I feel fortunate about living in Australia. This is especially true when I compare it to America with its hysteria, cancel culture, purges and dissolution of freedom of speech, at an all-time high. The vast majority of Australians believe this to be the best country in the world. We do have some problems, but they pale when compared to America and Europe.
In 1964, a journalist, Doug Horne, wrote a book, The Lucky Country. While it wasn't totally complimentary of Australia, the name stuck. It now has a positive connotation and is ingrained in the Aussie Culture.
Australia is blessed with generally a beautiful climate, and 80% of the population live within 60 miles of the coast, where people have easy access to sun, surf and glorious sand. We live just a few minutes from the beach, and we almost take it for granted. For six months of the year, we can plan outdoor activities because it rarely rains. While the winters are wet with lower temperatures, they still allow for many outdoor activities. Perth, West Australia averages 8.8 hours of sunshine year-round. We are fortunate to have some of the most beautiful, unspoiled beaches on the planet in Australia.
Since we have a small population (25 million) with a land area just below that of the 48 U.S. States, we are relatively wealthy due to our abundance of resources. Our food is plentiful and of excellent quality. The fact that we are an island with such low population density means that Covid-19 was not a significant problem. West Australia is even more isolated from the rest of the country, so there have been minimal cases.
Population Density Map
Our health care system balances private and public networks, though the public system is always stretched. Life expectancy in Australia is ranked seventh in the world. For comparison, the U.S. ranks 36th. For its size, Australia has been quite innovative in the biomedical world. The cochlear implant was invented by an Australian. The company that produces the majority of the world's supply is called Cochlear,—of course. Professor Fiona Woods, right here in Perth, developed spray-on skin which has been revolutionary in treating burns.
Australians love their space, so we have less of the high rise apartments seen in other countries. This has led to urban sprawl with the majority of people owning instead of renting their homes. Of course, because of our abundant sunshine, many family homes run on solar energy which is a substantial cost saving. The only downside about real estate in Australia is that it's quite expensive by world standards, though high wages compensate for this.
Overall, Australians tend to be a sanguine lot with a "She'll be right", attitude. Our society is much less polarized than the U.S. The result is that our community is calmer and with less hostility. People are more relaxed, and every worker is guaranteed a minimum of four weeks holiday. It's reflected in the crime rate, which is one fifth that of the United States. No one that I know owns a gun. Australians don't feel the need for firearms.
So with all this good stuff going on, what could go wrong? Could we become an unlucky country? The only "canary in the coalmine" is China. The Communist state is flexing its muscles. They are encouraged with Donald Trump gone, both militarily and economically, putting massive tariffs on some Australian products. As we are very dependent on China purchasing our resources, if China decides to cut back or go elsewhere, our economy would be hard-hit. Then, we may not feel so lucky.
If things change and we become an unlucky country, it might be time to find an island somewhere in the SouthPacific!
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