Feb. 5

We’ve been on the sea for one month. Before writing something on Australia, I thought it would be worthwhile checking in on the US. Naturally, I went to Truth Social for an authoritative update. Here’s what trump says: 

   “This is fun!. Now you see what a meritocracy looks like. No special deals for blacks, hispanics, gays, jews and disabled. America for Americans!! The woke D’s don’t know which direction we’re coming from. Elon is doing great. If I make Gaza a state, I may declare Elon as governor. Or, maybe Jared. He could develop the riviera coast. Baron could take over when he’s 21. Donny will be governor of Greenland. Eric  can have Panama. I’ll have to talk to Melania about Canada.. She’s still upset about Stormy (who isn’t my type) and those other lying females. We’ll have more trump governors than anyone thought possible. I’m still working on a new flag design. I’ll have 5 choices and every American who sends me $10,000 can vote. No one believed that I could win the tariff wars with Mexico and Canada, but everyone says it’s a victory the likes of which have never been seen before. Remember, you can get a facsimile of the pens I use for signing Executive Orders for only $100 plus shipping and handling.”

It looks like everything is going as expected in the states, so I’ll turn to Australia We’ll be visiting from February 4 to 14, making stops in Sydney, Mooloolaba, Whitsunday Island, Cairns, Thursday Island, and Darwin. Fortunately, the Super Bowl is on a sea day….at 9:30 am.

Australia is the world’s 6th largest country, about the size of the US. It’s the oldest, driest, flattest country in the world and boasts both deserts and rainforests. Just about all of the 27 million people live on the coast rather than the dry, barren middle. It was settled about 50,000 years ago as its inhabitants migrated from Africa through Asia. There were about 250 languages spoken as the Aboriginal people spread throughout the country.

About 80 percent of the plants and animals there exist only in Australia. There were flightless birds, a 5500 pound wombat, pythons, kangaroos, platiypi  (platypuses?) and turtles with hair. In New Zealand they say there are “no critters.” In Australia, they say everything wants to kill you.

Of course, I have questions about the culinary side of the animal population.

   -Does a platypus taste fishy? or, like a duck?

   -Do koalas taste cuddly? or like eucalyptus?

   -Is a kangaroo bouncy? rubbery?

   -I know crocodiles are tough if not marinated.

   -Of course, an ostrich tastes like chicken

   -And which of these are white meat so wives who don’t eat red meat will have some options?

There were an estimated 300,000 to three million Aboriginal people living in Australia when the country was “discovered.” Abel Tasman sailed up the west coast in the mid 1600’s. While he named the continent New Holland, he was more interested in finding spices for the East India Company than settling a new land. The British took an interest in settling the east coast and that interest was increased, surprisingly, by the Revolutionary War. When the British were displaced by upstart Americans, they could no longer send their convicts to Georgia. (Think ancestors of Marjorie Taylor Greene) so they focused on a new out-of-the-way land…Australia. The convicts were followed by exiles to supplement the labor force. Next came “blackbirding,” the practice of recruiting workers from the South Sea islands. Much of the “recruitment” took the form of kidnapping. The best way to acquire larger parcels of land was through extensive grazing of sheep. This, in turn, led to the immigration of a number of sheep shearers.

The flow of laborers was increased significantly by the “Gold Rush” in the 1850’s. That brought miners from Asia, Europe, and the US. Most of them were unsuccessful, but they represented a significant increase in the labor supply. Many disappointed miners were able to “squat” on land and assume ownership. Missionaries, who began arriving as early as 1815, were there to help with the displaced Aboriginal people. They removed children from their families to civilize them….not unlike what happened in the United States through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In 1905, the Commonwealth of Australia was established. At that time, there were many efforts that moved in a progressive direction In 1902, women got the right to vote. In 1912, retirement pensions were established, as well as maternity leave. In 1938, a federal minimum wage was established ($0.25 per hour). 

Australians were active participants in World War 1 and 11.( The Japanese bombed Darwin and other parts of Northern Australia in 1942.) They continue to be involved in a number of peacekeeping missions for the United Nations. While they are a Constitutional Monarchy and have close relations with the US, their number one trading partner is China.

In 1967, Aboriginal people became citizens. There have been efforts to recognize their heritage, honor their languages and culture, and to return some of their lands. Lots of public meetings begin with a recognition of their heritage.

Today, there is a very diverse workforce. Skilled immigrant workers are welcomed. Australia had the highest sustained growth of any developed country between 1991 and 2020. That was stalled by covid in 2020.