Thread: What ever happened to the lucky country?

I walk my two dogs most mornings on the beach,every day without fail I talk to someone,I talk a lot so they have no choice but there's always someone fishing or wants to talk about our dogs,the lady at the bakery gives me a nice greeting each time,my butcher always has a yarn,the lady at the cafe' I have coffee at likes to talk,people stop me everywhere I go in the X-Tech,the Tdi has the Hobie on the roof 90% of the time so it always gets attention,I don't think the people have changed,I think we just want more,travel more so we have to work more.I don't think anyone really cares about paying for medical,roads etc because they know they can drive anywhere in Oz on them,if their child gets sick they know they can walk into any Hospital and get excellent care,I think most of the attitude we have is really just the opposition pollies and the media just carrying on like drama queens trying to make a story,and you don't have to live in a housing estate if you don't want too. Pat

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

..... (tv, the drug of a nation)

... Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation, TV!

...57 channels and there's nothing on...

Still the lucky country but i think we let OS influence us too much, i prefer how it was in the 80's in some respects before the internet gave us a global outlook.

Originally Posted by Sue

I totally agree. Having spent time living in a Asian country (and washing on a washboard as there was no access to things like washing machines) I have a much better appreciation for the opportunities we have here in Australia. yup

We still are living in a lucky country, we live in a country where we have a chance at an education (and not in a country where you are expected to work to support the family at 12 years of age), a country where that education and hard work will see you able to raise your standard of living (and not in a country where no matter how hard you work the most you can expect is to maybe not starve). the education is getting more expensive thanks to and now also discriminates against females

We live in a country where we have access to medical help - no matter your financial status. We live in a country where there is a welfare system, many countries have no welfare system at all, if you have no job you don't eat. $7 gp copayment and another higher co payment on any prescription so double whammy. Welfare, only if your over 30 , under and you get nothing for 6 months

We have access to housing, food, clean water, electricity, transport. We have a government that will provide assistance to gain employment by subsidising or paying for retraining - instead of a government that 'makes people disappear'.

We have clean air, a sewerage system, clean water (on tap!) and a road network that allows free travel between states. We live in a country that cares about the environment.

The list goes on... and on... and on... We must be a selfish and greedy race really because how anyone could have all of this and still complain about living in Australia is beyond me.

No not selfish or greedy, just looking at what our grandparents fought for and gave our parents, who have decided to either give it away , abolish or charge for it.
Penalty rates, they want gone. But they enjoyed them as students
Welfare, cut and slashed, or removed for 6 months. But they used them when unemployed.
University fees to hit over $100,000 and interest to be charged , which will hit most heavily on any female who takes time off for kids. Majority of our pollies went to uni for free or with a tiny hecs payment , lower than a few months wages.
Unemployment, my parents entered the job market with 1.5%( under 2% till 1973) unemployment! I hit the job market with 10% and 25% youth unemployment! Now today it's still between 5-6% and we have over 100,000 visa457 workers entering each year.
These are the issues we look at to see if the luck is there for all, or just some.

We dig it up or grow it.

Then send it overseas to be processed and buy it back at 100 times the price.

Originally Posted by frantic

No not selfish or greedy, just looking at what our grandparents fought for and gave our parents, who have decided to either give it away , abolish or charge for it.
Penalty rates, they want gone. But they enjoyed them as students
Welfare, cut and slashed, or removed for 6 months. But they used them when unemployed.
University fees to hit over $100,000 and interest to be charged , which will hit most heavily on any female who takes time off for kids. Majority of our pollies went to uni for free or with a tiny hecs payment , lower than a few months wages.
Unemployment, my parents entered the job market with 1.5%( under 2% till 1973) unemployment! I hit the job market with 10% and 25% youth unemployment! Now today it's still between 5-6% and we have over 100,000 visa457 workers entering each year.
These are the issues we look at to see if the luck is there for all, or just some.

Good points, I guess. My parents grew up during the depression [ no, not in a shoe box in middle of road] they were children, but for their fathers, [ remember, woman did not work them, as a rule,] No work, no welfare, when getting the sack meant you were actually given a sack full of tea & sugar & stuff to at least feed you & your family for a while. Damper & dripping was a good meal, Mum & her 5 sisters & one brother went to Sacred Heart School at Sandgate, the Nuns fed the children breakfast because families couldn't afford anything more nourishing than bread & dripping. The public who could, read the better off, supplied the food for the kids. Without complaint.


Ducks were scarce at the Sandgate lagoons, pigeon pie was king, a good fisherman could trade up for milk & meat, [ offal] long drop toilets, or the bush, coppers in the back yard to do the washing. Men went on the wallaby, for months at a time, to try to find work. An interesting offshoot of that is the number of Rosella trees in random parts of the bush. The swaggies would trudge all over the country, with the makings for damper, some treacle, & rosella seeds. If they found a place to work for a while, they would plant the rosella seeds, & damper, treacle & rosella jam, was a luxury. Any one tells me they have it tough now, I quietly think to myself " tough? you've never had it tough, boy" Neither have I , but I never begrudge what I have. And I never forget. Bob

I first visited this country in 1986 , then came back to live with my wife and two children in 1988 . I have been lucky to have worked and travelled to many country's over the years . At the moment I'm in the UK. Do I have any regrets ? No I wouldn't change a thing . I think we have all seen lots of changes , some good ,and some not so good . I think with all Australia's changes , It's still a good place to live , I would like to see a slow down on making restrictive regulations , plus a slow down in price increases on property , and utility's ...cheers Jim

For perspective have a read of the current National Geographic (US)

Inside is an article titled 'The New Face of Hunger'.

It is claimed 48 million people, yes, 48 million go hungry every day in the US.
More than half the hungry households are white.
Often the only decent meal kids get is the one at school.

Everyone in Australia needs to read this.