Fierce debate erupts over major Aussie expression: ‘Tone deaf’
An expat boasting that Australia is the lucky country has divided opinion, with many claiming this is no longer the case due to the cost of living crisis.
The Italian expat shared a post on Reddit on Friday revealing how Australia had offered them and their friends a better life after moving from abroad.
“I keep seeing negative comments about Australia and the government,” he wrote.
‘I’m a bit of an exception because I came here with a great job already lined up, so within ten years I was able to buy a house and pay it off in full.
“I want to share my friends’ stories to show how it is still possible to live well and buy a home here in Australia.”
He went on to explain how one of his friends, Gennaro, packed up and moved from Italy to Australia ten years ago before recently buying a house.
Gennaro spoke no English at the time and arrived with only $1,000 in his bank account.
“He did farm work and had a blast during his early years,” the Reddit user wrote.
Australians have criticized a social media user’s ‘tone deaf’ comments praising Australia as the lucky country as millions struggle with the rising cost of living (photo from Australia Day celebration)
‘Then he found a job at a construction company, worked very hard and was sponsored by his employer. Three years ago he bought a house in Wolli Creek (in southern Sydney).”
The social media user claimed that several other friends had moved from abroad and made a better life for themselves.
The friendship group included Fabio, who studied at TAFE and obtained his electrician’s license before buying a house in Botany and a second in Perth.
Another friend Roberto managed to build a successful career in the hospitality sector and bought his first house with his wife and daughter just nine years after moving from abroad.
“These are just a few examples of my friends who arrived without English, with limited time to stay in Australia, and still managed to start families and buy homes,” the Reddit user wrote.
‘I hope this offers some perspective!’
Dozens of commenters were unimpressed, saying the examples the person gave couldn’t be further from the reality many Aussies are currently experiencing.
“This is about as tone-deaf as our politicians,” one person wrote.
The passionate Australian gave examples in their Reddit post (photo) of some of their Italian friends, who bought their own homes after coming to Australia 10 years ago
“This random anecdote refutes all the statistics that show Australia has gone downhill in the last 20 years,” added another.
‘The possibilities that existed ten to twenty years ago no longer exist. That’s why people are angry,” wrote a third.
One of them pointed out that the Australian property market has become unaffordable.
“Work your butt off and buy that house in Mount Druitt (a western Sydney suburb) for $2.3 million!” they wrote.
Others agreed that Australia was still the lucky country and said it was better off than other parts of the world.
‘At the same time, it also shows how much better it is to live in Australia than elsewhere. Many of us just take it for granted,” one person wrote.
A second wrote: ‘Great work, keep it up and don’t listen to the Suq haters. Australia is a great place to live, otherwise people would leave.”
“Compared to most other countries, Australians are doing very well,” said another.
“This is a good reminder that it’s not all doom and gloom. Hard work goes a long way!’ a fourth commented.
The Reserve Bank has raised cash rates 13 times since May 2022, while the RBA kept rates at 4.35 percent for the ninth time in a row last month.
Inflation hit a massive 7.8 per cent in December 2022, with the figure slightly lower than the RBA’s then forecast of eight per cent.
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the monthly consumer price index (CPI) currently stands at 2.1 percent.
In 2022, the prices of fruits and vegetables rose by 8.5 percent, while a closer look at grocery products showed a 12.2 percent increase in the prices of bread and grains that year.
The price of food at major supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths has risen by 9.6 per cent in the 12 months to April 2024.
Meanwhile, Aussies continue to struggle to buy a home as the property market remains unaffordable for first-home buyers.
The average home value is $872,000, according to the latest figures from real estate website PropTrack.
The average unit value across the country is $662,000.
Sydney is the most expensive place to live in Australia, with the average price of a house and unit between $1,453,000 and $818,000.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have also arrived in Australia, with the country unable to keep up with population growth due to significant infrastructure limitations.
A record 518,000 people moved to Australia in the 2022-2023 financial year, putting net overseas migration at a level more than double the 200,000 level of the 2007 mining boom.