Well the way it affects us here in Australia is that these days if you DON'T have a convict on the family tree you are to be pitied. Thumbing your nose at authority has always been a popular idea here. Sadly it isn't true that most or even the majority of Australians have convict roots, because during the goldrushes of the mid 19th Century the place was flooded with immigrants from the British Isles and from America and parts of Europe.
Having said that I'm proud to note that "Moondyne Joe" Western Australia's only convict-bushranger was a distant cousin of mine. I only wish he was a bit closer. Joy