Australia's two solitudes

[jesseps]

Article

 

Western Australia = B.C / Alberta

Victoria = Quebec

NSW = Ontario

 

Doest that seem right?

[Aurélien]

Mouarf. Vive le Victoria libre ...!

[uqam+]

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[Cyrus]

 

Western Australia = B.C / Alberta

Victoria = Quebec

NSW = Ontario

 

Doest that seem right?

 

It does indeed!

 

But the funnies part is the "Liberal government... right of centre conservative" (ie actual liberal, I know, I know...)

[Aurélien]

Au fond, nous savons tous que ce que fait tenir le croisement c'est la peur d'être avalé tout rond par le géant au sud.

 

Au Canada, les États-Unis, et en Belgique, la France ??

[Né entre les rapides]

I agree with jesseps's comparing Western Australia with BC/AB.

 

And although NSW/Victoria rankings (and their respective metropolises of Sydney and Melbourne) can be seen to have their canadian equivalent in Ontario (Toronto) and Quebec (Montreal), an opposite view can be derived from the perspective of history and character:

 

1) NSW (and Sydney), like Quebec (and Montreal) are more ancient than Victoria (Melbourne) and Ontario (Toronto) in terms of earliest european settlement.

 

2) Melbourne, like Toronto, owes its fortune in significant part to mining operations that were (and still are) conducted from there, for example the big Melbourne-based (along with London) BHP-Biliton, and Inco, Falconbridge etc (canadian based until recently) in Toronto. Likewise, tha australian automotive industry is centered around Melbourne, like Toronto in Canada.

 

3) Sydney is the best internationally-known australian city and is dominant in arts and culture, just like Montreal was when it was known as the "darling of the Dominion".

 

4) For years and years, Melbourne and Toronto have strived to pass their more senior, more glamourous rivals. The difference of course is that Toronto finally won the "national contest" in many ways, while Melbourne has not.

 

5) Caveat for Toronto though: in its ceaseless drive to become a "World City", it must be careful not to turn into a Sao Paulo, or Bombay, of this world, instead of the London or NYC that it dreams of. (This point is my slightly modified version of a concept/perspective that I have encountered in some other readings)

[uqam+]

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