Australian Friendliness, Shopping, Faith in Government ... and Angst?
______ It’s been five months since I moved to Australia, three months since we officially opened The New York Times bureau in Sydney,
and this seems like as good a time as any to step back and share a few observations.
There are lots of countries with friendly reputations, certainly, but what I’ve come to appreciate about Australia is
that for most people I meet, the first instinct seems to be "how can I help." It’s pretty different from New York City, my last home, where people are locked in their own bubbles of work, or Mexico, my home before that, where people were simply scared when strangers approached.
For an American used to diatribes against big government, it’s surprising to hear even conservatives arguing
that government can and must do big things — whether it’s getting guns off the streets, fixing electricity in South Australia or behaving as a paternalistic presence in the lives of Indigenous Australians.
As Julia Gillard, the former prime minister, told me when we met recently for coffee: "Faith in government is stronger here than in the U.S. Australians believe government can work and should work, and to the extent it doesn’t
that is the fault of politicians, and you get to vote them in and out." Banter Never Ends If Australians’ first instinct is friendliness and the second is curiosity, then could the third be humor, insecurity or a mix of the two?
Damien Cave, our new Australia bureau chief, shares insights on global news,
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Damien Cave is the new Australia bureau chief for The New York Times.