Victoria - The Failed State.

[mr friendly guy]

What's with Sydney anyway? Is it all ghettoised or something? I know that they have places like Redfern, which is basically an aboriginal suburb. Are there other ones like that?

Sydney seemed pretty nice, at least where I was staying when I was over there a few months back. Lots of eateries of all description. I would worry about Cronulla after the riots and it seemed this Australia day some thugs decided to show their jingoism, er I mean patriotism in Manly, although police think they came from some other suburb like Penrith.

Lets also not forget Camden and that stupid Pauline Hanson wannabe dressed up in the Australian flag.

I think its the same trend, poor shit holes tend to have more racists in them, while closer to the city centre its quite multi cultural. That being said, a recent survey last year pointed to NSW as beingthe most racist state. I don't have the link, but it was on the news.

The explanation goes supposedly Sydney and by extension NSW gets the lion share of immigration, which makes locals uneasy, what unable to deal with change and all that. Actually I suspect it should be NSW gets the lion share of non white immigration, since in WA we get lots of rich South Africans and Brits (with a stronger currency) forcing the house prices up. At least until China took a breather and the mining boom collapsed.

You don't really get that kind of thing in Adelaide (except in Elizabeth, but that's poor white people with no hope of social mobility, as opposed to poor minorities with no hope of social mobility).

This is making Adelaide look like a more attractive place. I hear that property prices are also cheaper. According to domain.com.au the average price of a house in Glenelg (the first ever suburb we lived in when we move to Australia) is only $490 K. And I can go to work wearing my Adelaide Crow tie without attracting strange looks.

[hongi]

What's with Sydney anyway? Is it all ghettoised or something? I know that they have places like Redfern, which is basically an aboriginal suburb.

Sydney's alright. I'm not sure what you mean by ghetto-ised, but there are places where a certain ethnic minority are present in significant numbers...like my suburb, Eastwood has tons of Koreans and Chinese. Or Chatswood. Redfern...well, I pass through there and go out to eat there because that's where my University campus is based. It has a reputation sure, but I'd live there.

[thejester]

Lol the Crows. What a rabble.

I think it's right in that it depends where you live. Obviously the state where the Nationals are the dominant political party and Jo Bjelke-Petersen could be Premier for nearly twenty years is going to be more racist than, say Victoria. Even then it's massively different outside Melbourne - non-whites are an absolute novelty in the country.

I dunno, in my experience a lot of it is identity politics anyway. I live on-campus in a hall that's about a third country kids, a third Malaysians (themselves divided about half/half between Chinese kids and ethnic Malays) and a third other exchange students - yanks, poms, various Africans, Indians, Japanese kids, etc. The country kids all grow up in the culture Stark references; not overtly (maliciously?) racist but viewing the 'other' with contempt/suspicion. Not just immigrants, either; gays, even other youth cultures etc. When they come face to face...I've known maybe one or two who do turn out to be real bigots, but most embrace the individual even as they continue this vague suspicion of 'the other'. One of my mates, after the Grand Final this year, was muttering in his despondency about 'some fucking curry-munching Hawthorn supporter' (ie Indian), and then in the next breath talking about how an Indian guy we live with was such a fucking champion etc etc. Even as the prejudice and simple habits are disproven, they're detached. The mechanics are repeated to other groups...I remember standing with two mates at the Swanston St ATMs, the three of us in surfie gear. Anyone who has been to Swanston St knows its the dive for the emo/goth culture, so we're surrounded by kids in black. My mate turns around and whispers to me 'It's like we're strangers in our own country'.

It's not good, but IMO it reflects the culture. These people won't seriously vote to end immigration, or participate in race riots, but they're bigoted enough that the acts around Cronulla are seen as a joke, not a genuine concern.

[Lusankya]

You don't really get that kind of thing in Adelaide (except in Elizabeth, but that's poor white people with no hope of social mobility, as opposed to poor minorities with no hope of social mobility).

This is making Adelaide look like a more attractive place. I hear that property prices are also cheaper. According to domain.com.au the average price of a house in Glenelg (the first ever suburb we lived in when we move to Australia) is only $490 K. And I can go to work wearing my Adelaide Crow tie without attracting strange looks.

It probably helps that Adelaide's never really been a popular place for migrants (you even get extra points for your skilled migration visa if you want to move to Adelaide!), so most of the obvious minorities are foreign (read: Chinese/Malaysian) students studying to be doctors and lawyers and engineers and accountants. They're not in Australia stealing Joe Scumbag's job making Commodores in Elizabeth, no no no: they're stealing YOUR job, mr friendly guy. How do you feel about that? Huh? Huh?

Funny fact about Adelaide: there's a bit of a conservative bent to the city. Lots of people (especially upper-class Medindie types) are very keen on returning to the values of the city's founders. Sounds super-conservative, right? Well, hilariously, the founders values were quite clearly stated to be "religious and racial tolerance and general social progressiveness". So in order to be "conservative", these rich types have to be socially progressive. It's probably the reason that the Democrats were always strongest in SA, and why SA usually has a few wet liberals in the Liberal party. There's this weird disconnect there.

Oh and c'arn the Crows. If you're ever in Adelaide at the same time as me, I'll take you to a game. I have ways of ... acquiring ... membership tickets.

[JointStrikeFighter]

I think it's right in that it depends where you live. Obviously the state where the Nationals are the dominant political party and Jo Bjelke-Petersen could be Premier for nearly twenty years is going to be more racist than, say Victoria. Even then it's massively different outside Melbourne - non-whites are an absolute novelty in the country.

Lol fuck off Even in Queensland the National Party is a sad joke these days. As for joe; win elections via gerrymandering = I HEER DEM NORTHIES ARE ALL DIRTY RASCIZT

[thejester]

The National Party's a sad joke cause all the racists left and are getting elected as independents .

[Stark]

I hear Sir Joh was premier for ages because of racism and not because of hopelessly broken vote distribution giving country electorates disproportionate power.

[JointStrikeFighter]

The National Party's a sad joke cause all the racists left and are getting elected as independents .

Do the Queensland Nationals even exist any more? Ive gven up following the proposed merger with the liberals. Of course in the spirit of Liberal and National party co-operation the new party will of course be called; The Liberal party.

I hear Sir Joh was premier for ages because of racism and not because of hopelessly broken vote distribution giving country electorates disproportionate power.

Are you insinuating that perhaps Joh was slightly corrupt? Also, protest against him = Kim Beazley gets beaten up. Ruthless opression may make running an oposition hard.

[bobalot]

Anther wonder of privatization.

In response to the drought, the residents of Victoria have significantly cut back water use. A month ago, it was announced water rates were going up because the owners were losing revenue due to reduced consumption.