Australia called a ‘selfish country’ in damning new report

Australia might be known as a country that champions the fair go and mateship, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case anymore according to a report released by the Community Council of Australia.

The Australia We Want report, released on October 27, found Australia was rated poorly compared to other developed countries, with a rise in inequality, suicide rates, incarceration rates and a decrease in looking out for one’s community being of particular concern.

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Described as a benchmark of how Australia and each state and territory acts according to a set of values and goals, the report looked into the following principles: justice, fairness, equality of opportunity, authenticity, kindness, compassion and optimism.

It’s that sense of Aussie mateship and compassion that has been forgotten, the report revealed.

The report found Australia has “become a more inward-looking, selfish country where inequality is growing and we are less prepared to offer assistance to our neighbours and to those in the world”.

Community Council of Australia’s chief executive, David Crosbie said a lack of government stability was the cause for these insecurities and negative impacts on the community.

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“I think our faith in the ability of government to deliver a substantial agenda and make a difference over time has been significantly damaged,” he says.

“We don’t have a lot of faith that if the government said it wanted to reduce suicide rates that it would go about it in a way that would actually reduce suicide rates.”

In Victoria, the Northern Territory and South Australia suicide rates have reportedly increased by more than 20 per cent last year.

Crosbie went on to point out that the rising incarceration rates are also a sign of how the country’s most vulnerable are being treated, with the amount of indigenous people in prison at 15 times the national average.

“Incarceration rates are like the canary in the coalmine, they tell you how your most vulnerable are being treated,” Crosbie told the Guardian.

What do you think of the Australia We Want report? Are we losing our sense of mateship? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.