Australia isn't perfect, is it?

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fruitsalad

No of course it's not perfect. I am ashamed of the health, social and employment problems many of our indigenous population face, no-one seems to know quite what to do to improve the situation. And I think our labour laws are too harsh on employers.

Dress-code: some places are very relaxed, others are more formal. Everyone calls their boss by their first name only. Even the Prime Minister is usually called by their first name.

Yes you do need licenses for things that may harm the public if done incorrectly or by unqualified people but I think that is reasonable. The government is generally actually pretty good to deal with in most situations, you can usually apply online etc. Unless you claim social security, and then you have to wait on hold and fill in endless forms. It really isn't very bureaucratic in most cases.

Immigrants, some mix and some don't, either way that's fine. There's generally a pretty positive feel about multiculturalism. See the song 'Aussie Aussie Aussie' by Manjit Boparai to get an example. There are some pockets in the lower socio-economic areas of Sydney and Melbourne where there are ethnic tensions.

Very safe, can walk anywhere anytime, although it's always best to stay clear of people who are drunk. No, not a lawsuit culture. Spirituality, probably not much.

missaussie

Well no...Australia has it's issues like all countries, but on a whole, it is a great place to live....As for all the poisionous snakes, spiders etc, well you will see them if you go looking for them...To be honest with you, I was born and bred in Australia and only ever saw a couple of snakes, to which were in the rainforest, their habitiat.
The sun and surf is wonderful, and no, I have never been attacked by a shark!!!!
The saftey factor in Australia is far better off than the USA. I have been in the USA now for over 6 years, and have never seen so much violence and bad attitudes in my whole bloody life.
Australia is a melting pot of all different nationalities, and we welcome everybody.....Aussies are fairly laid back people, but if you do the wrong thing by one of us, we usually only have 2 words to say "Piss Off". We are not a society to blame everyone else, and laws suits are not like here in the USA.
Most Aussies are very generous, and friendly. Of course there are places like anywhere, that you don't walk alone...common sense!
The pay rate is far better, most people only have to have one job, not 2 or 3 to try to live and even then it's hard, hence as to why I'm still in the USA, can't bloody afford to get home...lol
Anyway, I love Australia, and don't get me wrong, the USA is a beautiful country, it's just that living here is terribly hard for most.
Oh, just one final thing, we don't ram religion down peoples throats.
Yes I do believe in God!..Hope this has helped answer your question.

Have a great day!!!!

bluebell

I have been to Australia many times, and I think it has everything - climate, scenery, distinctive wildlife, amazing things to see and do, a warm welcome everywhere and a sense of pride in themselves that we could all learn from. Any multiculturals I met seemed to get on well with their neighbours, and I saw no tension in that area.

The downside for me is the intense heat in their summer, and the reception by the authorities at the airport. The brusque way you are herded into single file for the sniffer dogs to come around, and all the probing questions you get asked at customs, make you feel just a tad unwelcome. However, I know they are only doing their job, keeping everyone safe. I'm also not overly enthusiastic about being sprayed with disinfectant on the plane before landing. They are also very strict about bringing fruit etc. across state boundaries. I would have thought that the fruit flies would be well able to fly from one side of the barrier to the other, but that is just their system.

I don't normally go out after dark, and I didn't hear any scare stories about streets being unsafe. Because I found people to be extremely helpful everywhere I went, I'd imagine they err on the side of generosity. I didn't experience much spirituality as opposed to religion, but I did visit various churches different from my own, and got the same welcome and sense of pride there as I found everywhere else. I also didn't see much evidence of the 'compensation culture' we have here. And yes, I did see shorts in the office environment, but it many not be the same in all offices.

ll_jenny_ll here

~What about the multicultural? Do the Greeks and Turks and Indonesians get along well and argue about Brett Lee in 'Strine' English? Or do they live only among themselves and play handball/badminton~~

will come back in a little while to answer past this bit ....
It's funny because I went to school with a Greek guy, in a small country town... he argues re cricket and aussie rules very well....
You will always ALWAYS get people who won't mix... but ,, take the time to travel on public transport during hometime for the school kids .. and you WILL see the kids mixing .. and eventually they will all be arguing about Brett Lee......
30 years ago .. ( even less ) it was the Asians people were worried about .. gotta say .. most asian people I know, or rather people of asian descent .. are very *aussie* very proud and make great citizens...will come back after a task that must be done to answer the rest.

molly

No we aren't perfect but we never said we are but luckily we can learn from other countries mistakes.

Coming from a family of immigrants and married to an Aboriginal man with two children I was never subjected to prejudice where I felt I wasn't welcome.

The PC brigade or the intellectuals idiots as I like to call them who think they know our country when I doubt they have even set foot outside of a city and met the grass roots people of Australia like to judge us on our imperfections instead of actually doing something contructive instead of negative.

Sali

nothing perfect in the world.

Stone Fox

I can think of one downside;- the wildlife! Australia boast the largest collection of poisonous snakes, spiders and general nasties in the world.

My sister is dating an Australian, and they got back from holiday to find there was mildew on her steering wheel. To which her boyfriend replied; 'if this was Oz, I'd be checking under the seat for huntsman spiders!'

Speaking as a surfer, the water is even worse, just look at the news recently.

All that said, I hear it's beautiful and the surf is amazing as well.

Alexander_IV

Personally, I've never been to Australia...but I would take it over 99% of the world.

In his first inaugural speech, President Clinton said there is nothing wrong with America that can not be fixed with what is right with America.

I think the same is true for Australia. For any issues it has, it's fundamental strengths can over come it: stable political system, rule of law, all the stuff you mentioned, and a cool looking flag.

Thanks to the "British Inheritance" as I like to call the political stability passed down by Britain to the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Australians hand power from one government to another without setting cars on fire, shooting opposition politicians, and have the army have to take over.

Its amazing how I look at my fellow Americans, and they do not realize how great a miracle it is was when President Bush handed power over to President Obama with the only shots fired being blanks from the ceremonial cannons.

Dot

It is not a perfect place to live, but having lived here all my life and becoming accustomed to the wildlife, the culture, the weather...I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world :) Although I do prefer to go further out in the bush when things get hairy in the city. I love outback Australia and no the snakes and spiders are the least of my worries...some humans on the other hand...I prefer to be further away from them.

QLD RULES

Nothing is perfect.

But Australia comes close to perfection anyway.

Tetouan Blazed

the conditions in southern australia where the wineries live are perfect for growing marijuana.

Imagine

Withdrawn statements.
Thank you Molly.

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