I lived in Australia for a bit. Don't tell anyone I was an illegal alien. I was impressed by the schools, the welfare, the health system. And, at the time, the government was able to balance the budget. Housing was cheap, but what the hell was it with sneakers? I felt that if I wanted to buy a pair of sneakers I'd have to take out a loan.
Ha! Yes, it's pretty ridiculous. We import them from the States...who has imported them from Vietnam.
That's really just if you want the brands, of course, but there are a few things like that here. Ultimately we're somewhat isolated still, so there is still the possibility for things to evolve a little differently here to elsewhere. We're much more part of the world than we used to be, but still...
My wife has family that lives in Sydney. That was back in '95. I don't know how things have progressed but I think I've heard they no longer are able to balance the budget.
It depends. I think that has gotten harder for the world, and we are suffering the normal Baby-Boomer aging problem much of the Western world is facing. In relative terms I think we've done well. We got through the GFC without too much drama, and whilst COVID has been a major problem (particularly in Victoria, where I live) the impact is far less than many other countries.
The budget would have been in surplus this year, but it's been a somewhat challenging year, to put it mildly.
On Sydney, it's an okay place to live, depending on what you can afford. But traffic and housing prices are insane.
Melbourne is slightly better, but has the same basic issues with both of those.
