Learning About Australia

[Zuffen]

The Northern Territory speed limit is now 130KMH.

Lake Eyre was used by Donald Campbell to set a Land Speed Record or 405 (or thereabouts) back in the early 60's.

We have an active but small dry lakes race club that uses the salt lakes.

I think my next holiday may include Montana. Big Sky Country!

 

[stormtrooper]

For all you Salt Lake Speed enthusiast I would recommend you hire "The Worlds Fastest Indian". Its a true story. Our Kiwi friends should know all about it.

Just one comment, no sheep were involved but there is a Tranny :eek2:

 

[jibbby]

Stormtrooper you completely lost me on your last post...The worlds fastest Indian? Sheep but no tranny? What is this? What are you trying to say? Do I need to worry about you mate?

Stormtrooper be honest, have you been drinking agian?:trink26:

 

[stormtrooper]

jibbey, the worlds fastest indian is a movie about a Kiwi guy.

the rest of the post is a joke that probably only Aussies and Kiwis will understand in its totality.

I'll explain a little so you can get part of it.

In Australia there is a long running joke about New Zealand being not only the land of The Long White Cloud. It is also a land where Men are Men and Sheep are scared.

Check out someone else's post in this thread about the Canning Stock Route for a little more clarification.

As for drinking, nope sorry, currently under GPs orders to keep off it.

 

[jibbby]

Thanks Stormtrooper, I was only kidding around with ya in my last post... Wow, I am now learning about inside Aussie jokes, this thread is definetely getting deep now...

How is the drug situation in Australia? Are there any on going problems with drug trafficing and using? In the USA I would have to say Crack Cocaine is one our biggest drug problem in the poverty stricken areas....I think that the problem starts with our Government and aid programs...As where low income families get free rent, food stamps and assistance which they use to buy drugs..The more babies you have the more free government money and aid you get and it's that simple...This in turn literally cripples people as they get use to the free ride and no longer want to seek low paying jobs for which they will qualify for.. Too much free time and free money alot then turn to drugs like crack cocaine and cheap malt liquer (40 oz.) to get their daily highs and pass the time.. Once these people develope a rap sheet (criminal record) the idea and reality of getting a job then becomes a distant memory... Fast money can then be aquired by selling dope on the corners for some. It's really a sad situation for some.......This is a common story and is now being passed down from generation to generation in hoods and ghetto's.. Does Australia have any of these issues?... Marijana I would say is the one drug that leaks into the nicer areas more then others. Weed is appealing to the younger generations of today from what I can see...

I would still have to say alcohol and gambling addictions are still amounst the biggest problems for the masses in the USA... Alot of AA and GA clinics for rehab...

 

[XR8tt]

The previous gov was voted out and Prim minister lost his seat mainly due to following SOME U.S wage awards... They called them AWA's[ Australian Work Agreements] ... Some will argue they are a good thing..But having two of my family members having to sign one just to get a job is close apartheid IMO...Why when unemployment is low, you sign an AWA and work for $10 an hour less ??? Than others that work in same job!! We don't tip here...
It's NOT necessary the poor or underprivileged that are into drugs!! Though media etc tend to bring this up...Drugs are in all types of people...
One of my jobs is checking for unauthorized connection of electricity. In 60 % of cases its to grow Couch etc in rental houses...
If you don't apply for job here, you don't get any social security...Yes there are ways around it..
We have a tech labour shortage.. Mainly due to LOW wages for apprentices, no tax incentives for employers to train them... Plus the fact discipline is different these days... I find in my travelling around the world. Australia is very middle class.. Compared to some countries were there's top, and lower class.. We all believe in having a fair go here, helping a mate. Especially if he's down... BUT don't try and take it for granted, we are fairly quick at picking a bludger also !!!

 

[Zuffen]

Whilst Australia really is close to a "classless" society we also do a good job of "cutting down tall poppies" who make good.

Personally I was a fan of AWAs but they've gone and been replaced by a centralised wage fixing system that will lead us exactly where the last one did.

 

[XR8tt]

Whilst Australia really is close to a "classless" society we also do a good job of "cutting down tall poppies" who make good.

Personally I was a fan of AWAs but they've gone and been replaced by a centralised wage fixing system that will lead us exactly where the last one did.

Untill you have been put on one yourself...Think of people with with good work ethics but low skilled .. They didn't have a chance!!!

 

[jibbby]

You guys are losing me with this Aussie terminology...What is AWA's and what are tall poppies?

I am guessing tall poppies is the upper class people that think they are better then everyone else, and AWA's is a form of government assistance that died out many moons ago... Am I right in my hypothesis?

 

[stormtrooper]

You guys are losing me with this Aussie terminology...What is AWA's and what are tall poppies?

AWA = Australian Working Agreement, I have to admit I thought it was a good idea to. The problem I saw was a few employers were using the letter of the law but not the meaning of the law.

Tall Poppies are people who do really well for themselves but are full of their own self importance. John Delorian would be a good example of a Tall Poppy in America.

 

[XR8tt]

Tall poppy syndrome .. Is Mr average giving real successful people a hard time.. Shooting down a tall poppy.. Not necessary poor people that do it either..

As I said before Aussie is 98% middle class... We have ALL had our opportunity to succeed.. Talking from a 50 year olds point of view...
I had a 5 year tenant married , 2 children who paid his rent at least a week in advance...
He rang me crying on phone.. Said he changed his job working as brickies labourer.. To hospitality after 6 months he wanted to go permanent and signed an AWA or his hours would be limited... His hour rate went from $22 an hour to $14 an hour ..
What upset him was he worked 60 hour weeks for 3 weeks... So he could catch up on rent etc... His employer told him to have time off in Lew ...
He didn't want that as he had things to pay... So he basically worked 20 hours a week for nothing...
It's non trade workers that get burnt. Especially with employers like this...


BTW rent here is $300 + a week.. $100 tax out of $560 doesn't leave much...

 

[Zuffen]

Ok.

I'll fess up I'm a tall poppy.

Started with nothing took a heap of huge risks and made good. Now everyone says "I was lucky". To hell with that if it all turned to merde I was the one left holding the baby!

No one gets ahead without big risk and the opportunity to join the unemployed and bankrupt brigade. There were plenty of times in my life where our Staff were paid and we weren't. Did you notice Staff has a capital "S" as they are people and should be treated like people. Not all bosses (with a lower case b) are ruthless expoliters.

If we don't make it attractive to be sucessfull who is going to take the risk and employ people?

Perhaps the Government then they won't have to do too much.

No profit no risk taking.

 

[XR8tt]

Na mate your no tall poppy... Many have taken risks.. Being successfull yes...

 

[jibbby]

As I said before Aussie is 98% middle class...

So to my complete suprise, it's now my understanding that mosly all Australians do not strive for complete financial security and riches? It almost sounds communistic in away.. The typical young Austalian growing up doesn't desire the finest material things in life, fame and fortune? That's incredible if that's true... It sounds to me like most Australians are well grounded and happy if that is the case.....

However, if most Australians are living in the middle class then I can clearly see how most if all can find some animosity and displeasure in the 2% upper class that are rich and well to do in Australia... That's human nature to some degree..

Zuffen, impressive that you are in that 2%... That means that you are a special and or gifted person that rised above the masses and the norm... Again, impressive and congrats.. I could never look down on someone whom has simply tried to better their situation in life and strive for something more.. Nothing wrong with that as long as you do it legally and morally.


I am in the middle class I guess, but I sure wouldn't complain about being launched into the upper class and not having to worry about paying bills, vacation costs, nice ride costs, a big home and jacuzzi on the hill for which I would own outright, maybe even a few vacation homes on the side over seas...Why not throw in a few mistrisses too:love: , etc...

Zuffen don't appologise for being successful, if your a tall poppie then most Americans would love to be a tall poppie too including me... :439:

 

[stormtrooper]

Zuffen isn't a tall poppy, he has shown he isn't up himself and full of his own self importance. A tall poppy would tread on people on his/her way to making a fortune, the fact Zuffen paid his staff and went without himself show a moral standard above that of a tall poppy.

Australian's do want to be successful and desire more than they have, but to many of us think success is in material things. When it is soooooooooooo easy to get a heap of stuff and put it on credit, which many do, and think they have made good for themselves only to find they have to pay it off at an incredibly high interest rate the dream collapses and its everyone else who has to foot the bill to fix the issue. Then there are people who just cannot read the real estate market and buy their 4 or 5 bedroom 2 level house with a swimming pool etc (out at western Sydney of all places) for 4 or 500 k $ and then the market collapses and their place is only worth 250 -300 k $.

Ou government wont do anything about the problem, I'll probably get in crap for this but I'll say it anyway, Labor depends on a larger than normal amount of people to be on welfare, this current lot though have got it all wrong by alienating the largest welfare group (old age pensioners) to boost their image with the younger welfare group (students and in a few cases single mothers). I hope it backfires on them soon.

Rant over. :sadwavey:

 

[XR8tt]

o/k then 98 % are successful middle class ...
I don't like really putting people in classes..
YES we do strive for financial security that's why most are middle class..
I guess it's what we define what it is? But there's very little poverty here
very few ghettos [sp] that I have seen in other countries...

What I'm trying to explain there's NO upper and lower to a point in Aussie.. We ALL have an opportunity to succeed!!
How we go about that is in degree's ??..
Myself I will easily be self funded retiree.. But I still IMO middle class..
Or I wouldn't be fitting an 1UZ in Celica? I would just buy a new sports car!! Lol...

Jibbby... I think you are dissecting this too much.. I have been there [U.S] three times and around the world twice..Europe 4 times...
COME ON DOWN !!!

Stormtrooper .. That very same thing is happening in U.S .. THey lent to people who can never pay...
Which has reflected on things down here...

 

[jibbby]

So the false security of credit card buildup and useage plagues Australia too... We defenitely have that problem here in the USA too... We Americans are very credit card happy ...

I guess that's what keeps the economy spinning though, consumer spending which in most cases leads to consumer debt.....



Curious, why do they call Australia "The land from down under". I never quite understood that...Hmmm?

 

[striker]

Hey jibby, concensus over here in europe is that we hope the credit card culture is not going to backfire on the USA sometime soon, world economy would get a serious dent.

on the down under thingy.

take a look at a globe.

grtz Thomas

 

[jibbby]

Yeah Striker, I figured it was the geographic thing..

Thanks, just wanted to confirm that...

 

[XR8tt]

This may explain ??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNT7uZf7lew