h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In my last journal I commented that Australia, for all that it's in a good socioeconomic position right now, is not paradise. This is where I expand on this statement.

As a rule, one lists all the things that are wrong with a place and then tries to put a positive gloss on the situation by listing some good things. I've gone about this the wrong way and might even depress myself slightly once I've slagged off my country a bit. Let's see. But here's a non-exhaustive list of things that are wrong, each of which could make for a grim journal entry of its own:

1. Indigenous issues

I'm tempted to describe this as 'post-colonial mess', which is more or less what it starts out as, but that would be to deny that independent sovereign Australia has stuffed some things up all by itself. Aboriginal people in Australia have a significantly lower life expectancy than the rest of us; they have poorer health outcomes, higher rates of malnutrition, higher rates of kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes and glaucoma; they have exponentially higher rates of imprisonment, poor educational results and appallingly high levels of alcoholism and domestic violence. And that's just for starters.

Some of these issues stem from colonial policies that weren't changed for decades after Federation and the establishment of a national government.

Efforts are being made to change things but progress seems infinitely slow. Then there's the ethical issues. We're trying to avoid paternalism, but some current policies positively reek of paternalism. Those of us who care spend so much time trying to be sensitive and empowering that nothing gets done. It's a mess, and it will be decades before we really get anywhere. This is so bloody depressing.

2. Decaying infrastructure

The last Federal government was a bunch of idiots. They never could see the need to spend money on infrastructure - roads, ports, railways in particular. (The big airports are privately owned.) Now we have slightly more sensible and less penny-pinching people in power, the job is bigger than it would have been if maintenance had been undertaken earlier.

3. Access to healthcare

It's all very well having socialised medicine that is affordable for everyone and free for the most disadvantaged, but if there's a shortage of doctors the system fails. There is a shortage at the moment. Then there's issues of distance, with most advanced medical facilities being in the capital cities. Some people have to travel up to 1000 kilometres to get the treatment they need.

4. Education funding

For some barking mad reason, the government funds private schools. Why? The government school system needs the money; private schools for the children of wealthy people do not. This is a particular irritant for me, remembering the poor resources at my government school.

5. Constitutional issues

I've already said my piece about the monarchy, and the fact that it's a perfectly ridiculous system of government for this country.

6. Political idiocy

We have a very uninspiring bunch of politicians at the moment, with two major parties that are missing the point on just about everything that matters. I probably don't have to expand on this too much for those of you who are in the UK, the US, or indeed anywhere else. Everything's cut down to 20-second soundbites and idiotic slogans and catchphrases. Is this debate? Nope. Are we well-served? Hell no.

There were other things I could have gone on about, but it *is* depressing writing this stuff. But it is an interesting exercise, examining the national entrails. After all, to fix problems we first have to acknowledge them and look at them in cold blood.



This is the seventh journal entry in my week of a-journal-a-day. It's proven to be very easy, once I've picked on a topic. That's good to know, seeing as the month of daily journals looms... I might give myself a day off tomorrow, unless I have something to say. But I usually do have something to say, it seems.

Ivan.

(too late for me to read it in detail now)

I suppose even in paradise the trees have shadows.

Yep, you have a long list of things that are wrong or bad.

I suppose I live in the only town where private school actually teaches mostly kids from NOT wealthy families. Quite the other way round. Or rather, they have a lot of kids the other schools don't want to have. And yes, the school is partly municipality funded, because without that one we wouldn't have enough schools in town. (And for some political reasons, too.)

But back to Australia. It is amazing to see how much you feel for your country, Ivan.

I never used to feel this attached to the country, but after 17 years in the public service I've seen under the skin of the place better than a lot of people ever will. There is so much that needs to be done, and there's so little political willingness to do it.

But that's only the social side of things. The country itself - the landscape, and everything in it - is another matter. It is so uniquely itself, and all these trivial human concerns don't matter to it at all. When one accepts that people are unimportant, and that this land will never quite be tamed by people, life can be very peaceful.

I'm afraid people from here don't move to the other side of for the nature. And there's not that many who come back.

That's very true. Most of them came here precisely because it was the other end of the earth, and they didn't much care what the place looked like. Most of them have come to appreciate the land, though. The light, the colours, the space... Plenty of room to move, and to be alone when one wants.

People down there are known to be friendly and helpful, they don't hate foreigners (read: eastern europeans) that much, actually there's even some w*rk to do and place to live at. So there. Ah yes, and the local language is almost reasonable.

Almost, yes. And 98% of people here are foreigners...

Do all the 98% feel like foreigners?

I've only been in Australia twice (once for a summer, and once for a month), but I loved the land. It's so utterly different than here. I supposed I would feel that way if I travelled to many places, but there is *something* about the Australian land. I would find it very easy to live there if I had to (apart from all those spiders though. Don't mind spiders generally but do they have to be so big?).

Last time I was in Oz was at the start of the reconciliation process I think. I was travelling so out of touch alot, but it was very moving, the bits I saw.

Congratulations on your seventh journal entry. I can't comment much on conditions there, but it sounds much like things here (US) with crumbling infrastructure, poor school funding and political idiocy. Indigenous issues are better hidden here I think tho they certainly exist.

This is one I need to bookmark for comment when I can give it what it deserves.

Pc, I'll settle for chocolate or beer. Guess which one I have to hand right now.

Hati, most of the 98% have forgoten they're foreigners. I'm sixth-generation Australian on Dad's side of the family, but I think we're foreigners on this land. Tanzen (who I miss) is one of the 2%. It's interesting seeing things through her eyes from time to time, not that I've heard from her lately. I should call her.

Kea, you're right, there's something compelling about the land and the landscape here. I really can't explain it in anything other than animist terms, and even then I struggle.

Hellbound, I think the first step to fixing any problem is acknowledging that there is a problem. If we all do that, there's still hope.

I should get organised for this meeting I'm going to. There are other things I could say, but time's against me tonight.

It's totally fascinating to get these insights about Australia from - well - an insider. Thanks for sharing.

It's fun doing all these journals - even this one, where I tip a bucket on my country.

OTOH, you could set out a bucket for tips. Here's

Ooh, money. Thanks!

*Arrives late as usual*

Cheers for this Ivan, I might do something similar for the UK when I start NaJoPoMo. Or maybe something about just Yorkshire, as a complaint about the UK as a whole could take an entire months worth of journals.

You'll notice that I only picked my Top 6 Complaints. A full list would take far too long.

Oh, and here's a bonus piece of complete and utter idiocy. Apparently destroying the koala's habitat helps save the koala. The New South Wales Minister for the Environment thinks so.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-27/logging-protects-koalas-says-nsw-minister/3604000