# Misconceptions about Australia **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586 "2003-09-19T13:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/41 "2003-09-20T05:40:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\*If this sort of thing were only restricted to a few insecure individuals, it wouldn’t be a problem, but it manifests itself in the news media as well, and too many people just go along with it. This attitude reached a nadir in the media after the 1996 killing of 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, by a lone gunman. One of the news stories the next day spent five minutes showing how the story had been reported by various news outlets throughout the world, as if it were essential to our understanding and our sense of importance to see some Italian or Geman or American or Korean newsreader talking about Australia. > > I’m not down on Australia; i love the place. Nor am i down on Australians in general; i am one, despite my current place of residence. But the seemingly constant need to defer to America and Britain and Europe and Asia for confirmation and validation gets a little boring after a while. \*\* There is much continued commentary to the supposed inferiority complex Australia suffers as a nation. However, I would contend that it is a phenomenon much diminished in recent years – some commentators argue the Sydney Olympics marked a major turning point in this regard. (Besides, I think the apparent “problem” was more a mistake of judging the nation’s feelings by the character of its tabloid and television media reporting.) Other misconceptions: Vegemite. Bleh. I don’t believe I’ve eaten a vegemite sandwich in my life. The rural Australia thing, compounded by the myth of the Aussie Outback. It makes for terribly nice stories, but ignores the fact that Australia is an intensely urban, coastal society. Americans understand, but some others fail to comprehend the sheer distances involved in travel between Australian population city. Here’s a [bright spark](http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/21/1034561445517.html) from Germany who thought he could traverse the Canning Stock Route in three days armed with 10L of beer (it actually takes three to four weeks – and much more beer). The Queen as Head of State. The UK has no law-making authority over Australia. There is substantial misconception as to the true independence of this nation. ---
**Author:** ![pingalondon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@pingalondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pingalondon)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/42 "2003-09-20T10:53:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Narrad \* > The Queen as Head of State. The UK has no law-making authority over Australia. There is substantial misconception as to the true independence of this nation. \*\* I have had to explain this to a lot of people too, along with the fact that we have our own constitution and haven’t just directly adopted the conventions of the British. The one that has made me laugh (I was so thrown by it, I couldn’t respond any other way) was being told ‘you’re very sophisticated _for an Australian_’!!! ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/43 "2003-09-20T12:03:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* > \*\*… > > That being said, there are many, MANY Aussies who grew up on Vegemite on toast for brekkie and Vegemite sandwiches in their lunch-bag at school. > > I did. 😛 \*\* No doubt that is true but my completely anecdotal and unscientific survey of Australians I’ve known indicates attitudes towards Vegemite closer to **Narrad** ’s. ---
**Author:** ![pencilpusher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d6d6ee/32.png) [@pencilpusher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pencilpusher)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/44 "2003-09-20T12:40:34Z")
## quote: ## Originally posted by porcupine Everyone there is named Bruce. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\*Including the women. > \*\* I thought the women were called Sheilas. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/45 "2003-09-20T13:04:40Z")
Why does anybody go to the “outback” (no, not the crappy steakhouse chain in the USA)? From what I see, it is barren, dry, and hot-sounds like a place to avoid! ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/46 "2003-09-20T13:39:16Z")
I think the way many Americans think of Australia can be summed up by visiting [Outback Steakhouse.](http://www.outback.com/) (Extra Credit for Aussie Dopers: Learn everything you need to know about Texas by visiting [Lone Star Steakhouse!](http://www.lonestarsteakhouse.com/)) I know until recently, I was under the impression that Australia, along with most of Europe, was far more liberal/leftist politically than the United States. Then I learned about your PM and how while no one in Australia seems to like him, no one wants to vote him out of office either. So now I’m not quite sure what to think. Even your compulsory voting hasn’t meant change. (Many people here think that if everyone voted, leftist third parties would have more power because it would force people to vote who are otherwise too disgusted by the two main parties to vote. I don’t agree, but that’s a perspective.) ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/47 "2003-09-20T13:51:16Z")
There appears not to be a Universery of Woolamaroo. There’s no difference between Australia and New Zealand (about as true as saying there’s no difference between Canada and the US). The Prime Minister is a beefy, almost-rustic individual who loves kicking foreign schoolboys. (I can’t testify about the schoolboy-kicking part, but [this site](http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/gallery/gallery.html) seems to suggest that they aren’t beefy, and it appears that many of these men didn’t represent rural areas.) ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/48 "2003-09-20T14:21:54Z")
Having bothered to look it up, it appears that almost every PM since 1950 has represented suburban districts. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/49 "2003-09-20T14:32:48Z")
Some of those guys are rather interesting… Billy Hughes seems to have aged rather quickly during his term, and also gone casual. Did Stanley Bruce work for Eliot Ness? John McEwen looks like Australia’s version of Nixon. And that picture of John Howard cracks me up. Was he farting at that moment? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/50 "2003-09-20T14:56:18Z")
Well, Billy Hughes had a _very_ long parlimentary career (51 years, the Australian record), so I suspect that the photos of him come from different points in his career. How about William McMahon, or John Gorton, or George “I Want More Beef” Reid, or Joseph Lyons? ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/51 "2003-09-20T15:14:02Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* \*\*That being said, there are many, MANY Aussies who grew up on Vegemite on toast for brekkie and Vegemite sandwiches in their lunch-bag at school. I did. 😛 \*\*[/QUOTE I can’t even begin to express my deepest, sincerest sympathy for you. That Vegimite is just nasty, nasty stuff :rolleyes: Deepest condolonces that your country was the birthplace of Kylie too 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/52 "2003-09-20T15:23:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Narrad \* > \*\*There is much continued commentary to the supposed inferiority complex Australia suffers as a nation. However, I would contend that it is a phenomenon much diminished in recent years – some commentators argue the Sydney Olympics marked a major turning point in this regard. (Besides, I think the apparent “problem” was more a mistake of judging the nation’s feelings by the character of its tabloid and television media reporting.) \*\* I don’t doubt that you’re right about this. I left two months before the Olympics, and haven’t been back since. But i’ll be there in November and December–Aussie Dopefest anyone? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/53 "2003-09-20T15:44:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SanibelMan \* > \*\*I know until recently, I was under the impression that Australia, along with most of Europe, was far more liberal/leftist politically than the United States. Then I learned about your PM and how while no one in Australia seems to like him, no one wants to vote him out of office either. So now I’m not quite sure what to think. Even your compulsory voting hasn’t meant change. (Many people here think that if everyone voted, leftist third parties would have more power because it would force people to vote who are otherwise too disgusted by the two main parties to vote. I don’t agree, but that’s a perspective.) \*\* On a certain level, there is a stronger social liberal strain, and there’s much less of the anti-government libertarianism that is a key part of American political life. It’s certainly not true that compulsory voting means that the leftist party will always win power; take a look at who Australia’s Prime Ministers have been since WWII–the majority of the time, they have been conservatives. And nor do third parties really have that much of an influence on Australian politics, with a couple of exceptions. First, whenever the conservatives are in power, there is in effect a third party involved, because conservative governments (at the federal or state level) generally consist of a coalition between the more urban Liberal party, and the rural-based National Party. The term used to describe these governments is, unsurprisingly, The Coalition Government. Secondly, third parties and independents can often have a considerable amount of influence in the Senate, which is elected by a system of proportional representation. There are 12 senators from each of the six states, and two from each of the mainland territories, for a total of 76. Groups like the Green Party, and quite a few independent senators, have been important figures in helping to stop or push through legislation over the past few years. I think the key things that makes Australia seem more left or liberal than the United States are: 1. an absence of fundamentalist religion, especially on an organized, political level, compared to the United States. 2. a commitment, even among many conservatives, to some key aspects of the welfare state, such as a single-payer health system, decent public transport, and an adequate welfare system. Although many of these things have taken quite a hit over the past decade or so. Perhaps one final anecdotal observation is in order. I know quite a few thoughtful, intelligent, politically-aware people in Australia who vote for the conservative coalition, and not one of them would even contemplate voting Republican if they moved to the United States. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/54 "2003-09-20T15:51:48Z")
Another popular misconception about Australia is that we know how to keep track of our Prime Ministers. The case of [Harold Holt](http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/years/1967/holtswim.htm) seems to suggest otherwise. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/55 "2003-09-20T16:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Governor Quinn \* > \*\*Well, Billy Hughes had a _very_ long parlimentary career (51 years, the Australian record), so I suspect that the photos of him come from different points in his career. > > How about William McMahon, or John Gorton, or George “I Want More Beef” Reid, or Joseph Lyons? \*\* Yes, I think George Reid was William Howard Taft’s understudy. William McMahon - Australia’s first Zombie PM. Never let it be said that Australians are against alternative lifestyles - especially those without life at all. Joseph Lyons… I don’t know what that look on his face is, but between that smirk and his hair I’m guessing he got laid just before they took that picture. And I hope John Gorton got a good taxidermist for whatever’s on his head. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/56 "2003-09-20T16:06:54Z")
One example of third-party power, albeit one that might be obscure to most Dopers: In the mid-1950’s, a group of trade union officials and politicians in the ALP (largely in Victoria and Queensland) split off over Communism and organized the DLP. For the next 20 or so years, they survived through a deal with the Coalition, in which (in exchange for support the DLP’s positions on defense and parochial aid) the DLP gave preference votes to the Coalition. Therefore, **mhendo** , you forgot a third method of third-party influence: influence by extortion. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/57 "2003-09-20T16:22:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Governor Quinn \* > \*\*One example of third-party power, albeit one that might be obscure to most Dopers: > > In the mid-1950’s, a group of trade union officials and politicians in the ALP (largely in Victoria and Queensland) split off over Communism and organized the DLP. For the next 20 or so years, they survived through a deal with the Coalition, in which (in exchange for support the DLP’s positions on defense and parochial aid) the DLP gave preference votes to the Coalition. > > Therefore, **mhendo** , you forgot a third method of third-party influence: influence by extortion. \*\* Yeah, i suppose i should have mentioned the DLP. But in my experience, hardly any Australians–let alone foreigners–know anything about this sad episode in our political history. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/58 "2003-09-20T20:35:55Z")
I know about, and I’m a foreigner, but, then again, I’m also nuts. ---
**Author:** ![i\_like\_bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@i\_like\_bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/i_like_bacon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/59 "2003-09-21T03:08:25Z")
i think vegemite must be an acquired taste, a friend in oz sent me a couple of packets, tasted like motor oil to me. took me 20 minutes to eat my toast, and half was given to the dog (she wouldn’t eat it either) so how often you all go walkabout? ---
**Author:** ![i\_like\_bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@i\_like\_bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/i_like_bacon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586/60 "2003-09-21T03:17:03Z")
i think vegemite must be an acquired taste, a friend in oz sent me a couple of packets, tasted like motor oil to me. took me 20 minutes to eat my toast, and half was given to the dog (she wouldn’t eat it either) so how often you all go walkabout? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-australia/202586.md?page=4)