usage in Australian soap operas that aired on television in the United Kingdom . Linguistics experts are uncertain how the phrase became utilized in American English; theories include use by Steve Irwin on the television program The Crocodile Hunter and usage by the United States media during the 2000 Sydney Olympics . It has also gained usage in Canadian English . </P> <P> "No worries" is an Australian English expression, meaning "do not worry about that", or "that's all right". It can also mean "sure thing" and "you're welcome". Other colloquial Australian terms which mean the same thing include "she'll be right". The expression has been compared to the American English equivalent "no problem". In their book Australian Language & Culture: No Worries!, authors Vanessa Battersby, Paul Smitz and Barry Blake note: "No worries is a popular Australian response akin to' no problems',' that's OK' or' sure thing' ." </P> <P> Early documentation dates the phrase back to 1966 . According to author of When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures, Richard D. Lewis, the phrase is a form of expression of the relaxed attitude in Australian culture . Anna Wierzbicka comments that the expression illustrates important parts of Australian culture, including: "amiability, friendliness, an expectation of shared attitudes (a proneness to easy' mateship'), jocular toughness, good humour, and, above all, casual optimism". She concludes that along with "good on you", the expressions reflect the "national character" and "prevailing ethos" of Australia . Though initially utilized in Australia, the phrase migrated to New Zealand as well . </P> <P> Wierzbicka writes in her book Cross-cultural Pragmatics that the expression "permeates Australian speech", "serves a wide range of illocutionary forces" and displays a "casual optimism". In her 1992 book Semantics, Culture, and Cognition, Wierzbicka classifies the phrase as "among the most characteristic Australian expressions", along with "good on you". </P>

Where does the phrase no worries come from