Is Australia needy for acclaim?
Australia is currently the recipient of so many plaudits that is getting almost embarrassing.
On the economic front, the "wonder from down under" goes from strength to strength. This week it became the first G20 country to raise interest rates from the emergency level. Unemployment actually went down, bucking the global trend and surprising local economists who had all predicted a small rise.
The Aussie dollar has almost reached parity with the US dollar, while Australia has now overtaken America as a financial centre, according to the World Economic Forum, though Britain still sits top of the global league.
It is not so much a case of spotting green shoots of recovery. June is bustin' out all over.
Add to that the announcement this week of the country's first female Nobel laureate, the molecular biologist, Elizabeth Blackburn, who won the award for medicine.
Or Australia taking the silver medal on the global quality of life index, coming second only to Norway (Britain came 21st some readers will no doubt be delighted to learn).
Kevin Rudd also returned from the G20 summit in Pittsburgh claiming a diplomatic triumph, since that international forum has now leap-frogged over the G8, a group which does not include Australia.
I've written before about how the cultural cringe, an ingrained sense of inferiority, has been replaced by Australia's cultural creep, a growing influence around the world.
But I think the prominence given to these kind of stories over the past few days in the Aussie press, and the pride with which they are reported, highlights a trait that does hark back to the "cringe" era: the desire, the need even, for international recognition and acclaim.
On page one of A Secret Country, John Pilger speaks of his first job in journalism, which was to hang around Sydney's wharves and airport to ask visiting celebrities what they thought of Australia. They were expected, he writes, "to play a game and make a statement affirming all that was good and sublime about "Godzone"."
I've found myself asking the same question of visiting friends and family members, hoping, I suppose, for the same positive response. It is self-validating. Or perhaps it is related to the country's geographic isolation: people travel so very far to get here that you want them to feel the trip was worthwhile.
So I ask this question because I am still searching for the answer myself: when it comes to international acclaim, is Australia especially needy?
This week, of course, Australia has also been the butt of some strong international criticism, especially in America, over the Channel Nine Hey Hey It's Saturday skit. More on that later...
UPDATE: There are strong threads currently underway on the booze and sporting codes front, with some very funny and clever comments. "In the school of Greatest Boozy Reputation, Australia may be a high school graduate, but Britain is a university professor," says question-the-motive, who I suspect may well be right. Ever professorial him- or herself, Wollemi reminds us how the wave of post-war southern European immigration enriched and enlivened Australian culture, and especially its cuisine.
"The coastals would throw up if they consumed half of what a bushy consumed," says Petesyc, which sounds very much like a challenge. Meanwhile, the size, shape and names of beer glasses is something I am still trying to get to the bottom of. With that lame stab at humour, I'll wish you a good, hangover free, weekend...
I'm 
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Whilst Australia did not make such bad economic policy mistakes as the US and UK, I wouldn't get too complacent. As Steve Keen at UWS has noted, Australian total debt (as opposed to public debt) is just as large as those two countries which will create problems at some point unless deleveraging is conducted extremely carefully.
Those quality of life comparisons are annoying - are the weightings used to aggregate the various criteria based on the values of the citizens concerned? No, they aren't.
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I agree with Eltel99 at 10.07, these quality of life surveys are based on criteria that have little relevance to most people who live in the countries being rated. How can Australia have a high quality of life when there is an enduring drought and extensive water restrictions in major cities?
Australians and NZers tend to be brash but also insecure. This explains many aspects of the collective Australian (and NZ) personalities - their need to excel at sport, their loud expressions of ill-informed views, their need to live in Graceland style McMansions and so on.
I think many Australians are not comfortable living in remote Australia and are constantly seeking affirmation that it is not as bad as they perceive it to be. This is hard, however. Remember PM Keating's view that he wasn't going to waste his time on the "arse end of the world" if he could not be PM? This is why so many Australians and NZers leave their countries and find happiness and contentment abroad.
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Given the geographic isolation, what tends to get reported internationally are stories about kangaroos or sharks (and occasionally both at the same time). The stereotype of the boozing Aussie, sitting on a beach having a good time doesn't leave much room for Australia to be included when more serious discussions arise.
Despite this, i don't think Australia is particularly needy. Australians like to be involved in whatever is going on, and when our contribution is overlooked, it can get a bit frustrating. If Australia was in the North Atlantic, it would get more recognition and for more diverse achievements.
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Nick, when celebrities visit GB or Brits visit other larger nations, say like the US, do media personnel ask them what they think of their country? In the case of a Brit visiting the US, most people in the US have some idea of the achievments of Britain, other than the Boston tea party days. And when American's visit Britain, the same applies. However, visitors to Australia are so ill informed...and remember we Aussies watch both British and US media...and squirm with some of the comments made...that it has become a traditon of our media people to ask the inevitable question of what that person thinks of our country...it actually is a way of finding out, politely, how informed they truly are. And I can tell you from past visitations, expecially of Americans, they have left a lot to be desired in their reply.
The Katie Currick Matt Lower comments during the Sydney Olympics, directly broadcasted from Aussie to the US was insulting in their ignorance.
We don't have a culture cringe, we have been ignored by those that should have known better. Now it seems this little mouse from the south is beginning to roar, along with earthquakes, tsunamis, and flooding storms, so that finally the world is starting to look at us for who we really are, not for what their rubbishing media portrayed us to be.
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It's funny. Italian and Greek immigration was very influential ... coffee replaced beer. At the same time I think that there was a reaction against alcoholism for more obvious reasons like its sheer ugliness.
It's embarrassing to hear so many foreigners fall over themselves to say nice things about our country. I went to America recently and you get the sense that some people think we're all related -- "Say hello to Australia for me!".
I look forward to your blog on the Hey Hey skit!
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Australia is definately needy for acclaim and is insecure. We were basically invisible on the world stage until we became prominant at sport so there is a lot of national pride associated with sporting success. We also draw pride on the lifestyle we have (which is not for everyone by the way). This is now changing and we are taking pride in our economic strength whether or not our current economy is short lived.
We have not been a world super power such as the UK and US to give us a sense of identity. But to treat this as a condition only relevent to Australia and NZ is extremely naive poster2(you seem to be exhibiting those ill informed opinions you so dislike in Australians and NZs). To imply that Australians are vastly unhappy and in denial about how much of a horrible a place it is and can find contentment living abroad sounds a little "insecure" to me. Will national pride in the UK still be the same if the economy stays down and the pound is completely devalued?
Unfortunately this is a human trait where we all look to the world for acceptance. We all want to feel like we belong to somewhere great.
I have lived in the UK for the past seven years and gues what? People are insecure but just in a different way. They draw a lot of pride from their history and their place on the world stage and rightly so. But when it comes to weather and lifestyle the responses range from embarrasment to trying to convince me that the UK is an unbelievable place to live. With recent sporting success I am constantly pulled into cringe worthy situations of having to tell british males they are fantastic at sport just as their embarrassing Australian equivelents do.
We are more similar than we like to think-we just go about things in a different way.
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Yes it has been a good week down under!
Better than an Ashes Series win and a rank or two on an Olympic medal tally. I should point out that Elizabeth Blackburn's work was for contibutions that could for the first time actually lead to no less than the elusive and legendary fountain of youth.
Yes, many need or desire affirmation, but many do not also. A relevent point is that when the world revolves around public opinion, media reports and stereotypes, it is hard to blame some of the thinking.
As the world continues to shrink and communication improves it will avoid the need to shout across an ocean or three. At this time, hopefully some of the underlying inferiority complex reported can simply be replaced with some regular well placed national pride.
Living physically remote from the rest of the world is also apparently an advantage in the 21st century; especially when the rest of the world goes 'down' the tube.
PS: As we can afford the plane ticket, when we want to visit the 'rest' of the world we will. That wont be anytime soon however, (cue the sunshine) its now mid-spring and we need to go outside and play.
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Needing acclaim is an inherently dangerous game. It begs the question what price are you willing to pay - thereby introducing an element of risk. 'Selling out' (aka the 'political process') usually ensues leading to a diminished sense of self or identity. Such is the outcome of any path destined to fail. This is especially the case if one's pursuit of acclaim is motivated mainly by ego (and money - 'market driven forces') rather than the broader interests of sustainable community development. Australia has many opportunities to lead the way. I'm hoping those who are able will start thinking more outside the square.
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I've lived in a beautiful southern European EU nation for 20 years that suffers from the most asphyxiating low self-esteem-going nowhere fast and being overtaken by more recent members who are not afraid to seize the incentives. When I look at Australians crowing about some of the great things accomplished in such a short time, I wish I could bottle the mentality and export it to my adopted homeland. Not talking about the gross big-headedness, but the self-confidence in one's abilities. My passion is the education system (never stopped studying distance mode from Aus unis), which I believe lies at the heart of Australia's commitment to seeking answers to problems that transcend borders in an attempt to make life better for everyone. The environment question mentioned earlier could be Australia's greatest contribution; stop gutting the continent and rake in the benefits of alternative energies. This legacy will outweigh any sporting victory,but a good show at the next football world cup would be nice.
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Surely Australia is not in need of global acclaim.
Australia is his own man (or should that be "woman"?), and in no need of the approval of some of the fuddy-duddy and politically warped factions found in other parts of the planet.
The rest of the "non-third" world is bogged down in a quagmire of political, racist and sexist equality and correctness. Australian policy cuts through all these inconsequentialities, and gets on with promoting good, free and healthy living for its people.
Good on yer !
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"But when it comes to weather and lifestyle the responses range from embarrasment to trying to convince me that the UK is an unbelievable place to live."
I've never understood why the weather is seen as a problem. If you told a couple of aliens that they could either live in a country which is arid, hot and prone to drought (I don't necessarily mean Oz) or a country where the temperature never reaches an excess and all-year-round rain provides ideal conditions for growing crops, I'm sure they'd choose the latter. I've heard the British weather described as a plus point for foreigners from hot countries.
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I'd advise against generalising in regard to Australians need for acclaim,some of us take a realistic view and get on with our lives and don't expect foreigners to know or care about Oz. After all what does the average Australian know about relatively small distant nations like Canada, Belgium or Ecuador. That said,I'd have to concede that the zillion dollars of bad publicity generated by those hicks on "Hey Hey it's Saturday" is a national embarrassment.
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Australia is not isolated. Geographically or otherwise. That's really a leftover concept from the pre 1950s 'tyranny of distance' days
It's probably best seen on the APEC map below, with our major trade partners China and Japan to the west and the US to the right and ASEAN to the north. (plus India which is yet to join APEC) It's also the most populous part of the world and if we're not already in what can be defined as an Asian century, then it's pretty close to one
http://www.international.gc.ca/commerce/apec/site/images/APEC-map-en.jpg
Australia also has many links with the region apart from finance and trade. Some of these are historical - a positive legacy of the British Empire which left the English language and institutions scattered around the Pacific, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Malaysia Hong Kong, India..
Regarding achievements, I think the expectation in Australia is that if you do something you should strive to do it well. If that means world's best, all the better. So congratulations Professor Blackburn
And, Nick...Pilger? What antiquated era was Pilger's first job in journalism, he left the country in the early 1960s
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re the hey hey skit which i watched live. i thought it was crass, but then again the red faces segnent always was. it was meant to be a cross between naff, sick and bizarre. this met that criteria.
the show never suffered from political correctness, and had its own morals and ethics.
that an american guest was offended was his choice. i was not offended by black guys playing white women in "white girls", which to me is exactly the same scenario. in both cases people were painted up to match a stereotype. why was on eoffensive and the other not? because one was racist and one was not? give me a break.
if you wnat to take things to the n'th degree and say some black people in america might be offended, because people do it there these days to cause offense, i would agree.
bur an indian doctor and his middle eastern mates clearly had no intention to cause offence to another ethnic group.
i cannot think of too many (read ANY) occasions where white people in oz dressed up as aborigines and mocked them or their culture. so similarly what happened was not racist per se, but it had a go at the jackson five and their changes over time.
americans should sit up and realise the opinion of the world is not universal and does not always revolve around them. the differnece in the skit from 20 years ago was that michael jackson was now white and not black. that was part of the joke. not that our u.s. cousins could get past the word racism.
finally, harry connick has a point, times have changed in america, but his skin tone playing the part of a southern preacher was not "his own" in a film in which he starred over 10 years ago. whether he was tanned, meant to be coloured or black he should perhaps explain. it was funny, and not offensive as there was a black man standing beside him. that made it PC OK.
in australia therefore we do not need a negro man's approval (or whoopi goldberg)of the skit to decide if it is PC or not. it should be noted the only people who can tell jewish jokes seem to be jews themselves like sacha baron cohen. and jokes about black people in america are PC if said by black people. only black people can use the n word as otherwise it is racist? more drivel and pC gone mad in my view. it is assumed if you belong to "the ethnic or religious group" you cannot per se be racist against yourself.
i guess after 200 years of guilt in america about slavery and demeaning behaviour to various ethnic groups the situation is different. although both countries, oz and the states, have a more backward approach to racism outside the metropolitan areas, where discussions are shall we say a lot more black and white!
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When you realise that we have a population of 22,ooo,ooo, it is obvious that we are punching way above our weight on world standards. If the rest of the world thinks we are a bit cheeky at times, that is their problem. Let us rid ouselves of the patronage of the rest of the world and let it be seen that others could well envy us our lifestyle, economy, and the advantage of having a world view as in The Onlooker sees most of the action. Most of us, (excluding the media ) don't give a toss what the rest of the world thinks, and as we sit in the sun enjoying a break from everyday cares, sometimes giving a thought of pity to the rest battling through their overwrought lives, it seems that this can be thought of by many as being ignorant of what is going on in the great northern hemisphere. On the contrary, we are very much aware, and in touch with reality, but choose to go ahead with our own way of living, in the wonderful land we have downunder.
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It is an interesting debate this one...Are Aussies needy of recognition?? Yes I think they are. Geography has a large part to play in that as there is no getting away from the fact that both Europe and the US are very far indeed. The old rivalry with Britain is as strong as ever and people seem to be very pleased at the plight of the British economy. There is no doubt that this country is beginning to pack a punch these days and it's no real surprise; just take a look at the immigration policy, people are only allowed in if they have something to offer. The way it should be I would add. I do think it's a thing of the past that visitors know nothing about Aus. I was recently in the US and people I talked to knew lots about Aus and every single one of them wanted to come and visit and several already had.
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Credit where it is due. Australia's economic health is due to Chinese demand for minerals. The Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to a Californian who had a PhD from Cambridge. When it comes to acclaim, Australia is needy.
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Simple answer Nick, YES but I find this is inflamed by the press. One of the funniest comments I ever heard was when Jerry Seinfeld was asked upon landing at the airport what he thought of Aussie (Probably by Mr Pilger), he replied straight faced, 'I just landed, how do I know if I'll like it'. Sometimes we are definetly a country who requires reassurance that we matter and are loved in the world.
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Whether contributor's to this blog like it or not, Australia compared to the rest of the world (financially) is going through a purple patch. To state it is only because of China or the rest of the world wanting what Australia has, is like the critics on cricket not that long ago (particularly English ones) stating if it wasn't for Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath, Australia's team would be ordinary!
Will Australia's economic miracle continue indefinitely? Probably not (just like cricket). But the reality is whether you are an emigrant or a person fortunate enough to be born in this wonderful country, there are opportunities by the bucket-load to have an enriching and fulfilling life.
Australia does not have the history, the wonderful architecture or the foundations that most northern hemisphere countries have. It also lacks a class system so that people from the most humble of backgrounds still can aspire to personal wealth (if thats what you want) and undoubtedly have a better life than what most migrants have left behind.
This was no better illustrated to me when a close friend who emigrated from Northern England returned to where he grew up as a child to witness his childhood friends living in the same villages and in the same houses that he left forty years before. When showing them a photo of his family standing in front of the family home, a beautiful two storey home with pool in the southern beach side suburbs of Sydney, they found it hard to comprehend that a "blue-collar" worker from northern England could possibly have such personal wealth.
So if Australian's like to feel proud of their country and the opportunities it gives to the majority of people who live here, this may go a small part in explaining why.
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Australia is isolated geographically and culturally from the cultures it most closely relates to. Our country is multicultural now and enjoys the influence of many cultures but our foundations are anglo-celtic and our most significant cultural influences come from the United States these days.
I think Australians crave a connection with the 'old countries' for want of a better term, and sometimes feel disconnected from what's happening in those parts of the world.
Australia, even though we are becoming more and more a part of Asia, is still relatively quiet and sheltered from alot of the world's hubs.
This has pluses and negatives. We aren't as embroiled in the world's problems as some other countries and enjoy a degree of sheltered isolation. It helps keep Australia safe, peaceful, prosperous and quiet, all good things, but they get a little boring.
The other thing is that we are a small country, but we rate ourselves very highly and we just wish foreigners did to. Why the bloody hell can't you see how awesome we are?
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Oh, and Australia's prosperity has alot more to due with very well regulated financial markets, conservative, high fee charging banks and low govt debt, coupled with good tariff policies and a competitive market place with low unemployment. Obviously being a commodities based economy is also an important factor, particularly in times of financial crisis, but it is only one factor.
Also, China is one of our biggest customers, but not our only customer. We export alot of things to alot of people. Being resource rich is a rarity amongst rich western countries, and we sell resources to everyone.
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Australia is the best in nearly everything. Infact if we created a movie industry to compete with hollywood, we would be perfect on all fronts. I hope all those ignorant foreigners out there come to respect Australia. We deserve it.
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Whilst I agree Australia does need to be careful of not blowing their own trumpet too much, they have done alright. Suggestions that we have a high level of household debt by eltel99uk are correct, but you must remember you are looking at only one side of the balance sheet - Superannuation is roughly equivalent (& likely exceeds the level of household debt now with the market rally)....
It is a strange mix how Aussies are treated currently. Go to Whistler in BC, Canada & we're known as JAFA's (Just another f#%king Aussie), yet in the UK we're treated like a little brother who often speaks out of turn, but generally with fond affection.... Most POMS have been to, want to go to or have relatives who live in Oz so it's natural to have an opinion on the place & it's people. As for the rest of the world, I think there remains a high level of misinformed opinion on what Australia really is today. It is multi-cultural, highly educated & dynamic. So regarding seeking international acclaim /recognition, I think yes - it is important to Australians, as the place has changed a hell of a lot over the last 20 years. I also think this is probably more-so than other developed nations as we are still very young....
Quality of life is something I think that depends upon you're own interests & circumstances, but when considering the greatest happiness of the overall population - Australia is a place that is easy to identify as having it's fair share of "quality of life" attributes.
....& the nice thing about all of this is that while I don't live in Oz currently (Japan - Which is also a fantastic place to live), I am fortunate enough to have it to return to when I have decided not to live in Japan any longer !
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Australia is a small country by world population standards, and Australians soon find when they go abroad that bigger countries are preoccupied with themselves and are satisfied with dated stereotypes of other countries, especially "smaller" countries like Australia, if they think about them at all.
Against this background, any kind of assertiveness will be dismissed as an expression of inferiority or parochialism. Nothing you can do about it, unfortunately. As Milan Kundera puts it, "the parochialism of large nations is a sort of complacency. Its like; we have everything we need, what is there for us to learn from the rest of the world" (I've quoted a paraphrase rather than Kundera verbatim) . Australia seems to veer at times between small nation and large nation parochialism, between anxiety and complacency, and I think Nick is good at capturing this, in between the silly animal stories and sporting arguments.
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"yet in the UK we're treated like a little brother who often speaks out of turn, but generally with fond affection.... Most POMS have been to, want to go to or have relatives who live in Oz so it's natural to have an opinion on the place & it's people".
That sums up my views pretty well. We went to Australia to vist cousins on both sides of my family a couple of years and we loved it. My son is planning a return visit next year.
I like to point to the Aussie economic experience since the credit crunch to criticise Gordon Brown for his gross mismanagement of the British economy. Gordon Brown overspent in the good times and introduced a lax banking regulation system which wasn't fit for purpose - in fact it made the problem far worse because it fuelled an out of control credit boom.
Australia, on the other hand had built up a a large budget susrplus under Howard in the good times and had much stricter banking regulation which meant their economy and banking system was better placed to weather the credit crunch storm.
My cousins think however that Rudd has not spent wisely in his efforts to stimulate the economy and I suspect they may well be right. I wonder whether Aussies reading this would agree with their view?
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I blame Steve Irwin. Since he died we dont have a huggly lovable foil for all the potential negative (or over-the-top positive) media we get.
"Stupid Australians insult negroes with Jackson skit" - oh but look, Steve Irwin just frightened Jay Leno with a rabbit. Ha hahahaha.. Aussies r cool after all.
"Aussie dollar bones all comers, wins nobel Prize, has a PM who gives USA central bank economic advice.." - oh but look. Steve Irwin. He's a clown. Lovable, but clowny. Aussies r clowns and non-threatening.
Come back Steve!! My trips to the USA were much more fun when you were alive and I could claim to be related .. twice removed.. on my adopted mother's side.
Oh and for the last poster.."My cousins think however that Rudd has not spent wisely in his efforts to stimulate the economy and I suspect they may well be right. I wonder whether Aussies reading this would agree with their view?"
Ok.. In a global economic crucnh, Australia is the only country not in sustained recession, not currently experiencing sustained job contraction and is the first to raise central interest rates back from non-commercial emergency rates. All indicators are that the Swan/Rudd policies are working spectacularly well. Every argument currently put by the liberals for reducing the package is the exact opposite of the reasons they gave for not introducing it!! "It will cost jobs" - well it hasn't, it's protected and possibly even created jobs. So now they say there's a risk of wage blowout. Idiots. "It will not stop recession" - well we did stop the recession from sustaining itself in Australia. Now they say "it will overcook!!" - freaks. "Threaten trade!" - wrong again. We have the supply. Building infrastructure to get it out can only help the process. Every indicator is that the Swan/Rudd decisions were right, were needed and are working. Amazingly, the biggest danger from our end, is not another crunch, but an untempered boom which raises the price of living and therefore the cost of labour (and imagine how bad that would be under a liberal slavechoices regime? - you cant afford bread and milk, but your boss wants to DROP your wages because his profit margin is easing.. hey? Go Swanny).
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busby2, I think your cousin is probably a Liberal Party supporter?
Rudd has handled the crisis very, very well.
Without his massive govt expenditure (which we will certainly pay for later - but what can you do, there's a massive financial crisis to be dealt with?) the Australian economy would almost certainly have fallen into recession, like every other major developed economy.
In fact one of Australian financial instituions' current fears is that some of the govt stimulus package that has yet to be invested will be rolled back due to complacency about Australia's current financial position. Alot of the economic forecasting and positive outlook is based on the understanding that govt funding is in the pipeline. Take that away, and you create panic and fear, which is one of the prime features that causes any financial crisis.
Australia owes it's economic health to succesive govts, the Keating and Howard govts.
Keating was responsible for shaking up the Australian financial system, he introduced much of the regulation and legislation which put Australia's finance companies and banks in such a strong and well-regulated position, and his tariff, employment, collective bargaining and market place reforms ensured a robust, competetive economy with low-unemployment and strong growth.
Howard (or should that read Costello?) focussed on economic stability and reducing govt debt. This too put Australia in a strong position to weather the economic storm and meant that when the economy required massive govt expenditure to maintain growth and avoid recession, the govt had the funds to spend.
We are obviously now in debt, and that is an issue which will have to be addressed over time, but there was little other option.
Luckily, due to our strong economic position and the Howard govt's efforts to put us into surplus, our debt as a percentage of GDP is much lower than almost every other western economy, and will therefore be much easier to manage.
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Australia will only become what it is capable of becoming when the Union Flag is removed, with dignity and grace, from the top left hand corner of its flag. When Australia becomes the Republic of Australia the world will take this nation a lot more seriously and have a much clearer picture of who it really is.
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oldnewshound: that is spot on.... & it must be done with dignity & grace otherwise it will just be taken the WRONG way & we'll have the pith taken out of us non stop.
I'm not sure if you saw it, but there was recently a show produced by the BBC in the UK where a comedian (I think) did a trip to Oz going around asking people in Australia what they thought of THEIR Queen... Most responded that they didn't have one, yet this wally generally insisted that we did... He was met with some severe backlash. I reckon if he went seeking an honest opinion of what people thought of the Queen he would have got some "no opinions," or "she's alright," sort of comments. It's that sort of attitude that gets people off on the wrong foot big-time.
I think if he asked me I would have commented that she's done an excellent job & knows when to step in & make comments on various important issues - so long as we don't have to pay for her... In the UK there is often negative press about the cost of funding the monarchy.. We should cut the relationship as far as being in the Commonwealth is concerned & focus on continuing to develop the country & it's path as we see fit. All the while - remembering our history is very important & is what made the place it is today.
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Thecamo and JP Wallace
Many thanks to responding to my question.."My cousins think however that Rudd has not spent wisely in his efforts to stimulate the economy and I suspect they may well be right. I wonder whether Aussies reading this would agree with their view."
The point they were making was not that Australia did not need a stimulus package but that the stimulus package was not that well directed and therefore weathering the credit crunch has cost more than it should have cost. For example, I was told that stimulus package benefits were paid to pensioners even if they were living abroad - is that correct? If so, that is good news for Australian pensioners facing the credit crunch in less fortunate parts of the world, like the UK, but not so good for stimulating the Australian economy!
If you inherit a sound budgetary policies and have a secure banking system, then it is clear that you can ride out the credit crunch without entering a recession, if the Govt spends huge sums of taxpayers money. I congratulate Australia and the policies of previous Govts which enabled the current Govt to spend their way out of the credit crunch. All my cousins have been saying is that they think this could have been achieved more efficiently and at the cost of less debt to pay back in future years.
The success of Australia contrasts sharply with the economic failures of the UK under Gordon Brown. Only today Gordon Brown announced a sale of £16 billion of Govt assets to reduce the budget deficit - this is desperate stuff from a failed Government and merely a drop in the ocean of debt we will be accumulating in the next couple of years. The national debt is increasing at £5500 each and every second!
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When you send billions of dollars, that has to be spent very quickly to be of any use to the economy and can't go through the normally painstaking approval proccesses, of course you're always going to be able to find examples of waste.
What the govt did is provide benefit money to virtually all Australian citizens and permanent residents. They couldn't possible attempt to distinguish between citizens and residents living abroad and those at home, and besides those people had a legal right to those funds, based on the legislation that was passed, irrespective of where they currently reside.
The point is that the vast majority of the money went where it was supposed to, did what it was supposed to, and kept Australia from a certain recession. As i said before the finance sectors greatest fear is that opinions like your cousins will be listened to, due to complacency (that's all it is) and the total stimulus package will not be delivered, resulting in an economic downturn. That's the last thing we need.
Rudd did very, very well. Better than any other leader in the world really. Pretty hard to critisize that.
Of course we're gonna pay for it, but our debt is lower than almost anyone elses and our economy is stronger, so we're in a good position to pay that debt off over time.
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I'd like to follow on from JP Wallace 31's excellent reply. Many people don't realise that under Howard, the Federal public debt was reduced at the expense of the private citizen. Sure he paid of a huge debt that Labor left, but as I have said before, a large part of the Labor debt was to buy Jumbo 747-400 Planes for Qantas...Labor had planned to keep controlling interest in Qantas. The Libs sold Qantas at a fraction of its real value, and we the people lost a great investment.
In their zealousness to pepetuate the myth that they were good minders of the Federal purse, they caused private credit to reach heights never before seen, pushing interest rates and inflation to a very unsafe level.
Credit card debt under the Liberals was exceptionally high.
As JP Wallace correctly said, the current Labor Government...and they are a return to old Labor of Chifley -Curtin days....quickly poured billions of dollars into the private sector, which kept money flowing. Instead of people panicking, and a run on the banks, money continued as normal.
Now Treasury are saying that the debt may not be anywhere near as high as first projected.
Had we had the Libs in power, we'd be heading for a serious recession...with claims that its just a follow on from the American and European recession.
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JP Wallace and Petesyc
Thank you for your very informative replies.
I think you have a lot to thank both Howard and Rudd for! If Howard hadn't built a large surplus in the first place and Rudd hadn't been willing to spend it when it was necessary, then the Australian economy would not be growing right now. I also take your point that the most important point was to make the stimulus available quickly and not worry too much if some of the money leaked out, after all you could afford some waste!
Petesyc said credit expanded under Howard and that interest rates were high and that inflation was pushed to an unsafe level. Just imagine what would have happened if interest rates were not high and if Howard had spent the budget surplus, so adding to the boom conditions that were developing! If that had happened, Australia could be in the sort of mess the UK is in right now because Rudd would not have the resources available to boost the economy.
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busby2, there is far more to this that what you have posted. Under Howard infrastructure went down hill. We had hundreds of coal loading ships from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan etc waiting to take out coal at the highest price, but because Howard was so busy 'saving', and our coal loanding wharves, rails systems and general infrastructure was totally inadequate, we were unable to get the coal out fast enough. Once the world economy bubble burst, many of those countries immediately cut their demand for our coal, and with the exception of China, have basically reduced their purchase of our raw materials to a fraction of what it was, and for a fraction of the price.
A good manager, as Howard should have been, would have NOT sold Qantas in the first place till the market was more conducive to a good sale...and a better manager would have left Qantas as 51% Government owned, and 49% private enterprise...the profits would easily have repaid the debt run up by Labor.
The huge amount of tax dollars we were accumulating from our raw material exports shouldn't have been squandered on Liberal party...or at least John Howard's ...pet projects such as the totally failed industrial relations program....billions were wasted in the last few years of Howard's reign, including the billions spent of locking up illegal migrants in prison camps, only to have all but a handfull recognised BY HIS MINISTER as genuine refugees, who are now legitimate members of our community.
The theory that Liberals were good money managers was well and truly blown out of the water under Howard's days as Treasurer, and later as Prime Monster, er Minister.
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Mutikonka, your post highlights why many Australians may seem needy to you for recognition. You have just down played an Australian's acheivments in winning the Nobel Prize and what's worse, you tried to co-opt those same achievements for the UK with "was awarded to a Californian who had a PhD from Cambridge."
FYI Elizabeth Blackburn is a dual Australian and US citizen who currently resides in California. She was born and raised in Tasmania. Educated in Melbourne, then with her Masters of Science in hand went to study for her PhD at Cambridge which she received. Just how do you think she was able to go to there in the first place? Maybe her entirely Australian education (up until that point) got her there? Why neglect to mention she received her B.Sc. and M.Sc at Melbourne University? Aren't they just as important as her PhD? She couldn't have gotten where she is with out either of them?
Not needy mutikonka, just an admission of the whole truth would be nice. A lie by omission is still a lie.
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yes. Australia is in need of acclaim. absolutely.
A chip of the shoulder is usually a block of wood fallen from the head. So says my dad.
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The Aussies don't really have a chip on their shoulder about anyone.
We have a go at the Poms, but it's just for fun. Poms are far too easy to bait.
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#37: YAWN!
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Is Australia needy for acclaim?
I'd venture to ask are Australians themselves needy for acclaim or is it our media services who perpetrate this impression? Most people I know just go about their business on a daily basis, follow current worldwide events to varying degrees of interest, and enjoy our successes as they happen. Most people I know also loathe the often asked question by reporters/TV show hosts etc 'What do you think of Australia?'. My opinion is that it's easy journalism and a lazy conversation starter.
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