What do you think of Australia?

[Dark Knifer]

Good place to live, with free health care, great beaches and what not. Even if our Prime minister is a complete idiot. Uluru, Canberra and Sydney are cool to visit as well but buying games is far more expensive here then anywhere else.

 

[tstilwell]

I don't live in Australia, but I got to tell you that I have nothing against your fair country.

 

[Zaverexus]

Yahtzee is there...

I really don't think about it at all

 

[jawakiller]

Its awesome yet it sucks. Its awesome due to its laid back manner and the fact that it is not nearly as commercialized as America. I think it sucks because of all the venomousness critters that inhabit the country and the gun laws are really bad, like ridiculously screwed up. That doesn't even make sense!

 

[SirDeadly]

I think it needs more people and more potable water. I've known a few aussies, all good folks. But I worry about your ability to expand relying on aquifers so much, and your ability to defend yourselves.

Aquifers? Pretty much all of our water here in Melbourne is from dams that catch rainwater. Pretty effective given the amount of rain we've had recently. As for the more people thing, it's already pretty cramped here, and there isn't a lot of good land close to the cities left, especially around Melbourne and Sydney. Thirdly, defend ourselves from who? Aside from the fact that we've been fighting America's wars for the past forty or so years (And our forces generally fared better then the yanks did), who exactly is going to invade us? We don't have any nukes, our government is about as influential as a piss in the ocean and we're incredibly remote. So basically, we're not going to be invaded, run out of water and our two largest cites are pretty much at capacity.

Haven't you read Tomorrow When The War Began? That's practically un-Australian! [Note: although I haven't read it myself, I saw the film, which totally counts. Even though I hated it]

Apparently in that book we get invaded by people who have run out of space, because that's pretty much the only resource we've got an inexhaustible supply of. In the movie, they make the choice to depict the ambiguous enemy of the books as being very obviously Asian.

Hmmm, I guess that means we Alaskans might get invaded too, since we have just under a square mile per person here. Lots and lots of empty space. 'Course, invaders might all freeze to death. I might want to read that book, just for the heck of it.

My maths teacher from last year reckons that the entire population of Australia can stand next to each other and fit on Kangaroo Island without having to stand on top of anyone.

 

[Ghengis John]

Actually, I would like to see those articles, because I don't agree with your concerns over Australia's defence and I can't find any articles where worry of an invasion is expressed.

In regards to military threats, I don't know why you're considering the united states. You have another regional threat to worry about:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/07/3107956.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2640511/posts
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/caught-in-the-middle-of-nervous-superpowers/story-e6frezz0-1225925022104

"or suffer the consequences."?

little article points out for me, an invasion of Australia right now is a highly unlikely thing.

Like I said, my concern isn't about right now, my concern is the future. I trust you are familiar with the fable about the grasshopper and the ants? Well your defense department sure is because they're spending 279 billion dollars over the next twenty years on strengthening your defenses.
http://www.china-defense-mashup.com/china-brings-new-arms-race-in-asia.html

Not to mention that the probable reasons for invasion, our large quantity of resources, are sold to pretty much anyone, as this is much cheaper then an invasion everyone would rather buy our resources then take them. Now doubt a lot of people would like to take them, if they could, but they can't. To try to do so is doomed to failure, Australia is too involved in International politics for an invasion like this to go unanswered, to say nothing of the large amounts of Uranium and other resources numerous politicians leaders would want to be made secure.

As you'll note in the above article one of Australia's concerns is that it's allies will not be able to come and help it. Economic concerns aside between ocean skimming missiles, the "daogu gun" and even space-based anti-ship missiles china is focusing on a lot of anti-ship technologies that could see remote countries like Australia cut off from support. And as for those resources the idea isn't that they would be taken by force out of the blue, but seen as a strategic asset to control as part of a larger conflict. As it stands china controls 95% of the developed rare earth deposits in the world. Guess who controls the other five? Those rare earths all have their uses in high-end technologies from blackberries to bomb fuses. If we were cut off from them we would be at a severe disadvantage.

A deal to buy the Australian deposits was blocked by the Australian government on Valentine's Day which lead to some anger on the part of the Chinese. The situation was serious enough that president Obama is taking action about it, but our deposits are nothing compared to yours and China's. That's why nobody ever bothered to develop them.

http://agmetalminer.com/2011/02/18/obama%E2%80%99s-budget-from-sweeping-infrastructure-plan-to-rare-earths-exploration-part-2/

But suppose the USA, or a combined force, did decide to invade us an no allies stepped into save us, it is likely Australia will be conquered. But can't the same thing be said of every single country in the World?

Yes. And that's not a comforting thought. But it never hurts to be an unappealing target.

It is also true that the Australian environment for farming is a harsh mistress, I've seen it first hard, and many areas do need aguifers and bore water is the only source of water for thousands of kilometres (except for the odd bit of water you pick up in your rainwater tank). However Australia is still the largest exporter of Beef, Wool, Barley and Raw Sugar in the World, so if anything we aren't completely failing at farming. We do have to take certain measures to ensure this though, we can't support as great a population as the USA right now because we don't have our environment under control.

Well for starters I should point out merely to be a dick that Brazil is the world's largest producer of beef and sugar by a mile:
http://www.fapri.org/outlook/2010/text/Outlook_2010.pdf
And that cattle and sheep, tracing their origins to the middle east, like dry country. That said (and being neither here nor there) nobody said you were failing at farming, simply that your current situation doesn't allow for population growth. And with a diminishing water supply future prospects look grim. Again. Future. I am talking about your prospects for the future.

Anyway, I am Australian and I think it's pretty good. One problem though is the racism, it's starting to get annoying. I think we're in this odd position were our racist tendencies aren't as powerful as they are in other nations, but we make a point of ignoring them rather then calling ourselves out on them. For example, in Arizona (in the USA) there is a law the requires all "immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there's reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally (http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-23/politics/immigration.faq_1_arizona-immigration-law-reform-sb1070?_s=PMOLITICS). This is the sort of length I can't see Australians going to, but we do have random people flapping their mouths about how they're worried all these "boat people" are going to blow up their kid's school. Now, a large number of people in America are strongly against that Arizona law and let that be known, but when Australians see racist things going down our response is near non-existant and usually "well that's how things go" and most people tend to ignore it.

A similar parallel can be drawn between the British National Party and The One Nation party. Both are fairly similar, but I get the distinct feeling that British people don't sit down and take the BNP's existence as an inevitability. I could be wrong about this though.

The Cronulla riots (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronulla_riots) caused a large amount of controversy for a short time, but most people blew it off as "well what do you expect from Cronulla" and refuse to accept that racism occurs, or that's it racism at all. We go to absurd lengths to deny any sort of racism and this, I think, has to stop. We need to wake up, smell the bogans, and tell them to fuck off.

I had no idea that racism in Australia was so bad. I suppose the problem is if nobody acknowledges it it's a little hard to tackle head-on. As for this Arizona law, it's an atrocity. As a Hispanic American I was already aware of it. The shocking thing is I know people from Arizona who seem perfectly reasonable and then when I ask them about this bill they just sort of mumble and go "well... I have a hard time seeing anything wrong with it." We apparently have a long ways to go ourselves and we seem to be hitting a roadbump because all sorts of bigots you might lump into the conservative camp seem to be picking up on the idea of political activism. What's more I don't think in my lifetime I have ever seen bigots in this country so openly practicing their beliefs. From Sarah Palin hinting that Obama was a Muslim plant to the passage of a bill that calls to mind echos of Germany's Jewish-arm band program.

 

[Yureina]

I don't know. I think that it might be a nice place to visit sometime, but otherwise I don't really know much about Australia aside from stuff I would have picked up from a history book. >_>

 

[Darnez FC]

Having lived in Australia for 18 years, I can safely say that I am bloody proud to be an Australian, even if it's only because most of the stereotypes of the Aussie are positive.

Living in the state with the greatest economy (if we became our own country the rest of Australia would suffer because of it) sure does have it's benefits. Being apart of the middle class means I have more opportunities than a lot of other people have, which is awesome.

I think the whole censorship thing is exaggerated by people. Yes the gaming laws are ridiculous, but in other categories (books for example) the censorship is pretty much what you would expect it to be. I must admit I did share the exaggerated view of Australia's censorship once, until I found a satanic bible on sale in a popular public bookstore.

It is bloody hot here though. Last night the coldest it got to was 24 degrees celsius, and it is currently 37 degrees. Bloody oath.

Can't stand a lot of the locals though, especially in my area. Sure, they won't try and kill you, but they'll scream insults at you a lot, either from the safety of their car or when you're a fair distance away so you can't attack them for their rather outdated insults.

Plus I don't drink, so that part of the culture is just lost on me.

 

[biGBum333]

I'm from Hobart, so I think I beat all the Adelaide dwellers on the 'not much to do' front. And as for Australia's reputation of having every dangerous killing thing known to man, come visit here in Tasmania, I mean yeah we have two of the three most venomous snakes on earth.. but it's too cold here for them to show up much.

thats exactly what i was thinking when i read 'theres not much to do in adelaide'. also im pretty sure youre the only other person from tassie ive encountered in these forums.

 

[biGBum333]

love australia, our army's small but rules and most people are very affable. unfortanately the government makes me want to puncture my eyes with staples, but we all live comfortably so i cant complain too much. not perfect but still a great place.

 

[Mrrrgggrlllrrrg]

When I think Australia all I hear is "Nice life you have there, HSSSSSS", actually come to think of it I think creepers come from Australia. They have everything else that wants to overkill you, and the horrifying monster bunnies.

People are nice but the environment wants everyone dead.

 

[Laurie Barnes]

When I lived in South Africa I hated the Aussies for being our rivals in every sport under the sun. Now that I live in Canada, I think of Australia like Canada's estranged brother, because their way is very similar to our own. Also Yahtzee lives in Australia, so they have that going for em.

 

[Mr.Numbers]

Brisbane is great. Booming iPhone industry, Yahtzee, Steam punk and Anime fests, Yahtzee, excellent non crowded beaches, Yahtzee, Brilliant fishing, Ben Yahtzee Croshaw and, of course, Pandemic studios, former creators of the DaH series.

 

[FalloutJack]

I think it's a nice place and I have the word of distant relations to back that up.

 

[rvbnut]

Personally I think of them as the rednecks of England.

You shouldn't say that. We'll throw our eskies at you

 

[colourblind]

I live in Newcastle NSW and I must say its the dullest place in Australia im sorry but the only thing it has going for it is a big shopping center and family/friends.But on the flip side Melbourne is AWESOME and I shall live their one day.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

I love Australia and have huge national pride for where i live ^_^. Although we have experienced some heavy natural disasters,but thats nothing compared to the 5 great drop bear wars.

Fuck me sideways, I forgot about those.
I did an assignment about those, they were brutal.
Apparently they almost went extinct in the 4th War, maybe that would explain the time span between the 4th and 5th.
Although, apparently, if they're domesticated, they make amazing house guards.
Haven't tried myself, a bit too dangerous.
OT: It's nice here, Winter's always a bit quieter, Summer's only good for charcoaling yourself on one of the MANY MANY MANY beaches we have, and our government makes me rage incredibly hard.

 

[Mr.Numbers]

Australia: Where everything is upside down and trying to kill you ^_^