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Quality of life is about the happiness and comfort experienced by an individual. It is often used as a shorthand for measuring how good one feels about one’s life. There are formal procedures for calculating this measure that includes factors such as economic, social, physical, political, and spiritual well-being.
Australia is well-known for being one of the best places to live in the world. Known as “the lucky country”, 5 of Australia’s cities are in the top 37 of the most liveable cities on earth as reported by Mercer’s report 2015. Australia ranks as top #10 on the World’s Happiness Report as of 2014. Australia has also been known to excel in many areas including political, social, environment, health. Along with the temperate climates, Australians pride themselves as being reliable and honest.
World Happiness Report 2015 (https://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/WHR15_Sep15.pdf)
OECD Better Life Index (https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/australia/)
Political-Social
Australia has a fair, harmonious, and stable government. The Australian government is the 6th democracy established in the world. The people’s voice plays a large and influential role to the parties and policies in place. The parliament consists of a lower and upper house. The key role of the government is to benefit Australians. Australians are ranked #1 for having the highest civil engagement in its democracy. Having a low ranking for corruption, Australia’s system believes in giving everyone a fair go.
According to the OECD Better Life Index, 93% of citizens participate in elections which is the highest in the world and much more than the average of 68%. The World Economic Forum’s 2014 – 2015 Global Competitiveness Report also reaffirms that Australia ranks 19th in the world for the institutions that support economic growth. The Transparency International’s ‘2014 Corruption Perceptions Index’ indicates that Australia ranks 11th in the world for being the least corrupt country.
Economic
Australia is a competitive and open free-trade market. Growth industries in Australia include software and technology, medical research, construction, online business start-ups, finance and wealth management. There are much skill shortages in the Australian labour market which provides many job opportunities for both professional and trade occupations. The average household disposable income is USD 31,588 per year as opposed to the average of USD 25,908 for first world countries according to OECD Better Life Index. Giving Australians more freedom and a better lifestyle overall. Australia has a Fair Work Policy governed by the Fair Work Commission that strictly monitor the conditions and pay for companies and businesses. Along with the Fair Work Policy, Australia has many industry unions that have a strong voice in protecting and always bettering work conditions. Employees and workers are also legally required to contribute at least 9% of their salary towards retirement. Australia scored 8.3 out of 10 for OECD’s Job Ranking System which evaluates a country’s job security, earnings and unemployment rates.
Compared to the world, Australia ranks highly at 22nd for being the most competitive economy according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2014 – 2015 and on the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom 2015, Australia ranks 4th.
Australia also provides a competitive economic environment for business. In accordance to the World Bank’s Doing Business Survey for 2015, Australia is the 13th best place to do business. The survey also ranks Australia as 11th for starting a new business. Australia is also 5th as the best place to get credit business loans for business purposes worldwide according to the same survey. According to BERI’s 2014 Labour Force Evaluation Measure, Australia ranks 9th for worker’s productivity, overall attitude towards work, superior performance and advancement of technology.
Socio-Cultural
Australia is a multi-cultural country with diverse influences from every corner of the world. One can walk down a main street and hear languages being spoken in more than 10 different dialects. Australia has over 200,000 new permanent residents each year with millions of people on temporary visas and tourist visas. Respect for multi-culturalism is taught in schools from a young age. The government encourages individuals to join their ethnic and/or religious communities. Racism and discrimination is taken very seriously and not tolerated in Australia.
Australians believe very strongly in the fair and equal treatment of all individuals. Australia is also known for having one of the best law enforcement forces in the world. Australian police officers are not permitted to take any bribes or even gifts from any individual. Australia is known as the second least corrupt country in the Asia-Pacific region (see above).
The OECD Better Life Index rates Australia as 9.6 out of 10 for safety. It is rated as one of the top 5 countries in terms of safety according to the OECD. Australia is ranked 7th in the world for the best expat life experience according to HSBC’s 2015 Expat Experience Report. Australian major cities have also been ranked highly on Mercer’s Personal Safety Report 2014, with Sydney ranked as 10th worldwide. Four of the major cities are in the top 10 most liveable locations globally for Asian expatriates according to ECA International’s 2015 Location Ratings System. Adelaide and Sydney taking 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Health-Care
Australia has one of the best health-care systems in the world. It is renowned for some of the best world class health infrastructures, technological advancements along with leading expertise in all fields. The health-care system is public, although many residents choose to purchase additional private insurance. The Australian health-care system is known as Medicare. The Medical system subsidises out-of-hospital medical treatments and free universal access to hospitalised treatment. “Bulk billing” is the term given to a provider for the option of billing Medicare directly for services that the patient receives. Australia citizens and permanent residents are entitled to free public hospital cover.
In terms of the health of Australian individuals, the life expectancy of an Australian is higher than the OECD average at 82 years. The air quality in Australia is significantly better than the world’s average, even in large urban and developed areas. This is measured by the small air pollutant particles that enter the lungs and brings damages. The OECD also states that 91% of Australians are happy with their water quality.
Conclusion
- Positive Factors
- First world country
- Overall great life satisfaction
- One of the safest countries
- Ability to vote and have a say in government
- Great job opportunities
- Higher household average income
- World-class health care
- Well managed traffic in most major cities
- Very ‘livable’
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