Being Australian is to be an Australian: survey

A national survey released on Wednesday has found the vast majority of Australians believe the country they call home is more important than the one they were born in.

As long as people strive to speak English and respect the laws of the land, then they are Aussies, a "national identity" poll has found.

While modern Australia is a 227-year-old culture, aboriginal people have been there for more than 40,000 years.

But today it is a land mainly populated by migrants from all over the world or their descendants.

In the new study, nine out of 10 people surveyed by the Australian National University valued language abilities to being truly Australian, as opposed to fewer than half who thought being born in the country was important.

The poll was carried out to help shape public policy as the country further develops. Endi