My opinionof Australia has hit rock bottom.

New Zealanders forced from their homes in the Queensland floods,

have been told they are not eligible for disaster recovery subsidies.

I bet boat people will be coddled, no matter where from.

Australian govt rules are discriminatory..

Pack of assoles, all of them, and that praises them.

Latest sport,..........

"Knock a Kiwi when down."

Sadly, a lot of the boat people are Australians these days.

Perhaps the nz <deleted> could go back to where they came from and live off their own government! Australia doesn't owe a living to every kiwi who goes across the strait wanting to earn money in a more developed country. They,ve all had the oportunity to take out oz citizenship if they were serious about living there.

The reciprical agreement doesnt mean the Australian govt gives them every tax payer funded freebee going around.

Perhaps they could all go to your place and get pissed on your rotten flyblown apple cider.

How small minded some Ockors are.

Not all, but statements such as these about NZ produce........

"I'll go without before I buy NZ apples."

"I only eat Australian produce. Starve firat,"

"NZ can get stuffed, they're not making a profit out of Australians."

<deleted>, Ockors, where are ya coming from........?

This is the ANZAC spirit they are knocking.

Pete - on the subject of apples it is probably the long fight the Oz orchard owners have waged to prevent fire blight. It is only in the past few weeks that NZ apples have been allowed into Australia and yu know the customs checks about importing any plants, crops and so on into Oz. Probably the strictest in the world.

In UK, when we joined the Common Market, we lost our Cox's Orange Pippin - the best-tasting apple ever. (We had a few trees in our garden). It was carrying a disease that would have affected those big, juicy tasteless French apples - so it had to go. All ripped up - not even allowed to graft onto root-stock.

Cox's trees are on sale in the UK now:

http://www.orangepippinshop.com/apple-trees/coxs-orange-pippin

Cox's trees are on sale in the UK now:

http://www.orangepippinshop.com/apple-trees/coxs-orange-pippin

Well - al hamdu f'ing lillah!!

I'll have to go back home and plant a few for when I retire.

Don't know if I'll see them fruit fully, though.

Perhaps the nz <deleted> could go back to where they came from and live off their own government! Australia doesn't owe a living to every kiwi who goes across the strait wanting to earn money in a more developed country. They,ve all had the oportunity to take out oz citizenship if they were serious about living there.

(My dad lived in OZ since 1955, he died there in '03. His NZ passport gave him better treatment travelling the world, so stayed a Kiwi)

The reciprical agreement doesnt mean the Australian govt gives them every tax payer funded freebee going around.

Perhaps they could all go to your place and get pissed on your rotten flyblown apple cider.

OC, I was expecting a bite from you, but you took hook, line and sinker, typicai Ockor whingeing.

I agree with the stand down for benefits, quite proper.

Sorry OC, but if the OZ gummint lets them in, they pay their taxes, it is discrimination.

Buying a house for anyone is a huge commitment to stay, more taxes, Kiwi or Ockor.

Wonder if I am able to get my 100 bux flood relief donation back.

Lotta money and resources have been sent from this side of the ditch.

Many Ockors DO NOT agree with what is blatant discrimination.

Kiwi firefighters in Vic and NSW, selflessly gave up their time to help, some badly injured.

Ditto in the flood chaos, Kiws are there helping, mostly volunteers.

There are presently two NZ Civil D teams working in Qld, one due to be replaced, volunteers all.

Don't give me that crap above.

I still think it stinx.

OC, I think you should look in a mirror, you will see what you are calling Kiwis........

Gawd!! OC and ZP - takes me back to UK in sixties and seventies, with the Paddies.

Irish were entitled to British passports, caused a stink.

Irish came over to work in the building industry, caused a stink.

West Indians were brought over to work in transport (buses and trains), caused a stink.

But without them we would not have got our new towns built, nor the way to reach them, or to reach work - because the Brits did not want the jobs. Whatever was offered, within reason, was not enough to persuade able-bodied Brits to do the work.

Now their grandchildren are playing for England in almost every sport.

Strikes me that the same applies in Oz - you get some bludgers among them, but the majority are a benefit to the country and fit in. Trouble is, you don't notice those. The ones you notice are the drunks, the guys in the betting shop all day, the ones queueing at the benefits centre.

I suppose it had to happen eventually, some of these 40 odd pages of light hearted anti-Australianism have had some real needle in them.

I suppose a little jealousy is always on the cards, by and large we are a marvellous race of people.

Think about this for a few minute and give an honest reply rather than a knee jerk reaction... what would a planet dominated by 400 million Australians be like?

Consider the factors, we make loyal allies, we get on well with our neighbours a lot of whom... wait for it... just happen to be Muslims. We don't have fraction of the problems with Indonesia that the US has with Mexico.

Our domestic policies, regardless of the government of the day are the envy of the world, poverty is unknown, racial disputes rare and soon fixed.

Since 1945 we've absorbed millions of refugees and turned them into Australians, ethnic hostility only exists on the sports field.

Our history has a few grubby patches but who's hasn't? Our worst enemy would agree that PNG would be a far better place if it had been made an Aussie state.

So is that the problem down there in Antarctica North?

Never been offered statehood and never forgiven us?

I suppose it had to happen eventually, some of these 40 odd pages of light hearted anti-Australianism have had some real needle in them.

I suppose a little jealousy is always on the cards, by and large we are a marvellous race of people.

Think about this for a few minute and give an honest reply rather than a knee jerk reaction... what would a planet dominated by 400 million Australians be like?

Consider the factors, we make loyal allies, we get on well with our neighbours a lot of whom... wait for it... just happen to be Muslims. We don't have fraction of the problems with Indonesia that the US has with Mexico.

Our domestic policies, regardless of the government of the day are the envy of the world, poverty is unknown, racial disputes rare and soon fixed.

Since 1945 we've absorbed millions of refugees and turned them into Australians, ethnic hostility only exists on the sports field.

Our history has a few grubby patches but who's hasn't? Our worst enemy would agree that PNG would be a far better place if it had been made an Aussie state.

So is that the problem down there in Antarctica North?

Never been offered statehood and never forgiven us?

A world dominated by Aussies would mean the end of test cricket !!!!!

On a serious point Scuds, try walking in certain suburbs of Melbourne or Sydney late at night if you are the wrong " race ". Not quite the rosy picture you portray mate to be fair. And as for poverty, been in the NT or the remoter bits of the West recently ? The one horse towns dominated by the poor indigenous folk are poverty personified.

This said, great kebabs, wine and women with big tits ( sorry mods ).

Oh, that Welsh woman you elected's crap.....................

Indeed, but the poverty is caused by factors not related to lack of money. People dragged from a stone age culture have similar problems world wide.

Thuggery needs no excuse, if no Indian students took a short cut through Collingwood, the idiots that lived there would attack Carlton supporters.

The true race riots that took place in places like Cronulla in 2005 haven't been repeated, and hopefully won't be, until the next generation of testosterone fuelled youth comes along ready to take offence at any slurs.

I have never really had a problem with Australia, or Australians in general.

There are the rednecks who cannot take criticism, constructive or otherwise.

My first wife, 16 years departed, was Australian, buried in / at her choice, Geelong..

My eldest girls were born in Carlton, Vic, 50 odd years ago, Australians.

They take OZ to heart in good natured banter, basically they think Kiwi.

None have denied / foresaken their OZ heritage for which I applaud them.

They travel with OZ passports, minor problem at times when travelling together as family.

Notably in US which I consider strange, considering the close OZ - US links..

I only came back to NZ because of the weather......LOL, ya blame me.

LONG LIVE THE ANZAC SPIRIT.

Perhaps the nz <deleted> could go back to where they came from and live off their own government! Australia doesn't owe a living to every kiwi who goes across the strait wanting to earn money in a more developed country. They,ve all had the oportunity to take out oz citizenship if they were serious about living there.

(My dad lived in OZ since 1955, he died there in '03. His NZ passport gave him better treatment travelling the world, so stayed a Kiwi)

The reciprical agreement doesnt mean the Australian govt gives them every tax payer funded freebee going around.

Perhaps they could all go to your place and get pissed on your rotten flyblown apple cider.

OC, I was expecting a bite from you, but you took hook, line and sinker, typicai Ockor whingeing.

I agree with the stand down for benefits, quite proper.

Sorry OC, but if the OZ gummint lets them in, they pay their taxes, it is discrimination.

Buying a house for anyone is a huge commitment to stay, more taxes, Kiwi or Ockor.

Wonder if I am able to get my 100 bux flood relief donation back.

Lotta money and resources have been sent from this side of the ditch.

Many Ockors DO NOT agree with what is blatant discrimination.

Kiwi firefighters in Vic and NSW, selflessly gave up their time to help, some badly injured.

Ditto in the flood chaos, Kiws are there helping, mostly volunteers.

There are presently two NZ Civil D teams working in Qld, one due to be replaced, volunteers all.

Don't give me that crap above.

I still think it stinx.

OC, I think you should look in a mirror, you will see what you are calling Kiwis........

I suppose I could say I got you hook, line and sinker Pete. Is that what you do after insulting a whole country, pretend you were joking?

There's a line between banter and nastiness. Recently, with lines like:

How small minded some Ockers are

and

Get a life Ockorland

and

My opinion of Australia has hit rock bottom. Pack of assoles, all of them, and that praises them

and more.

You, in my opinion, have crossed the line.

And what's set you off? Australia doesn't want to buy your suspect apples, and we have very strict internal quarantine laws to stop the spead of fruit disease? What's that got to do with you?

All the claims in the world of having ties to Australia only tend to make these attacks more puzzling from someone previously well known as having a good sense of humour.

There was a stage in my career when I thought all NZers were criminals. It seemed every kiwi I dealt with had a police record 4 or 5 pages long, and I had to deport or refuse entry to scores of these guys. I hated the agreement between our countries which made it far to easy for these people to stroll in and resume their criminal careers in a new hunting ground, or simple go on the dole courtesy of the taxpayer. I loved the Centrelink changes in 2001 which made it harder for kiwis to get free money. Those changes are the barrier you're complaining about now with the special flood relief grant.

I got over this attitude, and incidently my second wife was a kiwi for whatever relevence that has, and accepted there were far more good people from there than the other kind. I didn't tar all with the same brush.

You should be the one looking in the mirror now Pete.

Have to agree with the " don't tar everyone with the same brush " mantra on health grounds, the rest, come on guys chill !!!

It wasn't until last year that I learned that all Aussie didn't spend most of their life doing handstands and that Kiwi's actually came from a country and not a green grocers................does that make me a bad person ?

You boys take this nationalistic thing far too seriously. i tried to start my own country in shropshire but never could get enough people to agree, or help put up barriers on the M54 to keep those bastards from staffordshire out, but am I bitter ? ( well yes, but.....)

And finally, OC you may well have now gone and upset Harky as well as Pete ( two fruits from the same pod ). You don't want to get him going just look at the carnage in OTB............. Now come on make up before old fish head joins the debate and we see real venom..

I thought Shropshire was a country..

It bloody ought to be ( if I had my way..................)

It bloody ought to be ( if I had my way..................)

Rejected by both England and Wales.

How low can one go?

It used to be the sheep-stealing capital of the world (before Australia and NZ were 'discovered'). The oiks from Wales would come and steal the Salopian sheep, then the skinheads from Shropshire would go and steal 'em back. (plus a few).

Went on like that for hundreds of years.

Only a big ditch in the way, probably full of sheep.

Named after one chap's sexually confused wife.

NOPE !

OC, I guess I have been wound up in other blogs and OZ newspapers, and vented here.

What I have stated is truth, and most kiwis who go to OZ are damned good workers.

Australia sends umpteen recruiters to NZ for people skilled in all manner of trades, professions.

Guess I will bury the hatchet, but your initial statement.......

Perhaps the nz <deleted> could go back to where they came from and live off their own government! Australia doesn't owe a living to every kiwi who goes across the strait wanting to earn money in a more developed country.

......... was what started me off.

That phrasing, was uncalled for.

Gunna say no more on the subject.

Let's get back to normal humour, banter / repartée, OK?

Cheers.

Wheres the clown?

NOPE !

OC, I guess I have been wound up in other blogs and OZ newspapers, and vented here.

What I have stated is truth, and most kiwis who go to OZ are damned good workers.

Australia sends umpteen recruiters to NZ for people skilled in all manner of trades, professions.

Guess I will bury the hatchet, but your initial statement.......

Perhaps the nz <deleted> could go back to where they came from and live off their own government! Australia doesn't owe a living to every kiwi who goes across the strait wanting to earn money in a more developed country.

......... was what started me off.

That phrasing, was uncalled for.

Gunna say no more on the subject.

Let's get back to normal humour, banter / repartée, OK?

Cheers.

Your post #1141 is what I responded to. Your phrasing was uncalled for.

Have to agree with the " don't tar everyone with the same brush " mantra on health grounds, the rest, come on guys chill !!!

It wasn't until last year that I learned that all Aussie didn't spend most of their life doing handstands and that Kiwi's actually came from a country and not a green grocers................does that make me a bad person ?

You boys take this nationalistic thing far too seriously. i tried to start my own country in shropshire but never could get enough people to agree, or help put up barriers on the M54 to keep those bastards from staffordshire out, but am I bitter ? ( well yes, but.....)

And finally, OC you may well have now gone and upset Harky as well as Pete ( two fruits from the same pod ). You don't want to get him going just look at the carnage in OTB............. Now come on make up before old fish head joins the debate and we see real venom..

So, what do you reckon, Harcourt?

I don't normally peruse this thread......but I have had a whisper that perhaps I should....

:cheesy:

C'mon guys....ANZACS unite against the rest of the world.

It's true that there are some dole bludger Kiwis in Bondi.....but they have a 6 month stand-down before they're elligible, so there's not that many (if any) that go to Oz just for that.

It's also true that Kiwis are sought after as good, honest, well-qualified, hard-working employees.

Having watched a bit of "Underbelly", I doubt any Kiwi crims could make an impact in Oz.

I think we all know that Pete and OC are "good b'stards" (in the lexicon) and that there may have been a bit of "tone of voice" lost in the ether, as is quite common on the internet.

No damage done, I'm sure.

Who's calling me a fish-head?????!!!!!! Who's calling me venomous???? Bloody Poms!!!. Butting in to Antipodean business.....I'll get you yet.

(Heck, I hope there was no tone-of-voice-lost-in-the-ether there).

The dole isn't what it used to be anyway, assessing people and finding them jobs is now "outsourced".

The private companies involved get a bonus for every vacancy they fill, and they have the first and last say on whether someone should remain on NewStart by fitting the qualification of "actively seeking work".

I lived, I mean "lived" in Syds many yonks back, cannot agree with this.

Sydney is worst city - as voted by Aussies

2:35 PM Saturday Jan 22, 2011 Expand

Sydney is Australia's worst city - according to Aussies themselves. Photo / Supplied

$("#articleImage").nzhStoryImage({ smlImageSrc : "http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/20114/sydney_220x147.jpg", smlImageCaption : "Sydney is Australia's worst city - according to Aussies themselves. Photo / Supplied", bigImageSrc : "http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/20114/sydney_460x230.jpg", bigImageCaption : "Sydney is Australia's worst city - according to Aussies themselves. Photo / Supplied" }); SYDNEY - Sydney has been branded Australia's worst city - by its own residents.

Despite its obvious charms, ranging from the iconic Opera House, the beautiful harbour and ready access to numerous beaches, Sydneysiders say their city is the pits.

They hammered its natural environment, schools, housing, cleanliness, cultural integration and road network, ranking it bottom of the nation's eight biggest metropolises.

Adelaide is the nation's best city, followed by Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart, Brisbane and Darwin, according to an Auspoll survey commissioned by the Property Council of Australia.

The survey quizzed 4072 across the nation about the cities they live in.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally hit back at the findings, sarcastically questioning why more people don't live in Adelaide.

"I did a bit of a survey myself this morning and I checked the population figure," she told reporters on Saturday.

"The population of Adelaide - a little bit over 1.2 million people. The population of Sydney - a bit more than 4.5 million people. I think those figures speak for themselves.

"Adelaide is a great city but if it's so fantastic why aren't more people living there?"

But Property Council chief executive Peter Verwer reckons Sydneysiders are on the money.

Although he admitted the results can be read just as much as a verdict on politicians as the cities themselves.

"I don't think Sydneysiders have been overly harsh here, I think they've been realistic," he said on Saturday.

"Sydney has been consistently on the slide since the (2000) Olympics.

"The reality is people in Sydney are sick of broken promises from politicians when it comes to things like infrastructure and transport."

Sydney was ranked a little higher for its entertainment options, finishing second behind Melbourne.

Its climate was ranked third best.

Mr Verwer said he hoped the results would "shock governments into action".

I don't normally peruse this thread......but I have had a whisper that perhaps I should....

:cheesy:

C'mon guys....ANZACS unite against the rest of the world.

It's true that there are some dole bludger Kiwis in Bondi.....but they have a 6 month stand-down before they're elligible, so there's not that many (if any) that go to Oz just for that.

It's also true that Kiwis are sought after as good, honest, well-qualified, hard-working employees.

Having watched a bit of "Underbelly", I doubt any Kiwi crims could make an impact in Oz.

I think we all know that Pete and OC are "good b'stards" (in the lexicon) and that there may have been a bit of "tone of voice" lost in the ether, as is quite common on the internet.

No damage done, I'm sure.

Who's calling me a fish-head?????!!!!!! Who's calling me venomous???? Bloody Poms!!!. Butting in to Antipodean business.....I'll get you yet.

(Heck, I hope there was no tone-of-voice-lost-in-the-ether there).

(Knew he'd sneak in and throw his weight around........... Bully)

I don't normally peruse this thread......but I have had a whisper that perhaps I should....

:cheesy:

C'mon guys....ANZACS unite against the rest of the world.

It's true that there are some dole bludger Kiwis in Bondi.....but they have a 6 month stand-down before they're elligible, so there's not that many (if any) that go to Oz just for that.

It's also true that Kiwis are sought after as good, honest, well-qualified, hard-working employees.

Having watched a bit of "Underbelly", I doubt any Kiwi crims could make an impact in Oz.

I think we all know that Pete and OC are "good b'stards" (in the lexicon) and that there may have been a bit of "tone of voice" lost in the ether, as is quite common on the internet.

No damage done, I'm sure.

Who's calling me a fish-head?????!!!!!! Who's calling me venomous???? Bloody Poms!!!. Butting in to Antipodean business.....I'll get you yet.

(Heck, I hope there was no tone-of-voice-lost-in-the-ether there).

(Knew he'd sneak in and throw his weight around........... Bully)

Are you calling me fat?

I'll have you know that 95kg's is quite lean for a man of 190cm's.

Not that I'm claiming to be 95kg, nor 190cm.

I am... it's a bit fat but not as fat as when I was 190cm and 140kg.

I am... it's a bit fat but not as fat as when I was 190cm and 140kg.

How tall are you now?

From the ground up?

I'll be honest I haven't been measured for height since I had my medical for nasho but I was six foot three then.

Yes, I also used to be around 190cm from the ground up, but that was back in the 70s...

Now it's 190 cms around the waist?