Author: Kerry Mullan
The French Australian Review No 72 (Australian Winter 2022): 115-141.
https://doi.org/10.62586/NZWM6351
In light of last year’s deterioration in French-Australian relations, this article will examine the AUKUS exchanges between former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Emmanuel Macron, with a particular focus on the underlying French and Australian English cultural values and assumptions which influenced their communications. It will be argued that these different ways of seeing the world were largely responsible for the decline in relations between the two leaders. The author comments that some benefits of multilingualism, such as better understanding of other worldviews (and one’s own), intercultural communication skills, connection with others, and access to more knowledge, are often considered secondary—and yet, they are indispensable.
Keywords: French-Australian relations, cultural values, interactional style, AUKUS, multilingualism.