Who We Are
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WHO WE ARE: A forrest of Gumps
To discuss what went wrong with Indiana Jones, and to nominate the mightiest MacGuffins of moviedom, go to The Tribal Mind
To learn how a typical Australian family behaves, go to Who We Are
A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 8/6/2008
Are most people in Australia too dumb to function in the modern world, or is this only true for most people in South Australia? These questions are raised by a throwaway line in a widely ignored report called SA Stats May 2008, just published by the Bureau of Statistics. It contains this explosive proposition:
"Only 30% of South Australians aged 15 to 74 were assessed to have adequate problem solving skills in the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey."
So the bureau is saying that 70 per cent of South Australians have inadequate problem solving skills. It's a large claim to be buried in a small report. This column has never been one to seek cheap laughs, so we must all restrain ourselves from observing that this might explain much about South Australia's best known export, the Baron Alexander Downer.
We have an obligation to examine the report more closely. The bureau says that in 2006, it tested a sample of 8,988 Australians aged 15 to 74 on four qualities: prose literacy; document literacy; numeracy; and problem solving. It was checking how many people displayed skills which are "the minimum required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work in the emerging knowledge-based economy".
Since the bad news emerged in a report on South Australia, you'd assume it was the State that performed worst. Closer examination reveals that this was not the case. Here's the state and territory breakdown: In the Northern Territory, 72 per cent of people were assessed as having less than adequate problem solving skills; in Queensland, 70.8; in Victoria, 70.6; in NSW, 70.3; in South Australia, 69.6; in Tasmania 69.1 and in Canberra 54.5. Apparently there are dumber places on the continent than South Australia.
As the bureau describes the tests, this is what 15.1 million Australians can do: "Tasks in this level typically require the respondent to make simple inferences, based on limited information stemming from a familiar context. Tasks in this level are rather concrete with a limited scope of reasoning."
And this is what 10.6 million Australians cannot do: "Some tasks in this level require the respondent to order several objects according to given criteria. Other tasks require the respondent to determine a sequence of actions/events or to construct a solution by taking non-transparent or multiple interdependent constraints into account. The reasoning process goes back and forth in a non-linear manner, requiring a good deal of self-regulation. At this level respondents often have to cope with multi-dimensional or ill-defined goals."
The only good news is that we seem to be smarter than Canada, where 31.6 per cent have "adequate" problem solving skills (to our 32.2 per cent). But we are dumber than Norway (39.2 per cent) and Switzerland (33.8).
Now hold on a minute. The bureau is telling us that two thirds of the people in Switzerland, one of the richest countries on the planet, with no natural resources apart from snow, do not have the problem solving skills to function in modern life. Before we start beating up on ourselves, it may be time for the testers to reassess their definition of "adequate".
Click here to read the bureau's full report, and tell us what you think at Comments.
David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
COMMENTS
I agree that the statistics could be correct. Australians have been dumbed down by a combination of the media and government propaganda for many years, to think what they are indoctrinated with and ultimately, to think they think for themselves, whereas they are thinking what those in control want them to think!
- by Robert Cottrell on June 08, 2008 at 06:52 AM
Captain Dan? The Bureau of Statistics is like a box o' Chocolates .. you never know what you gonna get!
- by elZee on June 08, 2008 at 07:31 AM
This question and its statistics aren't surprising. Not only in prose, literacy or numeracy is ability on the slide but its happening in a big way to common sense too. It is astonishing to witness regular random acts of moronic behaviour in the Australian public thesedays.
However I'm not sure it is limited to stupidity. There are personal / selfish motives that are unconciously mixed in with the actions of particular people, like; 'What do I get out of it?' or 'What's in it for me?' Anyone who catches public transport has seen the classic example of people somewhat blindly getting onto a bus or train before other passengers have had the chance to get off.
AND...
I have a question. Since when did it become acceptable to write something like: Jack is dumber than John or The little puppy is tireder than the big one? Isn't the proper terminology to use 'more dumb' and 'more tired' in respect to quantative effects of an adjective?
- by Perplexed on June 08, 2008 at 07:48 AM
As Julian Tol infers, the report is a little too technical and smart for its own good. However, when you cut through the gobbledy gook and getting to the nitty gritty of what it has to say, I can't help but agree. I am amazed at the stupidity of so many otherwise seemingly intelligent people on our roads who busily tell others who drive in a perfectly correct, lawful way to go forth and multiply, yet they themselves seem incapable of driving in a safe, intelligent manner. I suspect it has something to do with their preoccupation with bodily functions, as they seems to like to give advice about the manner with monotonous frequency. And then there are people who smoke ... as they say, common sense is not too common, but I don't think we needed a statistical report to tell us that.
- by Stephen Yarrow on June 08, 2008 at 07:52 AM
I made a few assumptions based on the data in your article and extrapolated those percentages of the population and it appears those figures would have include politicians from all parties and public servants.
It now makes sense as to why our State and Federal Parliaments and public servants are dysfunctional and fail to solve the problems that the public wants fixed.
I could propose an alternative finding however and that is that the criteria and perameters on which the survey was originally done was floored, that questions asked were not based on commonsense outcomes, non politically motivated agendas or even real time issues.
Maybe if they asked questions such as " how does a pensioner or centrelink customer make their measly $300 per fortnight pay all the bills or young adults on the minimum wage, real problem solving skills could be observed.
Or how about " Banks claiming that money is more expensive to borrow(from overseas) these days, hence interests rate rises, yet the US is reducing the cost of borrowing. Do you believe the Banks?
Do you believe that the economy should be based on the "share market index"?
Do you think that farmers who produce food for domestic consumption should receive water allocations before exporters?
If you were in charge of Australia would you let our natural resources be sold and used in the armourments(war) industry, especially if you knew those weapons were being sold to the enemy?
What if you knew those weapons were being paid for by the illicit drug market, such as in Afghanistan where Opium production has increased 4 fold since the "war on drugs" I mean the war on terrorism.
Maybe other readers may have other questions for a survey that might help evaluate our intelligence and problem solving skills.
- by nic Faulkner on June 08, 2008 at 08:25 AM
I totally agree that Australians are not only dumb, but also have no desire to educate themselves to get better. My year 4 child is at the top of his class as the work he is doing now was taught to him in England in Year 2. I constantly have to check the TEACHERS spelling, as it is full of mistakes. It isn't just his school. No-one seems to be bothered about the total lack of respect and lack of common-sense shown throughout all aspects of society - even those in high management have no common sense or life experience. My husband has now left Australia for a civilsed society before his brain melts away into dumbness.
- by Mum on June 08, 2008 at 08:46 AM
Can you show us a sample of the questions the survey asked? Then we could make up our minds whether it was testing necessary skills or something more. Or, perhaps that would require a higher order of reasoning skills than I possess... oh dear.
DD replies: The bureau does not give examples (maybe it plans to use the questions again in future surveys) but you can find more details on the research by clicking here. (Give it time to download)
- by andrew on June 08, 2008 at 08:55 AM
Um.... 'Mum' (previous comment) sorry but I think you'll find that should be "TEACHERS' spelling". Remember to check your possessive apostrophes before you go accusing teachers of being dumb!
- by Charlotte on June 08, 2008 at 09:09 AM
It's a consequence of the dumbing down of our education systems in the West - and also of the entertainment and media industries relating to the general public as if it were a bunch of nine year olds. Well done everyone!
- by peter on June 08, 2008 at 09:09 AM
So, just curious here... Was 'forest' deliberately spelt wrong?
DD replies: It's a while since I saw the movie so I don't know if that was discussed. But mothers are entitled to spell their kids' names any way they like. Witness the person who whould have been Brittany Spears.
- by Aaron on June 08, 2008 at 09:22 AM
I cannot directly comment on the stats as I haven't seen it in details, however, I believe general intellectual level is falling in the West over the past 25 years. Few reasons why (specifically in Australia):
- Dim witted shows like Today Tonight and Current Affairs is seem by majority as a serious source of news.
- Peanut brained sports persons are considered national heros. They are even awarded Australian of the Year.
- Quality of Science and Mathematics lessons have dropped down the list.
- TER requirement for Law and HR degrees is higher than Science and Engineering. By 2030, the country will be full of so many lawyers and HR personnel that suing each other will become one's salary.
Sigh!
- by sfx on June 08, 2008 at 09:31 AM
Thanks David. I think you have raised a great issue. For me, it's nice to know I am not the only one who has noticed.
- by James on June 08, 2008 at 09:36 AM
I think your problem is that you haven't imported enough New Zealanders yet?
Let me remind you of two quotes:
"New Zealand was colonised initially by those Australians who had the initiative to escape."
"Kiwis migrating to Australia raised the average IQ in both countries"
Robert Muldoon (ex NZ PM)
- by Allen Bell on June 08, 2008 at 09:49 AM
I personally believe that Aussie Australians are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have brains and I believe that our education over here like such as South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in Australia should help Australi- should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for our children.
- by Miss South Australia on June 08, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Completing the national stats - WA:69.0% with less than adequate problem-solving skills. (NSW:100% with poor knowledge of geography, apparently.)
Nic's questions are great. Here is another one/two: How many people will be able to take up a government PV rebate scheme if it is restricted to those who own their own house and who have household incomes below $100,000? What colour will their hair be?
- by Mark on June 08, 2008 at 10:30 AM
I must agree with the sentiment expressed in these letters. I have recently returned to Australia, after some 15 years in Asia, and I am very disappointed by the standard of public debate, the standard of critical review offered in all types of media. It is so very parochial, and short term in its approach, and hides much of what is happening in the world by design, or by default.
- by Gareth on June 08, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Do parents allow their children to solve their own problems? No Parents yoday want their cildrens life to be perfect. They dont get to explore without parents controlling every aspect of their life.It is amazing how many simple things in life are beyond the average 10 yearold child. when do parents actually sit down and have a conversation with their children and discuss issues in the newspaper. children of this generation are being pushed into the "fast Food" of busieness. Parents resolve their squabbles with their friends. they race them off to after school activities everyday and cston design their life. How can we develop problem solvers if they are not allowed to make a mistake or learn to cope with disappointments or rise above the little upsets that beset them
Kash
- by Kash on June 08, 2008 at 10:43 AM
They didn't test me or anyone I know. Where did they find their test subjects - location could definitely skew the results.
- by Rubylou on June 08, 2008 at 10:46 AM
And it's "civilised", Mum
I think the departure of your husband to another country can only improve the IQ of Australia. Why dont you go too and take your sprog with you to continue that process?
- by Nigel on June 08, 2008 at 10:55 AM
So New Zealand raised their IQ level by allowing the lowest IQ'd kiwis to cross the Tasman with ease; and as a consequence, the Kiwi's are (in their lesser antipodean minds they are it seems...) yet again 'superior' to that great big hunk of land off to their West. ;) :)
There always has to be a sibling to rival with doesn't there... well; at least there long enough for the more mature sibling to realise such rivalry is just a ruse to disguise deep seated anxieties that lay beneath the overinflated self-appreciation displayed by a individual who'd be much better served by trying to just enjoy being themselves...
Enjoying oneself - without needing to turn it into a compe-bloody-tition... a gambling opportunity maybe; but not some "one-upamnship" tournament for five knuckle shuffling egotists out to try and prove themselves "totally superior".
Enjoying oneself is an Aussie invention pure and simple.
Sadly, it appears the ability to enjoy oneself isn't something the Bureau of Statistics is concerned with. Don't they know it's one of the most important things about being an Aussie?
BTW, hasn't anyone realised the correlation between the region of highest "problem solving skills" in Australia and the true nature of the question/s that the research is based upon?
Why would the ACT be our most able bunch of problem solvers? The place is full of pen pushers! They couldn't survive in the wilderness for any more than a few hours without a handbook of departmental guidelines to shuffle through in the hunt for some predefined precedent on how to deal with their predicament. Canberra is our very own "Sir Humphrey Appleby" land...
Is there any real wonder that questions that DON'T put an individual under the sorts of stresses that can only come from being in a situation that demands "problem solving skills" of the calibre that the ordinary citizen is compelled to on a daily basis, would be the ones asked?
Surely there's not any truly intelligent person would ever believe that there could have been a test to identify the "problem solving skills" of Alexander the Great, or Hannibal, or Einstein or...
Sadly; as the population of the planet increases the proportion of the sorts of minds in the "not so dumb" bracket appears to diminish. The homogeonising of the Global Community through instantly shared information, has made the sensation of belonging to a Global Village much closer to realisation.
Maybe it's a good thing that we are able to look at ourselves with an eye that is prepared to acknowledge that there's things we maybe don't like seeing appearing amongst our ranks... but, also that we don't have to mindlessly accept everything we're told - especially if we're trying to appear as though we have "problem solving skills".
Far better to actually have real problem solving skills, than feel the need to tell the World about it - especially if those supposed skills ever got truly tested in real world conditions... and were found somewhat wanting.
Now that'd be embarrassing!
- by Steve C on June 08, 2008 at 11:13 AM
Good one Charlotte! Not so superior now, are we 'Mum'?
- by DumbAussieSheila on June 08, 2008 at 11:15 AM
So New Zealand raised their IQ level by allowing the lowest IQ'd kiwis to cross the Tasman with ease; and as a consequence, the Kiwi's are (in their lesser antipodean minds they are it seems...) yet again 'superior' to that great big hunk of land off to their West. ;) :)
There always has to be a sibling to rival with doesn't there... well; at least there long enough for the more mature sibling to realise such rivalry is just a ruse to disguise deep seated anxieties that lay beneath the overinflated self-appreciation displayed by a individual who'd be much better served by trying to just enjoy being themselves...
Enjoying oneself - without needing to turn it into a compe-bloody-tition... a gambling opportunity maybe; but not some "one-upamnship" tournament for five knuckle shuffling egotists out to try and prove themselves "totally superior".
Enjoying oneself is an Aussie invention pure and simple.
Sadly, it appears the ability to enjoy oneself isn't something the Bureau of Statistics is concerned with. Don't they know it's one of the most important things about being an Aussie?
BTW, hasn't anyone realised the correlation between the region of highest "problem solving skills" in Australia and the true nature of the question/s that the research is based upon?
Why would the ACT be our most able bunch of problem solvers? The place is full of pen pushers! They couldn't survive in the wilderness for any more than a few hours without a handbook of departmental guidelines to shuffle through in the hunt for some predefined precedent on how to deal with their predicament. Canberra is our very own "Sir Humphrey Appleby" land...
Is there any real wonder that questions that DON'T put an individual under the sorts of stresses that can only come from being in a situation that demands "problem solving skills" of the calibre that the ordinary citizen is compelled to on a daily basis, would be the ones asked?
Surely there's not any truly intelligent person would ever believe that there could have been a test to identify the "problem solving skills" of Alexander the Great, or Hannibal, or Einstein or...
Sadly; as the population of the planet increases the proportion of the sorts of minds in the "not so dumb" bracket appears to diminish. The homogeonising of the Global Community through instantly shared information, has made the sensation of belonging to a Global Village much closer to realisation.
Maybe it's a good thing that we are able to look at ourselves with an eye that is prepared to acknowledge that there's things we maybe don't like seeing appearing amongst our ranks... but, also that we don't have to mindlessly accept everything we're told - especially if we're trying to appear as though we have "problem solving skills".
Far better to actually have real problem solving skills, than feel the need to tell the World about it - especially if those supposed skills ever got truly tested in real world conditions... and were found somewhat wanting.
Now that'd be embarrassing!
- by Steve C on June 08, 2008 at 11:18 AM
If you want to see how dumb we are look at the the TV commercials used to get mugs rushing with hands on credit cards to the stores.
- by BOY FROM THE BUSH on June 08, 2008 at 12:04 PM
So there's tests that can assess the "problem solving" abilities of individuals in the sort of real life situations that confront ordinary individuals on a day to day basis... What a crock!
All such a test is capable of proving, is how conceited and pompous those who believe they are capable of assessing and measuring superior problem solving behaviours truly are.
We rely on the problem solving abilities of our fellows every day. How sad it is that their particular problem solving abilities are so easily dismissed as irrelevant to any assessment of the populace's overall problem solving capacity.
It may be worth remembering just how little we value the problem solving abilities of our fellows, the next time we ask them to help us fix something that we find beyond our own supreme problem solving capacities.
- by Steve C on June 08, 2008 at 12:11 PM
In the era of global economy we all need more knowledge workers to compete against the Indians and Chinese or else we will fall behind. In the era of globalization there won't be any difference between lifestyle in Kolkata and Canberra.
- by chris henderson on June 08, 2008 at 12:14 PM
One difference: Forrest Gump wasnt an arrogant xenophobe.
- by Chris on June 08, 2008 at 12:14 PM
in this article David fails to mention the numerous inventions and innovations that australia is so proud of such as the hills hoist and bionic ear.
Also, however much we are being 'dumbed down' it is not because of lack of education but moreover the growing interdependence of developed countries such as Australia and the increased use of online resources (such as wikipedia).
If people who don't have these skills 'to function in modern day life' are clearly doing so then quite obviously our standards are too high for the neccesary knowledge required in order to function as an average human being in modern society.
Yes 70% of South australians cannot do simple mathematics but that is because of new technology removing the need to do so (i.e. calculators and computers)
- by ben on June 08, 2008 at 12:23 PM
Quote:
"If you want to see how dumb we are look at the the TV commercials used to get mugs rushing with hands on credit cards to the stores.
by BOY FROM THE BUSH on June 08, 2008 at 12:04 PM"
Or... maybe it's just an example of how effective our advertisers are. :)
It's not always necessary for the first option to be denigration, just as it's not always necessary to assign supreme knowledge and wisdom to an individual just because they mouth things we can believe.
Besides; if the advertising industry didn't manage to get people's hands on their credit cards as they rushed into stores - you'd be deriding it as a "useless industry that isn't as capable of results as it loves to portray itself as being"...
Fear of the homogenous blanc mange that humanity is becoming, can blind us to the possibilities that such variety can bring.
No one ever said evolution was a constant climb straight up the stairs to perfection did they?
- by Steve C on June 08, 2008 at 12:33 PM
To those who slag off "Mum".
It's not a mother's job to have good grammar and spelling.
It's the job of the teacher who is educating her children.
Oh and while you're casting stones:
Nigel, you need an apostrophe in "don't".
Dumbaussieshiela, you need a second comma after "we".
- by Mike on June 08, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Run Gumps!!!...Run!!
- by Jason A on June 08, 2008 at 12:57 PM
You don't have to be smart to have a job or to be rich. It's the school system's fault if we are dumb, they should teach students how to problem solve.
- by Hayden on June 08, 2008 at 01:14 PM
Um... Charlotte it's actually TEACHER'S spelling.
- by Hayden on June 08, 2008 at 01:16 PM
True enough. It's a cultural norm in Australia that if you are a thinker there is something wrong with you. Just keep it dumb, keep it simple and go with the flow. All the while displaying this weird hubris of the idiot: that we are somehow 'superior' to people in other nations!
- by Stephen on June 08, 2008 at 01:17 PM
People are stupid because they miss out basic information, people are so busy pretending to be clever they miss out basic mistakes and the flow of information through our society is getting less and less factual. I don't think we're any dumber than 30 years ago so it's nothing to worry about really.
- by Hayden on June 08, 2008 at 01:18 PM
I must say I agree with Ben. It would seem the criteria used to determine 'adequate' survival skills is skewed towards an outdated understanding of what those skills are. It also might indicate that the people who constructed the survey are, as academics can be, slightly out of touch with the reality of the every day person.
Having said that, though, I do think that the education system fails to encourage creative thinking or problem solving. It is focused more around absorbing and regurgitating information at the required times. I was in the top 10% of the state when I did my HSC, and if I have a degree of sophistication in my problem solving, I certainly didn't learn it in school.
- by lulu on June 08, 2008 at 01:27 PM
Bring on the 'Education Revolution' if it's real. The whole paradigm that governments of countries like ours operate is to keep the population dumb. If they encouraged learning which would lead to questioning they would have to govern in a whole new intelligent way. Do you see intelligent debate in government or do you see one side contradicting the other regardless of whether it makes rational, economic or intelligent sense or not with the whole objective to win votes. If the population understood for example why the price of petrol has to rise to ensure the sustainability of planet, they would have respond in a different way - instead they are encouraged to respond to completely illogical and prolific argument over whether it should go down 5c a litre - that's dumb!
The lack of encouraging intelligent education results in the media providing cheap and mind numbing 'reality' and sensationalised 'news' shows. Who 'can' talk about what's going on in the country when the prevailing discussion is about who got evicted or who is the fattest!
I'd like to know what 'civilised' country Mum's husband has moved to!
- by Whiskers on June 08, 2008 at 01:42 PM
I dare say the comment by Nigel is anecdotal of the study's findings.
However, without knowing the substance of the questionnaire from which the conclusions were made, let me make an unqualified observation.
Is it so difficult to accept that in our state-of-the-art western capitalist system that we, the general population are cultivated to be largely unquestioning consumers in what is served up to us not only through all media which tells us what is good, bad and unpalatable but through the education system which is designed to produce good little workers. An education system that doesn't teach 'how' to think but 'what to think' - there is a big difference. Workers who are told that the only measure of success is where you live and what consumer item looks best on you, around you or in you.
This state of affairs leads to complacency. Complacency leads only to one place unquestioning docility.
But don't take my word for it.
Under these conditions can you expect any result other than the findings of the study?
You get what you deserve.
Disclaimer: Comments made by the author are neither an endorsement nor a criticism of any socio-political system and is only a considered opinion of one humble product of this great western capitalist system. All spelling errors are the result of imprecise typing and not necessarily poor spelling.
- by you get what you deserve on June 08, 2008 at 01:46 PM
Fings ain't wot vey used to be, eh? We'll all be rooned. The amount of Australia-bashing sparked by this article is almost as silly as the equally extreme Australia-adoring that came in reaction to it. You've got to be clear what this test was and wasn't about. Inadequate problem-solving skills does not refer to stupidity. Nor does it equate to moral decline, worthless education, dysfunctional government, bad TV shows, kids these days or anything else we like to bitch about at the end of a long day. It's an assessment of how we relate to the habits and capacities that allow us to cope with the demands and expectations of the world around us. No-one's mentioned that it might be the expectations that are unrealistically high. The main problem with this survey that I can see is its effort to measure something so undefineable - a problem that's always made the human sciences qualitatively different to the natural sciences. If goals are multi-dimensional and ill-defined, how can the Bureau tell us how many people achieved them? If you construct a solution from multiple interdependent variables in a non-linear manner, the more relevant question is surely the appropriateness of a person's problem-solving approach than whether their skills are adequate or inadequate - loaded terms that predictably make this particular forum sound like an Australia-wide psychiatrist's couch. They're coming to give you a Myers-Briggs test! Run, Forrest, run!
- by Nicholas on June 08, 2008 at 02:02 PM
for my analysis go to this URL:http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4228.0.55.0022006?OpenDocument
download the pdf document, open it and go to page 30
Looking at the above document, I summise that level 1 and 2 are skills equivalent for primary to junior high school level, level 3 and above for senior high school, university, and postgraduate levels.
Your description above of the 70% can do level 1 problem solving skills and only 30% the level 3 problem solving skills (senior high school and above) show nothing new, n fact it is the exact population spread i.e. 30% of students complete HSC and go onto do level 3 and above problem solving skills on a daily basis...
- by davo on June 08, 2008 at 03:25 PM
Here we go again, David Dale in full flight in his role as social snob.
We are not dumb, the only thing that is dumb is to continually beat ourselves up. I thought we had got over the cultural cringe.
Yeah, sure fix the issue of problem solving...make people more responsible for their own actions and stop blaming the governemnt for every thing that goes wroing in an individuals life..
Our only problem is that we have gone from a nation of self reliant people to one where we are under the protection of a log of do gooders with fax machines and websites.
We need politicians who are prepare to throw away opinion polls and lead with vision and courage
- by Stephen Kirkham on June 08, 2008 at 04:04 PM
So what I was going to conclude, but forgot to, is that this test merely divides those who took the test into their appropriate education levels, there is no indication of Australia being ' dumbed down' for gawds sake! hence the approximate 70% 30% split worldwide, do you really think Switzerland, one of the highest per capita income nations is full of dimwits! get real. Level 1 capabilities is adequate for day to day activities, level 5 is thesis/professorial study level! Jesus!
- by davo on June 08, 2008 at 04:08 PM
Teachers are not valued or paid according to the skills they should be offering, and so the teaching void is filled by second-raters who are barely literate. I remember getting marked down in a Yr12 English spelling test because I spelled a word correctly and my teacher had misspelled it. When I pointed this out, she just lost her temper and said it would teach me a lesson! Hrrmm.
More recently I commented when a shop assistant couldn't do a trivial addition in their head. Their response was that they didn't do mathematics at university. I pointed out that it was a primary-school level skill....
- by Mike on June 08, 2008 at 04:24 PM
One of the problems that Australians have is that they do not question things - not being streetwise. This might the result of the good life they live and not having to struggle to get things. I experienced this last year when visiting Australia. Ozzies won't last for example in Africa where only the fittest survive.
- by Tony on June 08, 2008 at 04:25 PM
Does anyone think that ACA and Today Tonight should shoulder some of the blame for this?
Or is it that because they already knew about this, that they manage to keep running successfully?
- by DFD on June 08, 2008 at 04:54 PM
I Scott Adams fantastic book "The Dilbert Principle" he postulates that "functional stupidity" is becoming more prevalent . He asserts that information is gushing at our brains "like a firehose into a teacup " and that the basic level of skills and intelligence needed to get by in modern life is constantly increasing faster than most of us can learn - I thought this was amusing until I realised that I find Mobile Phone plans , Fly By Cards , End of year Tax and tuning my cars engine all just too hard and I've either not participated or outsourced these things - at least I can work all the functions of my 10 year old TV & Video ... but that Topfield PVR is going to defeat me for sure
- by Robert Bennett on June 08, 2008 at 04:58 PM
Well all I can say is I've seen A LOT of people getting rich by being tradesmen, real estate agents, people buying up houses, whatever. Anything but the hard stuff which we are importing Asians to do and generally doesn't really pay much more ( often far less ) than the easier stuff.
There's simply no incentive to be intelligent. Particularly given the ghastly treatment and ostracism that often comes with it.
- by I got tall poppied and all I got was this blog post. on June 08, 2008 at 05:33 PM
I do not know the individuals involved in the research and statistical conclusions,to be without any sort of bias ,or the other side,give some meritorious acceptance.I do note the ABS. is one of many reasons,I simply dont vote.Their output is contemptuous,of people who do not fit their bands of statistical requirement.The issues of Law that allow them to be part of the fine imposing stream of life as is lead by Australians certainly isn't meritorious in an academic sense,but is part of the rolling out the red carpet for ,the every problem of a human being.. that needs to feel important by imposing the Superiority in some manner.The deceit of the ABS can be readily assessed when the Census figures are gathered,as a statistic that says something about employment in a particular period.The final insult that this organisation requires Australians to accept,as a function of the possibility of laws being enforced,is the excuse on the census forms every four years,about how these matters are collected for the common good of the individual.The gathering of any form of statistical evidence about any subject,is obviously predetermined by the need to do so.Seeing it is only the statistically minded,who would assume a greater value to such reports than others,it is very similar to the dingoes at GetUp,in their defiance of the fact,a vote cannot in any way ,what so ever, determine any outcome that meets the entirety of the requirements of any type of voter.This conceit,like the ABS of claiming something about what one does as income,what one does for others,is clearly not etched as reality by the 19.3% of non-compliance in total of the ABS. in response to their various tests.Then there is the larger moment,remedied as small averaged out at 2% across all tests as a variable.So I assume I have expressed sufficient contempt for some statistical gathering on their part as to the efficiency of the service provided and able to be assessed by say other morons who prefer being ,if not one-dimensional,insuring that even anecdotals display a particular form of numeracy! Some are even switching their newspaper readings,and are sick and tired of alphabetical insistence on all matters of the higher forms of human endeavour!?
- by philip travers on June 08, 2008 at 06:05 PM
Like Mum's husband, I am working overseas.
I am one of 55,000 Australian passport holders listed as resident in HK.
I wonder about the brain drain out of OZ, and with burgeoning numbers of Australians expat in Shanghai, NY ,Macau, Dubai, London, Singapore et al, as a growing trend.
Our 9 year old attended school for a while in Sydney one trip and was bored out of her mind, echoing 'Mum's' comment about her 9y/o doing P2 work in P4. Ditto. Our same child helps private school Year 8 children with their English homework when we visit Oz.
What happened to the Australian resourcefullness that lead to inventions like the stump jump plough , Imax (we invented it, the Canadians picked up the ball we dropped and ran with it), latex gloves, pacemakers, pre stressed concrete pipes, wave piercing catamarans, the smooth motion speech technique for treating stuttering, subterranean clover used in pasture improvement, the detection of supernovas, the surf life saving reel, LADS-Laser Depth Sounders for chartering shallow coastal waters, Kelpies, Blue heelers (now de'rigeur at the fratfully British Crufts dog show) , fertiliser made from chicken poo, rotary lawnmowers, solar water heating,racecam (Bathurst 1000, 1979) , letter sorting machines in the post office, diabetes vaccine research, the black box flight recorder, the link between asthma and grass seeds and mosquitoes with dengue fever-(the mosquito is the insect that kills more people than any other internationally). The use of plastic rods in bone fractures, the link to rats and the bubonic plague, refigeration at sea ( the first consignment of refrigerated meat arrived from Australia to England in 1880 ) , plastic lenses -from South Australia- in 1960. steel rail sleepers , relaxin- a natural hormone produced artificially to help make childbirth easier. Not to forget the cochlear implant and Hills Hoist someone mentioned earlier in a post.
Like Gareth who is a returned expat stuggling to come to terms with the dumbing down of the media, I also wonder why 'the clever country' is increasingly becoming a rabble without a cause.
I also agree the Aus media is very introspective and parochial and largely works with a modus operandi of feeding us pap that is pitched at 9 year old level.
I've lapped up David Dale's offerings since about 1983 in SMH, (Stay in Touch was always on the mark and landmark) , but wonder about the increasingly turgid media miasmus outside decent writers like this.
An English colleague ( fluent Mandarin speaker, regularly in oZ for business )reports he has the most meaningful conversations with Mandarin speaking taxi drivers.
I have a theory that the zeitgeist of terrorism,and Australian politics in recent years have made Australians look inward not outward. We now are fearful of 'outsiders.'
It seems that the happy,extroverted Australia of the Olympic games as recent as 2000 is no more. That aspect of an extroverted, united, 'clever country' seems to have dissipated.
At school in the suburbs of Sydney in the 1970s I remember eating my first salami, gherkins, curry, vogel bread, baklava etc out of the lunch box of school mates with Aussie accents whose parents were fairly FOB (Fresh off the boat).
Then the Vietnam war hit, and the conflict in Lebanon.
Non English speaking children with the terror of war in their eyes appeared in our classrooms and playgrounds.
These poor mites couldn't speak a word of English and were climbing an Everest sized J curve of adjustment . After a fairly short period of time, they invited us round to their houses and we got to eat more amazing food and see another whole way of life. And quid pro quo they got to see our 1970s suburban Sydney charmed lifestyle. We took this ease of post war Australia for granted, having never lived in a war zone or known hunger. It was totally awe inspiring. It was cultural exchange at its most basic , childish uncomplicated level.
Now it seems Australians are a nation of churlish squabblers. We don't seem to like our neighbours- in our street , in the car beside is (where did road rage come from?) let alone or overseas.
We measure our worth- and that of people around us- by the number of bedrooms we own, the number of investment properties, the private school the children go to, the brand of car and dishwasher, and even what substance we choose for the kitchen bench.
I have heard CEO's who are used to having an airline seat strapped to their derriere 'astronauting' it , doing business around the planet say , "In most countries, when I visit our offices there the people have pictures of their families on their desk at work, and proudly show them to you. In Australia, they show you pictures of their houses."
If Gallipolli happened today, would the spirit of the digger exist, or would he be angling for a better deal than the bloke beside him, rather than pitching in together? ANZAC is a word that intertwines New Zealanders and Australians, like it or lump it, so why do we dump on them all the time and take an intellectual/social/moral highground?
I do wonder if in not aligning themselves with materialism and American politics, our siblings across the Tasman have kept this spirit of survival and 'having a go' alive. Churchill's "never give up, never give up, never give up" could be said of the Kiwis today. For a nation of under 4 million people they make an awesome dent on the planet. They make amazing wine and I have never met a Kiwi who can't cook, play more than one sport well or build things- practical life skill stuff. (And no, I am not Kiwi,nor am I married to one.)
I can't recall one boat in the America's cup last year that didn't have a huge complement of Kiwis on board, they are warriors and winners on the rugby pitch, they are incredible inventors and adventurers. Hillary was on of many.
Nowhere in NZ is more than 50 miles from the sea- Peter Blake- the Kiwi Hillary of the sea was an incredible man, and their yacht designers like Bruce Farr are total innovators.
Whereas on the east side of the Tasman it's more akin to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself."
Australians seem to have lost the 'have a go you mug' spirit.
I agree with the blog poster who said that kids are not taught to survive and take risks and get out there and have a go. We do seem increasingly a nation of quitters.
I can't agree with the blog poster who said we are a happy race.
I cite recent Herald Headlines In the past Month:
- 17% Australians will suffer mental illness in next 12 months.
- Highest rate of dope abuse, and ipso facto, high rate of paranoid schitzophrenia.
- High proportion of people on anti depressants can't achieve orgasm.
Add to that one in five Australians on anti depressants, the high rate of male suicide and youth suicide and again, I think the Gallipolli diggers must be rolling in their graves wondering what on earth they fought for.
I wish Austalians would spend as much time exercising their brains as their bodies. Can we invent personal trainers for the mind?
- by Alex in Hk on June 08, 2008 at 06:42 PM
This is a country which looks identical in most ways to the U.S.
Where there's a Starbucks, Macdonalds' or Burger King at every street corner, where television is absolutely jam packed with American trash TV, and where trying to get a decent intelligent conversation out of many Australians is like pulling teeth.
Given your closest of ties to the U.S. (and even the soldiers wear identical body armour to their US comrades in Iraq), you might as well call yourself the 51st State.
- by Ssor on June 08, 2008 at 07:12 PM
Just a little thought... critical thinking anyone? How 'adequately' was the testing run? How did they arrive at the problems tested? Given that any general analysis of any population has huge variables and are frequently wildly wrong (political polls for instance), these tests may show nothing other than poor testing procedures. What evidence outside of the test itself could add or conflict with its results?
- by Warren on June 08, 2008 at 07:14 PM
You didnt need a survey to tell me that, I have known this for years.
- by Sunjay on June 08, 2008 at 08:01 PM
This might account for the warning label on my daughter's new scooter, "WARNING, PRODUCT MOVES WHEN USED".
- by Ian on June 08, 2008 at 08:44 PM
I totally agree with Ssor.
80% of Americans don' t have a passport, appox the same number haven't read a book since school.
We have sold out to being a state of the good ol US of A, no doubt about it.
Good on Helen Clarke for keeping her nation out of this increasing downward spiral.
- by alex in hk on June 08, 2008 at 09:11 PM
"I totally agree that Australians are not only dumb, but also have no desire to educate themselves to get better. My year 4 child is at the top of his class as the work he is doing now was taught to him in England in Year 2. I constantly have to check the TEACHERS spelling, as it is full of mistakes. It isn't just his school. No-one seems to be bothered about the total lack of respect and lack of common-sense shown throughout all aspects of society - even those in high management have no common sense or life experience. My husband has now left Australia for a civilsed society before his brain melts away into dumbness."
by Mum on June 08, 2008 at 08:46 AM
I'm an Australian teacher. I've just returned to Brisbane having spent 5 years in the UK. Across the spectrum, from literacy to numeracy to manners, Australia is streets ahead of the UK. I don't know what your point is other than to prove that you have a massive chip on your shoulders. Perhaps your husband should take you with him, and good luck in finding a welcoming country that is prepared to deal with your attitude. Why is England so far behind Europe in these categories? Go there, work in the school environment, and you'll see why--bad attitude. The UK is desperate for antipodean teachers because they have a work ethic. BTW, the OECD literacy and numeracy results indicate that Australia is ahead of the UK. Get your facts sorted, mum, before you get on your whinge box. Wind-up aside, you prove how crass your country has become and why England is considered the third world of Europe.
- by Jana on June 08, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Just a note to Alex in HK.
As an Aussie who moved to NZ for business reasons i've got a fair picture of NZ after living here for 4 years, the Kiwis you talk about are the exception as you are as an Aussie. The stay at homers and the country in general is in certain decline. I had initially thought that NZ was free spirited, adventurous and enterprising and a great place to start a business. I couldn't have been more wrong. Labour laws are shocking, regulation and compliance are ever rising, the green germ is beginning to bite and any and all developments are being stalled sending NZ to the dark ages. The economy is heavily agricultural 11% of GDP due to Fronterra!. Broadband heavily limited, I know of many immigrants who have had to go back as they can't find decent paying work even in a "labour shortage" the labour shortage exists in blue collar work only. myself included when i needed short term contracting (IT consultancy field 12+ years experience 300 applications 5 interviews!!!) Low wage rates, high cost of living, terribly conservative culture especially in South Island and violent in the North. Just returned from visits to China and Oz and think i have made a bad mistake coming to NZ after the trials i have had and the energy exhibited in these countries. Yes NZ has many exceptional people but they need to leave the country to make use of their potential. i.e Flight of the conchords. Look twice before considering NZ especially now as the economy tanks. Great place to visit and a very beautiful country and people are friendly but on an economic level, make your millions elsewhere then come and live here. Check this space out to get a feel for the real deal. http://expatexposed.com/
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-forums-new-zealand
For a truer picture of what it is actually like even for positive go getters like me!!!
- by Mark in NZ on June 08, 2008 at 10:26 PM
"New Zealand was colonised initially by those Australians who had the initiative to escape."
And now their ancestors are returning because no one seems capable of managing the Kiwi economy.
"Kiwis migrating to Australia raised the average IQ in both countries"
Robert Muldoon (ex NZ PM)"
Buffoon Muldoon would be twisting and turning 6 feet under surely given that 1400 Kiwis cross the Tasman each week. It's amusing how a chippy PM managed to become such a hero in NZ. I believe that if those two quotes can be recited, you automatically pass Year 12 English in NZ. Why is NZ so dependant on government support? Is it because the more resourceful sector of the population have departed? Where would the NZ economy be without Australian businesses? Unfortunately not enough Kiwis are capable of using (that other worn out cliche), the number 8 wire.
- by Lisa Jamieson on June 08, 2008 at 10:29 PM
I've always thought that Aussies were a capable bunch....compared to the useless soap dodgers anyway.
- by expat jock on June 08, 2008 at 10:37 PM
I love Australia, but it's a shame it wasn't settled by more Germans. For me, the smartest people in the country reside in the Lutheran communities of South Australia. The dumbest ones are the 10 Pound Poms that settled up the road at Elizabeth, and like their Mud Island cousins (case in point is the poster 'mum'), expect the world to come to them.
- by Ms Guten Tag on June 08, 2008 at 11:08 PM
Hey Steve C. Naughty you...ending a sentence with "are".
- by sharon on June 08, 2008 at 11:44 PM
Ah ha ha it's so funny to make fun of South Australians...
- by Mark on June 09, 2008 at 02:05 AM
Question for David Dale and any other well informed reader of HISTORY, or should I say readers of what we are told is the truth and therefore his story.
On what date did the UK grant independence and nation status to the Commonwealth of Australia?
1901 at Federation
1919 Imperial Conference
1931 the Statute of Westminster
1986 the Australia Acts, State and Commonwealth
Or by a decision of the High Court in 1999
I have proof from House of Reps Hansard that it happened in 1919, yet the High Court of Australia has found that it was 1986 with the Australia Acts.
ie a Request from the States to the Commonwealth Parliament to request an Act from a "foreign power"(UK) to alter the Commonwealth Constitution Act without a referendum of the Australian people.
Now if you as a journalist are really concerned at "who we are" and why we are, this issue of Constitutional Law is a must for all Australians to understand.
If we fail to take charge of the true history of our nation we let others manipulate agendas, thought processes and outcomes.
Come on David lets see what kind of article you can write on this part of who we are.
Read Sue v Hill High Court of Australia to see how the court has attempted to rewrite Australia's history, none of which makes sense, but it is purportedly LAW, even though it disregards facts it is probably taught in our schools and Unis.
Oh and the reference for Hansard is
30 September 1921 at page 11631 in a speech by Hon. Billy Hughes, PM and Attorney General, in quoting the opening words of the 1921 Imperial Conference, Lloyd George PM of the United Kingdom stated
�In recognition of their services and achievements in the War the British Dominions have now been accepted fully into the comity of the nations of the whole world. They are signatories to the Treaty of Versailles and of all other Treaties of Peace; they are members of the Assembly of the League of Nations and their representatives have already attended meetings of the League: in other words, they have achieved full national status, and they now stand beside the United Kingdom as equal partners in the dignitaries of the British Commonwealth. If there are any means by which that status can be rendered even more clear to their own communities and to the world at large, we shall be glad to have them put forward at this Conference.�
�In these words, the Prime Minister of Britain, the President of the Conference, set out in clear and unambiguous language the concept of a partnership of free nations, all equal in dignity and responsibility, to which the Conference subsequently formally and officially set its seal.�(Hughes).
- by Nic Faulkner on June 09, 2008 at 07:09 AM
Thank you Mark in HK for enlightening me, that's a very interesting blog you listed there and I will pass on.
This must explain why there are so many Kiwis in HK who have been here for over 25 plus years. They are a low key bunch here, fairly elusive and don't blow their own trumpets.
From what I have seen they are teachers, lawyers, barristers, engineers, uni professors, pilots with the national HK airline and it's subsidiary, govt pilots and helicopter pilots, bankers, IT specialists. Some have held CEO positions at top banks and the head of rail is a very highly regarded Kiwi. The head ER or ICU doc at the the hospital where SARS was first detected in 2003 was a Kiwi. There are other decent Kiwi GPs here.
Google NZ Society of HK and catch up with some local Kiwis when you are next in this part of the world. I am sorry that your business experience has been less than positive, it seems you have experienced why the NZ brain drain is so massive.
To Nic Faulkner, thanks also for the info on how we whitewash history.
Do you not think many of you are not being a bit hard on Mum, or missed her point? Adjusting to oz, or re-adjusting is not always easy, as Gareth attests.
I can relate to the teacher who said that OZ teachers are in high demand in Uk, as are oz IT, bankers, lawyers etc as we are good multi skillers with decent degrees and solid work ethics.
However, I have heard many people say they feel Oz education these days is beneath the Brit level. One reason is that they start school when 4 , maybe?
I think like all parents, Mum justs wants the best start for her children.
- by Alex in HK on June 09, 2008 at 08:12 AM
You'd think if anything we'd be getting smarter since most people 25 years of age and under would've had access to computers and the Internet at a much earlier age than say, someone of my vintage...40 who for the most part, relied on books for research. A mere 15 years apart and yet there is evidence of something having gone terribly wrong with the education system. The end products of this system are coming out, (on average, of course there will be the odd few exceptions), with far few literary skills, communication skills, and basic maths skills than in days of yore. Not to mention lack general respect, manners and no idea about acceptable levels of behaviour in social interactions. Violence is on the increase in young people, both Male and Female.
I don't know why, we've got better technology, we should be ahead. Are there any teachers out there who were teaching primary school classes around 1973-1978? What do you see as the main differences between primary school education then and now?
Whatever you were doing back then certainly worked and we didn't have access to the Internet! Man, if I'd had access to the Internet as a kid I would've been soaking general knowledge up like a sponge, not wasting all of my time on games. Oh how easy it would've been to get really good assignments and presentations together. Too easy!!!
Maybe we should get the spoilt little brats to do year's worth of school *without* access to the 'net...make 'em do it old school, from books. *Then* the lazy little darlings will know what they've got!!!
Oh and Parents...know where your children are. What are they doing right now? No matter where you live, no matter wether you're rich or poor, no matter where you come from...your children are your responsibility.
It is encumbent upon you to teach them the correct values to fit in peacefully with society at large, over and above your particular cultural and religious beliefs or complete lack thereof.
Now...do you want to be a dumb-ass sheep or do you want to better yourself, your children and more importantly...Australia?
- by Michelle on June 09, 2008 at 05:00 PM
To Michellle, Yes I agree, you should know where your children are , and be their first teacher, and work beside their teachers- not against them, educatation is a shared partnership.
Good point on what teachers circa 1973-1978 though. I!
I am a parent who had a mother who was kind and wondeful enough to keep most of my school work and all of my books as child. I share them often with my children. We don't spend much money on toys , but as much as we can on books.
Yes, I agree, it is up to parents to teach values, not schools. You cant' abdicate or delegate this responsibility.
Steven (SP?) Biddulph wrote in his book the importance of talk talk talking to your children all the time from day one in order to increase their EQ and IQ. Sounds basic stuff so straightforward, but true.
- by alex in Hk on June 09, 2008 at 09:51 PM
Good grief. After reading all of the comments, my opinion is confirmed. The rest of Australia sends those that best represent them to Canberra. The Canberrans are then left to do the right thing to either thwart or fine tune whatever hair-brained scheme these reps come up with. In this way, the nation's best problem-solvers try to lead the nation away from ruination. Thankfully, Kevin 24/7 understands this and has lightened the workload. He now refers everything to a committee where it may never be seen or heard from again. This leaves him free to come up with his own, far more grandiose, hair-brained schemes which he can announce with a fan-fare before he himself forgets about them.
- by Yuri on June 10, 2008 at 11:05 AM
It is a fallacy to think that our best and brightest will somehow be attracted to government. Politics has traditionally attracted those who are ambitious, but not necessarily intelligent, nor even imaginative. Given our population of around 21 million, the chances of electing enough intelligent and imaginative representatives to fill our excess of state and federal parliaments is slim. The problem has been exacerbated by a societal degradation which has resulted in our media being dominated by sport and celebrity gossip - and this at a time when our very future on this planet is in jeopardy.
The dumbing down of Australian society is accelerating at such a rate that I expect the speed of light to be exceeded sometime during the afternoon of 23 September, 2009. If so, remember, you read it here first!
- by Clive of Noosa on June 15, 2008 at 09:00 PM
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David - Some of your points in this article require me to order several objects according to given criteria. Other points require me to determine a sequence of sentences and to construct a solution by taking your non-transparent constraints into account. Your reasoning process goes back and forth in a non-linear manner, requiring a good deal of imagination on my part. At this point I have to declare that your article is packed full of multi-dimensional and ill-defined goals. Well done!