A publication with a name like Crikey was always going to informed by the qualities that make us “Australian”. In mainstream press, this “Australian” identity is rarely described; in fact, it often appears only as a negation: we define the national character by saying “un-Australian”; by saying, PHON-style what it is not.

We remain convinced -- or, at least, hopeful -- here at Crikey that “Australian” can be clarified to the point of usefulness; that it can be spoken about in a way that is not limited to old mates at the RSL or faux-larrikins dropping their pants in Malaysia. “Australian” often happens to a person within months of their migration. A suspicion of bosses, a discomfort with orthodoxies, an itch to show the middle finger while laughing.

When associate editor Bhakthi Puvanenthiran and correspondent Helen Razer learned that they had both briefly considered swearing tattooed allegiance to the Eureka Flag, Crikey decided that the time for exploration of “Australian” was now. We decided to do it by unleashing Razer on other insugrents -- whatever their political hue.