how is australia?

Question

all my life i have wanted to visit australia. For some reason it seems like a nice relaxing place that doesnt have much crime. I've heard the education system is good and is effective but not rigorous, like you are not to do sooooo much in such little time. Also, it seems like a nice place. If someone has anything detailed to say about it i am very enthusiastic to learn.

Answer 1

I'm afraid you are incorrect about the education system. It is more rigorous than that of the USA, to the extent than many American children relocating to Australia with their families are required to repeat a year.

The climate varies considerably, just as in the USA, depending on where you are living.

We have some of the deadliest snakes in the world, but you are unlikely to run into them in urban areas.

Only 6% of the land on this continent is arable, therefore the bulk of the population live on the coast.

Sydney's population is around the 5 million mark, Melbourne's is 3.5 million.

Canberra is the federal capital, located between Sydney and Melbourne and purpose built as the national capital. Silly idea, but that's the way it is.

You can pay anything from $150,000 to $5 million for a house, depending on where you want to live and what sort of housing you want.

Great beaches, great lifestyle, enforced anti-discrimination legislation, semi-socialised medical system. Free public hospital for all, you may have private health insurance to ensure choice of doctor or to be admitted to a private hospital.

Federal government, state governments and local government. Two main political parties, the conservatives are called The Liberals and the Labour Party has its origins in the union movement.

As for immigration, there are many sought after skills required, the best place to look is the Department of Immigration web site (refer below).

A very cosmopolitan society in large cities, although country towns can be less so.

Over 50% of children born here now have 3 or more grandparents from different cultures - we are big on mixed marriages here!

Answer 2

If you have the opportunity to visit, do. I've been to Western Australia 4 times and wish I could live there. The people are friendly, even in a big city like Perth it still has a small town atmosphere, lots of open shopping. It's very much like the US and Canada in that it's a new country and inclusive.

Answer 3

Moving to Australia
Public Safety
Crime rates are lower than in the US. The murder rate is a fraction of that in the USA. One US criminologist here said the violence rate is actually not much lower but since Australians are rarely armed fatal injuries are rare. It used to be considered dishonourable to carry any kind of weapon. Most crime seems to be housebreaking by that ever present menace - the drug addict. Prostitution is now legal in controlled houses and some forms of gambling have always been legal so there has been little chance for organised crime to get big.

Road death rates are higher than in the USA or Japan, but the difference is small and Australian death rates are lower than in some western European countries. The last heavy aircraft crash was in 1960 and fatal railway accidents only happen in the state of New South Wales where the railways have been neglected for decades.

AIDS has a low incidence. As soon as it emerged in the 1980s the Gov’t of the day started a major public awareness campaign. Sufferers are usually male homosexuals and intravenous drug users. A few non-fatal diseases are slightly more common than average in some areas, but there are no endemic diseases. There is no malaria except among people who have brought it into the country and tuberculosis is all but unheard of.

Some stupid people refuse to immunise their infants and there have been a few local cases of whooping cough. The last diphtheria case in Australia was in 1992. The larger cities and towns are well supplied with doctors who are trained to international standards, or better. Hospitals range from slightly sub-optimal to good. There are government and private health insurance schemes which have varying amounts of cover depending on how much you pay.

Housing
Most Australian housing vaguely resembles the California bungalow or the “ranch house”. There is usually only one floor and no basement. Typically houses built before about 1970 have 3 bedrooms, one bathroom. After that many houses were built with an "ensuite" which is a shower booth and water closet attached to the master bedroom with a full bathroom elsewhere. Kitchens generally are smallish but well appointed. Most houses do not have pantries or "dens". Recently though land prices have risen while the cost of building has fallen so newer houses are larger and better appointed. I have just paid yearly land tax of $758 on an “unimproved land value” of $269,666. This tax would be the same whether the house was big, small or non-existent. This tax does not include water supply or sewerage charges.

Major cites and most medium to small towns have sewer systems and safe water supplies. Electricity is 240Volt, 50Hz so most American appliances will not work here. Cable TV and mobile (cellular) phones in larger towns. There are up to 7 free-to air digital and 5 analog TV networks available, multiple AM and FM radio stations. The landline phones work.

Like everywhere else real estate values vary with locality. I've seen houses sell here recently for a million dollars (say $720,000US) but they are at the top end of the local market. I live 20 minutes walk from a major employment centre and a large shopping mall. There is an elementary school five minutes walk away (set to close unfortunately) with a convenience store, small children's play area, sports ground, park, restaurant, local general practice medico nearby. There are Catholic and government high schools within twenty or thirty minutes walk.

A natural gas pipeline and a coaxial cable for phone, I'net and cable TV run past the door. Power supply is 240V 50Hz and reliable. It went off the other day as some work was being done - must have been off 8 minutes. That's the only power cut for months and the previous one lasted about as long.

This city's population is about 280,000. The house is an older one with three bedrooms and one bathroom, separate garage, brick construction, tile roof, central heating on a gas furnace.

There are several real estate dealers (realtors) who operate nearly Australia-wide, look for websites for "The Professionals" and "LJ Hooker" among other reputable companies. In country towns you can get good houses for around AU$120,000 or less. It all depends on whether the population is growing and how much work there is. I've heard of one whole village being sold for a few thousand, which was a local joke here a few months ago.

Work
Australia needs doctors and dentists for country towns. There is plenty of work in construction and mining. There are two low-rise buildings going up and another almost completed not far from the shopping mall I just mentioned. Same thing is going on in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and even in some of the larger country towns.

Income tax is "high" compared to the USA but lower than in many other countries. This is levied by the Federal Government. On a salary of $65,000 you can expect to pay about $17,000 tax. Another federal tax is the Goods and Services Tax. This is levied at 10% on all goods except fresh uncooked food. A third federal tax which many people never have to pay is capital gains tax. This is levied on investments once disposed of, if the value has risen. If the investment is held for more than about five years (don’t quote me) then the tax is not payable.

You will not pay any direct taxes to the State governments unless you buy and sell land or apartments or buy a car in one state and take it to another. State governments also tax cars every year with registration fees, these are a few hundred dollars. I have a V8 coupe and recently paid $740. This included third party injury insurance.

Citizenship has required at least 4 years residence though there has been a move recently to tighten things up a bit, maybe put in a minimum competence in English.

Answer 4

Gillian has researched very well and I agree with what she has to say.