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AMA
Original poster

I'm Australian. AMA

230 replies

TwistTwoo · 26/03/2024 05:26

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.
OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
WalkingaroundJardine · 01/04/2024 14:16

Theblacktulip · 31/03/2024 13:37

OP I've spent probably 6 years in Australia from when I was a backpacker to later on working there in several States. When I was a backpacker and living in Manly I used to work in a takeaway shop at the far end of George Street, Sydney; just round the corner from the theatre.

At that time all these well educated people from the theatre would come in and order a takeaway ...."and a hot chip". What they meant were a portion of chips.

Do people still speak like that?

They do, because what we call crisps they call chips (like the Americans) so they have to differentiate between cold chips and hot chips!

Theblacktulip · 01/04/2024 14:22

WalkingaroundJardine · 01/04/2024 14:16

They do, because what we call crisps they call chips (like the Americans) so they have to differentiate between cold chips and hot chips!

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Not my point OP. They said "a hot chip". Singular. I believe you are Australian as you find this usual :)

WalkingaroundJardine · 01/04/2024 14:57

Theblacktulip · 01/04/2024 14:22

Not my point OP. They said "a hot chip". Singular. I believe you are Australian as you find this usual :)

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Oh - no, I don’t hear people talking about chips in the singular sense at all. Perhaps they did at one time?

Original poster
TwistTwoo · 02/04/2024 00:43

Theblacktulip · 31/03/2024 13:37

OP I've spent probably 6 years in Australia from when I was a backpacker to later on working there in several States. When I was a backpacker and living in Manly I used to work in a takeaway shop at the far end of George Street, Sydney; just round the corner from the theatre.

At that time all these well educated people from the theatre would come in and order a takeaway ...."and a hot chip". What they meant were a portion of chips.

Do people still speak like that?

Perhaps that was how they referred to on the menu board? This does confuse me a little as in takeaway shops, when ordering, we'll generally say, "$2 worth of chips," or "a large chips" - not 'chip' in the singular.

It has nothing to do with education.

OP posts:
Original poster
TwistTwoo · 02/04/2024 00:50

@Theblacktulip

It’s going to bite them on the bum in a very significant way at some point. I listened to Joe Szeps being interviewed on Triggernometry last week and he made the point that Australia has developed very much into a “Don’t rock the boat / cause any trouble” sort of society. Personally I find this very worrying.

This is the Joe Szeps that appeared on Joe Rogan numerous times?

OP posts:
JamSandle · 02/04/2024 01:12

What's your favourite part of Australia and why? :)

Downunderduchess · 02/04/2024 01:38

Teddleshon · 26/03/2024 10:04

@TwistTwoo Surely you’re aware that the Australian covid restrictions were amongst the toughest, longest and most anti democratic in the world and are you not aware that a number of Australian states have introduced gender self id? I am about as far from a Daily Mail reader as it is possible to be.

Australia used to be famed for its anti authoritarian / establishment attitude. Now it is one of the most conformist societies in the western world. I’m curious as to what happened.

The Covid restrictions/lockdowns were supported by pretty much everyone I know. It was seen (certainly by my family & friends) as the right thing to do for the community. A lot of what happened was brought on by irresponsible people consciously going out into the community when they knew they were sick. I have noticed it’s still being made a big deal of by internet commentators as a stick to beat Australians with when you share an opinion about anything that opposes their views. It’s weird.

As for the gender issues, I am probably one of the few people in my circle who is aware of this and the wider world issues surrounding it (single sex spaces, safe spaces for women & girls, the trans debate). I would probably be considered a terf for my own views on the subject. It just doesn’t get spoken about much. I did explain to my sister recently who KJK is and what she is about. Made it clear I’m a fan.

Downunderduchess · 02/04/2024 01:46

TwistTwoo · 26/03/2024 11:58

2L of milk is about £5. A meal out for two (not alcohołic drinks) would be about £51, conservatively.

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I think some of these prices might be contingent on where you shop. I googled 2 litres of milk and it shows I can buy it locally in Sydney at a major supermarket for less than $5aud. And you can definitely eat out for less than what you’ve mentioned, again depending on where you’re going.

I'm Australian. AMA
Downunderduchess · 02/04/2024 02:31

Deerdrinkingtea · 26/03/2024 12:57

I think you're underplaying those temperatures. I lived there for a year and temperatures in Sydney frequently went into the late 30's and that was 25 years ago! I've got a friend living there and she often tells me what the temperature is and it's closer to 40 than 30 that's for sure.

Climate change is already hitting Australia very hard, the fires, the floods, not sure how they can really be underplayed...

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Can confirm, outer Sydney summer temps can be brutal, common to have mid to high thirties and have had many 40+ degree days over the last few years, highest where I live was 48. Humidity has been shocking this summer as well.

SuperstarDeejay · 02/04/2024 03:52

As for the gender issues, I am probably one of the few people in my circle who is aware of this and the wider world issues surrounding it (single sex spaces, safe spaces for women & girls, the trans debate). I would probably be considered a terf for my own views on the subject. It just doesn’t get spoken about much. I did explain to my sister recently who KJK is and what she is about. Made it clear I’m a fan.

I agree. Australia is different from the UK in that we don't have any high profile trans activists, and I'm not aware of any pro trans rights organisations getting a lot of airtime in the media either. So there's no-one to rail against, really.

StealthSpinach · 02/04/2024 04:43

theyoungishman · 27/03/2024 05:12

Wow! Are you sure? 2L milk is around $3 on Perth which is £1.50! £ is extortionate!
And a meal for 2 around $60 or £30

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My 1L milk (lactose free) is just under $4, and a takeaway laksa (for 1) delivered was over $30 last week in Brisbane…

Grumblevision · 02/04/2024 06:05

This thread has made me realise I'd struggle to live in Aus because I can't kill things. I mean, I'd surely learn fast and get used to it but the thought of killing spiders makes me feel all kinds of horrible. I'm more squicked by a dead spider than a living one in the UK. (Case in point, there's a spider tucked up on the side of a cupboard door in our kitchen and my husband's put a towel over the adjacent cupboard door so it doesn't shut fully and squash it, I almost didn't realise and took it out... Eeuuehegehegehehgh)

AvengedQuince · 02/04/2024 07:21

The Covid restrictions/lockdowns were supported by pretty much everyone I know. It was seen (certainly by my family & friends) as the right thing to do for the community.

A family member of mine was ostracised, thrown out of a regular group chat by friends they had known for years, simply for having different views. I'm not talking about pushing conspiracy theories on people or anything like that, just minor comments that would have been considered reasonable discussion in the UK at the time. So I'm wondering if many people just learnt to keep dissenting views to themselves.

Louloulouenna · 02/04/2024 08:37

It was the denial of entry to Australian citizens that shocked me. There were some hideous heart breaking stories as a result and I was just really stunned that a democracy could take away the fundamental rights of its citizens en masse in this way.

Some of the episodes of police brutality were also shocking.

AvengedQuince · 02/04/2024 10:27

The incredibly low passenger caps for the tens of thousands trapped overseas were shocking. Then the number overseas was added to as people needed to leave Australia due to circumstances like terminally unwell family members or funerals. I remember wondering if one of my grandparents fell ill, would my parents come back and risk not being able to return?

Original poster
TwistTwoo · 02/04/2024 10:36

JamSandle · 02/04/2024 01:12

What's your favourite part of Australia and why? :)

The Northern part of Queensland - Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest. This area is magical.

OP posts:
Original poster
TwistTwoo · 02/04/2024 10:38

@StealthSpinach

My 1L milk (lactose free) is just under $4, and a takeaway laksa (for 1) delivered was over $30 last week in Brisbane…

My original prices were an error (that I corrected). My apologies!

OP posts:
Teddleshon · 02/04/2024 10:57

@TwistTwoo Interesting that you think Josh Szeps appearing on Joe Rogan somehow registers any opinion he may have as questionable.. If that’s the case it puts him alongside many of the greatest scientists/ academics/ philosophers of our age who have also appeared on his program (incidentally JR is a Democrat). Yes a lot of nut jobs have also been on but so what, what is wrong with having a conversation with people?

Again symptomatic of the attitude of the new Australia - very closed minded.

AvengedQuince · 02/04/2024 11:03

Again symptomatic of the attitude of the new Australia - very closed minded.

There has certainly been a change. People you could always have a reasonable discussion with and explore differing viewpoints, they changed. Certain conversations were abruptly shut down. As I posted previously, a family member was ostracised by long term friends.

Louloulouenna · 02/04/2024 11:18

@AvengedQuince I had a similar experience, very sad.

SuperstarDeejay · 02/04/2024 22:36

AvengedQuince · 02/04/2024 07:21

The Covid restrictions/lockdowns were supported by pretty much everyone I know. It was seen (certainly by my family & friends) as the right thing to do for the community.

A family member of mine was ostracised, thrown out of a regular group chat by friends they had known for years, simply for having different views. I'm not talking about pushing conspiracy theories on people or anything like that, just minor comments that would have been considered reasonable discussion in the UK at the time. So I'm wondering if many people just learnt to keep dissenting views to themselves.

Lockdown, especially in Victoria, was HARD. I know my coping strategy was to stay as positive as possible for myself and my kids. I gave the government the benefit of the doubt that they were doing their best, I looked for things to do and ways to be content. I sought out the company of people who'd help keep spirits up. Sure we made some very dry jokes and shared all the memes but overall we were optimistic.

It was really tough, and I didn't have the headspace to engage with people/media that was relentlessly negative. If people couldn't read the room and kept ranting/repeating twatty soundbites they heard on Sky News I'm not surprised their friends muted them, I would have done the same. It wasn't an inability to participate in social discourse or whatever insult was thrown upthread, it was about cocooning ourselves to preserve our mental health.

StartupRepair · 02/04/2024 23:17

Same @SuperstarDeejay . That's a great description of what it was like.

Original poster
TwistTwoo · 03/04/2024 00:32

@SuperstarDeejay

Lockdown, especially in Victoria, was HARD. I know my coping strategy was to stay as positive as possible for myself and my kids. I gave the government the benefit of the doubt that they were doing their best, I looked for things to do and ways to be content. I sought out the company of people who'd help keep spirits up. Sure we made some very dry jokes and shared all the memes but overall we were optimistic.

It was really tough, and I didn't have the headspace to engage with people/media that was relentlessly negative. If people couldn't read the room and kept ranting/repeating twatty soundbites they heard on Sky News I'm not surprised their friends muted them, I would have done the same. It wasn't an inability to participate in social discourse or whatever insult was thrown upthread, it was about cocooning ourselves to preserve our mental health.

I completely agree with this. Sky News, in particular, was toxic in Australia. I know there were some friends and relatives that were like this - quoting and sharing memes they'd heard with abandon - and I'd mute rather than engage. Face-to-face, it's the equivalent of 'smile and nod, then leave the room when possible.'

OP posts:
Original poster
TwistTwoo · 03/04/2024 00:34

@Teddleshon

Again symptomatic of the attitude of the new Australia - very closed minded.

Are you Australian, Teddleshon?

OP posts:
StartupRepair · 03/04/2024 00:49

Australia voted out its dud Trump lite Prime Minister 18 months ago and voted in a Labor government. While not perfect they are implementing a more progressive agenda. Almost every state has a Labor government. There is a huge push from the young for better housing policy and a more aggressive approach to climate. I don't think people are sheep but rather have a high level of engagement.