[abrookewood]

Yeah, but in Australia we have sharks, snakes, spiders and drop bears .. don't forget the drop bears. Plus, our Internet is crappy (unless you're on the National Broadband Network) and we are something of a nanny state. Oh, and our housing is ridiculously expensive. But apart from that, everything is pretty good.

[newjersey]

My friends in Australia say it's economy is too reliant on mining and raw exports and that there is not enough value added exports. Is this not a common view in Australia?

[usert1763]

That would be correct......to an extent. I moved to Australia around 10 years ago (originally from Poland but traveled the world extensively) and worked in tech since then wishing I did a course in welding or heavy machinery operation instead. Even mining laundry service workers here get 120,000/year salary!

The tide is turning though and world's biggest quarry is in trouble.....since China problems are looming more profoundly on Australian economy (China sneezes and Australia catches a nasty cold) more people are looking towards other industries i.e. services, tech, medical and those who used to make a tidy profit in the mines are being let go due to slumping iron ore pricing and weakened demand. In the space of last 12 months iron ore price was cut in half.

Add world's most expensive housing prices, climate issues, stalling economy, bogan attitudes (less so with the influx of educated migrants) etc. and Australia has its own share of issues to deal with. All things considered though, I would never want to go back to Europe or move to US. Why? To name a few: stable democratic government, great lifestyle, far away from some of the the loony bins e.g. Putin or not sharing borders with other countries (can get pretty lonely here at times though as to get anywhere is a minimum 10 hours flight), good pay and social support system, lots of nationalities in bigger cities so racial tensions are rare (we all just seem to get along), warm weather etc. Why would I want to live anywhere else? Yes, I could make more money in US, be more culturally aware/inspired in Europe, have cheaper lifestyle in Asia (south-east) etc. but when you look at what's really important in life and narrow it down to a dozen or so factors, especially if having a family is a prospect, nothing comes close to living Downunder. Even Kiwis want to live here! And that comes from someone who lived (at least 16 months) on every continent, except Antarctica and Africa.

[usert1763]

Another thing I like about Australia is that it has no cultural and historical debt. Coming from Europe where some of the buildings I use to live in were older then Australia itself, there was always a great sense of pride (sometimes false) to think/say/do things the certain way just because it's what my ancestors believed in. Don't get me wrong, I think that European culture, shaped by its history is one of the best things this continent can be proud of but for some reason living Downunder feels liberating. It does not matter where you come from, what religion you profess, whether you're a gay or straight etc. the pressure of being stigmatized based on your personal values or your origin is non-existent. Aussie history is very young, some may say that excluding Aboriginal people, it's just started so in some ways it feels that migrating here you can start your life with carte blanche without having to conform to any norms or dogmas resulting from entrenched culture as it's the case in other countries. It's far from laissez faire as Australia is somewhat a nanny state (in a good sense) but open-mined and democratic enough to let one be and not interfere or make you feel bad in case you have opposing views (think governments in China, Russia, UAE or culture in Middle East, Asia etc.)

[johnchristopher]

I disagree. Abortion laws really paint a different picture from that open minded Australia you depicted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Australia shows depending on where you live in the country you have different basic rights. Not the same carte blanche for everyone.