Normally, hozever, it would seem wiser not to discuss the merits of the product of one region against another in absolute terms except where the explicit aim of one is to mimic the other (as is the case with, eg, many ‘New World’ wines and cheeses).

But I also like the general idea of a publicly acessible and ‘live’ document of that type. Maybe it would help journalists sound smarter

I like the idea of a ’state of the nation’ document. I foresee lively debates on some points. For instance: is the food in Oz relatively good or bad? I think its pretty good, but some of my colleagues complain of the fruit and vegetables having no taste in this country. Perhaps someone has some expert knowledge on whether tastebuds work better in different climates or whether there is actually a difference.

I don’t think it would be as much work as it sounds like, and it might turn into a really valuable resource - especially for identifying low-hanging fruit.

I’ll think about it some more next month.

http://clubtroppo.com.au/2007/01/16/what-are-we-best-at/

And easy things Europe lacks: efficient real estate agents, wilderness, proper showers.

But it’s not so easy to find things that both lack. Social cohesion is a candidate, but I think Paul needs to spend more time in Sydney before he decides there are no ghettos.

However, I think Australia’s egalitarian ethos is pretty unique. Class distinctions survive in most of Europe, especially Eastern Europe — I keep being reminded how strong they are in Hungary. In the US rich people expect a degree of groveling and scraping from their underlings that would be laughable here, where no one cannot get away with airs and graces.

Perhaps we have competition from Scandinavia in this dapertment. Maybe the Netherlands too, but Belgians (whom I know much better) are pretty snobbish, so I’m not sure.

* We’re No. 1 in the incidence of male part-time employment (% of male employment that is part-time). This is of course not unrelated to the fact that we have the 2nd or third highest rate of youth employment in the OECD.
* We also have high average wages - for a ‘full-time and full-year equivalent dependent employee’, Australian wages rank tenth in terms of current USD value, but third in terms of purchasing price parity (PPP).

Another indicator of how lucky we are in relative terms is the shock I experienced, and that I suspect most Australians experienced, by the recent shooting in Melbourne. It was such an unexpected and rare thing here: presumably it would hardly have made the news in some places on earth.

Having spent a few years in America, Europe and the Pacific, I agree strongly with 1 and 2 as being fairly striking differences, and with 5, subject to some qualifications as to the extent of the difference for that one.

I agree about the alienation, although the precise causation mix between bad government policy and bad choices by indigenous people themselves is another question. However, it isn’t actually true that this alienation has resulted in a rise in assaults and robberies. In fact the armed robbery rate in the NT has always been significantly LOWER than the national average (possibly in considerable part because we don’t have a large junkie population or significant organised criminal gangs) and there is no current identifiable rising trend.

Levels of sexual assault have actually fallen rather than risen since 2002. See http://www.nt.gov.au/justice/ocp/docs/statistics/200612_Issue18_FS-EBook.pdf . Crime figures in most other categories have also fallen. While non-sexual assault figures have risen since 2002, however, the Office of Crime Prevention comments as follows:

In late 2004, the Northern Territory Police launched their Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, with a consequential increase in the number of recorded Assault offences in 2005 and 2006. These increases in Assaults largely reflect the impact of operational changes the Police have made in the reporting and recording of domestic violence related Assaults, rather than an actual increase in violent crimes in the Territory. In 2006 there were 4 496 recorded Assault offences, 15% (570) more than in 2002.

I wont be too nitpicky but we in the Northern Territory are heading down a road where there is a large proportion of the population that is increasingly alienated from the rest of society. This population has generally little or no education, limited capacity to achieve their wants and often sky high expectations. The results of this alienation are increasingly being seen with a rise in assualts and robberies. Ever higher fences in urban areas are being built.

Another great thing about Australia that I would like to add to the list is that we have demonstrated that we have both the wit and the will to deal effectively and sensitively with the issues that face those who don’t share the majority culture and are unable to communicate effectively with the rest.

Unfortuntately, this one can’t be added yet.

We do very well among young women (70 per cent in 2005 compared with an OECD average of 45 per cent) but we are pretty average when it comes to prime-age and older women. Now you can regard this as a good thing or a bad thing, it seems to me. If you like to focus on the capacity for women to be economically self-sufficient it’s not so good, but if you think it is important for women to be able to take (sometimes extended) periods out of the workforce for child-rearing then we actually have a pretty good set of institutions to allow that, and for the majority of women I think it is a real choice rather than an outcome foisted on them by society.

However, it is heartening to read such a positive view of Australia from a European perspective. I reckon it’s a pretty good place to live too, but I don’t have the personal experience to be able to compare it with many other places.