The population of those cities increases exponentially each and every day.  Where are those new human beings going to go?  How will they fit?  Where will they drive?  What will they eat? 

It becomes more and more difficult to find meaning and peace on earth with each passing year as the world's population continues to escalate.  While there are numerous books on this subject the one we have found that presents the clearest case in the most accurate of terms is Living Within Limits : Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos by Garrett Hardin.  It is well written and closely researched. We think it is an important book. It is available online. - Click Here -

Australia's low population density is one of the greatest assets a nation can have.

Also see:
Global Change & Environment for Location Evaluation - Global Change & Environment for Location Evaluation - Evaluating expatriate destinations based on environment is as important as evaluating a destination based on it's economy. It does little good to have a good income in an area where water tables are being depleted. If the quality of life is not environmental sound then the long range potential of that area is compromised as a place to live. 
The Pop Clock - The Pop Clock - which gives updates on the worlds population in real time.

Income / Standard of lifestyle

EscapeArtist Notes: As pointed out in the book Escape From America, there is more than one way to evaluate standard of living. Australia is the country which in 1995 was assessed as the richest country in the world by the World Bank. The assessment was based on factors such as wealth of resources, standard of living and well being of the population, (rather than on traditional methods such as GDP.)  If we add in the factor of well being of the population, Australia has a higher standard of living than the United States. While such factors remain 'subjective,' we all know what they mean. It may be easier to measure GDP, which is objective, mathematical and measurable in real terms. But it is quite plain that GDP does not describe our peace of mind, nor our happiness; but only our monetary income. 

GDP - (per capita: purchasing power parity) - Australia is $23,600 (1996 est.) Compare to USA GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $28,600 (1996 est.) and United Kingdom GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,400 (1996 est.) - 

According to the World Fact Book:Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s, but the economy has expanded at reasonably steady rates in recent years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate that reached 4.5% last year. After a slow start in 1998, exports rebounded in the second half of the year because of a sharp currency depreciation and a redirection of sales to Europe, North America, and Latin America. 

EscapeArtist Evaluation: As pointed out, GDP is a slippery indices. It tells you nothing other than how much is being earned. It doesn't tell you the price of tomatoes, the quality of the schools, nor the level of crime. If you have to put bars on your windows, bus your children 15 miles to a civilized school and eat polluted tomatoes, you've lost income and quality of life. Australia has excellent quality of life.

Employment

Jobs In Australia - Jobs In Australia - Part of our jobs pages, a complete page off links to help you with your job search.

Also see:
Escape From America to Australia - Escape From America to Australia - Resources for Moving To Australia

Language

An approximation of English.  Example, "bait rice," is translated as, "boat race."

Technology & The Internet

Australia is a progressive society in technological terms and one of the world leaders in IT and Computer services industries. They have the second highest use of PC’s in the world, the growth of Internet use is approximately 5-10% per month. This fact reflects the significance of computers both in the general and business communities. Opportunities for employment and business growth are plentiful.

Ease of Emigration

Difficult, but not impossible.  We have a section called Emigration / Immigration To Australia - Click Here - If you want to move to Australia it helps to hire a professional who can assist you. On this page link we have both government and private agencies that can help you with your quest.

Also see:
Embassies & Consulates of Australia - Embassies & Consulates of Australia - Embassies on our sister site.

Worth of passport

As good as it gets. Everybody likes Australians, except the people at the America's Cup. The Australian passport is accepted worldwide, and in many cases, travel is visa free.  For determining which nations require visas from which nations see:

Also see:
Expatriate Search Tools - Expatriate Search Tools - Search Tools For Global Living & International Travel

Outlook

Australia has become quite 'socialistic' in tendency. We are more or less obligated to illustrate some of the advantages enjoyed by people who live in Australia from a statist perspective; it is not our view of ‘beneficial benefits’, but we will remain neutral, (or at least semi-neutral) and report the facts as they exist from and for a statist mentality. Australia is the country which in 1995 was assessed as the richest country in the world by the World Bank. The assessment was based on factors such as wealth of resources, standard of living and well being of the population, rather than traditional methods such as GDP. Whether or not we choose to agree with the methods used in making such a judgment, there is little doubt about the high quality of living which exists in Australia. 

It is a fundamental part of the Australian attitude that causes them to respect the rights of others. They recognize that humans would like to have personal rights which are protected both from infringement from other citizens and by the government and its officers. Most of the white settlers who came to Australia in the early days chose to leave behind the cultural and religious intolerance in Europe as well as their prevailing unaccountable and oppressive political systems. A firm resolve that the purpose of government is to serve and not to oppress the people has been at the basis of the Australian social system. Almost every government body has an internal complaints section and an external independent tribunal or court to ensure that all decisions by government officials are in accordance with the law and with the principles of justice and fairness and efficiency that the law protects. Something that we've already mentioned in Escape From America, and that we find extremely interesting is that Australia has no written Bill of Rights. Not in its Commonwealth nor in it's State Constitutions. However, it is more or less common knowledge that Australia has one of the best human rights records and attitudes in the world. Perhaps the innate national characteristics of tolerance and a ‘fair-go’ are of more importance than any written Constitution. The human spirit and the ‘spirit of the law’ always seem to outshine the letter of the law, no?

The wide open spaces and beautiful eco-protected environment of Australia is very well known. Being one of the largest countries in the world with one of the smallest population per kilometer ratios, Australia can enjoy larger houses and land than most people in the developed world. It is this fact which allows it to have statist policies and still be a worthwhile place to live, even for those with an anti-statist mentality. It may be statist in economic terms, but big brother isn't watching our personal activities like he is in the United States.

Escape Artist Rating: Australia is as good as it gets. 

Also see:

Escape From America to Australia - Escape From America to Australia - A complete section of resources for Moving To Australia 
Embassies & Consulates of Australia - Embassies & Consulates of Australia - Embassies on our sister site.
Indices & Search Engines of Australia - Indices & Search Engines of Australia - Take a look at virtual Australia via their search indexes. Australia has one of the largest internet presence's in the world.
Islands of The Pacific - Islands of The Pacific - Escape Artist has a large indices of the Pacific Islands 
Escape Artist New Zealand - Escape Artist New Zealand - A Complete Indices of New Zealand Immigration Resources 
Overseas Judicial Information by Subject - Overseas Judicial Information by Subject - Find out what your rights are as an American Abroad - (Can the country you go to extradite you back to the country you left?) Child Support Enforcement Abroad - Marriage Abroad - Divorce Overseas - Extradition treaties - more ~
Overseas Judicial Information by Country - Overseas Judicial Information by Country - Find out what your rights are as an American Abroad - What kind of assistance can you get? Not just what can they do to you, but also what can they do to protect you?  (Can the country you go to protect you from the country you've left?  Other complicated issues