I'd really like to connect with fellow Aussies on here. Get your feelings about how this country treats us, your experiences. And just to know there are others like me on here. Anyone want to talk?
We should probably hold an underground deathmatch to decide the most powerful australian or something
Well I'm not Aussie but I live here. Does that count? This country is amazing btw, although sometimes I feel like I'm in China/ Hong Kong instead. I do hope the Aussies are all amazing people too
Kiwi, rather than Aussie here, but most of the world can't tell us apart........ ;-) I am a bit mystified at the situation over there....a lot of the time I think our countries are very similar socially...and then something completely stumps me...like your politicians' attitude towards marriage equality....and I'm reminded how different we are. I had really hoped with Abbott gone that things would change...but it looks like Turnbull is bowing to your religious rightwing. Still, things can change quickly, three years ago I would have bet on you getting marriage equality before us...so I'm sure it will happen.
Hey guys. And yes, both close enough ;0) As for the whole marriage equality thing. We didn't have a hope with the mad monk in charge. Turnbull will let it through, if his balls are big enough. The RWNJ's are the real issue though. Twitter is the place to go to see the great arguments about it though
Not an Aussie, but been living here for a few years. I'm really surprised about how conservative the government is compared to the average Australian. I think that's a bit harsh. Aussie men aren't wimps. They're just really bad at cricket, tennis, rugby etc. :badgrin:
...Aussie rules, swimming... And we're stuck with a conservative government cos the average Aussie fell for their lies.
Fair point. I guess most people were fed up all the backstabbing going on in the Labour government and felt that the Liberals were a better option. I still haven't met anyone who openly admits to voting for Tony Abbott, though.
oi oi oi :smilewave uhhhhhhh, the LGBT politics of Australia at the moment are depressing :icon_sad: was temporarily happy that Tony Abbott was no longer Prime Minister, but I don't get the feeling that things are going to change anytime soon. It also makes me kind of depressed that if/when marriage equality ever does happen, it will be as a result of the general public voting on it, and something about that just feels bleh... other people get to decide on our equality. Welp, not much can be done i suppose... Just keep pushing for it. And it really does suck how different our government is compared to our neighbours in New Zealand. At the moment it's scary to think, i can fall in love with a guy, i can get married, i can live a more equal life than if i fall in love with a girl, can't get married, get denied rights... and then all the other social implications that come with that. Ahhh, our government sucks. Let's not even get started on the refugee/manus island issue :dry: And Malcom Turnball commending Tony Abbott's great achievement on "stopping the boats". :dry: I think a lot of us are frustrated.
Oh yeah. :bang: And I can think of a lot of better reasons to be frustrated. :roflmao: And none of them wear budgie smugglers....:***:
Oh, I meant that the government is doing so badly with welcoming refugees. It's just horrible, and frustrating.
It's not just frustrating. It's disgusting. People coming here, desperate for help and treated like criminals because they come by boat. Then you have an anti-abortion idiot denied a visa who flies over anyway and is to be deported. Why is he not being sent to one of these filthy camps? Because he flew over.
Our government does not seem to reflect the attitudes of the ordinary person, ironically, considering that it is supposed to be an assembly of those who represent us. I'm Australian - from Melbourne, and I have been lurking on this forum for the past 3 years, rarely to post, yet still here.
I live in Canberra, and while I do sometimes retreat into "I'm only half Australian" out of shame of our human rights record and even though I mercilessly mock some Australian customs, I do really love this country. It's physically beautiful, prosperous and it offers excellent education and opportunities. Australia has developed a rich culture, possesses flourishing artistic and intellectual scenes and is coming to acknowledge the deep, ancient and sacred cultures that make up the roots of this country's heritage. I haven't interacted with many Australians outside of the major cities, so I don't know much about rural and regional attitudes personally, but in my experience Australia is very pro-LGBT, especially in the inner-city environments I know. But I think that rather than being in a liberal bubble, the urban Australia I know is much more representative of Australia than the worldview of those who think that mocking lattes, queers and multilingualism is actually how most Australians think. Given that the centres of Australia's population are overwhelmingly urban, it irks me that rural, conservative opinions are able to make the governments timid about making transition easier for trans people, expanding same-sex couple's rights to have children and same-sex marriage. The changes could be rammed through the parliaments as an inevitability and they'd just have to put up with it. Same-sex marriage alone takes up so much space in the media and it's always hovering as a shadow over the Federal Government's agenda, so it'd just be worth it to get it done with as little fanfare as possible and move on. Because marriage is seen as the biggest change, it lets the state parliaments dawdle on most other LGBT issues: only really Victoria is taking a proactive stance. I imagine having same-sex marriage would make way for debate on multiple LGBT issues: sexual and mental health; national adoption, step-parenting and surrogacy laws; mandatory LGBT-inclusive sex education in all schools (including private and religious schools); and better regulations on responding to workplace and other discrimination. The majority of Australians would permit same-sex marriage in a heartbeat, so it's really annoying that we've wasted so many years focusing on that alone.