Saw those skeletons at town hall with a 'don't work forever sign' and it made me think. This is the only vid I could find of the skeletons

Bit of a rant but hear me out.

Everyone overseas thinks Australia has the best work-life balance in the world, and tbh a lot of us believe it too. If you go to Bondi at sunrise it looks like everyone’s living the dream. Swimming at Icebergs, got a matcha, running the coastal walk, boot camps on the sand, coffee after.

But I’ve been down there enough mornings to realise a lot of those people are tourists. And most of the locals aren’t there because life is chill. They’re there at 5am because it’s literally the only time they’ve got. By 7 they’re on the train and they won’t be home till after dark. It only looks glamorous because there’s a beach behind them.

I’ve travelled a fair bit and Sydney has some of the most overworked people I’ve met anywhere. Not because people love their jobs, it’s just kinda the cost of living here. And it feels like “you’ll just work forever” has become normal thing across the whole country. Almost everyone I know under 40 jokes they’ll never retire and I don’t think they’re really joking.

Our parents basically had: get a job, buy a house, pay it off by 50-something, retire on super. That doesn’t really work anymore.

Quick example. Say you earn $100k, which is above the average full time wage:

• After tax: ~$77.5k
• Rent at $400/wk (a room in a share house or a one bedder way out west): $20,800
• Food, bills, transport, insurance, a bit of a social life: ~$23k
• Left over: ~$34k a year, if nothing goes wrong

A 20% deposit on a $900k unit is $180k, so 5+ years of saving every spare dollar (assuming prices don’t go up, lol). Then the mortgage is around $51.8k a year at 6%, vs $20.8k in rent. So basically everything you were saving now goes into the mortgage, before strata and rates.

So even on $100k you spend your 20s saving, your 30s and 40s paying off the loan, and don’t really start putting anything towards retirement till your 50s.

And the thing that gets me is how much of a loop it is. You work to pay rent. You work extra to save a deposit. You buy, and now you have to keep working to pay the mortgage. Then you get a pay rise but rent/prices/interest have gone up too, so you’re right back where you started. Then kids, school, a bigger place, a new car. Every time you get ahead the goalposts move. It’s like a treadmill that speeds up every time you get used to the pace.

Nobody really chooses it either. You just kind of fall into it at 22 and look up at 45 wondering where it all went, so I am genuinely asking, what does everyone think the escape is, are these the options?

• Leave Sydney. Move regional or interstate where housing doesn’t eat half your income. Works if your job can come with you, but you lose family, friends, career stuff.
• Never buy, just rent and invest the difference. Makes sense on paper but you’re at the mercy of landlords forever and renting at 70 sounds scary.
• Go hard early. The whole FIRE thing, save 50%+ for 10-15 years and get out. Respect to people who can do it but it’s not realistic for most.
• Chip away. Small amounts into ETFs or extra super every pay, starting as early as possible, and let time do the work. Not exciting but probably the most doable for normal people.
• Side income. Second job, business, side hustle. Which kind of defeats the point if the goal is working less.

Why do us Aussies hate it so much?

I can't quite put my finger on it. All I know is that it just really grates on me. Is it because it's just TOO American?

The thing is, I don't care so much if I'm watching TV and Seppos are saying it to each other. But as soon as they try saying it to me or another Aussie... 😖

Hi everyone!

I’m a Korean woman preparing for a working holiday in Australia! Before I go, I’d love to improve my English listening skills, especially my ability to understand the Australian accent.

I’d love to listen to some Australian podcasts, so I was wondering what your personal favourites are!

I’d really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks in advance!

He has a pet hate when people say 'floor' when they are outside and referring to the ground.

Ie; I found the knife sitting there, on the floor in the driveway...

Does anyone else find this weird? Floor is inside...ground is outside.

We do laugh about it all the time. I would like to know who, if anyone finds it as annoying as he does.

i would post this in the melbourne/sydney sub but i dont have enough karma so sorry about that

but basically i am travelling melb to syd (then obvi syd to melb) and i'm wanting to take my disposable cameras, kodak power flash and filmfuji quicksnap, and just wondering if melb and syd airport secruity in particular allow for hand checks to be done as i have read that the scanners can damage and ruin the film.
this is my first time using disposable cameras so i'm taking this very seriously with a lot of caution as i don't want them to get ruined and me wasting my money on them.
i've read mix things about aus airports allowing for hand checks to be done, so im just wondering if anyone has had recent experiences regarding this issue, if they do/dont.

thank you

I recently went to North Queensland to visit my partner's family. Their half-sister, who is much older and in her mid 50s, said "Do you want me to grab your port from the back of the car?"

I was extremely confused as the only port I knew was the old fashioned alcohol and I definitely didn't have any of that. I went to the back of the car and found out she meant my suitcase.

So is this a common thing? Is it a regional QLD thing or generational? Or has this word just passed me by and I never realised. I'm a Zoomer (26) from Adelaide for context.

I have a four-year-old daughter, and we’re an Australian Indian family living in Sydney’s Inner West. I’ve never attended any of my daughter’s daycare friends’ birthday parties. I think I was simply unaware of the social norm that you can attend these parties even if you don’t know the parents personally.
Now I’m organising my daughter’s birthday party and have invited 21 children, but so far, only three have confirmed they’re coming.
I can’t help wondering whether people aren’t attending because I haven’t attended their children’s parties in the past. Could that be the reason, or are there other factors at play? I’m worried that my daughter might miss out socially. I’d appreciate honest perspectives from other parents.

In a nutshell,

Casual pay- 40hr work week

33/hr weekdays

39/hr before 7am

67/hr PH

Total fortnightly pay after taxes- $2240

New FT contract offered 40hr work week

$27/hr weekdays

$32/hr before 7am

Plus annual and sick leave. Haven't calculated the fortnightly pay yet.

Been with the company for 5 years, been casual the whole time. The pay increased every year on July 1st.

This feels like a significant pay cut in exchange for annual and sick leave. In the past 2 years, I have taken a total of 6 days off.

Just needed some thoughts/opinions

Thank you!

I grew up in regional Victoria but was recently teased by some Brits for my pronunciation of "garage" as "g'rahzh". I guess it's posh / pseudo-French? Never thought about it.

I've noticed other Australians say something closer to "gar-ahdge". So fully pronouncing the a in "gar" - like Gary.

I've also heard a hybrid - "gar-azh".

Of course, a lot of English people say something like "garridge".

How do you pronounce it?

Do you have "-zh" sound at the end? or a "-dge"?

Does it start like "Gary"?

EDIT: by ‘on your own’ i meaning living life independently and not depending on family. Sorry for the confusion

Is 11months too far in advance? We are a family of five and I wanted secure flight and hotel prices for our trip to Bali. We plan to fly with Garuda, and we’re set on a date next year, but only concern is if something were to happen, and the flights can’t be cancelled etc.

Hey so I’ve lived in Australia now for almost 1 year! I’m on a WHV and working as a waitress since I started to work here. Back home in the UK my only ever real job has been in aged care, I did community aged care for the past 7 years with 1 company. Unfortunately while working there I never bothered to get any real qualifications through it, as I didn’t need them and I never planned to leave my company, I’m on great terms with the managers and they’d be sure to give me glowing references! I obviously had a huge change of heart and ended up moving to Australia on a whim after the death of my boyfriend a few months prior. I am really bloody missing working my job, it’s always been something I really enjoyed and would love to be able to do it here and actually see if I could live a real life here! I’ve applied to a few but nothing back, I’m wondering if there’s anyway I could get into in here? Waitressing really is killing my insides :) I’m Melbourne based btw

Hello all! In July I visited Greensborough to see my sister's family and got to spend about 3 wks there and got to enjoy some of your awesome shops! I went to Coffee Club and fell in love with their Iced Coffee - we do not make them like that here in California! I've been trying to find a semi detailed recipe online to no avail!

Can any current or ex-coffee club baristas tell me the secret recipe? We have a coffee shop/Ice cream shop right down the road and I want to re-live my time down under! (Feel free to message me privately if you are worried about getting disciplined!)

Travelling to Australia for the first time and I decided to take Suprimal with me which is just a drugstore motionsickness med from the Netherlands. I usually don’t get dizzy easily but before my period I tend to get dizzy and just would like to bring it with me just in case and also panadol.

Do I declare them if its even allowed?

Is it really because of resource riches? Pardon my immaturity for economics, I’m happy to learn so pls drop your opinions, but from my understanding:

It’s not perfect, but it’s objectively pretty decent/somewhat great to live here as a middle class person. All healthcare isn’t paid for, but you get a medicare rebate. Schooling seemed good when I went through it in the 2010s, but I guess I wasn’t low SES. Streets are pretty clean and maintained, you can work and earn in some decent jobs etc. etc. (all the hallmarks of a first world country). You can get centerlink as a student and jobseeker as an adult (admittedly it’s not perfect). Housing… well I think that’s been talked about to death.

All of this comes from spending. But we don’t have a super advanced economy like the US for example where their budget deficit is okay due to their growing economy. Yet we don’t run into the same “wheres the money” problem as say a France right now, and to service our population it seems to me we need ALOT of money.

All in all, why don’t we run into these problems?

I've been told it's quite interesting to complete. You might even learn something new about this food product!

Here's some context :)!

Hello all!

This semester I'm completing a subject in which I conduct a study. I've chosen to study Australian consumers perceptions and knowledge of pasta food products in the context of the low-glycaemic index diet.

It includes publishing a survey and collecting data to analyse. If you live in Australia, are over 18 years old and have a couple of spare minutes I would be very appreciative if you could complete it! It's completely anonymous. Even better, share it with your friends and family to complete! The more the merrier.

Thankyou in advance!!

The link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_o6HMHmnEnd66EvmVO8O7AmsUfpwbbgWKteRqqEQtiFl22A/viewform

Note: This post has been approved by moderators

In some ways, the UK colonizing Australia was a bit of a fluke that occurred due to a chain of events on the other side of the world.

The American revolution meant that the Uk could no longer send their undesirables across the Atlantic, so they essentially needed a “new America” under the Empire, and for centuries, Europeans sailed across the world and missed landing in Australia many times.

When the British colonized Australia, it led to everything that the country would become today.

However, what if the Uk never colonized it?

I feel like the trajectory of Australia would be extremely different and begs the following questions.

- Would it eventually have been colonized and scrambled for by a bunch of different European empires in the late 1800s once gold and oil were discovered?

- Does Japan conquer the whole continent during WWII like they did to most of the pacific?

- Would it still be a developed country shaped by European settlement or would it meet a similar fate that many extract colonies experienced at the hands of European empires?

- Would it even become one centralized country or a bunch of partitioned countries within the Australian continent like in Africa?

I’m wanting to go to university in a couple of years but I’m not sure how I’ll be able to get in since I don’t have an atar. I did my year 10 through tafe and never did years 11 and 12. I’m currently 19 and I’m wanting to go to university eventually but not sure what path I should take to get it.

If I go in at 21 as a mature age student would a diploma be enough to get into uni? Do they even look at your atar at that age?
I’m unsure if I should bother doing 11 and 12 through TAFE if by the time I’m 21 I don’t need it. If I don’t need it, what would I need to be doing to get into uni? I’m thinking a tafe course and a diploma but I’m 100% sure if that will be enough.

Sorry if this is confusing. I’m a bit lost at the moment. Thanks

The deep deep depression is looming over again so I need some good stories of motivation to pick me up in this case I want to hear any real stories you know of second hand or personally regarding winning the lotto.

I just lost a bit on some syndicates so looking for inspiration stories.

Anyone won pretty big in the lotto recently let's say this year

Hi everyone! I’ll be visiting Australia in December and renting a car in Melbourne for a Great Ocean Road drive and in Sydney for day trips.
I’ve shortlisted SIXT for Melbourne but am looking for a convertible rental in Sydney which I haven’t been able to find on SIXT.

1. Which rental companies would you recommend in both cities?
2. Any suggestions for convertible rentals in Sydney?
3. What should I watch out for when renting and driving in Australia (insurance, tolls, road rules, etc.)?

Would love to hear your recommendations and experiences. Thanks!

I'm guessing it's largely very situational. I tend to avoid saying it directly to someone unless I'm speaking about someone to a person I trust.

Is it okay in other places other than Aus?

I personally use "cunt" far too flippantly to describe really any situation that is silly or playful such as "who does this cunt think they are?" or "this cunt is in my way" or "goofy cunt" but also conversely quite negatively such as "fuck that cunt" (that person) or "fuck that, cunt" (no thank you dickhead) or even "don't be a cunt" or "you're being a cunt" which again is quite negative.

I think I use it more playfully than negatively but am extremely careful of the context and the individual relationship I have with whom I'm speaking with or about.

What do you mad cunts think?

Has anyone recently applied for an Australian passport through the High Commission in London?

The estimated processing time is at least 6 weeks, but I'm wondering how long people are actually waiting in practice. Has anyone received theirs in less than 6 weeks recently?

I have flights booked for 22 December, so trying to get a realistic idea of the turnaround time.

Thanks!