Living in Australia, Pros and Cons
What are the pros and cons of living in Australia? Do the benefits of living in Australia outway the negatives? There are a few factors taken into consideration when considering living in Australia. Governance, economy, cost of living, quality of life, healthcare, wages and job security, to name a few.
Governance and Economy
Its governance is by an elected parliament. To start with, voting in Australia is compulsory for citizens. Citizens vote to elect a local representative to the Lower House every four years. Typically, representatives are with one of the major political parties. The two major parties are the Labour Party and the Liberal Party. If they choose, Candidates can run independently. Independent politicians can vote for policies outside of the party lines.
Australian political parties. The Labour Party focuses on the rights of workers and the underprivileged. It has a strong affiliation with the union movement, leading to many corruption issues. In contrast, the Liberal Party focuses on issues and policies for business owners and tight economic management.
Australia is part of the G20 economies and is a developed economy. Subsequently, the Reserve Bank of Australia manages interest rates independent of the government.
Pros
Australia has a very stable government and economy. Therefore, the Pros of living in Australia are a high degree of policy and economic stability.
Cons
The Cons of this form of governance is that there is no political willingness to tackle difficult issues and a resistance to change.
Cost of Living in Australia
The cost of Living in Australia is extremely high. Inflation at the moment of writing is very high. Rent will typically make up 30% to 50% of living expenses. Quality of accommodation is very good most of the time.
Electricity is very expensive compared to other parts of the world. Electricity bills can easily exceed $1000 a month. There are also problems the electricity reliability along the east coast.
Food prices are on the extreme side. Grapes, Cherries, Lettices, Cabage are all $13 a kilogram with apple at about $10. Take away coffees are at $7.50 a cup and up to $14 inside entertainment and sporting venues. Beer is on average $12 a bottle. Fuel prices are $2.15 per littre at time of writing.
Pros
Quality of food is very good and plentiful in season.
Cons
The cost of living is one of the major Cons for living in Australia. Because of the high cost of living, social mobility is difficult and poverty cycles are a problem.
The Quality of Life in Australia
Quality of life in Australia is of a high standard. Life expectancy for men is 82.9 according to The World Bank. Australia has high standards when is come to medical care, food handling and preparation. Public infrastructure is of a high standard resulting in lower road deaths than other countries.
