An expat boasting about Australia being the lucky country has divided opinion with many arguing that is no longer the case because of the cost-of-living crisis.
The Italian expat shared a post on Reddit on Friday revealing how Australia had provided them and their friends a better life after moving from overseas.
‘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 great job already lined up, so within 10 years, I managed to buy a house and pay it off completely.
‘I want to share the stories of my friends to show how it’s still possible to live well and buy a home here in Australia.’
He went on to explain how one of his friends Gennaro packed up and moved from Italy to Australia 10 years ago before recently buying a house.
Gennaro didn’t speak English at the time and arrived with just $1,000 in his bank account.
‘He did farm work and had a blast during his first few years,’ the Reddit user wrote.
Aussies have slammed a social media user’s ‘tone deaf’ comments praising Australia as the lucky country as millions struggle with the soaring cost of living (pictured Australia Day celebrations)
‘Then, he found a job with a construction company, worked really hard, and got sponsored by his employer. Three years ago, he bought a house in Wolli Creek (in Sydney’s south).’
The social media user claimed several other friends had moved from overseas and been able to establish a better life for themselves.
The friendship group included Fabio who studied at TAFE and obtained his electrician’s licence before buying a house in Botany and a second one in Perth.
Another friend Roberto managed to build a successful career in the hospitality sector and bought his first home with his wife and daughter just nine years after moving from overseas.
‘These are just a few examples of my friends who arrived with no English, limited time to stay in Australia, and yet managed to build families and buy homes,’ the Reddit user wrote.
‘Hope this gives some perspective!’
Dozens of commenters were left unimpressed and said the examples the person gave couldn’t be further from the reality many Aussies are currently experiencing.
‘This is about as tone deaf as our politicians,’ one wrote.
The passionate Aussie gave examples in their reddit post (pictured) of some of their Italian friends, who have bought their own homes, after they came to Australia 10 years ago
‘This random anecdote disproves all the statistics showing Australia has been going downhill for the last 20 years,’ another added.
‘The opportunities that existed 10-20 years ago no longer exist. That is why people are upset,’ a third wrote.
One pointed out Australia’s property market has become unaffordable.
‘Work your a**e off and buy that house in Mount Druitt (a suburb in Sydney’s west) for $2.3million!’ they wrote.
Others agreed Australia was still the lucky country – saying it was better off than other parts of the world.
‘At the same time that also shows how much better it is to live in Australia than it is to live elsewhere. Many of us just take it for granted,’ one wrote.
A second wrote: ‘Great work, 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 it really good,’ another chimed in.
‘Such a good reminder that it’s not all doom and gloom. Hard work goes a long way!’ a fourth noted.
The Reserve Bank raised the cash rate 13 times since May 2022 with the RBA keeping rates on hold at 4.35 per cent for the ninth consecutive time last month.
Inflation hit a massive 7.8 per cent in December 2022, with the figure coming in at slightly less 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 per cent while a closer look at grocery items showed a 12.2 per cent surge in bread and cereal prices that year.
The price of food at major supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths has gone up by 9.6 per cent over the last 12 months to April 2024.
Meanwhile, Aussies continue to struggle to purchase a home, as the property market remains unaffordable for first home buyers.
The median value of a home is $872,000, according to the latest figures by real estate website PropTrack.
The median value of units across the country is $662,000.
Sydney is the most expensive place to live in Australia with the median price of a home and unit $1,453,000 and $818,000.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have also arrived in Australia, with the country unable to keep up with the increase in 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.
