Over the past couple of years, there's been so much doom and gloom in the news that it's been easy to overlook the things that make Australia one of the best places in the world to live.
From our fresh produce, to our sense of community and the Australian way of life, there are a lot of things that we take for granted each day. But I, personally, was reminded of them while reading through this Reddit thread posted by u/Dan1el_va, where they asked "What's one thing that makes you proud to be Australian?"
And look, I'll be the first to say I'm not a hugely patriotic person, but the responses were overwhelmingly wholesome. A lot of the submissions touched on immigrant experiences, diversity and inclusion, which warmed my heart since my parents are immigrants, too. So, for your reading pleasure, here's why Aussies are proud to call Australia home.
1. "I'm proud that whilst racism still obviously exists, for the majority of cases, Australians are very accepting regardless of how different someone is.
"I'm not born here [in Australia], but I came here when I was 7 and lived in a place that wasn't as multicultural back then compared to the rest of the city. I might have been the only Asian kid at my primary school, but I had lots of friends. Teachers were giving it their all to teach me English in my first year, then they saw I was gifted in English and got me tested to see if they could recommend my mum to have me try for the OC class.
"I brought my strange lunches to school, which had some highlights, including beef hearts, pork brains, salted eggs, etc. Even rice was already strange. No one cared, as long as you were happy."
2. "The bush. There is nothing like its rustic charm in the world."
—u/gumblegod
3. "How — when it hits the fan with fires, floods and the like — Aussies roll up their sleeves and just do it. We have one of the highest rates of volunteerism in the world."
4. "Medicare. No matter how hard the liberals have tried to gut it over the years."
—u/gold_fields
5. "That we have the oldest living, continuing human culture."
"I love our Indigenous culture. Our local land council had a celebration day a few months ago. I got to take some preschoolers along, and it was incredible. Seeing them all so proud of sharing their culture and traditions with everyone was amazing. It made me a little bit jealous that as a white woman with predominantly English heritage, I don't have those meaningful cultural stories and traditions to share and be proud of. (And yes, I am acutely aware that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history in our country is far from being all rainbows and butterflies.)"
6. "When I come back from overseas, I'm reminded how good Australia smells compared to many other places. I love the clean air."
—u/nosnowtho
7. "I’m proud that even though you don't know it, you are already an Aussie. I'd be prouder if our recently immigrated families could see how you add to us, just like every generation did before you."
8. "Both my parents were born overseas, so my siblings and I are all first-generation Aussies. You are just as Australian as someone who has been here for a couple generations.
"I'm glad to live in a country where I’m not homeless on the streets just because I have a disability."
9. "At our best, we are multicultural and accepting of differences as long as they don't lead to harm. Your parents are not just immigrants; they are also Australians, just like you."
10. "The eight-hour work day, a revolution that limited work hours."
—u/TheTwinSet02
11. "I'm proud of our electoral system. Electoral boundaries are determined by a non-partisan authority. Preferential voting/instant runoff voting is used, meaning that a vote for minor party candidates and independents is not a wasted vote. Federal elections are run by the same authority in each state."
—u/Ashley-Steel
12. "Compulsory superannuation."
—u/TheTwinSet02
13. "Vegemite."
14. "How beautiful and unique our native animals, landscapes and beaches are. I appreciate all these things so much more after visiting other countries. Fresh air, beautiful scenery and million dollar views — all of these are so easily accessible to the public and free [in Australia], but unattainable in other countries."
—u/DISU18
15. "I'm an immigrant, and I can say that despite its flaws, I've always loved that in Australia I can go out and not worry about violence, being robbed and having to keep my wits about me in broad daylight like I would where I'm from. If I get hurt, I don't have to pay for help. If I lose my job, there are safety nets to support me. Our democracy is strong, and even in this most recent election, which was quite a turnover of government, there was no massive uproar from supporters of the opposition of any kind suggesting fraud or treason. In Australia, I feel comfortable just 'being' — which you just can't take for granted when it's not the reality in most of the world.
"On top of this, it’s impressive to see how most Australians accept a level of personal responsibility when it comes to crisis — volunteer work in disasters, staying home, wearing masks and not causing a fuss during lockdowns, over 95% going out and getting their jabs when asked to, and just being good cunts to each other in public in general. My only wish is for Australia to embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture more. At this stage, some of the worst racism I’ve witnessed has been toward one of our proudest people and the oldest culture in the entire world."
—u/montyxgh
16. "The Nutbush dance."
—u/giacintam
17. "Australia is multicultural, and it's okay to be an immigrant here. The majority of Aussies are very accepting of other cultures, and it works at all levels of society. Immigrants are not limited to the underclass and other bottom layers of society. As an immigrant, I liked this, and it was my main reason for moving here."
18. "Macadamia nuts."
—u/sol1869
19. "Sensible gun laws, you can say 'g'day mate' to anyone, almost everyone understands the importance of the philosophy of the 'fair go,' volunteer surf lifesaving clubs and test cricketers who walk."
20. "I came here from NZ when I was 10 (now 27) and still very much refer to myself as a Kiwi. But fuck, it's great being able to go overseas, stay in some shitty hostel and instantly have a crew of Aussies or Kiwis that are your new best mates in that city."
—u/aligantz
21. "I'm so, so proud of the formal Sorry and of Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech."
Editor's note: The formal Sorry involved the then prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, apologising on behalf of the government to the Stolen Generation, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities. The misogyny speech was delivered by former prime minister Julia Gillard who accused then-opposition leader Tony Abbott and the Coalition party of sexism.
22. "Waking up to the sound of birds in the morning."
23. "Our laidback culture. I like how no one really cares what you're doing as long as you aren't being a nuisance or hurting yourself/others. We're not as judgemental as other countries can be."
—u/Swordsnap
24. "Diversity and the culture on inclusiveness. I've never felt like an immigrant.
"By the way, I'm an Indian immigrant who migrated for work. There's not even a single time I’ve faced concerns or questioning looks in a queue. From the bottom of my heart, I love this country, and I'm looking to get my citizenship soon."
25. "There's lots of things I like, but one thing I, personally, really appreciate is that transphobia gains very little traction here. Like, sure, there are transphobes here, but most people don't give it much stock, and the election (with Katherine Deves) showed that transphobia has no place in politics either. It makes me feel safer living in Australia than other countries, like the US or UK where transphobia has gained a lot of traction.
"To echo what someone else said, Australians are, generally, pretty accepting, welcoming and celebratory of diversity — be it of culture, gender, sexuality or religion. We're far from perfect; there's a lot of blind spots, but as a general rule, we celebrate diversity in all its forms."
—u/GalileoAce
26. And lastly, "I am proud that we are a country that attracts people of all cultures who want to make a life here and become Aussies."
—u/Fortran1958
Note: Some Reddit responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.