The term "ocker" is used both as a noun

Noun

In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...

 and adjective

Adjective

In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....

 for an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n who speaks and acts in an uncultured manner, using a broad Australian accent (or Strine

Strine

Strine is a term coined in 1964 and subsequently used to describe a broad accent of Australian English. The term is a syncope, derived from a shortened phonetic rendition of the pronunciation of the word "Australian" in an exaggerated Broad Australian accent, drawing upon the tendency of this...

). The typical ocker is "usually found in a blue singlet and rubber thongs (foot wear) with a tinnie

Tinnie

The slang or colloquial term tinnie or tinny has a variety of meanings, generally derived from some association with the metal tin, or aluminium foil which has a loose allusion to tin....

 in his hand propping up a bar".

Definition

Richard Neville

Richard Neville (writer)

Richard Neville is an Australian author and self-described "futurist", who came to fame as a co-editor of the counterculture magazine Oz in Australia and the United Kingdom in the 1960s and early 1970s...

 defined ockerism as being "about conviviality: comradeship with a touch of good-hearted sexism

Sexism

Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...

". It is mostly fairly neutral, even affectionate - although it can be used in a pejorative sense, especially by Australians who consider themselves cultured or enlightened.

History

Ocker was recorded from 1916 as a nickname for anyone called Oscar. The 1920s Australian comic strip Ginger Meggs

Ginger Meggs

Ginger Meggs, a popular long-run Australian comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class household....

contained a character called Oscar ('Ocker') Stevens. The term "ocker" for a stereotypically uncouth Australian came into use when a character of that name, played by Ron Frazer, appeared in the satirical television comedy series, The Mavis Bramston Show

The Mavis Bramston Show

The Mavis Bramston Show was a popular and award-winning Australian TV satirical sketch comedy series of the mid-1960s.-Introduction:The tremendous impact that The Mavis Bramston Show had in Australia in the mid-1960s was heightened because of its unique place in the history of the Australian TV...

.

Uses

Politicians, including former Prime Minister of Australia

Prime Minister of Australia

The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...

 Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd

Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...

, will often take on "ocker" cultural elements such as slang to appeal to various audiences.