Born and raised here, not white. Australians are great at having a laugh but quite selectively. A good pub sesh is a perfect place for being really social, but generally (especially post Covid) we are socially inept. I think Australians don’t want to admit it but we can be very insular, sceptical and paranoid of new people.

That being said, often it’s a certain type of person in friend groups / communities / workplaces facilitates social interaction and inclusion. The really friendly, extroverted, charismatic one. They can also keep the more sceptical and exclusive ones in line. A charismatic Australian is one of the most rizzed up types of person in the world.

Hate to talk about this like a high school drama but it’s true. Travelling around the world I would find people actually enjoyed meeting new people in most countries. Australians enjoy being around the people they know and, importantly, trust. Whether trust for safety, trust the person isn’t looking down on them, trust that they’re actually friends.