Is australia a good place to live?

Question

in terms of everything from the ecomony to the education.

Answer 1

Australia's economy is incredibly strong. We have had budget SURPLUSES every year for many years and this year's looks like being the highest yet (budget day is this coming Tuesday). Our educational system is excellent and our high school students graduate at least 12 months ahead of US students. Our freedoms are real and universal and we have a genuine universal healthcare system and social security benefits at least as good as anywhere else in the world and better than most. We have a far better climate than pretty well anywhere in North America or Europe and the only snow we have is on our highest mountains. We are surrounded by some of the most magnificent scenery and beaches and our relaxed lifestyle allows us to enjoy it all. Even our largest cities have a far lower population density than large cities elsewhere and overcrowding is virtually unheard of except by people who choose to live cheek by jowl with their neighbors. Best of all, we have no guns!

Oh, and I've never seen a poisonous spider - plenty of big, scary, hairy ones, but all harmless. In my entire life I've seen one poisonous snake and it was hightailing it away from me for all it was worth. And I've never seen a shark or a crodocide (outside a zoo).

To Sergeant Rock. Our rate (per capita) of death by gunshot (murder, accident and suicide combined) is less than 5% of the US murder by gunshot rate alone. There is simply no argument that you could possibly put forward that could in any way justify increasing the supply of guns in Australia - the statistics speak for themselves. In Australia, guns and crime very, very rarely touch ordinary people - we know that is not the case in other places and all Australians want to keep it that way. Please keep your redneck "Guns don't kill people" views to yourself or at least keep them out of our space.

Answer 2

sure 'til the poisonous tarantulas the size of your head kills you in your sleep

Answer 3

IT`S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH.....LOVELY.

Answer 4

Sgt Rock .. .put down the crack pipe and move away ... What on earth are you talking about .. we have no guns? hmmm NOT quite .. people can own guns in australia .. they have to pass a test and follow regulations to own one .. YES SURE some crims have guns . .but better some crims than an entire nation packing metal ... IT'S NOT IN OUR MENTALITY to do so .. better to pack a cricket bat.

And in more cases than not those that commit crimes involving guns are usually committing the crime against OTHER criminals ( NB NOT ALWAYS  but usually) .. I'll cite the Melbourne Gang war as an example.. Live by the sword Die by the sword so to say.....

Because we don't have an entire nation packing heat.. we have far fewer accidental shootings than some nations in the world..

BUT BACK TO THE ACTUAL QUESTION .... as I have never lived anywhere else .. I can not say to you that Australia is better than anywhere else .. BUT I can say that it is a GOOD place to live..I have not felt the need to pack up and move elsewhere>

EDIT: .. Mouse made a very good point ... SGT Rock .. can you clarify whether you were being sarcastic or not.. sometimes it is extremely hard to tell when it comes to Americans and guns...AND i have come across SOOOOOOOOOOoooo many americans that seemed to believe Charlton Heston when he was the NRA President , when he said  that ALL aussies are trembling under their beds because the Government took away our Guns ..

I can then appologise (lol or not) depending on your reply .

Answer 5

Australia is a great place to live. There is a steady economy and a very good education system. Each state has it's different standards and 'curriculum'. You have a choice if you want to live in the 'tropics', desert, cool, and warm climate.. It is also a pretty laid back lifestyle and people are generally friendly. All in all it is a pretty great place to live.

Answer 6

bloody brilliant.

=P

i reckon it has its down points, like any other country.

but the laid-back, sunny way of life..is way way way better.

Answer 7

Yes, it is a great place to live. I live here so it got to be OK, isn't it?

(If it is such a bad place to live, why would there be so many people trying to come here? Think about it)

Anyone ever thought that the first answer was being sarcastic - as aussies usually are?

Cheers

Answer 8

Australia is a fantastic place to live.  We have so much natural beauty surronding us and you can choose to live in ecosytems that range from beach, cities, desert, snow, rainforest, farmland, hinterlands... the list could go on.

Our government is constituational monarchy which means we have elected leaders (the Prime Minister) who make decisions on our behalf, although we are still a member of the Commonwealth (there is a push in the country for a republic) We then have state and regional government levels which form councils that control particular areas.

Our education system is state controlled, and each state has various curriculms that govern but generally they are very similar across the country.  Children attend kindergarten from 5 to 12, High School from 13 to 17/18 and then further education is available at TAFE (technical colleges) or university.  University education is offered to students through the HELP (Higher Education Loan Payment) system, where the goverment loans you your student fees and you pay it back when you earn over a certain amount in taxes.  

Our health system is great compared to US.  We have universal healthcare  called Medicare which means you can walk into a hospital sick, get an operation and leave 5 days later without a bill.  GP bills are refunded in part or quite often 'bulk - billed' which means that Medicare pays completely for it.  The only kink in the system is that if you have to see a specialist Medicare doesn't pay it all and it can be around $100 out of pocket to see them.  

Our economy at the moment is going through a resources boom and inflation and unemployment is extremely low.  The Australian dollar is equivalent to 95 US cents and is tipped to be even by the end of the year.  

Our culture is renown for being friendly and laid back and it's true, especially in rural areas.  Everyone says hello to each other and most people love welcoming people from other countries.  If you want to live in Australia it's a good idea to like sport or at least be able to fake it, because most Aussies love nothing more than a beer down the pub watching the footy/cricket/tennis - really whatever sport is on the screen at the time.    There is wildlife all around us, and when you drive outside the cities the most common car crashes are due to either wombats or kangaroos.

I don't know where the guy who said we have no guns came from because it is absolutely untrue.  About ten years ago there was a horrible massacre in Tasmania, which prompted the government to introduce a permit system to own a gun.  Violent crime is not on the rise and in fact it is hard to remember the last fatal shooting in the country.  In fact, usually the shootings only occur between criminals.  In the last few years, sexual assault and robberies have dropped considerably.  One awful thing that we do deal with often is bushfires - enough said.  

So, in conclusion Australia is a great place to live.  There is always a friendly face around, if you get sick the government pays for you to get better, our education system is amongst the best in the world, and the sights you can see are magnificent.

Answer 9

i live in sydney, aus. i like it but want to move to california when im older.

Answer 10

It is magnificent. Excellent weather and a choice of weather - you can choose tropics or arid dry. Laid back and carefree & affordable!

Good for kids, adults or adults with kids...

A bit Americanised which is a shame - too many US TV shows broadcast here.

Good Government, good health care system. good education, good sporting and music facilities & incredibly friendly people.

People CHOOSE to live here - it cant be that bad

Answer 11

Truthfully, it depends on where you're from and what type of person you are. If you're an American, you're likely to find people to be very blunt, lazy and generally unhelpful.  You'll also probably feel quite 'overgoverned' as the country relies heavily on the government for everything and its very noticeable. Aussies also have very different work ethics and are generally not religious, this is reflected in humor and general attitudes.  It's also full of horrible poisonous creatures (snakes, insects, sharks) that everyone is very relaxed about. They do not push higher education and I have to say from experience, the University system is a bit of a joke. Classes are composed of about 90% foreign students from China, even in a Masters program. Kids are forced to wear hideous school uniforms with hats through their school years and schools do not emphasize sports programs.  Child care is also in shortage. Australia is extremely expensive, Sydney more so than New York City. Expect to pay at least $300 a week in rent, $1.45 a liter (thats 1/4 a gallon) in gasoline, high annual car registration fees, about double the prices on grocery items and the list goes on.  Australia has some of the most expensive utility fees in the world, meaning your average phone bill is much greater than what you're used to.  Also be prepared to be heavily taxed, some jobs tax up to 40% of your paycheck depending on how much you make... I suppose its used to fund all these great govt programs.  The majority of the country is on water restrictions, you're not allowed to wash your car or water your yard during these times. Nothing is convenient in terms of hours. Grocery stores are only open until 5pm on the weekends, there is only one night a week shopping is open later than 5 or 6, etc. The sun is also quite strong, skin cancer is accelerated.  

On the plus side, the country does have a good health coverage system and a very stable economy.  It's much more relaxed than most places.  Australians are big drinkers and have a lot of paid public holidays.  There are many places in the country that are absolutely gorgeous and it is definitely a worthwhile place to visit. I would suggest spending a significant amount of time in the country before deciding to move down under to see if it suits you.

Answer 12

Yes yes and yes.  Its a great place to live.  We have a world class education system.  The economy is booming and showing no signs of a slow down even in the face of the global financial situation.  And the people are generally the most laid back easy going around.  And we have a great health care system that cares for those that cant afford it.  http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...

Answer 13

It is OK  -  you probably like it here.

Dont forget to tell everyone you meet that Aussie is the best

country on earth  -  then they love you,

Answer 14

No. It's a police state. They have disarmed all the law abiding citizens, but didn't disarm the criminals!!! Imagine that?! Violent crime is sky rocketing out of control. Don't move there. There is no right of self-defense...unless of course you are a criminal!!