I have just been reminded that 38.4% of people that voted, voted no? My question is, if you voted no, why? Has the law changing actually affected your life? If you could go back, would you still vote no?

moved to Australia two years ago, one of the hardest parts of living here has been trying to make genuine friendships

I actively try to meet new people- through the gym, book clubs, run clubs, going to pubs, connecting with mutual friends and generally whenever there’s an opportunity to meet new people. But for some reason, nothing ever seems to stick

It’s gotten to the point where my confidence has taken a massive hit. I start to wonder if it’s my personality, my humour, the way I communicate, or just something about me that doesn’t fit here. Or maybe it’s that most people already have their established friend groups?

Recently I met a group of girls while I was out. They saw that I was alone and brought me into their group. We spent the night talking and laughing together. I genuinely felt like we clicked and in the end we exchanged numbers. We met up a few times after that and had the best time. I started thinking maybe I’d found a group of girls I could become friends with!

A few weeks after we last hung out, I messaged the group asking when we should catch up again. No one ended up responding

That was a massive kick to the head. I didn’t really know what to make of it as I thought we were becoming friends especially after hanging out a few times and seemingly having a good time together

This is starting to sound like a rant but this isn’t just an isolated experience. It’s been quite a pattern since moving here.

Normally it goes something like this- I get introduced to a friend group, everyone is welcoming and excited to meet me, and for a little while I think Maybe these are finally my people. Then eventually I seem to fade out of the group. It leaves me wondering what I’m doing wrong or whether people just lose interest in me once the novelty of meeting someone new wears off. And I think that’s the part that has affected me the most because I keep feeling like I’m somehow not what they want in a friend either because im not Australian or because I’m just being myself

But isnt that what you’re supposed to do as an adult? Be yourself, put yourself in situations where you can meet people, make an effort and hope that eventually you find the people you genuinely connect with?

I’d especially love to hear from other people who moved to Australia or Australians who have struggled with the same thing. Is making close friendships here genuinely difficult once you’re an adult? Did it eventually get better for you? And if it did, what changed?

A Bloke just knocked on my door, said he was a neighbour and was locked out and asked if he could borrow my sim card to ring his partner. I said no cause I didn't know him and it sounded like an unusual request. Has anyone heard of this one?

I live semi rural in SEQLD, family of four (F32 M35 2x kids 8&7)
We have a mortgage that’s pretty ‘cheap’ considering we bought pre COVID.
Husband works full time, wife part time in school hours.
Just wondering if everyone is in the same boat where you’re just grinding and grinding and getting flipping nowhere financially?
Husband brings home 6-7k per month (depending on overtime), wife brings home around 2k per month give or take.
Groceries are $650 weekly on average and that’s with meal planning and we try to buy decent produce and meat if we can.
Family car is diesel so that’s a lovely 2.55 per litre currently and it’s filled weekly.
Rates just came in and have increased ontop of general bills like rego, power etc.
We try our hardest to be savvy with money but literally have like 6k in the bank and it’s barely climbing. We manage to save maybe a few hundred dollars a month it seems.
Husband paid monthly, wife weekly. We are scraping by as it is.
We just feel so overwhelmed by the current state of things, cost of living, grinding but seemingly getting nowhere.
I’m not meaning to put these numbers here to put anyone down or whatever as others are in a much tougher boat than us. We just feel swamped by it all.
Does anyone have any tips or things they changed that made a huge difference to their ability to save?
Do we get a financial adviser to look at our spendings? Invest?- I wouldn’t even know where to start! Our savings go into an offset account but is there a better way to set up our banking?
Anyway, I appreciate any and all advise.
I am not meaning to complain, just curious.
Thank you

I’ve had crows get into my last 3 deliveries. They first got into an egg carton, then salt & vinegar chips and then 500g block of butter 😭 I know I can do a click and collect, but I love the convenience of a delivery. And people somehow miss my giant doorbell by the gate so I miss when they actually arrive. The crows are smart and gathering, watching the coming & goings of my house from the powerlines, just waiting for their next snack

Why is everyone driving with fig lights in when it's not foggy! Half the time the headlights are off!

I’m visiting Melbourne and I’m completely open to trying anything new and unique — whether it’s a weirdly awesome local event, a underrated suburb to walk around, cool live music, or amazing low-key food spots.

I’ve already seen the standard tourist sights (Hosier Lane, Queen Vic Market, ,NGV etc.), but I really want to dive into what makes Melbourne feel like home for locals.

What’s one place or thing to do here that you’d personally recommend to a friend who is down for any adventure?

For my daughter we bought the Kaz Cooke books about girls going through puberty ("Girl Stuff" 8-12 and 13+) and how it works and what to expect, and they're really great.

I would like to get my 10yo son a similar styled book, aimed at boys.

The Kaz Cooke ones are good because she's got a great fun style of writing, and breaks down concepts very well. Being an Australian author the language used is familiar and reassuring.

Of course I'm talking to him and providing information and answering questions, but having something to keep and look things up I think is a good thing.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

I was reading a news article from the ABC about tourists having a dummy spit because of facilities, no stable wifi etc.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-29/entitled-travellers-and-bad-influencers-take-a-toll-on-outback/107084674?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

Is everyone’s attitude that they are more important and deserve better ruining Australia?

Are you descended from British subjects who came over in the post World War Two Assisted Passage Program?

Hey all,

I’m (36/m) a dual citizen and moved here from the US almost 20 years ago, so at this point I’d say I’m more Aussie than American. But every now and then I still come across a cultural difference that surprises me.
One of those things lately has been how differently we seem to consume TV/media here.

I know the media landscape has changed massively over the last decade or two, so I’m not really comparing Australia today with the US in the 90s/00s. But even when I first moved here, I noticed that Foxtel didn’t seem particularly common among the people I knew. The people who had it tended to treat it as a bit of a luxury, whereas growing up in the US, having “cable” was basically the norm.

There were obviously multiple cable providers depending on where you lived, but the vast majority of households seemed to have some form of cable TV. And interestingly, when I go back to visit family in the US now, it still seems pretty common, despite Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, etc. being everywhere.

Here, it seems much more common for people to have a combination of Netflix, Stan, Binge, Disney+, Prime, ABC iView, SBS On Demand, etc. etc., plus free-to-air. And then you end up with the slightly ridiculous situation of having five different apps and still spending 20 minutes trying to figure out what the hell you want to watch.

Honestly, I’m getting a bit of app management fatigue and a bit overwhelmed keeping track of it all. I miss the old days. My wife and I have just had kids, and I actually like the idea of them growing up with the more traditional “just chuck the TV on and see what’s on” experience I had. I remember putting on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network and just watching whatever happened to be playing. I know we have some kids’ programming on free-to-air here and we do try to use it, but the overall selection seems very limited and obv the picture quality is a bit subpar.

I’m not looking to completely ditch streaming, I’d probably still keep one or two services for things we specifically want to watch. But I’m wondering whether Foxtel might actually suit us better than juggling a bunch of subscriptions.

So, is Foxtel genuinely just not that popular/common in Australia? And if so, why?

Is it actually a relatively niche/luxury thing, or is that just the impression I’ve gotten from my particular social circle?

Whenever I mention getting Foxtel, the reaction seems to be something along the lines of “Ew, Foxtel? It’s so expensive!”

I’m genuinely curious because that was such a normal part of everyday life where I grew up, whereas here it seems to have almost a stigma attached to it.

Keen to hear what people actually use and why, especially if you’ve gone from having Foxtel to streaming (or vice versa).

TIA (and I apologise for my essay like posts)

I’m 21 and about 3 years into a 4 year Electronics & Communications apprenticeship in Australia. I’m looking for some honest advice from people who have been in the trades, especially apprentices or people who have changed apprenticeships/careers.

When I started my apprenticeship I was genuinely excited about getting into electronics and communications. I expected to be doing hands on technical work, learning from experienced people and gradually becoming more skilled.

Instead, over the last 12-16 months I’ve had very little meaningful work or training.
I was promised that I would get more hands on experience, but in reality most of my day consists of online paperwork, warranty administration, answering phone calls and generally trying to look busy. There are regularly days where I have 6-8 hours with basically nothing productive to do.

The frustrating part is that I actually want to work. I enjoy hands on work, troubleshooting things, learning new skills and being able to look back at the end of the day and know that I actually accomplished something.

I’ve raised the lack of work and training before but not much has changed. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of the development I should have had during my apprenticeship.

The other problem is that there are very limited Electronics & Communications apprenticeships available, so transferring to another employer in the same trade isn’t particularly easy. It’s not like I can apply for 20 different electronics apprenticeships and pick the best one.
Originally I thought I would finish my TAFE requirements around October this year and receive my Cert III, meaning I could put up with the workplace a little longer and then move on.
I’ve now been told that I actually won’t complete everything until around April next year, meaning I potentially have another 8 months of this.
That has made the decision much harder.

I have considered electrical because honestly it would probably be my ideal type of work. I want something hands on, physical and technical where I’m constantly learning and can see the results of what I’ve done. I’d also love to eventually be able to use those skills on my own house and potentially run my own business one day.

However, I’ve become increasingly put off by the culture I’ve experienced while looking into electrical apprenticeships. There seem to be huge numbers of applicants for relatively few positions, and some of the interactions I’ve had with employers have honestly made me question whether I’d fit into the industry.
I’ve seen enough of the culture to the point where I’ve started veering away from electrical, despite it probably being my perfect work preference.

I’m now stuck between two thoughts.

“I’ve already invested three years. Just finish the qualification, get the piece of paper and move on.”

And

“I’ve already spent 16 months being miserable and neglected in this workplace. Why should I sacrifice another 8 months just because I’ve already invested so much time?”

I don’t want to make an impulsive decision just because I’m frustrated. At the same time, I don’t want to keep telling myself “only a couple more months” when I’ve been doing that for over a year already.

Outside of work I’m generally still able to enjoy myself. I have friends, a girlfriend and hobbies, and recently I’ve been doing some weekend physical work with a family member which I’ve actually really enjoyed.

But my current job is starting to affect my mood and I find myself thinking about it outside of work.
So I’m looking for honest opinions rather than validation.

If you were 21, three years into an apprenticeship, had received very little hands on training and had another 8 months until the qualification, would you stick it out and get the qualification?
Would you try everything possible to transfer to another employer in the same trade?
Would you leave the apprenticeship and start again somewhere else?
Or would you change direction completely?

For anyone who has been in a similar position, did you regret staying or did you regret leaving?

I know there are arguments for “just finish the piece of paper” and “your mental health matters more”, but I’m trying to work out where the sensible middle ground is rather than making a decision based purely on how I feel on a bad day.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this and give me some perspective.

I was born and raised in Australia, but moved to the US a couple of weeks after turning 18. That was 20 years ago and I haven't been back since.

I am now in a situation where my only option is to move back and restart my life in Australia. I have no family or connections there at all anymore and I've never lived there or even visited as an adult. I'm a citizen and native English speaker obviously, but I have no clue how anything works there and feel like a total immigrant.

Feeling very overwhelmed to be leaving everyone and everything I know. I would love to have something to look forward to. All I keep hearing is about the housing crisis and the cost of living crisis and how hard it is to make friends. I fully understand that those are significant concerns, and I am indeed concerned. But I'm looking for some positive aspects please.

Please tell me good things about living in Australia. Help me feel better and maybe even excited about this move. Thank you in advance!

Edit to answer some questions: I'm leaving the US (NJ) because of unresolvable immigration issues. I have no healthcare here and limited work opportunities. I own no property and have have no significant savings. I won't be able to come back even to visit, which means saying a serious goodbye to pretty much everyone in my life.

is any of 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages taught in schools? it would be great to learn at 4

So many people joke about “ two people to watch the road, one person to work on roads” and “one person to hold a sign, one person to mow the lawn”.

They also say “council workers clock off at 4:30 despite doing barely anything all day”.

Is it true that it’s that easy to be a council worker, or is the whole thing misunderstood?

Hei! I am planning a holiday to australia next February (2027) for 4weeks. A friend of mine is living at the gold coast, and one of the destinations is of course definitely also there. I am currently considering to have a first stop of about 4 days in Sydney, as I need to have layover there anyway. Then I am heading to the Gold coast and stay there for 2 weeks. After those two weeks, I want to explore some other places as well, for about 10 days. Travelling by plane, car or public transport is all fine for me. What would you absolutely recommend going to explore? I think I will fly back from Sydney. I like being outdoors, doing (sports) activities, going out and meet people and some sightseeing.

Shoot at my first ideas! ;)

I swear I've never heard this phrase organically, but one day I read a fun fact somewhere that said in Australia we apparently say "I'm not here to fuck spiders."

I've lived here all my life and I've never heard anyone say this other than mentioning how it's a phrase we apparently say.

Where did this phrase come from??? Was it made up by someone overseas and we all just collectively went 'yeah that sounds like us' and adopt it? Did we get incepted by a yankee or something?

He has a small fanbase in the US. I asked an Australian about him once and she got mad. I was like "yikes! Better not bring him up again.". Her and I used to exchange tasteless jokes, so I didn't see that coming. This must have been 25 years ago.

Also, the line "me dick's on the dole, living on handouts again" is one of the greatest dirty couplets I've ever heard. Did he come up with that, or is it an old one?

I work for a small independent business.

I've seen my boss and management film my coworker on cctv making mistakes. It has happened about 3 times. And they film it on their personal phone. It may have happened more times when I'm not here. And maybe they have recordings of me on their phone too, but I wouldn't know because obviously they wouldn't film with me there.

I haven't told the other staff member that management has recorded her on cctv with their phones.

They are always so nice and friendly to her when she's here. They hug her and are really kind. But are they really kind if they are filming her on cctv behind her back?

Clearly they probably won't use that footage but their intention is to film it "just in case".

Or is this normal and I'm just overreacting.

There is one specific mug I used for Milo as it just seems best at holding the Milo to the bottom of the vessel, with the milk sitting on top. Which allows for little chocolate icebergs of goodness to be knocked off the Milo slab at the bottom of the mug and float to the surface.

If I use any other mug it always seems to result in a critical failure and the whole thing bubbles to the top of the milk in one go and my day is ruined.

Does anyone else have a specific cup/mug you uses just for Milo?

Poor girlie barely makes it into September. Lies down sleepless at midnight overheating presumably 2nd day of spring. Dreading what’s to come with fucking El Niño. Cannot afford an air-conditioned apartment or the bills that come with that.

These midges have abused my body over the past two hours alone

This generation is doubly cooked. Climate’s coming for us. If not, the costs of keeping a roof over our heads and running an air conditioner that’s a basic human right will takes us out.

Anyhow, how the fuck can I get these midges out of the room?

Could be about anything — Australian culture, parenting, work, food, housing, dating, friendships, the weather, social norms, whatever

What’s your hill to die on?