9 Things Australia does better than the USA
July 10th, 2007
After spending six months in Australia these are some things I noticed that Australia does that I wish the USA did
9. All alcoholic beverages at the bottle shop(liquor store) are labeled with how many standard drinks it contains
8. You do not need to pay 40k a year to go to the best University in Australia
7. Tips are built in to the price
6. Gun control laws are more strict
5. The ubiquitous beer does not taste like piss
4. They operate on a trade surplus
3. Sweet Chilli Sauce
2. It does not cost money to receive calls/texts on a cell phone
1. They round to the nearest 5 cents(no pennies)
Corinne said:
How about the extra long vacations you get once you’re finally part of the workforce?
nebbish said:
And there’s just no comparison between your music scenes
Michael said:
Gods, where do I begin? The culture, the healthcare, the services, the people, the literature, the accessibility of government and on and on….
I wish I were back there. I wish I could find a job to allow me to stay.
Jacob said:
Mmm… I had a delicious dark ale last night.
The best beers over here are brewed by the smaller, independent breweries (and micro-breweries) anyway.
Is there any kind of grass-roots movement in the States to create a decent brew?
It does not cost money to receive calls/texts on a cell phone
I’m sorry, what? You have to pay to receive calls?
Holy crap, that’s the biggest rip-off ever.
Telecommunications are even cheaper in Europe than they are here.
Broadband internet is the one area where Aussies are getting screwed.
They round to the nearest 5 cents(no pennies)
New Zealand just abolished the 5c coin, and their new 10c coin is a small copper-coloured coin, not unlike a penny (which is probably its approximate value anyway).
In case you’re wondering, it’s Jacob from the creative writing class.
Ben Hennessy said:
For every firearm [in Australia], a purchaser must obtain a Permit To Acquire. For each firearm a “Genuine Reason” must be given, relating to pest control, hunting, target shooting, or collecting. The law excludes self-defence as a reason for issuing a licence.
So in other words, a snake is in your house, it’s legal to use your gun to shoot it, but if an armed criminal is trying to attack you, and you use your gun in self-defense, you can be jailed for assault, possibly murder. Dang, I’d hate to be in a natural disaster in Australia.
Yak Boy said:
Everyone owning a gun for self defence is exactly why so many damn people get shot dead in America all the time.
Michael Moore entirely missed the point in Bowling For Columbine (perhaps intentionally). He compared Canada to the US, saying that everyone has guns in Canada but the murder rate is really low. He concluded that the difference was the US media. I’m pretty sure that the real difference is that Canadians have hunting rifles which they only pull out to go hunting, whereas Americans have handguns and sub-machine guns which they specifically own for “protecting themselves” by shooting other people.
When everyone is allowed to own a handgun for any reason, your chances of getting shot are far far higher, and your chances of getting killed by an attacker are massively increased if that attacker has ready access to a gun. In America your hypothetical armed criminal will almost certainly be armed with a handgun or worse, in Australia the chances of someone with a gun breaking into your house are practically zero. I’d rather take the risk of the slim chance of being attacked by a crazy dude with a knife, than live in a society where every crazy dude is walking around with a pistol or an uzi.
One person was shot dead in Melbourne recently, and it was HUGE news because it happens so rarely.
There was a long-running mafia war going on here which saw gangsters shooting gangsters, but usually members of the general public are pretty safe from gun violence in this country.
You’re so lucky you can own a gun for self defence, because ordinary US citizens get shot dead at a massive rate every day.
And I have to say I’ve racked my brain, and I just can’t work out how owning a gun is going to help you survive a flood, earthquake or cyclone. Or are you referring to the coming zombie apocalypse when you talk about a “natural disaster”?
Ajax said:
I’ve been to AU. Cool place definitely.
Agreed with most of the +s you mention. Quality of life is higher down
there. Clean beaches and cities- like America in the 1940s I’d imagine?
Great attitude of people there too. It’s so weird that they have
to push for tourists so hard (I see the ad campaigns always running),
who wouldn’t want to go there?
Sinbo said:
8. You do not need to pay 40k a year to go to the best University in Australia
(but you probably have to pay as much for your private high school education to get into the best schools in Australia, University entrance scores are partially calculated from your schools average. The SAT, though often cricisized is actually much fairer than Australian entry standards.)
5. The ubiquitous beer does not taste like piss (I think Budweiser tastes better than Australian beer)
4. They operate on a trade surplus
(Australia does NOT operate a trade surplus!!! Australia is in a long term trade deficit)
jack said:
re: guns..the law is a bit confusing
we cannt purchase for self defense ..but we can use in self defense
as long as force is reasonable , given the situation..ya cant shoot someone for trespass
but attacked and in fear of ya life.. ya can kill him
WTF said:
I MOVED FROM LAS VEGAS TO AUSTRALIA ABOUT 15 MONTHS AGO ! - AND I’M BORED AS HELL !!!! - I LIVE NOW IN CAIRNS.
THE PEOPLE SMELL LIKE CAMBELL’S SOUP BECAUSE IT’S SO FRIGGIN HUMID !
THE PRICES FOR CARS AND MOTORCYCLES ARE DOUBLE !
FOOD IS 3 TIMES THE PRICE !
A PAIR A SNEAKERS COST $300 SAME PAIR IN THE USA ONLY ABOUT $65
INTERNET IS 10 TIMES SLOWER AND ABOUT $100 DOLLARS A MONTH
TELEPHONE IS LIKE $300 IN THE STATES YOU CAN GET A PLAN THROUGH CABLE FOR ONLY $20 MONTH UNLIMMITED CALLING ANYTIME IN THE USA !
I DON’T THINK I NEED TO GO ON —- DO I ?
AUSTRALIA IS A RIP OFF BECAUSE YOU PAY 3 TIMES WHAT YOU’D PAY IN THE STATES AND MOST TIMES IT IS LOWER QUALITY !
CAIRNS ALSO IS HUMID AS HELL 6 MONTHS OF THE YEAR AND RAINS ALMOST EVERYDAY IN THE WET SEASON WHICH LASTS 3 MONTHS !
IF YOU WANT TO BE BROKE - BORED AND SMELL LIKE BO….. BOOK A FLIGHT TO CAIRNS !
OH DID I MENTION A NEW HOUSE AND LAND IS ABOUT ON AVERAGE $650.000.00 SAME HOUSE IN VEGAS ONLY $275.00
PEACE.
Rick said:
I notice the firearm paranoid people ALWAYS throw in their two cents worth when comparing Australia to the USA. Its a very contentious subject, with studies on both sides of the divide presenting very good arguments for and against widespread firearm ownership. I am really not sure who is right. You have countries the likes of USA with high firearms ownership and high firearms crime, and countries like New Zealand with high firearms ownership and low firearms crime. I’m of the opinion that the urge to kill a fellow citizen has nothing to do with the availability of firearms. In my opinion the reasons are socioeconomic and cultural. The gap between rich and poor is devastatingly huge, and the education and future prospects of the “have nots” are little to none. A country like the USA, due to its wide socioeconomic margins I would say has a place for firearms, as long as there are people willing to kill to get what they want, then the law abiding citizens deserve the right to defend themselves from this. A country like Australia however in its current state cannot really justify widespread access to weapons……..yet.
Jen said:
Australia is beautiful and cleaner…but really, the cost of living is here is absolutely ridiculous. I’ve been living in Australia for three years (Sydney and Gold Coast) and it’s just outrageous what they charge for everyday items as well as luxury items. I’d rather forgo the “kindness” of Aussies for a cheaper way of life in the US right now.
jon said:
The US may be cheaper in terms of food, clothing, electronics etc, but “standard of living” is better in Australia.
in the 2007 UN report into best countries to live in, Australia is listed 3rd. The US is listed 12th.
the average house price is not $650,000 as someone mentioned above, but more like $450,000 in brisbane, $500,000 in sydney and melbourne.
the mining boom in Western Australia is driving a strong economy which in turn is increasing employment and driving up wages.
whilst Australia certainly is more expensive, the wages are ‘generally’ on par, at least in the cities.
Australia is not perfect by any means, but with a better healthcare system, a better safety net for the low income earners, a better education system, lower unemployment and a higher life expectancy rate, Australia is a better place to live now, than the US.