Has anyone mentioned John Williamson with "True Blue" or Peter Allen with "I Still Call Australia Home". These are songs which the general public identify with. There are whole lists of songs in the Australian "pop" and "country music" arenas which would "influence" more people than the very small percentage of people who listen to local folk music. Not knocking our local folkies but very few people know them, as Hrothgar says above. I have tried on numerous occasions over the years to get family, friends and workmates to listen to local folk music through my Cds etc but they just don't like it one little bit when I play them. So,if you are looking for "truly influential songs" (whatever that really means) I believe you are not going to find them in the folk music arena.