With coronavirus sweeping the world and so many countries badly affected, the pull for expats to return to Australia has never been stronger. As one of those returning residents, I can tell you that reverse culture shock is real.
We're back. With coronavirus sweeping the world and so many countries badly affected, the pull for expats to return to Australia has never been stronger, with many, like me, already finding themselves back on our land girt by sea.
You will now receive updates from Traveller Newsletter Traveller Newsletter Get the latest news and updates emailed straight to your inbox. ... but we can use roundabouts Roundabouts were invented in France, and because of that, apparently, no one in Spain has any respect for them or any desire to learn how to use them properly. Hence, every entry onto a dual-lane circle in the Iberian Peninsula is a wild game of vehicular roulette. Australians are better.
People are friendly The good people of the Basque Country, where I lived, tend not to be immediately friendly to strangers. People don't smile at you on the street. They don't offer to help you with, say, your kid's stroller or your shopping. So it's still a pleasant surprise to me when Australians do that, when walkers smile at me in the morning, when people offer to help if I'm struggling. Australians are kind to people we don't know. We should be proud of that.
Parking spaces are enormous This is entirely trivial, but still, in Spain you have to be an absolute ninja to park a car properly; here, the spaces are enormous! You could park a jumbo jet in those things.
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Aus banks act as 'shock absorbers', offer four-month extension on loan repayments | Sky News AustraliaAustralian banks will extend a deferral on home loan repayments by another four months for anyone significantly impacted by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nAustralian Banking Association CEO Anna Bligh said on Wednesday the move would be 'specifically targeted to getting people back on repayments while continuing to help those who are hardest hit”. \n\n“Repaying a home loan is in the DNA of the Australian psyche and banks are going to help as many Australians as possible to get back on track and able to keep making their repayments,” she said. \n\nMs Bligh said only those in “genuine need” would be eligible for the extension period and those who were able to begin repaying their loans at the end of the original six-month deferral period would be required to do so. \n\n“Australian banks came into this crisis in a very strong position, they are better capitalized then they have ever been, and what that means is they’ve been able to be shock absorbers for the Australian economy as it endures this crisis,” she said. \n\n“With this next phase of support Australian banks are reaffirming their commitment to keep their customers afloat and play their part in rebuilding the Australian economy.” \n\nImage: Getty
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Australia has ‘demonised coal fired power’: Alan Jones | Sky News AustraliaTo secure Australia’s international strategic advantage, the best thing the country could do is to become a “global energy superpower” according to NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham.\n\nSky News host Alan Jones spoke to Mr Latham and Nationals Senator Matt Canavan about how Australia in recent years has “demonised coal fired power”.\n\n“Yet we’ve got hundreds and hundreds of coal fired power plants being built around the world,” Mr Jones said.\n\nMr Latham said coal and energy is one of the most important strategic questions for the Australian economy.\n\n“The immediate smart thing we could do is to become a global energy super power (because) we flourish in coal, nuclear, gas, renewables if they could hold their weight”.\n\n“That should be Australia’s international strategic advantage, reliable power, cheap power, and manufacturing jobs”.\n\nMr Canavan said if Australian coal was “good enough for the Chinese to use” then why isn’t it good enough for Australians to use.\n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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Industry ripe for innovation turns to AI and robots to pollinate cropsCan a pollinating robot from Israel shake up Australia's $900 million greenhouse tomato industry?
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Virgin Australia bondholder launches court action to unveil secret Bain dealOne of Virgin Australia's largest bondholders is pushing to unseal the secret details of a deal to sell the bankrupt airline to private equity firm Bain Capital.
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WA caps international arrivals to limit COVID-19 cases
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When Graeme woke up in a police station, he became one of Australia's 'silent' statisticsFor every death by suicide, as many as 30 others attempt to end their life. Australia has a suicide problem — it seems we can all agree on that — but when it comes to solutions, the verdict isn't so clear.
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