Having a small domestic market means that Australian businesses increasingly recognise the need to look at international markets to ensure their own future prosperity as well as the future well-being of the country. Australia depends on a lot of trade with Asian countries such as Japan, India and China, and thus, there is a mutual understanding and respect for each country’s way of doing business.

Australian’s have a very open and ‘down-to-earth’ approach to doing business. This is not to say they are not shrewd business people, but it is a culture where everyone is generally considered equal on merit, rather than by judgement of cultural background or status.

• Australians tend to adopt a first name basis when dealing in business, as the use of titles is not necessarily an important part of Australian business culture. This is considered a sign of camaraderie or ‘mateship,’ but it may be wise to address them as “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, or “Miss.”, followed by their surname for initial introductions.
• Shaking hands is obligatory at the beginning and end of a meeting, when doing business with an Australian. This is suitable with both male and female colleagues.
• Once business negotiations are underway, issues will be discussed in an open and direct manner. Although dealings may be time-efficient and to the point, quite often the eventual decision-making process may be a slow one that should not be coerced into a rushed result.
• Be punctual at all times.
• Humour is always used when dealing with Australian business people. In fact it is expected in most situations as long as it is used in good taste.

Australian organisations tend to be fairly non-hierarchical in their structure. Little attention is paid to titles and rankings within organizations. Australians will employ an attitude of mutual respect for all people regardless of status and do not wish to disrespect international organisations that may deal with a different business structure.

Overall, it is important to be respectful, friendly and not to act too self-important when doing business in Australia. To brag about one’s achievements is considered to be rude and pompous. Most Australians have a very good reputation for international business due to the nature of its multi-cultural society where over 100 different types of languages from all around the world are spoken and a camaraderie and respect for all cultures is the norm.