Australia is the second-wealthiest country in the world per adult after Switzerland. We have created a $1.7 trillion dollar yearly GDP. We are the 14th largest world economy, and hold the world record for the longest period of uninterrupted economic growth. Our cities are regularly praised as amongst the most livable in the world. Compared to countries like the US or Russia, our incidence of violent crime is low. We have been an exceptional global citizen, and our brave men and women have laid down their lives in conflicts from WWI to today to ensure a more stable and peaceful world.
Yet somehow there persists the minority view that we are crap. Third-rate. Useless. That our politicians, who had a major role in creating all of the above, are not to be trusted. That we need to cower with the Corgis under the protection of a monarch who lives half a world away because we're too dimwitted to run our lives.
I reject that view. Am proud to be Australian, and proud of our achievements. And look forward to a republic in my lifetime, if that is the wish of the majority of Australians.
