An expat boasting that Australia is the lucky country has divided opinion with many arguing that is no longer the case due to the cost of living crisis.
The Italian expat shared a post on Reddit on Friday revealing how Australia had given them and their friends a better life after moving from abroad.
“I keep seeing negative comments about Australia and the government,” he wrote.
‘I’m a bit of an exception because I came here with a big job already prepared, so in 10 years I managed to buy a house and pay for it in full.
“I want to share my friends’ stories to show them how it is still possible to live well and buy a home here in Australia.”
He went on to explain how one of his friends, Gennaro, packed his bags and moved from Italy to Australia 10 years ago before recently buying a house.
Gennaro did not speak English at the time and arrived with only $1,000 in his bank account.
“He worked in the fields and had a great time during his early years,” the Reddit user wrote.
Australians have criticized a social media user’s ‘tone deaf’ comments praising Australia as the lucky country as millions struggle with the rising cost of living (pictured, Australia Day celebrations)
“Then he found a job at a construction company, worked very hard and got sponsorship from his employer. Three years ago he bought a house in Wolli Creek (in Sydney’s south).’
The social media user claimed that several other friends had moved from abroad and had been able to establish a better life.
In the friendship group was Fabio, who studied at TAFE and gained his electrician’s license before buying a house in Botany and a second in Perth.
Another friend, Roberto, managed to build a successful career in the hospitality sector and bought his first house with his wife and daughter just nine years after moving from abroad.
“These are just a few examples of my friends who arrived without speaking English, with limited time to stay in Australia, and still managed to start families and buy houses,” the Reddit user wrote.
‘I hope this gives you some perspective!’
Dozens of commenters were unimpressed, saying the examples the person gave couldn’t be further from the reality many Australians are currently experiencing.
“This is as tone-deaf as our politicians,” one wrote.
The passionate Australian gave examples in his Reddit post (pictured) of some of his Italian friends, who bought their own houses, after arriving in Australia 10 years ago.
“This random anecdote debunks all the statistics that show Australia has been going downhill for the last 20 years,” another added.
‘The opportunities that existed 10 or 20 years ago no longer exist. “That’s why people are upset,” wrote a third.
One of them pointed out that Australia’s property market has become unaffordable.
‘Work hard and buy that house in Mount Druitt (a suburb in western Sydney) for $2.3 million!’ they wrote.
Others agreed that Australia remained the lucky country and said it was better off than other parts of the world.
‘At the same time, this shows that it is much better to live in Australia than in other places. “Many of us just take it for granted,” one wrote.
A second wrote: ‘Good job, keep it up and don’t listen to the sook haters.’ “Australia is a great place to live, if it wasn’t people would leave.”
“Compared to most other countries, Australians have a great time,” another chimed in.
‘What a good reminder that not everything is doom and gloom. Hard work goes a long way!’ a fourth pointed out.
The Reserve Bank has raised the cash rate 13 times since May 2022 and the RBA kept rates unchanged at 4.35 per cent for the ninth time in a row last month.
Inflation hit a whopping 7.8 per cent in December 2022, slightly lower than the RBA’s forecast at the time of eight per cent.
The monthly consumer price index (CPI) is currently 2.1 per cent, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
During 2022, fruit and vegetable prices increased by 8.5 percent, while a closer look at grocery products showed a 12.2 percent increase in bread and cereal prices that year.
Food prices at major supermarkets Coles and Woolworths have risen 9.6 per cent in the past 12 months to April 2024.
Meanwhile, Australians continue to struggle to buy a home as the housing market remains unaffordable for first-home buyers.
The median home value in Australia is $872,000, according to the latest figures from property website PropTrack.
The median value of units nationwide is $662,000.
Sydney is the most expensive place to live, with the median house price at $1.45 million and a unit at $818,000.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have also arrived in Australia, with the country unable to keep pace with increasing population growth due to significant infrastructure constraints.
A record 518,000 people moved to Australia in the 2022-23 financial year, putting net overseas migration at levels more than double the 200,000 level of the mining boom in 2007.