| THE
HISTORY FILE (part 2) |
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Perhaps this is the place to talk about the things we have learned and are beginning to appreciate about Australia. It's been a steep and fascinating learning curve. Much of what we know now could not have been without becoming part of a Rural Australian Community. As a visitor/tourist one only gets a small feel for the vastness of the country and the distances involved in travelling through Regional Australia. The issues mentioned below are in no particular order of merit because each has it's own worth and importance. |
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| However,
what struck us immediately we arrived in Mudgee was just how friendly
and helpful people were. Initially, if any particular individual could
not help, we were instantly put in touch with someone who could. This
seems to be the regular attitude of people living in Regional Australia,
where individuals and family values matter. Survival in tough times, such
as during prolonged drought, depends on communities pulling together and
caring for and about one another. Hopefully, for most, it's the same in
the big cities, although the pressures of life there are very different.
Such is the world over, but we were really impressed. |
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| Most
people living in a western style democracy care about the same things
as their counterparts elsewhere around the world. People worry about the
same issues and how these do and will affect their lives. The state of
the local, state and federal economies are high on the list of Australians'
concerns. The cost of living including the price of fuel and food items
balanced against wages is crucial. Petrol and diesel may be cheaper here
than in the UK, but the distances travelled to get anywhere are so much
greater. As in England, motorists in rural areas pay more than those in
the cities.When we arrived in 2005, petrol was 99 cents (42p) per litre
in Sydney and around 114 cents (48p) in rural areas. That has climbed
steadily, and at the beginning of September 2006 it was 146 cents (61p)
in Mudgee. Repeated reductions by say 2 or 3 cents at a time and even
at 1 day intervals, have brought it down to 128 cents (54p) per litre.
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Interest rates, mortgage and house rental costs are critical, with concern
for young people and how they will get on the housing market ladder. Day
to day safety is a big issue. Potential terrorist threats are a major
ongoing subject. Local crime, vandalism and road safety are more instant
issues. Despite all the advertising, driver fatigue connected to long
distance travelling causes numerous single vehicle accidents in which
cars/trucks leave the road and hit wayside trees or powerpoles. Worse
still is when a vehicle crosses into the path of oncoming traffic. |
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| Being
so close to Indonesia and China, drug trafficking is often in the news.
Current trials in Indonesia involving Australians are headline items,
especially when the Indonesian Government uses the death penalty for convicted
offenders. The deployment of Australian troops to Iraq, Afghanistan, East
Timor and the Solomon Islands is another concern. |
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| Australian
Politics are so similar to English, except you get a double dose with
"State" and "Federal". Digging into the private lives
of politicians is just like being in UK. "When will John Howard step
down in favour of Peter Costello?" is as demanding a question as
the Blair/Brown saga. The balance of trade is a hot-bed for discussion.
Why is so much of Australia's coal being exported at low prices to China?
Why are so many cheap Chinese goods being imported? Why are "Australian
Made" products so much more expensive than imported items. |
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| The
immigration laws are a source of considerable discussion. Cases of illegal
entry and asylum seeking are as common as in England, except that many
of the would-be migrants come from Indonesia and China. There have been
great debates about assylum seekers being assessed in off-shore centres,
rather than being allowed into the country whilst the assessment process
happens. As outsiders, we think the Australian immigration regulations
are much harsher than those in England, but I'm not sure the Australian
public thinks that. The Prime Minister often speaks out about "Australian
Values" and the possible threat to them brought in by the migrant
population. He is concerned that if people wish to live in this great
country they should be prepared to uphold those Australian Values, speak
English and live according to Australian law. It has even been said that
if people wish to live by the law and creed of their religion, they should
live in a country where that is the norm. The Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley
has asked that Australian Values be included in Immigration Visa Conditions. |
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