Reddit Users Share What They Think Is Better About Australia Than a Decade Ago

We’ve come a long way in so many different ways in the past decade, but on the flip side, there are also many things we’re behind on. It’s the former, however, that Reddit users in the r/Australia community have come together to discuss this week, sharing their thoughts on the major and minor advancements in society over the past 10 years that have genuinely been an improvement.

Here are some highlights from the list.

Things that have improved in Australia over the past decade, according to Reddit

The question was first posed by Reddit user u/Ur_Companys_IT_Guy, who said, “It’s easy to get stuck in the negativity spiral with the 24 hour news cycle. It’s always easier to only focus on bad change than good change. What are some things that are better than they used to be?”

The thread has since received over 600 comments, with Redditors weighing in with everything from minor tech advancements to massive cultural shifts.

• Telehealth: A popular answer from u/sunset_dreaming101 pointed to the advancements in Telehealth in the last few years, saying it’s particularly convenient when you only need to see a doctor to get a prescription. u/echoinz backed this up saying, “More people need to know about this and the virtual ED service. I needed antibiotics for a cut on my leg but my regular GP had an 8 day wait and there aren’t any other bulk bill GP’s in my area. Dialled into the virtual ED, spoke to a triage nurse, got transferred to a doctor who sent a script to my phone. 30 minutes and I never had to leave my house.”
• Gift card expiry dates: Another small advancement that has made a massive difference, according to u/billbotbillbot, is the elimination of 12-month expiry dates on gift cards.
• Working from home: A few users agreed that one of the few positives to come out of the pandemic was the validity of working from home for many industries. “Even with the push to get all the drones back into the office, the culture around office-based work has changed irreversibly… even in places where working from home is a rarity, nobody bats an eyelid if you take the odd WFH day here and there,” u/Drunky_McStumble said.
• Credit card payments on Transport NSW: Transport NSW’s initiative to allow credit card payments for public transport instead of just Opal cards drew praise from a number of users on Reddit. Given that the majority of public transport payments have gone cashless now, the option to tap on with a credit card is far more convenient and something that has only been introduced in the past decade.
• Road upgrades: u/delayedconfusion praised the road upgrades between Sydney and the Gold Coast, saying, “It used to be a 2 day journey, I can now comfortably sit on cruise control and get from one end to the other in 8-10 hrs depending on stops.”
• Cultural shifts: A few users pointed out more large-scale changes in the past ten years, such as attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community and women’s safety, as well as conversations around mental health.
• Better food options for different dietary needs: Some folks praised the introduction of more gluten-free options, alternative milk and consistently good coffee.
• Better internet: Others praised the fact that fibre internet is more readily available and affordable than it was 10 years ago.

All in all, there are lots of things that Australia is still radically behind on, but looking back over the past ten years, it is a good reminder that things can change for the better (even if they’re just small changes).

If you want to peruse the full list (or add your own), you can find it here.

Lead Image Credit: iStock/Reddit