Why do so many believe that life in Australia is "dangerous"?

[Ptrmbrs88]

You will not find any snakes here.

I've come across this strange belief many times before, but I ask this question now because someone here on GAG said as much in a response to a comment of mine. Apparently the wildlife will end up killing us all. However, the facts are:

1. We have the second-highest life expectancy in the world (81.3 years for males and 85.4 years for females in 2019-21), only behind Japan.

2. A first-class, comprehensive and free health-care system that doesn't allow anyone to die on the streets simply because they're poor and can't afford treatment.

3. We haven't had a mass shooting since 1996, because we have strict gun control.

4. The wildlife isn't any more dangerous than the alligators of Florida, or the lions in Africa. The few dangerous species that we do have (ex. crocodiles) only live in certain, remote areas in the far north, in the tropics. The spiders are not big, and will leave you alone if you leave them alone, and no one who lives in a large city, which is where most Australians live, will ever see a snake in their entire lives.

5. Crime is low compared to Europe and North America, and absolutely no one believes they would ever need a gun for self-protection.

6. We don't experience earthquakes or volcanic eruptions (unlike New Zealand). We don't get tornadoes either.

7. A war has never been fought on Australian territory. Ever.

If a nuclear World War 3 were ever to break out, where I am now would be among the safest and most secure places on the globe to be.

I wanted to create links to show the evidence for my claims here, but I'm told I have to be Xper 3 to do that.

Updates

11 mo

Regarding crocodile attacks in the Northern Territory: locals aren't attacked, it's always careless tourists, usually German tourists. The crocs up there must really like Germans for some reason.

[DizzyDesii]

I’ve always said AU would be the only other country I’d want to live in aside from USA and maybe Canada. But AU would prob be expensive af

[Ptrmbrs88]

Yes, it's very expensive. It helps if you happen to be a millionaire.

[DizzyDesii]

Haha thanks for mho :) Also, whenever i decide to visit, i intend to go to the Gold Coast because of certain restaurants, attractions and theme parks. I’ll also hit up Whitsundays. Would you recommend it?

[DeeDeeDeVour]

There are many far more dangerous countries than Australia.

In fact, I never thought Australia is a dangerous place.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

Thanks @Ptrmbrs88 for the MHO. :)

[AviatorTom]

The media always hypes Australia as having the 25 moist venomous species on the planet, and that scares some people. Naturalist Steve Irwin died from a stingray barb while in the waters of Australia; that also scares people. And, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, Australia is mostly unknown.

I lived in Australia for several months about 15 years ago... never felt threatened. The only thing I did was check my shoes each morning to make sure there wasn't a brown recluse spider living in them (local Aussies warned me to do that) ... never found one.

[Ptrmbrs88]

The media hypes EVERYTHING, especially the mainstream media. It's what brings in the dollars.

[msmissydc]

In cities I would australia probably consider a safe country, because of the many reasons you mentioned. On the other hand Australia is not really an urban country. I am not generally consider it dangerous but if you have spiders that are bigger as cats and at the same time have small spiders that are venomous to actually hurt you at minimum, I dont consider it a safe country. But maybe my fear is speaking for me here.

Also your update doesn't sound like it would be a safe country for me.

[Ptrmbrs88]

It's one of the most highly urbanised countries on the planet. From memory, something like 70% of people live in the five largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

[msmissydc]

Oh ok. Than I meant another word and not urbanised. I meant that it doesn't have that many cities and has lot of free space and wildlands and wildlife.

[Leapfrog00]

Probably not as dangerous as it is in the states. Here, you can't even go anywhere anymore. There are drugs everywhere, the police are corrupt, and our politicians are an embarrassment, even though there's always some idiot that has to defend one of them, lol. I don't defend crooks!

I'd move to Australia in a heartbeat. I visited a friend there before and maybe it was just the area she lived in, but it was so peaceful. No one bothered us. I slept good. My head was clear. My headaches went away. Peaceful.

I'd give anything for that peace again!

[Anonymous]

June 4th, 2019. Darwin, northern territory.

Four people were killed and one person suffered a critical leg injury in a mass shooting allegedly carried out with a prohibited pump-action (Category C) shotgun. The shooter, 45-year-old Benjamin Glenn Hoffman, was charged with four counts of murder and later pleaded guilty to three counts. The shooter had been released from prison on parole in January 2019 and was wearing a GPS-tracked electronic monitoring bracelet at the time of the offence.

Tell me again about how you haven't had a mass shooting since 1996? And tell me again how your gun control prevented this person, on parole of all things, to obtain a prohibited gun?

[OfDeath]

That isn't even comparable to the U. S where it happens on an almost monthly basis though. There isn't much you can do about the odd wack job who flies off the handle.

[Opinion Owner]

So because it isn't comparable to the US, it's okay to lie or misinform your viewers that "there hasn't been a mass shooting since 1996"? Can you explain that logic?

And might I had I only provided one of MANY examples of mass shootings (let alone massacres carried out without guns) that have happened in Australia since 1996.

[Opinion Owner]

My mistake, I presumed this was coming from the original poster. Though, since you seem to be defending the original post with these comments, I encourage you to refute my points all the same.

[Ptrmbrs88]

This is the first I've heard of this, and I notice that the gun he used, a pump-action shotgun, is of the type that we haven't actually banned in this country because some people (ex. farmers) need them to control pests like foxes.

[OfDeath]

Yeah but it is a very rare occurrence. There have been none on the scale of the 1996 massacre.

[Opinion Owner]

@Ptrmbrs88

Well, with all due respect, isn't it your duty to know what you're talking about when you state facts (or what you believe to be facts)? If you're going to make a post about how safe Australia is, and want to use a lack of mass shootings as a supporting point, shouldn't you either passively know (if you happen to be particularly familiar with the subject) or actively fact check before you make that assertion?

And perhaps it's not banned for 100% of the population, but I'm guessing it's likely prohibited for a vast, vast majority of people. And again, this wasn't just some average Joe. This guy was on parole. And he got the gun.

And I hope I'm not coming across as too ruthless here (I apologize if so), but I noticed you haven't updated your post. Is truth and factuality a value of yours, or do we prefer our viewers believe in falsehoods if it bolsters our talking points?

[Opinion Owner]

@OfDeath

How rare, though? Australia has a population of a little over 26,000,000 (twenty-six million, link below) and has had 12 massacres since 1996, 13 if you include 1996 (link below). The United States has a population of a little over 336,000,000 (three hundred thirty-six million, link below), and has had 25 massacres since 1996 (link below). If my math is correct, that means the United States population is just under 13 times larger (12.92) than Australia's population. To put it further into perspective, Australia's population is 7.7% of America's population. Yet, your rate of massacres since 1996 aren't 7.7% of America's rate of Massacres since 1996. Instead, it's roughly 50% (our 25 to your 12).

Am I mistaken or does this mean that per capita, Australia suffers from significantly more massacres than the United States does? And this is a genuine question, if I've miscalculated in any way, please inform me.

Australia population: www.worldometers.info/.../

List of Australian massacres (dated included): en.wikipedia.org/.../List_of_massacres_in_Australia

United States population: www.worldometers.info/.../

List of American massacres (dates included): en.wikipedia.org/.../List_of_massacres_in_the_United_States

[Opinion Owner]

Correction: The data I referenced for both Australia and the US only had data up until 2020, but the general sentiment still stands.

[OfDeath]

Texas sharpshooter fallacy. Only some of those "massacres" listed involved guns. The worst ones since 1996 were arsen.

The U. S has mass shootings all the fucking time. Are you high?

[Opinion Owner]

I didn't say mass shootings, nor did my links, I said massacres. Do you mean you to say you disregard massacres if they're not done with a gun? Why are massacres without guns any less of a problem than massacres with guns? Do you feel better when someone kills people in a stabbing spree than someone killing people with a gun?

And I assumed we were to adults having a discussion. Are we unable to acknowledge the data? Are we biased and do we like to avoid facts we dislike? With all due respect, this is not a rhetorical question. Given the data I present, does Australia have more massacres per capita than America or not?

[Opinion Owner]

And to be clear, "massacres" includes mass shootings.

[OfDeath]

No it does not. Why would you think so? The United States is way ahead of Australia per capita when it comes to homicides. And FAR ahead when it comes to shootings. There have been 17 mass killings in the USA already this year alone. Australia has had nowhere near that. In fact, there have only been about 50 ever in Australia. Not including the initial slaughter of the natives, a past the USA shares.

So yes we are adults. Well, one of us is anyway and I am acknowledging data.

worldpopulationreview.com/.../murder-rate-by-country

[LiamJHayden]

Those people might not realize how large Australia actually is, so they shrink it in their minds. For example if they hear about about some bad event in Darwin they'll wonder if you're okay even though you're in Adelaide.

[Ptrmbrs88]

It's actually the same size as the continental U. S. excluding Alaska. It's very big.

[OfDeath]

Nobody in Adelaide is ok

[LiamJHayden]

@OfDeath lol

[exitseven]

I am thinking about moving and discussed this with my daughter yesterday. I am thinking of florida or North Carolina but my daughter said that maybe we should find a new country. Australia was what i thought of. She said Iceland but I said it is too cold.

[Ptrmbrs88]

It's too cold in Iceland, and there are too many feminists over there, which adds to the chill factor.

[exitseven]

I have heard that Australia has gone a little nutty too.

[Ptrmbrs88]

Unfortunately... yes. :'(
Avoid the state of Victoria, which is effectively a one-party state now.

[exitseven]

taanks.

[SaoirseS]

I've never heard anything about Australia being "dangerous." In fact, I rarely hear anything at all about Australia. All I know is it is one of the least likely places I'll probably ever visit. Ditto for visiting East Asia ever again. If anyone wants me to visit either place, they need to move it closer. The trip is way too long.

[Nikki1989]

I was born and raised in America and was told all that nonsense too, but now that I have been living here for a few years I know it is one of the safest places on Earth.

[RavVid]

you get to xper 3 pretty quick. Enjoy your time here!

You should also mention that we are good at making anti-venom and so normally survive when the snakes do bite us.

I have to point out that in WW2 Japan did bomb Darwin, plus sent mini-subs into Sydney Harbor, and Papua New Guinea was Australian territory that Japan did invade. Australia mainland has never been invaded is more technically correct.

[Reddy4it]

Bull crap…I live in West Australia…in a capital city…I see snakes weekly…kangaroos daily (yes, roos are dangerous)…I have red back spiders in my back yard (was bitten last year)…WW2 saw the top end of Australia getting bombed…and obviously you have never run into a golden orb spider web in the bush at night…

[Ptrmbrs88]

Yes, Darwin was bombed by the Japanese in 1942, but we've never had invaders actually inside Australia.
It's odd that you say you "live in West Australia, in a capital city". Why didn't you just say Perth? And Australians actually call it Western Australia, not West Australia.

[Reddy4it]

We call it both…and I’m sure those in Darwin were thinking they got invaded at the time…I didn’t say Perth because as far as I know there are two other Perths in the world…

[NathanDavis]

nice try mate...

you forgot to mention all those damned drop bears

look up... stay alive

[Genie23]

LMAO!!!

[Agape93]

Saltwater crocodiles, bull sharks, tiger sharks, great white sharks, blue ring octopus, goana, several venomous spider species, common brown snake, the heat, nationwide wildfires etc.

[Ptrmbrs88]

You'll find crocodiles in other countries too, especially in Africa. If you're worried about sharks, then don't go in the water, and are you going to seriously tell me there are no sharks along the U. S. coast? Where was the movie 'Jaws' set? A small New England town by the coast. The spiders and snakes are not dangerous if you don't do something stupid, like try to pick one up, the heat isn't hot, it's mild in most places (where I am it snows), and the bushfires aren't that common.

[Agape93]

So? You asked why, I gave some reasons.

[Ptrmbrs88]

Yes, and I responded by pointing out why those reasons aren't reasons at all.

[Agape93]

Except they are reasons. They just aren't unique to Australia.

[OfDeath]

Add to that there are no bears, coyotes, mountain lions, cougars, wolves, wolverines etc. There are no large predatory animals apart from wild dogs to worry about at all.

[purplepoppy]

The only time we ever see Australia in the news is when someone's been eaten by a shark.

[SaoirseS]

I must have missed that. I don't think I ever hear anything about Australia.

[Iron_Man]

They are known for great white sharks I see it every year on shark week

[andreasderjuengere]

Why ''we'' think so... because it's funny

[AdithyaR]

Objectively I don't think it's dangerous but I've heard there's giant huntsman spiders there that are huge and my arachnophobic ass can't deal with that.

[In_Trance]

Probably for the same reason the world thinks Canadians are polite and friendly.

[Fireguy17]

There are critters there that think you might taste pretty darn good.
I like being on top of the food chain.

[Jersey2]

Hmmm, tell me about Alice Springs. Yeah, that.

[Ptrmbrs88]

What about Alice Springs?

[Jersey2]

People are afraid to go out because the youth run wild. They have been begging the larger government to help but don’t get any. How is it possible that I have heard of this multiple times and you have not?

www.skynews.com.au/.../949a9e3f42c148b6e3bac4e9c64a7123

www.news.com.au/.../3300c0dc9b79a82c4f3105919dca2303

[KostasKouvalis]

Yeah, I think it's mainly because of your highly venomous snakes

[Ptrmbrs88]

Other countries don't have venomous snakes too?

[KostasKouvalis]

Not as venomous as yours and maybe not as many per square mile