Australia - 84.99
28
Who needs the planet when we’ve got all this beef?
Despite being on the front lines of climate change, Australia consistently fails to realize the importance of combatting it. Australia’s great barrier reef is eroding and the country continues to experience worsening heatwaves and fires, yet the government refuses to pass legislation to combat climate change. Australia has been lobbying the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to loosen climate change laws, namely those regulating the beef industry. Lobbying from this industry has kept a string of three consecutive Liberal (which paradoxically is Australia’s mainstream conservative party) governments from passing any legislation whatsoever to combat climate change. Australia remained a bizarre holdout in terms of COVID lockdowns. As Aussies got vaccinated in droves and watched the rest of the world open up, territorial governments across Australia refused to loosen COVID lockdowns. Australian police employed borderline absurdist tactics to enforce the country’s COVID lockdowns and issued fines for a number of mundane activities. An Australian migrant detention facility in Nauru continues to draw international ire for its abhorrent conditions. The facility was closed from 2019 until September when the government reopened it. Aboriginals continued to struggle in Australia. They were overwhelmingly the victims of police brutality and allegations of abuse against Aboriginals were seldom investigated.
Human Rights - 89
Australia has fully abolished the death penalty. Aboriginals are disproportionately affected by police brutality and offending officers are rarely (if ever) investigated. Australia refuses to house migrants on their own soil (which they have quite a lot of), instead choosing to house them in Nauru or Papua New Guinea in facilities with awful conditions. Immigration hearings are often delayed, resulting in migrants waiting even longer in the tropical sun without shade. New Zealand has offered repeatedly to house migrants for Australia but their offers have been refused. Australia and Nauru renewed their contract to continue holding migrants at the Nauru Australian Immigration Detention Center, a facility that has drawn international ire for its poor conditions. The facility is underserved and supplied, with migrants often lacking the most basic essentials. Australia guarantees a full gamut of LGBT rights. Abortion is legal to twelve weeks.
Democracy - 95
Australia is a commonwealth democracy, limiting its score to 95. The governor general, the ceremonial head of state, is appointed by the queen, while the prime minister is chosen by parliament. Parliament is directly elected. Elections are free and fair. Australian politics generally operate within a two-coalition system, with the center-left Labor party in opposition to the ruling coalition between the center-right Liberal Party and the National Party, which historically has represented the interests of farmers and operates on a moderate-right platform. The Morrison administration has been bucking Chinese interests but is generally regarded to be in the pocket of Australia’s agricultural sector.
Freedom - 71
An incident involving Youtuber Kristo Langker was noted but will not affect Australia’s score unless the situation develops. Langker was arrested for allegedly stalking NSW deputy premier John Barilaro. The stalking incidents consisted of two comedic incidents in public where Langker confronted Barilaro dressed as Luigi and called him a “mafioso” and “corrupt.” Langker also made several videos and Tweets critical of Barilaro and made jokes about his Italian heritage. Barilaro is suing Langker for stalking, defamation, and hate speech. Australia has seldom enforced hate speech and criminal defamation laws. Australian police employed borderline absurdist tactics throughout the year to enforce COVID lockdowns. Police issued fines for mountain biking, posting pictures on social media, walking dogs, taking driving lessons, and barbequing. Most of these fines were later overturned by the courts. Despite high vaccination rates, many Australian territories maintained strict COVID lockdowns. South Australia and NSW prohibit people from going places that aren’t their school, work, home, or the grocery store. While some territories began loosening COVID lockdowns upon reaching a 70% vaccination rate, minors in NSW were still only allowed a “friend bubble” with one other household. Drug possession was downgraded from a criminal offense to a civil offense, removing jail sentences. Firearms are very strictly regulated in Australia, with all guns, including airguns, generally only being made available to certain sectors of employment for which they are necessary. Certain guns are available for sport shooting but membership in approved rifle clubs is required. Semi-automatic weapons are very difficult to obtain and the country no longer issues self-defense permits.
Economy - 91
Health - 87
Australia has a life expectancy of 83 years and an infant mortality rate of 0.31%. 31% of Aussies are obese and 2.5% are malnourished. The Australian Medicare system covers 75% of treatment and medications at public hospitals. Private hospitals are not required to recognize medicare and not all areas have access to public hospitals. Many Aussies choose to pay for private healthcare. The price of medications is regulated even for those on private insurance. Some Aboriginals on reservations don’t have access to clean, running water. Australia has the highest cancer rate of any country in the world. It is potentially caused by the mining industry, some also blame the hole in the ozone layer, but the true cause of Australia’s cancer rates is unknown. Australia has a bizarre issue with STDs, especially gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Corruption - 90
Australia’s broken immigration system is subject to corruption. Backlogs often result in officers taking bribes and allowing immigrants to skip lines. The fact that often times work is outsourced to officers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru means that it is difficult to hold officers accountable for corruption. Mining companies are very close with the government, and the Morris government is generally regarded as being in the pockets of mining companies.
Competency - 73
Australia is failing to acknowledge and respond to climate change. The government has repeatedly passed legislation that worsens the condition of the deteriorating Great Barrier Reef and the Morris government lobbied the IPCC to loosen climate change regulation. The government is also failing to provide for Aboriginals. The Morris government largely traded Chinese influence for mining influence, shaking the control of Chinese interests but accepting lobbying money from the mining industry.
Future - 60
Australia must get their climate under control. Several successive Liberal governments have failed to pass any kind of climate change legislation. Ostensibly, the condition of Aboriginals is improving. The government has promised to improve the police brutality situation, but has failed to make any real progress.
Actions Abroad - 73
Australia has deployed mine clearers to Angola, Iraq, and Libya. Australia has been involved in NATO anti-piracy missions in the Aden and Red Seas and has deployed troops to counter-terrorism missions in the Middle East. Australia recently deployed troops to the Solomon Islands to quell riots in the capital of Honiara upon the request of the Solomonese prime minister. Australia backed American military campaigns in Afghanistan, and critically Iraq, which was in violation of a UN accord. Australian-American joint campaigns resulted in increased poverty and decreased stability. In Iraq, Australian efforts helped to establish a semi-functioning democracy and improve the country’s human rights situation, not without years of violence and bloodshed in the interim and Australian troops and their allies being accused of myriad human rights violations during and after the invasion. Afghanistan, on the other hand, was an abject failure and Australia withdrew troops in 2021. Australia, the US, and the UK formed the AUKUS military and economic group. The goal is to counter China’s growing influence in SEA and the Pacific. This move came along with Australian efforts to sanction China for its treatment of Uyghurs. This move drew ire from France after Australia withdrew from a deal for the French to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia. Australia has sent billions in foreign aid to Indonesia and has aided in peacekeeping missions in the country. Australia and Nauru renewed a contract to maintain the Nauru Australian Immigrant Detention Center, a facility with horrible conditions that has drawn ire from other countries. Australia has also been lobbying the IPCC to loosen climate change laws, specifically those regulating the beef industry.
No Aussies live below the international poverty line and 13.6% live below the national poverty line. 4.9% of Aussies are unemployed and the country has low economic disparity. The minimum wage in Australia is $14.79 per hour. Australia offers medicare which covers 75% of the cost of treatment and medications at public hospitals. Private hospitals are not required to accept medicare and not all areas have ready access to public hospitals. Many Aussies choose to pay for private healthcare. The price of medications is regulated even for those on private insurance. The Australian economy shrunk 0.3% in 2020 and grew 2.2% in 2019.