<P> Australian stories and legends have a cultural significance independent of their empirical truth or falsehood . This can be seen in the portrayal of bushranger Ned Kelly as a mixture of the underdog and Robin Hood . </P> <P> Militarily, Australians have served in numerous overseas wars, ranging from World War I through to recent regional security missions, such as East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan . Australian war culture generally consists of sombre reflection and commemoration, focussing on noble sacrifice rather than glory . An annual national holiday, Anzac Day, exists for this purpose . The Australian experience of defeat in the Gallipoli Campaign, the first iconic moment in modern Australia's involvement in war, is viewed by Australians with both pride for the fighting of the soldiers, and bitterness for the perceived negligence on the part of British commanders . The incidences of bravery and determination displayed during the campaign for Gallipoli, as well as the mutual respect for their Turkish adversaries led by Kemal Atatürk, are seen as part of the ANZAC spirit . During the First World War, Australian soldiers were considered to be remarkably determined, united and hard - working . Many Australians knew how to ride and shoot prior to enlistment, making them talented recruits, but they were also infamous for their lax attitude towards formal parade ground discipline, a notoriety that the Australian soldiers revelled in . From this the notion of the larrikin Digger emerged, an important part of contemporary Australian identity . </P> <P> Critics and scholars have sometimes scrutinised Australian culture, with aspects of it loosely criticised for being kitsch, low - brow or rooted in poor taste . The term "cultural cringe" was coined to describe this entrenched national inferiority complex which assumes ideas and cultures of other places are automatically superior . Some links have been made between the cultural cringe and a perceived anti-intellectualism that has underpinned public life in Australia . Some commentators have noted a decline in the cultural cringe in the 21st century, with a "social change" and wider reverence for Australian culture . </P> <P> The phrase "the lucky country", coined by Donald Horne, is a reference to Australia's weather, lifestyle, and history . Ironically, Horne was using the term to criticise the complacency of Australian society in the early 1960s . </P>

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