I'm Australian. AMA

[TwistTwoo]

I live in Australia and would be happy to answer any questions you have about it. Things like:

• The weather
• Housing
• Schooling
• Healthcare
• Politics
• Dangerous animals - are they that dangerous and do you come across them often?
• Jobs
• etc.

Have you ever seen one of those giant stick insects the size of a tree branch?

This is my nightmare. My brother had a tank of stick insects when we were small and their eggs hatched and the little bastards escaped all over the house. I was petrified of them.

Absolutely fine with spiders and snakes, actively like rats, but stick insects need to go back to the dinosaur era whence they came.

Whereabouts in Australia are you? Big country, different climates, city/country divide....

How do you find the standard of living there personally?

Thinking about the negative stereotypes of Australians: do you think they are deserved:
foul mouthed and vulgar
racist
profoundly misogynistic (on this one I will say that on my one visit to Australia; the news had a report of a DV murder every day I was there.)

Only once in a zoo. The largest in my garden are about the length of my hand. Sometimes I find them hanging onto the doorframe.

I'm a little north of Sydney, just off the coast.

I find it good at the moment. The price of electricity is starting to bite, but our general situation is fairly stable. I needed an operation recently; I was able to get it fairly quickly as I have private healthcare. That said, I have a chronic health condition that I've always received top-tier health care for from the public system, including free medicine.

Is there anything specific you had in mind?

@LeoTheLeopard

Thinking about the negative stereotypes of Australians: do you think they are deserved:
foul mouthed and vulgar
There are different types of Australians just as there are classes of British. In some, swearing is a way a life. Others don't swear at all. It is a stereotype, and a lazy one. Personally, I only swear when I stub my toe.

racist
See above. In addition, older Australians (60>) tend to be somewhat more racist than younger people. Young people - yay! - are wonderfully accepting of others. Older people remember the past and are less willing to let go.

profoundly misogynistic (on this one I will say that on my one visit to Australia; the news had a report of a DV murder every day I was there.)
I found this when I was young - ie. 30 years ago. I think things have changed quite a bit since then.

I've heard books are expensive/ there aren't many bookshops or libraries?

Do people not tend to have lots of books in their houses?

Books are expensive, yes - about £18 for a new-release paperback. The number of bookshops has diminished in the last ten years due to competition from online sources. There of plenty of libraries though, and lots of second-hand bookstores. I have six tall bookshelves but usually only buy secondhand or classics as they are cheaper.

And, sorry, people do have books - just the amount varies!

How often do you see a huntsman

How hot does it really get and are you worried about climate change. Have you seen things personally that concern you.

I can never get my head around how the country is kind of empty in the middle. So weird coming from densely occupied UK! How much does the average Australian travel around? Either into the hot centre or to other cities?

Have you read and if so what do you think of Bill Bryson's book Down Under?

Is it like the states where many people hardly ever leave the country to go on holiday?

Is the ATO raid of Plymouth Brethren owned business big news over there? It hasn’t been mentioned over here?

This is what I came for....👀gulp...

MariaVT65 I can answer your question. Australians are great travellers as my DH and I travel, mainly to South East Asia these days due to distance and cost of accommodation. They say ‘ never give an Aussie your address as they are bound to visit’ so watch out 🍤

What has happened to Australia over the past 50 years or so? How did it go from being the land of the larrikin thumbing their nose at authority to some of the most restrictive and anti democratic Covid policies in the world?

And why is Australia letting the rights of women be trampled all over by Trans Right Activists and why aren’t Australian women more angry about it?

It's reasonably big news here, it was in the broadsheets. What will be interesting is to see what comes of it in the next few months.

Yes it is getting hotter and drier here. I'm very concerned about climate change and what it means for the future. I'm in Qld and the climate now is very different to how it was 40 years ago.

Storms are getting more intense and more damaging. We are seeing so many one in a 100 years events now.

Huntsman spiders are big and only scary if you’re afraid of spiders and are harmless, personally, I love Harry the Huntsman spiders, they are cute and do do a wonderful job around the house… they do like to hide behind paintings/pictures and the odd sun shade in the car which can give you a bit of a fright.

I suppose it depends on where you live, because I used to have plenty in the house when I lived near bushland. I live now on an acreage and the trees and further back from the house, so I think that keeps the huntsmen away. They look scary, but theyʼre harmless.

It can get up to 47c here. Thatʼs infrequent, though. This summer has been a hot one, with consistent temperatures above 35c and high humidity. Iʼm not too concerned about climate change - there is little I can do on an individual level, and I donʼt believe it will change dangerously within my lifespan.

What do you mean about ʼhave you seen things personally that concern youʼ?