Thinking of emigrating to Australia, but

[Foxy]

Mwell...that's not a valid reason to be Anglophobic considering what I wrote before.

Most of the deported convicts were not serious criminals, but stealers condemned to 7 years of prison or even less... But that's not the point. Britain abandoned the colony during the II WW (omg I already am an Aussie nationalist and I have not left Italy yet *.*)

[Nglund]

Most of the deported convicts were not serious criminals, but stealers condemned to 7 years of prison or even less...

I said that these crimes or whatever you may call them were perceived as being very serious offences at the time. Deportation had a very postive outcome since it took people living in absolute poverty and made them autonomous and sometimes wealthy.

But that's not the point. Britain abandoned the colony during the II WW.

Britain didn't "abandon" Australia, it became a British Dominion, the Australia Act 1986 broke all links with Westminster.

[Peasant]

Solve the immigration problem by being a bloody immigrant yourself somewhere else. Remember to post comments on Daily Mail articles about how immigration is bad and how England is in a right state while you no longer live there.

[The Silent Man]

The Australian government has unveiled plans for two more detention centres to accommodate an increasing number of asylum seekers.

It also announced that children and family groups would be moved from detention into community-based accommodation.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was not the Australian way to have children behind razor wire.

The new detention centres in Perth and Adelaide will house 2,000 people.
Continue reading the main story
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Asylum and immigration issues were focal points in Australia's recent election campaign.

The country's policy of mandatory detention for all migrants without papers while their asylum applications are processed has been criticised by the United Nations.
Child care

Ms Gillard said "significant numbers" of minors and families would be moved into community-based accommodation as part of a more "humane" approach to the issue.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

I don't think it is the Australian way to have kids behind razor wire in the hope that that is a deterrent”

End Quote Julia Gillard Australian prime minister

"This is especially important for children, for whom protracted detention can have negative impacts on their development and mental health," Ms Gillard said.

"I don't think it is the Australian way to have kids behind razor wire in the hope that that is a deterrent," she added.

She said several hundred families would be moved by the middle of next year.

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said that while the country needed to maintain one of the toughest asylum policies in the world, improvements could be made to the treatment of asylum seekers.

"Children will be able to, and obliged to, attend school normally and to live a normal life," he said.

The government is in talks with East Timor and Indonesia about a plan to build a regional processing centre for asylum seekers.

Earlier conservative governments has instituted the so-called "Pacific solution" under which asylum seekers were detained on the Pacific island of Nauru while their claims were processed.

Mr Bowen said the best deterrent would be a rigorous system of checks on whether applicants fulfilled conditions to be granted refugee status.

[Brynhild]

I'm going to chime in with my two bobs' worth about all this - as an Australian. MrNglund, with all due respect, the convicts shipped to Australia, for the most part, committed no serious crime apart from stealing a loaf of bread - and I say for the most part. The empire had their sights on Australia:

1) Due to the already overcrowded prisons in the motherland, along with expanding on their empire

2) They were aware of other nations like the Dutch (who had arrived in WA a century before Cook landed in Kurnell in 1770), the French (making their mark in Melanesia) and the Portuguese (already in Timor) wanting to occupy those territories and were quick to make it their own. I'm not sorry for this mind you, but Australia was founded on an empirical autocracy. The Crown had essentially left the newcomers to fend for themselves in a harsh land, so very different from Blighty.

I have reasons of my own for being Anglophobic, if I want to be:

The Gallipoli campaign was mentioned. The British gave the Australian and New Zealand soldiers the wrong topographical maps outlining Gallipoli's terrain. The Turks had a bloody field day on 25th April, which we now know as ANZAC Day. With these useless maps, our diggers were left to fend for themselves in an unwinnable battle.

Some WWII examples were the fall of Singapore and Tobruk, in which our boys were left to fend for themselves again and clean up the dirty work the Brits left behind. Erwin Rommel gave our boys the dubious nickname the Rats of Tobruk, which they actually wore with pride. The nickname might've been dubious to begin with but Rommel admired the tenacity of our diggers. They defended the Tobruk stronghold for some considerable time before the Brits came back, only to lose it to the Germans not long after

When the Japs started to arrive on our doorstep, it was the Americans who actually lent us a hand during the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. I know that there are plenty of reasons as to why these catastrophies occurred but I'm sorry to say that the Brits weren't what we would consider a very reliable ally at the time - and yet the moment they declared war both times our people didn't think twice about being called to arms.

Looking to nowadays, I've been to both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. I love New Zealand and their people, but it isn't as great as it would otherwise be seen as being. The North Island has its racial problems, in particular around Auckland, it's expensive and a lot of Kiwis have to resort to coming over here in their efforts to look for work. Their native wildlife is sadly lacking, and Australia is spoilt for the wide variety of food that we can put on our table. The plus side to the South Island is the incredible beauty of the Fjordlands and the ski season is excellent.

Australia isn't without its problems, but as is typical of the media, the focus is always on the worst things. It is true that there have been hunger strikes and protests from the detention centre at Villawood, but only because these people were told that after the due process of their applications were rejected and they were to be deported - correct procedure was being followed. I'm concerned in the number of boat people on the increase but they are still of a relative minority compared to other parts of the world.

Sydney is way too multicultural for my liking and yes, there are Sudanese communities on the increase in certain suburbs. But I tell you what, they don't cause any trouble within those communities where they have settled. There are Asians and they have settled in other areas of Sydney and there are troubles where there are various ethnicities living together that include these Asian communites - the same as in other parts of the world. In saying that, though, the majority of migrants are still European, especially the British. While some may go back, the rest stay here, as they know which side their bread is buttered.

There are still plenty of areas in Australia where there are predominantly Celto-Germanic communities, especially those who have descended from the early settlers. I know for a fact that where these folk have settled, in the outer and rural areas, there are bugger all migrants who aren't prepared to live away from the cities. While it may not be the most perfect country in the world, it is still my home and I know more about it than anybody else on this forum ever would. You'll pardon me for not wanting to live anywhere else. There is some truth to the media reports but there is also a great deal of embellishment, in an effort to sensationalise. As much as I would like for emigration to be kept to a minimum, if at all, I know that the door is always open for Europeans as we trust them more than anybody else.

At VOV you are starting to sound like an Aussie already!

One other thing: Aussies are a tough breed of people, because we have long ago learned that we live in a country of extremes environmentally. We have suffered with droughts, floods and bushfires. Currently, we have been experiencing a very wet summer along the eastern seaboard and Queensland has been declared a disaster zone due to flooding. What's still comforting and inspiring to see is how these people pull together and support each other. Those of us who are more fortunate are always generous with our time and money to make lives easier for our folk. I'd like to think that other nations would do the same for their own people but I can only talk first hand what I see here. Maybe it's from our more humble beginnings that have enabled us to maintain our fighting spirit and be generally optimistic because of our sense of community and banding together when times are tough. I wouldn't be anything else but an Aussie thanks very much!

[Albion]

Tasmania looks mainly Anglo-Celtic, NZ is becoming as multicultural as Britain in outlook though if not more so, about a quarter of the population is non-European.

[Hulda.Kin]

I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and we are pretty good here with a higher white population. Sydney I grew up in and would never move back there as it is full of the 'multi cultured' and the problems that go with creating such a bubble and squeak mix of races. I prefer to hang with my own kind. Some rural towns have had the Sudanese and other refugees sent to them and are having a few problems I hear from family living in those towns. I'd love so say more but you know, best to be prudent about what we put in writing :-) Australia has far more area to escape to, maybe that is it's charm. I wish you well in your attempt to emigrate here.

[Wyn]

Solve the immigration problem by being a bloody immigrant yourself somewhere else.

Lol, that truly is one of the most ironic things about Europeans moving to Aus/NZ/US/Can. They simultaneously raise the immigrant level of another land while lowering the native level of their own.

[Osweo]

My little brother's planning to go.

There've been a few programmes about Australia on the telly lately. One special on Sydney, and a few housing programmes where the presenter helps a British couple look at and buy homes over there. And I can't blame my brother one bit.

[Motörhead Remember Me]

Lol, that truly is one of the most ironic things about Europeans moving to Aus/NZ/US/Can. They simultaneously raise the immigrant level of another land while lowering the native level of their own.

Population replacement seem to be part of human nature.

I don't blame people for wanting to go to Oz. Life's good Down under.