Today, Bernard Keane cites some Essential Research numbers on which party leader best encapsulates ‘Australian values’.

Essential asked:

The Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently said that hard work and education, regarding everyone as equal, showing respect and plain speaking are Australian values. Do you agree or disagree that this is a good definition of Australian values?

Almost 80% of voters agreed with this definition as a description of Australian values — the result was fairly uniform across demographics, but particularly found support among older voters.

Really? Plain speaking?

Asked whether the values described Gillard, Abbott or Bob Brown, voters were more inclined to favour Gillard — 65% of voters agreed the values described Gillard, and only 17% didn’t. Voters were evenly split on Abbott — 39% thought those values described him; the same number thought they didn’t. Brown fared better — 34% thought those values described him, 29% disagreed.

Part of the challenge for the media covering this pretty much policy-free (thus far) election is to drill into soundbites.

So here’s our question: what makes this particular set of attributions uniquely Australian? Can any specific set of ‘values’ seek to represent us as a nation? And if so, why does Gillard supposedly reflect them better than Abbott, or Brown? Or Steve Fielding for that matter?

We want to know what you think about that oft-bandied-about term ‘Australian values’? Is it bunkum or is there something to it?

Send your own personal set of Australian values to boss@crikey.com.au (put ‘Oz values’ in the subject line). And if you think the notion is poppycock, tell us why. Really, we’d like to know.