# Why do you want to live in Australia?



## Tyler Durden (11 January 2014)

So I recently came back from a trip to Seoul in South Korea, and was very impressed with the place as a whole. Specifically, I found that:

1. Things were cheaper, and food was in particular much cheaper (you could easily fill yourself up with street food for AUD $1-2)

2. Shops were open till later, with retailers closing nightly at around 10pm and a lot of restaurants closing at around midnight to 2-3am

3. Subway system was very efficient. They have a card system where you load money up on the card and just swipe each time you want to use public transport. This card can also be used in taxis and some vending machines. Further, although you may have to change 'lines' on the subway to get to your destination, you never really have to wait more than 5-6 minutes for a subway.

4. Related to (3), there was absolutely NO vandalism on the subway. No graffiti, no ripped advertisement posters (even though these were clearly within reach and could be easily pulled out) and no rubbish.

After my trip, I came back to learn that public transport ticket prices had risen again, with no visible improvement in services. This reminded me of a question my friend asked me a long time ago: why do YOU want to live in Australia?

The only reason I could think of was "because I grew up here and this is my home". But other than that, I couldn't come up with anything else. I think it is one thing for things to be expensive, but everything here is clearly over priced, meaning we pay much more than what we get in return for value.  It just seems that everything in Seoul (and Hong Kong, I have been in previous years too) is more efficient than here in Australia, yet we pay lots more.

I know if I moved to, say, Seoul, and worked, I would earn less money, but it sure seems like a better alternative to living in Australia at the present time.

So I want to know, given the cost of everything here in Australia, why do you want to live here?


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## prawn_86 (11 January 2014)

Tyler Durden said:


> So I want to know, given the cost of everything here in Australia, why do you want to live here?




Lifestyle, health & education.

We have been in the US for 6 months now and will definitely come back to Australia at some point, probably to start a family. 

Aus has a great lifestyle with low population density. It's horses for courses, but the Aussie humour and attitude is great imo compared to most countries

And near free health and education are a big benefit. Here is costs us over $100 per week for average health insurance (would be over double that for top of the line) and my wife is studying at a mid tier institution and it is 20k pa  A 'good' school is upwards of 40k pa.

Yes Aus is expensive, but it is still comfortable for most in the middle class and above


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## IFocus (11 January 2014)

One thing here is Oz is there is no megalomaniac in the neighbourhood with his finger on the nuclear bomb button 

What I like about Australia and life here is that really its all pretty easy you can be what you want to be and most will accept you, hold any reasonable political view and you wont be persecuted......much 

Currently I cannot think of to many places world wide where you have such a choice climate, financial or environmental all in the same country.


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## sptrawler (11 January 2014)

IFocus said:


> One thing here is Oz is there is no megalomaniac in the neighbourhood with his finger on the nuclear bomb button
> 
> What I like about Australia and life here is that really its all pretty easy you can be what you want to be and most will accept you, hold any reasonable political view and you wont be persecuted......much
> 
> Currently I cannot think of to many places world wide where you have such a choice climate, financial or environmental all in the same country.




+1 sums up my thoughts.


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## Garpal Gumnut (11 January 2014)

IFocus said:


> One thing here is Oz is there is no megalomaniac in the neighbourhood with his finger on the nuclear bomb button
> 
> What I like about Australia and life here is that really its all pretty easy you can be what you want to be and most will accept you, hold any reasonable political view and you wont be persecuted......much
> 
> Currently I cannot think of to many places world wide where you have such a choice climate, financial or environmental all in the same country.




+1.

Not much. Agree.

gg


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## DB008 (11 January 2014)

I agree with IF.

Biggest +1 for me - climate.


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## Smurf1976 (11 January 2014)

In the 1990's and 00's there was a lot of talk about productivity, efficiency and so on in Australia. 

In recent years I've come to realise just how much of a joke that all was - practically everything we do is less efficient than just about anywhere else. It did create a lot of jobs for all sorts of "managers" though - but the Aussie definition of "efficiency" seems to mean tightly controlled and regulated, rather than actually being productive or efficient. That's a big part of why things cost so much in many industries these days.

I used to challenge all that quite strongly, thinking that people just didn't understand that what they were doing wasn't actually going to make anything more efficient, but these days I've just decided to work somewhere that's reasonably focused on getting the job done (at least by Australian standards) and accept the way we do things in Australia is the way it is and won't likely change anytime soon.

It does have its' advantages however. Very high wages by international standards in most jobs is a bonus if you want to travel or buy something from overseas. That plus the lifestyle, huge diversity of climate and natural environment within the same country, and lack of overcrowding - even our two "big" cities are unpolluted, quiet and peaceful compared to much bigger places overseas.

Australians often tend to whinge a bit too much I think. A Summer heatwave in Adelaide or Perth whilst you have an air-conditioned house is nothing compared to being stuck in that sort of of weather year round. Winter in Canberra or Hobart is warm compared to what's happening in Canada and parts of the US at the moment. Our houses are expensive but at least you get a decent house to live in. Food might cost a bit but at least it's safe to eat and there's no shortage of it. And so on. The trains might be expensive and running late but overall we're not doing too badly.

There's plenty of people on earth who would gladly accept our "problems" in exchange for their much more real problems any day.


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## sydboy007 (11 January 2014)

Being born here I suppose I didn't have much choice, but having travelled to over 30 countries I've realised for a long time just how good we have it in Australia.

My friends who moved here to study then applied for PR and eventually residency all have the same view.  Life in Australia is good, a lot better than probably 80%+ of the countries out there.

I work with a couple of Canadians and when I asked them why they moved to Australia they said one cold winters day they were staring outside at a few feet of snow, too cold to do anything outside and thought they'd like to move somewhere warmer, the people speak English, and not the USA.  Australia was about the only country that fit their requirements.

I really do think quite often we moan about first world problems way too much.  We also don't think things through much anymore.  Just as with the weight loss industry it's all about the easy solution.  Just 5 minutes a day and you too can have wash board abbs.

Too many of the important issues we need a public discourse on are difficult with no easy answers or solutions.  Heck, sometimes defining the problem is difficult enough.  Our political system finds these topics toxic so wont touch them unless they absolutely have to, and eventually the market steps in with it's own solutions, solutions that usually wouldn't be considered appropriate if being proposed by a Government.

I'd love to send every 14-16 year old away during a summer break for a couple of weeks to a poor country.  Let them see what true hard ship is.  They'd definitely be a lot more appreciating of the life we have here, and hopefully the whinging over trivial stuff would die down and people would be willing to tackle the more important issues the country is facing.


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## So_Cynical (11 January 2014)

I dont want to live in Australia.

just can't afford to leave permanently yet...i have been living in my Manila Condo since the middle of Dec and head back to Sydney next week, but i don't really want to leave.

I have a better life and situation here, a higher standard of living..i can't work here and don't really want to, just know i don't want to leave...i can be happy and comfortable here, due to my lower middle class poverty i can't in Australia.


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## Garpal Gumnut (11 January 2014)

So_Cynical said:


> I dont want to live in Australia.
> 
> just can't afford to leave permanently yet...i have been living in my Manila Condo since the middle of Dec and head back to Sydney next week, but i don't really want to leave.
> 
> I have a better life and situation here, a higher standard of living..i can't work here and don't really want to, just know i don't want to leave...i can be happy and comfortable here, due to my lower middle class poverty i can't in Australia.




lol

Reminds me of ole Karl.

"The working men have no country. We cannot take away from them what they have not got."

gg


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## burglar (11 January 2014)

Space!

I emigrated from Europe at the age of three.
I was told it was mainly due to overcrowding.
I saw overcrowding in Sydney and Melbourne.

I see it creeping into Adelaide.

I may move to the Barossa Valley.
I'll probably be dead by the time highrise gets there!


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## Valued (12 January 2014)

I want to live here because:

1. I was born here so it's highly convenient
2. I speak the language 
3. I know people here
4. I dislike planes. They make me feel sick
5. My pets would make it highly difficult to move
6. I have an Australian law degree which won't translate over to a profession in another country without years of study
7. It took me years to learn the basic geographical locations of the place!


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## Calliope (12 January 2014)

So_Cynical said:


> I dont want to live in Australia.
> 
> just can't afford to leave permanently yet...i have been living in my Manila Condo since the middle of Dec and head back to Sydney next week, but i don't really want to leave.
> 
> I have a better life and situation here, a higher standard of living..i can't work here and don't really want to, just know i don't want to leave...i can be happy and comfortable here, due to my lower middle class poverty i can't in Australia.




Their elections are much more exciting than ours than ours. It seems a great place for a cynical guy to live.


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## Baldric (13 January 2014)

As a reffo I want to live here because:
1. The public transport is hopeless. Trains are sometimes up to 5 minutes late. And that's our biggest whinge. 
2. Flyscreens on windows serve as burglar bars. You can go to sleep with all the doors open and only an flyscreen between you and the outside world and will wake up the next day.
3. Hardly anyone has guns, the shooting type.
4. If there is a murder, it is front page news and the police do everything in their power to find the guilty people and the public are horrified that something like that happens in their home town.
5. You can walk the streets at night without fear.

Must I carry on.......


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## Bill M (13 January 2014)

Tyler Durden said:


> I know if I moved to, say, Seoul, and worked, I would earn less money, but it sure seems like a better alternative to living in Australia at the present time.




So what are you still doing here?


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## skc (13 January 2014)

Tyler Durden said:


> So I recently came back from a trip to Seoul in South Korea, and was very impressed with the place as a whole. Specifically, I found that:
> 
> 1. Things were cheaper, and food was in particular much cheaper (you could easily fill yourself up with street food for AUD $1-2)
> 
> ...




There are two sides to every story... A few weeks of holiday gives you a glimpse but hardly the reality of living in a country like Korea. While it's convenient to you as a consumer that shops are open 'till late, it might be a very negative thing for non-unionised retail workers who are forced to work excessively long hours with little rewards. And the high frequency and low cost of public transport is probably more a function of Seoul's ultra high density population rather than far superior productivity.

To me Australia is as good as any country in the world, with the major downside being a high cost of living. However, I think, to a large extent, the high cost of living has mostly resulted in a higher standard of living. 

Money goes around the economy... so the $4.50 for a small coffee that you've paid might be a rip off on its own, it goes a long way towards higher rent (which supports high property prices, hence higher wealth effect, hence higher consumption overall), higher income for the coffee shop (and more staff employed at better conditions, more people off the street, better mental health etc), better food hygiene (and less productivity loss due to time wasted at the loo from food poisoning) etc etc. 

There are many layers of positive effects stemming from that overpriced cup of coffee. While many of them are not fully quantifiable, they are quite real nonetheless. I don't think one can strip away the high cost of living without reducing standards of living somewhere else.


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## Bill M (13 January 2014)

Baldric said:


> 5. You can walk the streets at night without fear.




Absolute nonsense. There is a whole thread devoted to the worst of our culture, "Alcohol Fueled Violence" Have a read of it, nothing to be proud of. Many families are grieving, I had a tear roll down my face when I heard on the news the following and I didn't even know the young chap:

---
A Sydney teenager who was seriously assaulted on New Year's Eve has died in hospital.

Daniel Christie, 18, passed away after his family took the decision to switch off his life support.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-11/teenage-boy-assaulted-on-new-years-eve-dies/5195566
---


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## Trembling Hand (13 January 2014)

Bill M said:


> Absolute nonsense. There is a whole thread devoted to the worst of our culture, "Alcohol Fueled Violence" Have a read of it, nothing to be proud of. Many families are grieving, I had a tear roll down my face when I heard on the news the following and I didn't even know the young chap:
> 
> ---
> A Sydney teenager who was seriously assaulted on New Year's Eve has died in hospital.
> ...




Actually I don't think it is nonsense. Crime rates are hard to get a grasp on by taking one or even a few well publicised incidents and extrapolating that to imminent danger for all. The homicide rate is has been trending down since the mid 80s. The assault rate has been going up but that is in a large part believed to be due to much higher reporting of assaults.

I've personally think it is much safer on the city streets at night than what it was 20 years ago.


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## dian11 (13 January 2014)

I'm agree with you mate


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## minwa (13 January 2014)

I regularly switch between Melbourne and Taipei (Taiwan) which is quite similar to Korea in terms of living standards so here are my thoughts:

Convenience: As mentioned, shops are open until late..You don't have to take time out during the week day or wait until weekend if you have a job to go shopping/dentist/buy car..Food stalls are available EVERYWHERE it is so much cheaper/easier/tastier than cooking yourself. Oh and convenience stores takes it to a whole new level, you basically do most banking and postal services there..pay fines, pickup/dropoff parcels, pay bills, collect tickets.

Efficiency: Everything is processed so quick here. ID cards are made up on the spot, you don't need to wait a few days to collect it in the mail. Technicians (ISP, phone line) are all available on weekend. I once accidentaly threw paper towel into the toilet and it got blocked at 11PM at night, I called the concierge/security guard (there's always 24/7 concierge/guard at every apartment) and about half an hour later plumber came unblocked the toilet and costed me about $30 AUD..would've have been like half the price if it wasn't midnight and emergency call.

Safety: In Australia you would be wary to walk alone on the streets at 1am..also all the horror stories on certain train lines. In Taipei you will see granny's walking around at 1am trying to sell you all kinds of food, groups of grandpas praciticing taichi in the park and kids playing in playgrounds. Yes kids out playing in the midnight. You will almost never see a drunk and rowdy person on the street. 

Australia's positives I don't really need to explain I will just list them: environment, population density, wages, pet friendly.

Which is better to live in ? Neither, both is best so thanks to the flexibility of trading and also being young and unmarried I spend time in both places (along with a bit of time in other places).


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## McLovin (14 January 2014)

Bill M said:


> Absolute nonsense. There is a whole thread devoted to the worst of our culture, "Alcohol Fueled Violence" Have a read of it, nothing to be proud of. Many families are grieving, I had a tear roll down my face when I heard on the news the following and I didn't even know the young chap:
> 
> ---
> A Sydney teenager who was seriously assaulted on New Year's Eve has died in hospital.
> ...




Since 2000 91 people have died from being king hit. By comparison, 20 people/year die from being struck by lightning in Australia. Crime has been falling in Australia for decades, the 24 hour news cycle perpetuates the myth that we're living in dangerous times.


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## CanOz (14 January 2014)

Top 7 reasons why my wife and i will move back to Australia one day are as follows:

1.) Climate
2.) Air Quality
3.) Standard of Living
4.) Education and health care
5.) My Super is there and we want to invest there
6.) Great people with an awesome sense of humor who really know how to enjoy life!
7.) Great Wine at good value


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## johenmo (15 January 2014)

CanOz said:


> Top 7 reasons why my wife and i will move back to Australia one day are as follows:
> 
> 1.) Climate
> 2.) Air Quality
> ...




CanOz - guy who's in Harbin atm is looking to get out. Your 1, 2 & 4 are there along with somewhere that speaks English.  Hoping for ANZ.  Air Quality is so important - little do we realise how important it is.  SW WA or Northern NSW coast are good climates.


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## Calliope (15 January 2014)

Andrew Bolt's blog;



> New Zealand is simply beautiful
> 
> Even its weeds by the road sides are beautiful - lupins, vipers bugloss, briar rose, tobacco plant, broom, poppies and more. I’ve even see hollyhocks. In the north, of course, the lushness is a knockout.
> 
> ...




Nowhere in Australia (except, maybe, Tassie) do we have its well defined seasons. My wife and I made plans to retire to that beautiful country, but fate intervened.


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## wayneL (15 January 2014)

For me it's pros v cons.

There are aspects of Oz I find irritating to the core and I fear those aspects are worsening. But for the moment, the pros outweigh the cons.

Unfortunately, all the best countries get screwed up by politicians and fo gooders.


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## Julia (15 January 2014)

Calliope said:


> Andrew Bolt's blog;
> 
> 
> > New Zealand is simply beautiful
> ...




A couple of winters in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island , should pretty quickly reduce Andrew Bolt's enthusiasm.
For that matter it's frequently a maximum of about 14 degrees in mid summer in any part of the country.

And, let's not forget the odd earthquake or a thousand.  About half of Christchurch is still displaced.

But if you like cold weather, and don't mind having your abode shaken from under you, New Zealand is the most wonderful place, not just for the incredible scenery, but for the courtesy and genuine warmth of its people.


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## skc (15 January 2014)

Julia said:


> A couple of winters in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island , should pretty quickly reduce Andrew Bolt's enthusiasm.
> For that matter it's frequently a maximum of about 14 degrees in mid summer in any part of the country.
> 
> And, let's not forget the odd earthquake or a thousand.  About half of Christchurch is still displaced.
> ...




Good to see you Julia


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## Bill M (16 January 2014)

minwa said:


> I regularly switch between Melbourne and Taipei (Taiwan) which is quite similar to Korea in terms of living standards so here are my thoughts:
> 
> Safety: In Australia you would be wary to walk alone on the streets at 1am..also all the horror stories on certain train lines. In Taipei you will see granny's walking around at 1am trying to sell you all kinds of food, groups of grandpas praciticing taichi in the park and kids playing in playgrounds. Yes kids out playing in the midnight. You will almost never see a drunk and rowdy person on the street.






wayneL said:


> For me it's pros v cons.
> 
> There are aspects of Oz I find irritating to the core and I fear those aspects are worsening. But for the moment, the pros outweigh the cons.
> 
> Unfortunately, all the best countries get screwed up by politicians and fo gooders.




A couple of well balanced posts here from those that spend a lot of time overseas. I have spent a great deal of time living overseas too. Here are my pros and cons of living in Australia.

*Pros*

1. There is nothing like coming home to a country where you are a citizen and equal rights and the rule of law is afforded to you. Overseas in most places you are a just a foreigner or tourist or in some cases just a second class citizen and you are not treated equal. You can not buy land in many, you can not invest in many products, in some cases double pricing occurs and sometimes the local law makers are corrupt and you will nearly always lose out to the locals should something go wrong.

2. Having an Australian passport unlocks the world for me. It gives me unrestricted worldwide access. I can travel anywhere anytime with the appropriate visas. With some countries I don't even need a visa and get free permitted stays, just because I have an Aussie Passport. Some people from other parts of the world do not have this luxury.

3. I live in a regional area about a 100 kms north of Sydney and I like my house and land. Here it is like living in the outback. There is no air pollution and wildlife is everywhere. I have cockatoos, lorikeets, parrots and many other native animals drop into my backyard and say hello. It's like a live show of nature, all day. Some people pay lots of money to come here and see what I get for free. Australian wildlife is beautiful.

4. The investment climate is great. I can invest in anything (legal) I want without any government interference. I can buy a business, real estate and stocks to my hearts content and our banking system is secure and world class. Plus we have some of the best interest rates in the world, I wouldn't put my money anywhere else.

5. A very simple thing, if I want a drink of water I just turn on the tap and out comes decent drinking water. Having to buy drinking water daily in many parts of the world is something you constantly got to think about and is a daily chore.

6. Medicare, if I get sick and I get treated in a public hospital I do not pay anything. My local Doctor Bulk Bills so I do not have to pay directly for my blood tests or Doctor visits either. We have a good medicare system and if you are poor you can get treatment without having to pay anything. In some countries no insurance means you go to a very overpopulated 3rd. world hospital with minimal care.


*Cons*

1. Our public transport is expensive, overcrowded and sometimes doesn't turn up. An example of this is the train from Sydney CBD to the International terminal, it is around $15. In Singapore it is $3 for the same distance.

2. No street food here in Australia. They banned it years ago due to safety concerns. Why is it that all over Asia it is a way of life and people enjoy it by the thousands? 

3. Here it is expensive, way more expensive for food, restaurants, travel, hotels etc. Even though it is more expensive the service isn't better.

4. I also think we have a safety problem here. I've seen abuse on the trains, assaults in the street and general drunk and disorderly conduct many times. Friday and Saturday nights are particularly bad. I certainly wouldn't want to put my wife or daughter on the train at 1 AM from Sydney CBD to Penrith on a Friday night. And lets not forget the western Sydney shootings that are still going on week after week and the Police can't get on top of it. 


As others have said, there are good points and there are bad points of living in Australia. In most cases the good out weigh the bad. There is no utopia out there but I do enjoy going overseas looking for it and in the mean time having fun. 



skc said:


> Good to see you Julia




+1 Welcome back.


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## Sharkman (17 January 2014)

Tyler Durden said:


> So I recently came back from a trip to Seoul in South Korea, and was very impressed with the place as a whole. Specifically, I found that:
> 
> 1. Things were cheaper, and food was in particular much cheaper (you could easily fill yourself up with street food for AUD $1-2)
> 
> ...




i've been thinking the same thing myself actually. i grew up in aust but moved to singapore when my employer decided to move my role here. initially i figured i'd stay for a couple of years then convert all my SGD back to AUD and return home, perhaps changing jobs if there was nothing available in our sydney office.

now, about 3 years on, i've decided to stay here indefinitely. the points you mention about seoul pretty much also apply to singapore, though you didn't directly mention a big one - super low tax rates. top marginal rate is only 20% here, and it kicks in way later than our 45% bracket, something like the equivalent of 300K AUD pa. i think i only paid an overall rate of 9 or 10% last year. you're right, the salary when comparing similar roles will probably be lower, but that's on a gross basis - if you look at it on an after-tax basis, salaries for most professional jobs should be at least comparable, if not better.

"but isn't it stinking hot there" you might say? well yes it is - for the first few weeks. and then you get acclimatised to it. "but i'll miss my family & friends back in aussie"? jetstar and scoot fares are dirt cheap these days, making it easy to pop back for a long weekend whenever you want without breaking the bank (of course if you pop back too often then the issue of the non-tax residency rules may arise unfortunately).

so yeah i think you've hit it right on the head TD... the asian tigers are great places to get ahead financially and great places to live. if you do find an opportunity to work in seoul or any of the other asian tigers - definitely 2 thumbs up IMHO! 

it may not be everyones cup of tea though. you do have to be willing to respect "asian values" (which isn't an issue for me, being of asian descent myself). one of those values is the prioritisation of economic pursuits, which can potentially conflict with the "western values" of civil liberties and human rights. as skc alluded to, it is true that they tend to make abundant use of cheap labour, and there is virtually no welfare - both of which are major factors in lowering the costs of living, and the super low tax rates. so yes, as an expat *your* standard of living will probably be as good or better than you had it in aust, but the standard of living across the whole demographic spectrum is likely lower because of that. if these philosophies don't agree with you, better keep your trap shut (or not move here at all if you really disagree with it), you don't want to be bad mouthing the government here, as another important asian value is respect for authority...


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## Tink (11 June 2014)

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I am enjoying the photos weekly in the Herald Sun of* "Melbourne at a Glance"*.

1930's
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...rne-in-the-1930s/story-fnkd6ppg-1226938943639

1940's
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...e|1|link|homepage|homepage&itmt=1402366064537


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## SirRumpole (11 June 2014)

Australia is still good country with a comfortable climate, good public services, relatively low taxation and the fact that although we may disagree on politics we can still talk about it freely and not get too serious (I hope). As long as we keep thinking that all politicians are b@st@rds we will get along ok.

Recently though I think we have been letting in too many of the wrong sort of people (I don't mean New Zealanders).

Middle East crime gangs are becoming more intrusive, and let's face it, they are putting good old Aussie crime gangs out of business . Honest Aussie crooks like Roger Rogerson and Karl Williams just can't compete with the likes of Obeid when it comes to cunning and contempt for the law.

If only a good Aussie like Chopper Reid was still around, he would have sorted the Gippos out.


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## sptrawler (11 June 2014)

Why do I live in Australia.
Because it has a free medical system. 
Because it has a free education system.
Because it has whole of life free income streams.
Because it has free public transport.
Because it has subsidised medicines.
Because it has subsidised housing.
Because it has subsidised electricity.
Because it has subsidised licenses.

Also the weathers good.


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## SirRumpole (11 June 2014)

sptrawler said:


> Why do I live in Australia.
> Because it has a free medical system.
> Because it has a free education system.
> Because it has whole of life free income streams.
> ...




Communist.

The weather is only good because the politicians can't control it


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## wayneL (11 June 2014)

SirRumpole said:


> Communist.
> 
> The weather is only good because the politicians can't control it




Nah not communist, welfare recipient.


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## trainspotter (11 June 2014)

Because the ocean is full of these things.


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## Tink (12 June 2014)

Agree, Rumpole, Australia is still a wonderful country, though, I do feel the pendulum has swung a bit too far over to the left, and needs to come back in the middle.

Being a Melbournite, I love looking through all those old photos, where we were and where we are, and that goes for the whole of Australia. We have come a long way, some good, some not so good. Its interesting the comments you get about the changes through the years, and we probably all see things differently.

As many have mentioned here, the pros and the cons.
It is good that we can all express our thoughts on the country we live in, and what concerns us.


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## rb250660 (17 November 2016)

Instead of starting a new thread I thought I would revive this one. Early this year I moved to Japan with my Japanese partner and have never looked back. I have no desire to move back to Australia at all other than employment, at least for the short term. With that said my industry (oil and gas) is at a low globally and I have transitioned to trading for income and plan to keep it that way for now. I am learning Japanese language and will try to transition to some form of employment here in the near future. However I would like to pursue trading as a sole source of income in the not too distant future.

I can echo pretty much all of what TD says below about Korea as it has been my experience in Japan. Clean, cheap, friendly and things just work here. Sure, it's difficult to open a bank account, buy furniture, connect the gas, etc. but once you have that difficult initial setup out of the way things are just so much smoother and easier here. I have a tiny apartment (so easy to look after compared to my ostentatious mansion I used to have in Australia) and I live within 500m of everything I could ever want in my life. The mall, gym, bars, restaurants, bakeries (I'm sure they are the worlds best), department stores, 100yen shops, strip clubs, 100yen public transport that comes every 3 minutes dead on time. If at 2am on Wednesday morning I decide I need a can of beer, a new pillow, some shoes, a frying pan and potato chips, no problem, just go down the road and it's all there waiting for me at a 1/3 of the cost to Australia. I went to an eye specialist with an eye infection a few weeks back. I had a full blown optometrists checkup, a consultation with an ophthalmologist, got 2 lots of antibiotics and had to cough up a full AUD$12 with my residence card and health insurance that costs $8 a month. Beats the **** out of PBS and Medicare.

And whenever I go to a shop there isn't some wanker behind the counter giving attitude with my change. I get a 'konbanwa', and 'arigatou gozaimasu' and a bow with my service, I return the courtesy and it's great. My life is so easy and stress free here. What ever happened to manners? The last time I was back in Australia I had a pretty severe case of reverse-culture shock. All I wanted to do was leave.

Something that really came to light recently for me is the ability to make my own decisions here in regard to how you want to run my life. I have spent some time in China and it's the same there too. If I want to smoke I can smoke. I don't have the government telling me it's bad for me and that's why we need to tax the **** out of smokes. I'm not a smoker but respect the decision of those who do to do so. Smokes here are $5 a pack, not $25. Same for alcohol, why are spirits so much cheaper here? I saw a bottle of Jim Beam for 670yen tonight and the local shops, that's about $9. My favorite is the BS alcopop laws (revenue raising gold mine). In Japan I often drink these 9% lemon flavored cans that cost 90yen, that about $1. A similar can in Australia is like $12-$15. What a fkn joke. If I chose to get smashed on high alcohol content cans that's my choice and I'm allowed to make that choice here and I love that.

Whenever I go back to Australia I am always asking myself 'why is this so hard', even before I leave the airport. The **** house attitude of the airport staff is a surefire way of knowing where I am. In Japan, I don't have some ******** tradie in his V8 commodore ute wanting to smash my face in because I merged in front of him in traffic. My stress levels are very low in Japan. Honestly WTF is wrong with Australians these days? I have given this some thought and I have reached the conclusion that the majority of people living in Australia are living in fear of losing their jetskis and motorbikes and XR6 turbo utes and 6 bedroom houses.

If you live outside Australia, where do you live and what do you love (or dislike) about it and what are the comparisons to Australia? I'd love to hear form you guys.

PS. This is obviously a bit of a rant but there really are better places than Australia in this world. Let the flaming begin!!!!



Tyler Durden said:


> So I recently came back from a trip to Seoul in South Korea, and was very impressed with the place as a whole. Specifically, I found that:
> 
> 1. Things were cheaper, and food was in particular much cheaper (you could easily fill yourself up with street food for AUD $1-2)
> 
> ...


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## minwa (17 November 2016)

rb250660 said:


> I am learning Japanese language and will try to transition to some form of employment here in the near future. However I would like to pursue trading as a sole source of income in the not too distant future.




If you don't have to start work from the bottom/middle, Westernized Asian countries are great. But for most working population in Aus you can be laid back and do alright. Not in Asia though. 12hour work days plus evening/weekend work functions are expected.

No one really complains/suicides of the work/study here, it's pretty commonplace in Asia.


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## CanOz (17 November 2016)

After 12 years in China I'm over the moon to be back here in Australia. We are loving the fresh air and the open parks for kids. The downside is the expense but even then there are bright spots...the other day my son fainted at daycare, they called the ambulance and my wife accompanied him to the hospital, the lady cilento children's hospital. They took such great care of him....the cost, $0.00 even in Victoria I recall an ambulance ride was $1000 ten years ago!

I love Australia, but my reference is Canada and China....


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## Tisme (17 November 2016)

CanOz said:


> After 12 years in China I'm over the moon to be back here in Australia. We are loving the fresh air and the open parks for kids. The downside is the expense but even then there are bright spots...the other day my son fainted at daycare, they called the ambulance and my wife accompanied him to the hospital, the lady cilento children's hospital. They took such great care of him....the cost, $0.00 even in Victoria I recall an ambulance ride was $1000 ten years ago!
> 
> I love Australia, but my reference is Canada and China....




Let's face it, Australia (&NZ) is the last outpost of the great British Empire. A microcosm of the best of Western European and British Isles strength of character, fair play, warrior confidence, industry, high intelligence, of the arts, education, tolerance, etc, but above all .....humility.


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## SirRumpole (17 November 2016)

Tisme said:


> Let's face it, Australia (&NZ) is the last outpost of the great British Empire. A microcosm of the best of Western European and British Isles strength of character, fair play, warrior confidence, industry, high intelligence, of the arts, education, tolerance, etc, but above all .....humility.




Yep, its so hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way.


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## luutzu (17 November 2016)

CanOz said:


> After 12 years in China I'm over the moon to be back here in Australia. We are loving the fresh air and the open parks for kids. The downside is the expense but even then there are bright spots...the other day my son fainted at daycare, they called the ambulance and my wife accompanied him to the hospital, the lady cilento children's hospital. They took such great care of him....the cost, $0.00 even in Victoria I recall an ambulance ride was $1000 ten years ago!
> 
> I love Australia, but my reference is Canada and China....




It's great isn't it. 

When the kids were sick, it didn't cost us a cent. 

I think that's how they suckered me into paying taxes.


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## luutzu (17 November 2016)

Tisme said:


> Let's face it, Australia (&NZ) is the last outpost of the great British Empire. A microcosm of the best of Western European and British Isles strength of character, fair play, warrior confidence, industry, high intelligence, of the arts, education, tolerance, etc, but above all .....humility.




Good thing we got that humility.

Oi, what happen to that Asian influence? I'm a bit offended that our Asian meekness and good accountancy skills aren't recognised there.


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## tech/a (17 November 2016)

*No ones here!*

There is amazing opportunity.
We ALL have that opportunity.

Its big.

People are by n large good people.
Australia is fun.

There is a short Duck season


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## wayneL (17 November 2016)

I would move back to regional England in a heartbeat, but business is going too well here, for the moment.


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## Tisme (17 November 2016)

luutzu said:


> Good thing we got that humility.
> 
> Oi, what happen to that Asian influence? I'm a bit offended that our Asian meekness and good accountancy skills aren't recognised there.





Of course, everyone is included, but Britain is our rock and we are the Peters.


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## luutzu (17 November 2016)

Tisme said:


> Of course, everyone is included, but Britain is our rock and we are the Peters.




That was actually quite clever. And funny.

Humour and humility. 

A big change from the hostile hegemonic mayhem days where the sun never set over the British civilizing missions.


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## Tink (5 July 2017)

When these conversations come up, makes me wonder why people want to live in Australia.


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## Caveman (6 July 2017)

Because I was Born here.


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## Tisme (6 July 2017)

Caveman said:


> Because I was Born here.





And if you look underneath you will find indelibly inked in our forebearer's blood,sweat and toil : "Originally made from the finest of England/Wales/Scotland and Eire; free of old world Oriental and Occidental anachronism ".


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## Wysiwyg (8 July 2017)

Tink said:


> When these conversations come up, makes me wonder why people want to live in Australia.



One of the freest countries in the world. Few things that come to mind --

larrikinism - joke around and not too serious about life
lots of coastline - fishing, crabbing, surfing, swimming etc. (respect please)
lots of bush - camping, exploring, tranquility, easy access etc. (respect please)
less guns
less Americanism
less religious indoctrination
less absolute Government power
fewer d' heads percentage wise

Luv, Captain Goodvibes and his trusty companion, Dork Dog.


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## johenmo (12 July 2017)

It's like a balanced portfolio - got the right mix of everything (including some poor performers).


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