Thank you, Donald Trump.

Australians are much better at defining who they are by identifying what they are not, rather than by making lofty statements. And they have now said unequivocally that they are not angry little Americans, cultural warriors or self-interested libertarians.

We always knew that there was a decency at the heart of this nation, but it took the bullying, showbiz bravado of the US president to crystallise it. First as thousands of people cancelled trips to America and then, decidedly, in the privacy of millions of cardboard voting booths.

Even the prime minister, who in his first victory speech in 2022 struggled to get beyond the “greatest country” cliche when talking about Australia, found the words on election night to begin to capture what makes this country unique and full of possibility. With practice and confidence he will get better. It might even translate into transformative action and not be left to die in the graveyard of empty words.

Culture is almost always ahead of politics, so the........

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