13 replies to this topic

[Goose]

With the President staying over in our Country last night, and having addressed our Parliament, I just thought it would interesting to compare the two places.

WHILE the United States is the world's superpower, Australia is arguably stronger in many aspects.

So how do the two compare?

News.com.au has compiled the facts and figures to compare what really counts - the quality of life in each nation - and show you how your life may differ if you lived in the US.





If you lived in the US you would likely be paid more for a professional position and less for a minimum wage job.

You'd also find it harder to get a job in the first place - unemployment is nearly twice as high in the US and the gender pay gap is significantly wider. Australian women earn 83.1 per cent of a man's average salary. US women earn just 77 per cent of what the average US man makes.

On the upside you would probably make more money in the US. In 2008, the median household income was $37,690 for Americans compared to $27,039 in Australia, in US dollars (purchasing power parity) according to the OECD.

However, you are also more likely to live in poverty in the US. The UN Human Povery Index shows that 12.2 per cent of Australians live on less than half of the median income, considered the best gauge of wealth distribution.

For US citizens, the number of people living on that amount or less jumps to 17 per cent.





Both Australia and the US have similar histories founded on immigration. But in the US today you have less than half the chance of knowing someone born in another country than in Australia.

Just 12 per cent of Americans were born outside of the US. More than one in five Australians (27 per cent) were born overseas.

For every 1000 people in Australia, there is a net migration increase of 6.03 people, almost two whole people above the United States’ 4.18.





More American finish high school, but Australians study for longer.

Australians spend an average of 21 years in education (from primary through to university), far above the 16-year average of Americans. But as you can see in the data above, more US citizens over the age of 25 have completed high school.

According to the US Census, 38.54 per cent of all US citizens over the age of 25 had obtained an Associate or Bachelor’s degree. More than 59 per cent of Australians had obtained an Advanced Diploma or Bachelor's degree by 2006.

If you did gain a tertiary education in the US, you would pay much more for it - an average of $20,517 a year for a private independent institution. In Australia, that's just $7902.





The US spends more on healthcare per capita than Australia but many US citizens still suffer under exorbitant costs. In 2007, 62 per cent of people filing for bankruptcy cited high medical expenses.

Of the total expenditure on health in the US, the government contributes 18.7 per cent. The Australian government spends 70 per cent.

The top five causes of death are the same for both nations, with similar rates of fatal cancer, but cardiovascular disease is responsible for 1.3 times the number of deaths.

And respiratory diseases cause nearly 60 per cent more deaths per 100,000 people in the US than in Australia.

If you lived in the US you would be twice as likely to have HIV/AIDS. The number of people living with the illness is 0.6 per cent in the US and 0.3 per cent in Australia.

There are 2.999 doctors for every 1000 Australians, just above the US rate of 2.672.





The Australian lifestyle is good for you.

Australians live 40.8 months longer than our American counterparts, making it to the ripe old age of 81.9 on average.

Australian women born today have a life expectancy of 83.9 years, longer than US women at 80.8 years. The difference is similar for men with 79.3 years expected life time for Aussie blokes and 75.6 for Americans.

Infant mortality is also higher in the United States with 6.06 deaths out of every 1000 compared to Australia’s rate of 4.61/1000.

Design: Aurelie Perthuis, Vincent Vergara, Simon Wright

Read more: http://www.news.com....2#ixzz1dxtX32D1

[Hana-Nezumi]

Yeah, but Australia has scary spiders.

[JRPomazon]

Australia has a lot of things Hana. But when it comes to living longer I think most countries in the world have us beat. That aspect alone is tempting enough to get the hell out of dodge.

[Twinrova]

Yeah, but Australia has scary spiders.

YEAH!

[SOAP]

Yeah, but Australia has scary spiders.

So does Texas! Which is number 18887989 of a buttload of reasons I'm ditching Texas and moving to Georgia. Or maybe China, because Georgia just isn't far enough. (And yeah I totally just hit a bunch of random numbers on my keyboard)

[J-Roc]

You both lose.

[Showsni]

American and Australia both have scary spiders and snakes.

So is how many times you've watched the Simpsons equivalent to life expectancy now? I need to stop watching it so I can live longer...

[Chikara Nadir]

I'm not going to say that the numbers are wrong, by any means. But I do have a few issues with some of the information.

For one, I'm wondering which dollar mark they're using here. Is everything being measured in Australian dollars, or are Australian numbers in Australian dollars, and American numbers in American dollars.

That said, if the median income in Australia is about $10,600 more than the median income in Australia, then can we also assume that the "poverty line" may be at a higher number..or are they using the same dollar amount for both nations' poverty lines? Otherwise, we might have to assume that an American citizen may be able to make more money while still being considered 'in poverty.'

Next: a 6% difference between what an Australian woman is paid vs an American woman isn't what I'd call a "significant gap." Especially if overall the American (and therefore the American woman as well) may be making a little more on average. Don't get me wrong. The canyon between what a man makes and what a woman makes is never fun to think about, overall. I can understand where it makes sense in some respects - mostly if a woman has limited time in the office because she's part time while caring for a child, or has to leave the workplace and return after starting a family - but that never necessarily makes up for the fact that men and women in the exact same position are often paid tens of thousands differently from one another. The USA is definitely not immune from that.

Moving onto the next picture. I would hardly say that a 15% lower ownership of passports in the USA means you're "you have less than half the chance of knowing someone born in another country than in Australia." This statistic is based on CITIZENS that have passports. I mean, I definitely get the point they're trying to make, but you can hardly pretend that there aren't still going to be plenty of VISITORS to the USA to "know" in your lifetime with how huge our nation is in the international market. Another thing you have to be aware of: until a few years ago, a USA citizen could still visit Mexico and Canada without owning passports. All you needed to have was a state issued ID, and sometimes a birth certificate on hand as well. We could easily travel back and forth between the three nations without any formal international documents.

Now for the education section. I'll admit that I don't know much about the Australian educational system - for instance, do you guys have public colleges/universities? That is, schools which receive a greater amount of subsidies from the federal/regional governments? Because in the USA, we definitely do. I went to a four year state university, which while not necessarily as prestigious as Harvard or Yale, still is very well respected and accredited. In the year 2012, the average cost of public university in the USA will only be $8,244 in tuition and fees for an in-state student, or $12,526 for an out-of-state student. That's about $8377 and $12728, respectively, in $AUS. Though I'll definitely believe that the average Aussie can afford (and put more effort into) their education than the average US kid.

There's also the cost of living to keep in mind. Australia does tend to have higher import taxes and general costs on everyday goods. The cost of the average home in the USA is around $269,000, while the same home near a major city in Australia is about $381,000. Food in Australia can cost 2.5x more than it does in the UK, which in turn is also more expensive than goods in the USA.

As far as the top most expensive cities in the world are concerned, based on a 'cost of living survey', Australian cities have been rushing to the top of the scale. By March 2011, Sydney ranked as the 14th most expensive city in the world (it was #24 a year ago), Melbourne at 21 (previously 33), Perth at 30 (60), Brisbane 31 (55), Canberra 34 (74), and Adelaide 46 (90). This huge jump can largely be attributed by the recent strength of the Australian dollar.

Meanwhile, for the USA the most expensive cities this year are New York City (at #32), Loss Angeles (77), and Chicago (108).

As for actual goods, here's a good example of the cost difference between nations: Let's say that I want to play Skyward Sword at GameStop (I used their data against EB Games in Australia, since they're the same company). I'd need spend $198AUS for the console and $98 for the game ($118 for the Limited Edition). In the USA it's $149.99US for the system, and $49.99 for the game ($79.99 for the LE). As a random side note, you guys rate that game as M for Mature? Seriously? Here it's E10 (Everyone 10+)! What does it actually mean for you guys - like how young is too young for an M rating in Australia? Anyway, for another comparison the Call of Duty: MW3 XBox 360 console bundle is $549AUS, or $399.99US.

Even aside from how fast your dollar is rising, over the last decade Australia's had the highest rising food prices of any developed nation: it's risen by 41.3% in the last decade (since 2000, based on statistics from 2009). That's compared to a rise of 32.9% in the UK, 32.7% in Canada, and 28.4% in the USA.

The top causes of bankruptcy in Australia are 1) unemployment, 2) domestic discord (divorce/separation), and 3) excessive credit - which are the roughly same as #2, 3, and 4 on the American scale after healthcare costs. America's healthcare system may be crap, but otherwise we suffer from the same financial woes as your nation.

And I'll remind folks that as far as the top ten most venomous snakes in the world are concerned..they're ALL IN AUSTRALIA. Also, crocodiles, great white sharks, funnel web spiders, red back spiders, box jellyfish, stone fish, and blue ring octopus can all kill you without thinking too hard about it. Gotta love stings/poison with no known antivenom/cure, especially when the pain alone is so bad that limbs may need to be amputated, or the poison's so strong that survivors may need mouth to mouth resuscitation for several hours. Even the damned kangaroos and emu can both kick you to death! Your country wants everyone dead!



But I dare not forget the most dangerous thing of all in Australia...

[Goose]

Its ReNeducation time.

For one, I'm wondering which dollar mark they're using here. Is everything being measured in Australian dollars, or are Australian numbers in Australian dollars, and American numbers in American dollars.

In 2008, the median household income was $37,690 for Americans compared to $27,039 in Australia, in US dollars (purchasing power parity) according to the OECD.<br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252); ">

Now for the education section. I'll admit that I don't know much about the Australian educational system - for instance, do you guys have public colleges/universities? That is, schools which receive a greater amount of subsidies from the federal/regional governments? Because in the USA, we definitely do. I went to a four year state university, which while not necessarily as prestigious as Harvard or Yale, still is very well respected and accredited. In the year 2012, the average cost of public university in the USA will only be $8,244 in tuition and fees for an in-state student, or $12,526 for an out-of-state student. That's about $8377 and $12728, respectively, in $AUS. Though I'll definitely believe that the average Aussie can afford (and put more effort into) their education than the average US kid.

<br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252); ">

The other Aussies can correct me if I"m wrong, but the large majority of Australian Universities are public colleges. The only university that I can think of that isn't public is the Melbourne Business School. We all get into Uni through our UAI/VCE/HSC scores, and not through money. Australian Citizens don't have to pay any upfront money to go to university, it all goes a HELP fund that you pay back when you are earning a certain amount of money, if you are able to afford it. I think it starts to get paid off once you earn 32 grand. If you don't earn that much, you never have to pay it off. And it only comes out incrementally. No real biggie.

As far as the top most expensive cities in the world are concerned, based on a 'cost of living survey', Australian cities have been rushing to the top of the scale. By March 2011, Sydney ranked as the 14th most expensive city in the world (it was #24 a year ago), Melbourne at 21 (previously 33), Perth at 30 (60), Brisbane 31 (55), Canberra 34 (74), and Adelaide 46 (90). This huge jump can largely be attributed by the recent strength of the Australian dollar.

I live in Canberra. It is expensive, and only slightly cheaper than New York City. Things cost more here, but we buy a lot of our stuff from the US and ship it over, it save HEAPS of money.

And I'll remind folks that as far as the top ten most venomous snakes in the world are concerned..they're ALL IN AUSTRALIA. Also, crocodiles, great white sharks, funnel web spiders, red back spiders, box jellyfish, stone fish, and blue ring octopus can all kill you without thinking too hard about it. Gotta love stings/poison with no known antivenom/cure, especially when the pain alone is so bad that limbs may need to be amputated, or the poison's so strong that survivors may need mouth to mouth resuscitation for several hours. Even the damned kangaroos and emu can both kick you to death! Your country wants everyone dead!

You learn to deal with it. Always have a first aid kit on you. Know how to spot a deadly spider, and flame thrower it. We're tough down in the great southern land.

[Twinrova]

And I'll remind folks that as far as the top ten most venomous snakes in the world are concerned..they're ALL IN AUSTRALIA. Also, crocodiles, great white sharks, funnel web spiders, red back spiders, box jellyfish, stone fish, and blue ring octopus can all kill you without thinking too hard about it. Gotta love stings/poison with no known antivenom/cure, especially when the pain alone is so bad that limbs may need to be amputated, or the poison's so strong that survivors may need mouth to mouth resuscitation for several hours. Even the damned kangaroos and emu can both kick you to death! Your country wants everyone dead!

Don't forget cassowaries!

[Chikara Nadir]

Hope you didn't think I was being confrontational, just wanted to make sure I got all my facts straight (and that the article was doing the same).

Don't forget cassowaries!

Listen. The only thing I think of when I see those guys is Ferngully.

[Goose]

Hope you didn't think I was being confrontational, just wanted to make sure I got all my facts straight (and that the article was doing the same).

Man, that was just waaay to confrontational. I feel confronted. This level of confrontment is unacceptable.

[Chikara Nadir]

Well, good! That's the American way. We're all about being in your face, and also fat. Well, that's the international stereotype, at least.

[Veteran]

I for one welcome our new Chinese overlords.