American reacts to Reasons why AUSTRALIA is BETTER than AMERICA [part 2]

[@BillboBaggins]

When I was 16, in Aus, i did a 4 year plastering apprenticeship. At 35, i changed careers to do food production. At 40, my job sponsored me to go back to school in food science and dairy. Completed a 6 year degree in food science at 46, all paid for by my employer. Including 6 weeks away every year to attend classes. Was a lot of work, but this more than doubled my income and opened huge opportunities. Made me super proud and made me very loyal to the companies success. Win, Win.

[@mezz3036]

@@frankmcfrank7358 Plastering is a little more involved than that.

[@BillboBaggins]

Yes, sir, ngl there was a little more to it than that. I hated being a plasterer. Was hard, honest work. Complete yuk.​@frankmcfrank7358

[@JonGreen22]

great story old mate, how does your story have anything to do with this or the price of eggs though? You seem like you might be autistic with your concentration on numbers but you may also have dementia, your choice based on what you are able to spell

[@ChannelReuploads9451]

No, shops also do the $24.99 trick, because the 24.99 is ROUNDED UP to $25, but if you have MULTIPLE Items, only the FINAL TOTAL is rounded up, or down to the nearest 5c. Of course, Eftpos or credit, they charge the EXACT amount.

[@JOHN-wu2qn]

Also remember we have NO change lower than 5Cents!

[@infin8ee]

Yep we got rid of "coppers" so don't have to worry about that. Still end up with a pocketful of change though, due to the "Goldie's"!

[@aussieragdoll4840]

They only do the ‘rounding up or down’ if you pay in cash. If you use a card or EFTPOS, you pay what the total says.

[@DonnaCross-b5f]

There was a time you could lower the price by bartering. Don’t know if that’s still possible as I no longer live in Sydney.

[@biancafroggy1738]

In Australia we'll still refer to feet and inches if convenient. Also, zero degrees celcius is friggin cold, and 40 is friggin hot :)

[@knifeyonline]

totally, everybody's height is in feet 😀

[@miniveedub]

Ryan, I had a little giggle when you said about changing the adult age to 21. I’m 73 and when I was young the voting/adult age was 21. It was the war in Vietnam that largely brought about the change. Young men not yet old enough to vote were being conscripted and sent to war and we were seeing it nightly on the news. The adult/voting age was changed to 18 here in Australia in 1973

[@miniveedub]

Very true. I’m 73 and had to wait till 21 to vote but the drinking age was always 18 at least.

[@jacquelinewhite6556]

From memory, and correct me if I'm wrong, the drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 when young men were either being conscripted or volunteering for major wars, but weren't allowed to drink, and this insanity was pointed out to the powers that be..

[@karenlittle8041]

It was at the time of Vietnam War. Young men could die for their country but not buy a beer legally. That is why it was changed.

[@anthonywatts2033]

As an Australian living Darwin we had a US military base. It was frankly embarrassing to go to events on the base ( 4 July etc) then have half the US military on base not allowed to drink because they were under 21. Off base they could buy and consume alcohol. Another US quirk!

[@c8Lorraine1]

Yes, as a result of being conscripted to fight in Vietnam. 18yr olds could be called up yet legally not old enough to consume alcohol or vote in elections

[@roderickdunn3464]

The ballot was at your 20th birthday year. From memory, the age for drinking was lowered at the same time as the voting age by the Witham gov. Prior to that you could be called up and shipped off to war, but you could neither drink or vote.

[@eshiestrik2756]

I couldn't vote until I turned 21. By then I was already married! I can't remember when it dropped to 18. I'm not sure exactly when, but it was in the 1970's.

[@DavidCalvert-mh9sy]

For temperature in Celsius, 0C degrees is the temperature at which water freezes. And 100C is the temperature at which water boils. Simple. And when the weather guy says today's temperature will reach 42 degrees, it's going to be HOT.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

VERY hot! 😁

[@smalltime0]

Ironically the person who made the scale and the first thermometers for it, Anders Celsius, actually did it the other way around (0C Boiling, 100C Freezing). But that's because he was Swedish, and saying minus X degrees C was clunky.

[@mika72.-Bois]

Most students still do years 11 & 12.

[@judithstrachan9399]

Can anyone tell me why 40deg water is barely warm & 40deg air is REALLY hot?

[@peterj903]

And when it hits 42, yer gunna be sweatier than Barnaby on the turps...!!

[@lockedinreason]

Her pronounciation of the word 'kilometers' is spot on, that's exactly how we say it here in Australia.

[@tropicsalt.]

Good, because I thought I had become a foreigner for a moment.

[@davidmc105]

1. The unit of distance is a metre so it's kilometres not kilometers. A meter is a measuring device. It's Americans that spell it as kilometers but don't even know what they are. 2. Pronouncing kilometre to rhyme with thermometer only proves that no matter how wrong it is, and it is very wrong, it becomes right if used often enough. Why is the kilo part of kilograms pronounced so differently to the kilo in kilometre, they both mean a thousand of them? When we went metric, many people started pronouncing kilometre the American way due to the American influence on our TV shows.

[@dianacourt377]

Lots of people say kilometres the way she says it. It annoys me, but I'm not going to argue it.

[@judithstrachan9399]

I think both pronunciations are so common, I didn’t even notice how Kaitlyn said it.

[@ChristopherJewels]

Probably because a kilo is a measurement of weight (kg / kilogram). Having it pronounced as "kel om et ter" removes any confusion re is it weight or distance?

[@grandmothergoose]

University in Australia is pretty much only for getting a formal Bachelors degree, Masters, or PhD that will qualify you to put some extra letters at the end your name. If you want to learn anything else, be it getting a forklift licence, plumbing, hairdressing, computing, business management, hospitality, animal care, aged care, social services, even learning to touch type or create art, or finish years of schooling that life stopped you from completing in your youth, it's all at TAFE. There are other nationally accredited private educational institutions that also run many of the same courses as well, but TAFE is the nationwide public educational institution with campuses all over the country.

[@petersinclair3997]

A PhD is a different beast. One is required to make, “an original and substantial contribution to human knowledge”.

[@perryschafer5996]

While there are TAFEs all over the country. They are State and Territory run institutions.

[@grandmothergoose]

@@perryschafer5996 Yes, thank you, I should have mentioned that.

[@grandmothergoose]

@@petersinclair3997 Yes, true, not something easy to get, but it is still done and awarded through a university.

[@Ryka1100]

My 17yr old left yr 10 and is doing a landscaping apprenticeship. He was so depressed at school, took him out and he’s never been better. He has grown up so much in such a short time. It’s very common. Out of the 20 kids in his year ( we live in the country ) 6 have left to do apprenticeship.

[@elenawilliams32]

Great job supporting your son to start an apprenticeship where he not only gains skills, but maturity, confidence and general happiness. As well as putting money in his pocket. I can only imagine how lovely it is to see him come home from work full of stories and excitement. Well done for encouraging him to work rather than forcing him to stay in school that obviously didn't suit him. Well done!

[@bradleypride6670]

I left high school at 16 years old, went to Tafe, got an electrical apprenticeship and never looked back

[@facetubetwit1444]

How do you reveres park if you never looked back?

[@JOHNSMITH-if9jr]

@@facetubetwit1444 LOL I also left school at 16, never regretted it. work all my life so far and earnt more than most that went to university.

[@CRAIGKMSBISMARCKTIRPITZ533]

You's Should've Stayed In School & Finish Year 12. Cause That Way You's Would've Earned More Money & Have A High Paying Jobs

[@lizziecrankybum]

​@@CRAIGKMSBISMARCKTIRPITZ533"you's"? What grade did you get to? 😂

[@JOHNSMITH-if9jr]

@@CRAIGKMSBISMARCKTIRPITZ533 I doubt it i could hardly read and write at the time.

[@coraliemoller3896]

In Australia, the smallest legal tender in cash is a 5 cent coin. Every transaction is either rounded up or down according to number of cents away from a 5 or a zero, as the final amount. 1 and 2 cents are rounded down to zero while 3 and 4 are rounded up to 5 cents, 6 and 7 rounded down to 5 cents, 8 and 9 rounded up to 10 cents.

[@aussieragdoll4840]

Not ‘every transaction’. Only CASH is rounded up or down. If you pay by card or EFTPOS, you pay the exact total as displayed.

[@leila8742]

And things are usuallly .99 but then if you pay with cash you’d pay that extra cent

[@DonnaCross-b5f]

That’s the same in Canada

[@coraliemoller3896]

As I stated “smallest legal tender in cash …” I was referring to cash transactions, not ‘every transaction’ that is not cash.

[@imcured]

@@aussieragdoll4840plus a stupid transaction fee for the banks $$$

[@alisonwork2949]

I remember when I was young, we wanted to go swimming at the local pool. My Dad said "Not until it reaches 100 degrees. We just about fainted. It was only 30 degrees. He was talking fahrenheit, we were talking Celcius. Big difference.

[@gailstevens6831]

Ryan, one of the reasons I enjoy watching you, is the rants you go on! Please don't stop. What wasn't mentioned in the piece about superannuation is that it can be moved across providers without charge, and if you have super with different providers because of the different jobs you have worked over the years, you can combine them all into one superannuation account. This saves on annual fees. Superannuation is compulsory, and any company that fails to pay into its employees superannuation accounts is severely financially punished.

[@fionamainey7686]

Tradies are high income earners. We love our Tradies here is Australia and we even have the saying "Tradies get the ladies". University is no guarantee of a job now and we encouraged our son to go to trade school as part of his year 11 & 12 studies to get an electrical apprenticeship. He worked as a 1st year electrical apprentice for Arnotts biscuits then tried a lot of other types of work including a stint in hospitality. At age 23 has has just secured a job in the mines as part of a demolition crew and hence gets to blow things up like his favourite presenters on Myth Busters. We also classify miners as being tradies in an even higher income bracket.

[@zwieseler]

Do we? Recently had an electrician here, did a couple light switches and installed a light, was here for 20 minutes tops, charged $352. I also checked the price of the switches at Bunnings, jacked up more than double… 😡

[@mindmeltmedia-au]

Thats how the industry works, if you dont want to pay extra for materials then source them yourself... Tradespeople have to put up with shitty wages and often shitty working conditions for 4 years before they can charge that much per hour, if you want a cheap job then go to someone who doesn't know what they're doing ​@@zwieseler

[@wildeturkey2006]

@@zwieseler Then do it yourself. An electritian didnt do 4 years apprenticeship, build a business, pay all the tax just to install a light fitting for $100 and not be able to put food on the table. If it was so easy we would all be doing it. He has to drive to your house, order materials, be certified etc etc. People only see a dollar sign but forget how much it costs to run a business. You do know that everyone marks up right? If you buy a coke from a bar, they will mark it up 1000%. No difference to your electritian. Why didn't you go out there and buy them from bunnings and get him to install? It's because your lazy, but would rather spend the time after the tradie has done all the research and diagnosis before you complain. Also you say 20 mins and he charged that? Are you saying if he did the same job but took 4 hours to do it the price would be justified? Why blame the electritian for being efficient?

[@nevilleapple629]

The electrician working for the company working in your house is not a high income worker.

[@trevx3680]

@@zwieseler Much of that price is because of registration, insurance, and experience/education.

[@LindsayBarker-vx8hw]

I left school at the end of year 11 and started my apprenticeship as an electrical fitter( can perform all electrical work) in 1971. I spent 50years as an electrical/electronics technician. The base entry was year 10 but with a year 11 pass I was able to accelerate my TAFE course and later study technical engineering in electronics. I was 16 years old when I started my career and I never looked back. Aussie Tradies are the backbone of this fantastic country. I love your enthusiasm Ryan, keep up the good work and who knows? maybe you will visit us one day.😎👍🏻

[@AndrewBellsWorld]

When I finished Year 11 I got an apprenticeship with my state government as a Draftsman. This involved 4 years of schooling at T.A.F.E. (Technical and Further Education). This involved one year of full time school and then working on the job with three extra years of schooling.

[@alexandradosado3084]

The difference between the USA and Australia is that Australians as a rule are not classist. We don't judge people by weather they went to University or not, we understand that not everyone want to be Doctors , or lawyers, or architects , we understand that some people just want to be tradies. There is nothing wrong with that, we need tradies just as much as we need Doctors , lawyers, teachers, etc, etc.

[@ROSSH-l6q]

cmon mate we're classist ,its just that you are surrounded by your own class so you dont see it, do your kids go to a 30 000 $ a year school? im in mining and do ok but the twiggy forests and gina rhineharts dont associate with us other than photo opportunities. when they come to site its by lear jet and if they stay the night they dont slum it and they dont eat the shit we do , they get the vip treatment . they dont frequent working class areas and we dont frequent polo clubs etc .

[@Arcticstar0]

We really just have different class boundaries. Our uppermost class also looks less extreme. Our classes include the 'established affluent', 'emergent affluent', 'mobile middle', 'established middle, and 'established working'. We are people, we feel more comfortable with people that are similar to us. Aussies just try to respect people no matter what class they are in.

[@SCBodyboarder83]

Upper middle bogans is a class isn't it?

[@tinawise5478]

I completely agree. Really the only dumb thing we do in Australia is give a kid a licence to drink and drive and then teach not to, it’s an oxymoron

[@matthewbrown6163]

Nor do we worry about which University you went to. As a boss once told me it is a bit of paper to prove you studied for X number of years. I did graduatedfrom 1 of a few of the top universities in NSW - big deal & give me my piece of paper LOL.

[@Mummzy-Fira78]

My husband and I both left school early, I completed yr 9 he completed year 10, we have spent the last 20years running and growing our excavation company. Often times those that leave school early become successful business owners especially in the trades.

[@elenawilliams32]

Well done! Yes, most of my tradie mates earn more than my friends who've been to Uni... And had to pay back massive HECS debts. Admittedly, they're the self employed tradies, but it's awesome to see them doing well.

[@perryschafer5996]

We have a situation here where you can leave school when you’ve completed year 10. After that an ‘Earn or Learn’ policy kicks in. This means that you must either have a job or be engaged in some form of training which is where TAFE becomes the main supplier. This applies until you reach 17 years old. You are not eligible for any government benefits if you do not fulfil this obligation. Your employment or training must be a minimum of 25 hours per week to qualify.

[@libbypeace68]

My daughter turned 18 this week. She would be in Year 12 if she were still at school. She started Year 11 but left after first term. She was in the musical so she opted to stay until then and it also meant she would have turned 17 which makes it less complicated to leave. She has been doing TAFE ever since and it is a far better idea, especially if there is no desire to go to Uni. Its sad that there is a stigma about doing the same type of thing in the US. TAFE isn't just for school leavers. Anybody can do a TAFE course at any age, and they do. It's one of the things that my daughter enjoys since leaving school, mixing with a diverse range of ages.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

My niece left a private girls school to attend Sydney School of Arts to be treated like an individual! She now has an Honours Degree that she achieved by working for years at various jobs and expanding her creative skills! She supported herself financially, is now a published writer, mum, homebuyer! Doing what's right for yourself works!

[@katechiconi]

Australian here. I'm old, and I can work both metric and imperial in my head. It's really not that hard. A foot is roughly 30cm, a yard is roughly 90cm. I'd rather say 10cm than 3 15/16"... A litre of water's a pint and three quarters. A cup is a quarter of a litre by volume. Also with superannuation, your employer pays in a set amount, but you can choose to do something called salary sacrificing, which means you can opt for the employer to take an additional amount out of your salary before tax to pay into your super. You end up with a bigger total in your super, and you don't pay tax on the amount that is paid in. It's a penalty free boost, and a way to save pretty painlessly.

[@dianacourt377]

Yeah people's heights I still say feet and inches and I was in kindy I think when we switched to metric

[@judithstrachan9399]

I do, too. I’m 5’2”, which I think is 155cm, or near enough.

[@exkingjohn]

Voluntary personal salary sacrifice contributions are taxed at 15% as income of the fund the same as the mandatory employer contributions. If you income is low and 15% is more than your marginal rate the Gov pays a compensating amount into the fund.

[@laughingjackaso8163]

same here kinda. i work in an engineering (not AN Engineer tho) environment, and i have been used to using imperial for referring to fasteners and plumbing(brass fittings) ( i do deal with metric fasteners though), but not measurements, they're always in metric.

[@barkeraus]

Ryan, my husband started work in a government job at 16 and spent his entire working life as a public/civil servant, studying a university degree part time along the way and working his way up the ladder. By the time he retired at age 63, we had worked hard to contribute extra money into his superannuation to achieve a balance of 1 million dollars, tax free. Those sort of amounts are pretty rare these days ( because people tend to have a lot of different jobs or part time jobs over their working lives) but it means we are self funding in retirement and don't take a cent from the Australian government (meaning we don't receive an aged pension). That was the original idea that Australian governments had and it has worked for us. We aren't wealthy but we do live a comfortable retirement and I am very grateful for our superannuation system.

[@allaussie]

Nah, it's very common for the public service

[@campbeld63]

I went from school to an engineering traineeship, which saw me working as an apprentice four days a week while studying at university part-time. As with all the apprentices, I spent the first year in the training shop to learn the basics. It was entertaining, in a way, to see the guys who quit school at 16 because they didn't like being told what to do, only to find that being an apprentice was even worse because not doing what you were told, or doing it wrong, had consequences. (I think the first couple of projects, apart from teaching basic skills, were designed to sort the guys (we were all guys, back then) from the kids who just didn't want to go to school any more.)

[@ziegemitfahrer5277]

In the metric system, units of measure are all connected. eg a cube of water 1cm x 1cm x 1cm is 1ml (mililitre) and weighs 1g. 10cm x 10cm x 10cm is 1 litre and 1kg. 1m x 1m x 1m is 1000 litres and 1 tonne. Water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees. And the list goes on....

[@shezza66]

My kids did year 11 & 12 at TAFE. They also learnt pre apprenticeship classes in plumbing and mechanics along with their classes. I left in year 10 and did electronics and telecommunications at TAFE. My ex learnt Jewellery when he went to TAFE. My middle child continued at TAFE and got an associate diploma in Disability.

[@sergeinester6261]

Funny thing is we commonly still use feet and inches to describe body height and rough sizings of spaces. Because as you pointed it makes sense to visualise.

[@smalltime0]

One of my friends recently had a kid and gave the size in metric. Nobody had any idea how big the kid was until someone plugged it into a calculator.

[@LisaJPStuff]

Yes I had to use a conversion app to figure out a new born baby's​ weight in pounds & ounces a month ago. Because that's what I was weighed using back in '71. And yet for baking, I need it all metric or I get confused.

[@Reneesillycar74]

Babies are measured in metric. My daughter was 52cm long, my head was calculating with rulers. Then there’s the kilograms, I was so used to listening to horror stories of 10lb babies that my kid was, in my mind, tiny at 3600grams/3.6kgs. Damn it can be confusing! 🫨😂

[@judithstrachan9399]

Mine was only just officially “small” at 2495g. I wondered what they used to say.

[@lesflynn4455]

I'm a born and bred Australian, and have always pronounced the word kilometers the same way the poster does. She's pronouncing it correctly as far as I'm concerned.

[@davidberriman5903]

Ryan I left school at the age of 16 with my School Certificate (year 10). I had already applied at several places for an apprenticeship as an electrician and I had decided which job I was going to take. I started my apprenticeship in January, 1969. My employer paid my TAFE fees. I think the TAFE course was three years. My apprenticeship was four years. I had four other jobs before I retired in April, 2018. Although I was on leave for several months before I actually retired. I had quite a bit of Annual Leave and Long Service Leave saved up. I am now over seventy. Before we had GST in Australia we had a baffling array of different tax rates. In retail stores the ticketed price showed the price including sales tax but in wholesale businesses the price was without tax. Depending on whether the the item was considered a luxury or utilitarian the sales tax was applied accordingly. GST made everything so much easier. It was 10% for everything. I know a guy who left school at the end of year 10. He worked for a number of employers before starting his own business. He built that company up to the point where he was employing over eighty people. Different people learn in different ways. Some absorb everything in class but it doesn't mean anything to them. They can't apply what they have learned. Other people learn through doing things. Go Metric. It is the only sensible way to go. You don't have to remember all those stupid conversions. The English invented the imperial system. They saw the light ages ago and went metric. Australia changed to the Metric System for weights and measures in about 1976. We have never looked back.

[@nolaj114]

As someone who grew up using Fahrenheit, you do get used to Celsius after using it for a while - you will know automatically that 40 degrees (or over) = really hot!

[@lillynichols9884]

And because rulers are still a thing, we have learned that “this size”, ie a foot, is 30cm and that’s easy to demonstrate and say. …Or we pivot and just say “a foot”!

[@unsettled1821]

not sure if you're aware. With TAFE alot of company here in australia put workers thru apprenticeship and they pay their studies while they're working in their company

[@smalltime0]

Even if its not for a full course a lot of companies will put people into modules either in TAFE or University. I know a few people who just did 1 or 2 units at a university through their company to learn a new financial instrument etc.

[@indiasky]

Damn wish they paid for my uni ahaha

[@stephaniebell4272]

There are no age limits to TAFE. I have had several different jobs in my 70 years

[@c8Lorraine1]

My son was only 11 years old when he started TAFE. Did a Cert 4 multimedia course at 14. He had homeschool education and achieved yr12 at age 12.

[@IanM-id8or]

Unfortunately, however, the fees keep getting higher. I remember when TAFE cost $5 per semester. Education should be free. It should be free for life. Education benefits the nation, even when the use of the courses isn't immediately obvious

[@SCBodyboarder83]

Yeah my mum is 70 and back at Tafe. I'm 41 and have 3 Tafe qualifications. You're never too old to stop learning.

[@burntthelegendarytaco6196]

@@IanM-id8orif doing the HSC it’s actually free :D

[@margiegurner2694]

We still "have to" attend school legally till 15. There are also hybrid measures for kids struggling at school...a friends son struggling with school was able to do some school subjects...and also attend TAFE for some school...he obtained tickets for machinery ( bobcat, back hoe, forklift ) And work towards his Builders licence.. which he was finished by age 21...now a successful builder! 🎉

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

Used to be 16 here in WA. I left school at 15 after year 10, I was only 15 because my 16th was in late December.

[@Scorpio1960]

My son did the same- went to grade 12 but struggled with bullying, learning, left at 16 & couldn't find a fulltime job due to being largely non verbal. He went to a TAFE course working with the local parks dpt at 18yo & found his niche driving machinery. He is now 21yo, has truck licence & numerous machinery tickets, works with an AWESOME family company & makes more than his university educted 64yo father.

[@mika72.-Bois]

Sometimes at Tafe apprentices do a general first year where they try a variety of trades. Then they can decide which trade they like best.

[@mindi2050]

The minimum age is either 15 or 16. It depends which state or territory you live in.

[@burntthelegendarytaco6196]

17 got Sydney

[@1ihws]

Ok, as a child of the 1960’s, I was four when the metric system changeover occurred. Grew up with British cars, so we still used imperial measurement tools, and you learnt difference usually, whilst scrambling around the toolbox to look for that metric ring spanner for that one bolt that someone substituted at some point in time because the thread matched. Yes, we still say stuff about people and their height in feet and inches, frequently, but if I’m measuring something it’s usually in metric, millimetres or metres. Our speed limits used to be in miles, so you learnt that (basically) 100mph was 160kph, 50mph was 80kph, etc etc. However, you put the bloody tyre pressure gauge into a metric conversion - not a chance. We all still put air in our tyres in imperial measurements, because unless you’re a pneumatics specialist, most of us couldn’t do that conversion to kpa in our heads. We’re are still an eclectic combination of the old and the new, in this country, even in 2024.

[@judithstrachan9399]

Yep, 32 psi. I have seen the metric pressure, but no way I remember it. Some servo air pumps have both. Rulers had both for a very long time (May still, I haven’t seen one for a while) & my sewing tape measure has both but it’s pretty old.

[@stevewren1079]

I’m a retired cop who joined as the metric system started. Our big problem was when we got a call like “be on the lookout for a suspect described as 190cm and 120kgs………”. We’d look at each other and ask,”is that a small bloke or do we need backup?”

[@kerrydwyer1879]

That's so funny.I remember the change coming in too.I find it hard still and I'm 61 now 😅

[@trevx3680]

11:50 Tradies (shortened version trades person/tradesman) are not looked down upon and are seen as essential workers; they are valuable professions. They have a less intellectual beginning than most starting jobs but as you progress in the Tradie career you will experience all the intellectual challenges that traditional jobs provide.

[@tevman09]

I left school before I finished year 12 in the late 90's and didn't end up going to TAFE until 2011 and did 3 courses finishing them in 2013. Unfortunately the type of work I was actually looking for wasn't out there at the time. So in 2015 I decided to retake my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) & RCG (Responsible Conduct of Gaming/ Gambling) courses and looked for work in that field. I got spots of experience behind the bar but nothing that took me further in that regard. Note: This certification only lasts 5 years in NSW, then you must update your certification if you want to continue in this line of work. I did that online in 2020 ... and now a few years later I am working in a Bottle Shop (Liquor Store) here in Sydney. Now I have to complete a refresher in 2025 to be able to keep my job. If not I may not be able to continue working there by law.

[@carolynovens5074]

Back in the day, Paul Keating was Prime Minister & he had been to trade school. It was the beginning of building up trades & expanding into ALL occupations. There are many qualifications & through that to university. I worked with government unions business in Queensland to develop in one award 450 aprenticeships / traineeships from year 10 (school) to TAFE. Students can qualify for university AND be qualified to work while at university in health, horticulture, vetenary, retail, construction, hospitality, community services always keeping their options open. Great for second chance for refugees, migrants and women returning to the workforce. Workers can qualify on the job through workplace assessments. It is a very big system indeed.

[@nevilleapple629]

Paul Keating went to trade school? As a tradie I find that a bit offensive. He might of went to tec to finish High School but even then he failed that. I give credit to Hawkie for starting the rebuild of tec to TAFE.

[@AnnQlder]

@@nevilleapple629yep, Hawke was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford in England, Keating dropped out at 14 and went to tech school. Amazing how stereotypes pushed by the media is completely different to reality

[@carolynovens5074]

@@nevilleapple629 the job I had was funded under Keating. He loved to tell everyone he'd been to tech. But tech became TAFE.

[@infin8ee]

Wasn't that the start of the "clever country " push?

[@carolynovens5074]

Certainly education became an important export industry.

[@janhegarty5268]

I finished high school at 15, then attended Commercial College, started work full time, later at aged 40 I went back to study, Associate Diploma of Information Technology and Business. I did this by attending classes 2 nights a week for 5 years. Also working full time at the time. Well worth it.

[@lynnmoses3563]

Me too...grew up in the time when could leave at 15....

[@stevegraham3817]

It depends where you live but basically the Celsius works in blocks... > obviously 0C is frozen, > Positive 4C is fridge temperature, > negative 18C general freezers, > negative 40C deep freeze cold rooms. > single digits very cold thick jumpers and pants, North Face Puffer Jackets in Melbourne, 2 jacket layers everywhere else. > less than 15C cold, wear a jacket, > less than 20C cool, warm climate people start complaining and wearing light jackets, > 24C is the set point for Air Cons, > 30C is hot but tolerable, > 35C time for the beach, > 40C time to sit in the beachside pub with multiple 1degC beers. > 36C is body temperature, > 45C is a hot bath, > 50C is the start of reddening of the skin, > 60C scalding, wave your hand under and it will be red, hold it under for a minute and skin will peel, > 70C hot food temperature, > 80C hot drink temperature, > 100C boiling, > 120-130C very slow cooking > 150-160C slow cooking, > 180-200C normal cooking, > 220-250C trying to get crackling, will destroy food if left too long,

[@smalltime0]

" -40C deep freeze cold rooms" Its actually the point where Fahrenheit and Celsius are equal aka -40C = -40F

[@LisaJPStuff]

I appreciate all the effort you put into this list but because you used - to indicate new points then also for -negative temps it got a little confusing in the middle. If you could either edit to add another - in front of the - negative; change the rest to • points, or have the list in temperature order, it would be much more cohesive.

[@stevegraham3817]

@@LisaJPStuff Whoops, I see the problem now, but not when I was typing it. lol. Fixed.

[@judithstrachan9399]

Steve, can you tell me why 40c water is just warm & 40c air is sweltering?

[@stevegraham3817]

@@judithstrachan9399 I believe it is something to do with the body being submerged in the water and heat transfer through the capillaries and temperature regulation of the body core, and when it is hot air the body is trying to shed the heat through sweat which would be a slower transfer of heat and possibly just perceived to be hotter..

[@lynndally9160]

My friends son went to tafe, became a sparky (electrician). After about 5 years, decided it wasn't for him, went back to tafe and did a diesel mechanics course. So if you do choose something at 16 and decide you don’t like it later on, you just change it.

[@just_passing_through]

Here in Australia, companies can advertise their products and services “with” prices including tax, and that advertisement can be used country wide on Tv, or radio, or in printed form, as there is one tax across the board. There isn’t a different price from state to state, or city to city. The basics if life, fruits and veggies, meat etc are exempt from sales tax. Things that are GST-free include: most basic food some education courses, course materials and related excursions or field trips some medical, health and care services some menstrual products some medical aids and appliances some medicines some childcare services some religious services and charitable activities supplies of accommodation and meals to residents of retirement villages by certain operators cars for disabled people to use, when certain requirements are met water, sewerage and drainage international transport and related matters precious metals sales through duty-free shops grants of land by government farmland international mail exports sales of businesses as going concerns some telecommunications supplies eligible emissions units.

[@smalltime0]

Didn't the GST exemption change to apply to all menstrual products starting this year or something?

[@just_passing_through]

@@smalltime0 Not really my area of expertise to be honest.

[@byronlee-wi3zv]

NASA use the metric system exclusively. America also uses the metric system, 9mm bullet, marathons are run in kilometres. Vehicle engine capacity. Drugs both prescription and illegal.

[@luciexo2821]

RE: TAFE- I remember Ryan being surprised in a video awhile back at the average number of years Australians spend in education. TAFE is a big part of that. Most adults I know (even ones with advanced degrees) have done some study through TAFE at some point to pick up an extra qualification that's useful in their career- eg, bookkeeping, IT, beauty therapy, retail, management etc. Say a registered dermatologist decides to open a medi-spa. They might do a TAFE course in beauty therapy, or makeup even if they intend on hiring employees with these skills to ensure they understand the totality of their business and can succeed. Over the course of their career, an electrician may become involved in working on projects involving wiring IT infrastructure and may decide to do a year-long course in IT to deepen their understanding and be able to bid on more complicated, lucrative projects.

[@muncheesuppar]

he will be surprised a few dozen more times by the same stat , just like the 25 times he has looked up what bunnings is and was surprised .

[@robe461]

I'm 69 years old. I still think in terms of yards, feet and inches and a lot of my friends do the same. We changed to the metric system, slowly some time ago but the imperial system was with us for decades prior....

[@Dr_KAP]

We also don’t pay sales tax for fresh foods, hygiene products and many other things. The big difference is that in the U.S. the sales tax is a state thing and varies by state (OR for example has no sales tax at all) - in Australia our goods and services tax is national which makes it easier to administer. Also, around 80% of high school students finish Year 12.

[@peter65zzfdfh]

It’s actually not constitutional for states (or cities) in Australia to have sales taxes. And there’s lots of legal debate on where exactly the legal line is between like payroll tax, registration fees and say levies on km driven on vehicles which was recently ruled unconstitutional.

[@wendy5290]

There are tafe courses which can be started while you're still at high school and students receive recognition for prior learning ( points towards their full time courses - a head start on Tafe units once they are full time.) while completing high school.

[@leonietrezise9198]

Tradies work bloody hard!! You will do well in Australia Ryan you are nifty.❤️🇦🇺🤗

[@Austtube]

Note, she has a chrome Holden Motiff, that is from our Australian car (GM) Holden Cars that went out of production a few years ago, It was a victim of the free trade deals and dropping trade tariffs. The Holden motif was the Lion with the ball under the paw. There is a chrome on the bench behind her. Good taste

[@zachreederau2531]

79% of people finish Year 12 Most people have some form of education higher than year 12. We were the first country to implement a National Education framework called AQF. There are 10 levels. All programs must be reviewed for minimum standards by the government. Level 3 is roughly the same as high school but specialised to a specific field. Level 7 is a bachelors Level 9 is a masters Level 10 is a doctorate.

[@zali3270]

i’m aussie and after you’ve completed year 10 you’re probably around 16 years old. there’s a school near me where you apply to in year 9 and you start there in year 10 where you can get a taste of trades then year 11 & 12 you focus on your chosen trade and it’s still like graduating year highschool. also we do a subject in which we get Cert II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways, in which you do 5 days of work experience so you get a taste of what you want to do.

[@BigAl53750]

TAFE stands for; Tertiary And Further Education, and TAFE colleges offer all kinds of qualifications, up to degrees in all sorts of disciplines. If you leave school at the end of year ten, you will most often do a trade apprenticeship (Carpenter, Plumber, Electrician, etc) which is where you will learn on the job, but also be required to spend a certain amount of time in the classroom, learning the theoretical knowledge (plus regulatory requirements such as building codes, etc) each year. Most Tradies here in Australia are earning upwards of $100k per year and $150k-$200k is not unhread of. We still do say; “About a foot long” or “I’m six feet tall”, and that includes people who weren’t around when we used feet and inches. SO while the OFFICIAL system is metric, many people still understand what terms like feet and inches mean.

[@bandicoot678]

Technical

[@mika72.-Bois]

I think TAFE is Technical and Further Education.

[@aussieragdoll4840]

It’s Technical and Further Education. Not ‘Tertiary’.

[@gracenielsen323]

In Australia many schools offer you to do a trade/internship whilst you are still in high school yr11 and 12 you get days off to go to your work

[@dutchroll]

We still have plenty of “$19.95” prices. That’s just a sales tactic which makes the goods sound cheaper. Price tags/displays here are covered by national laws which state that the advertised price must be inclusive of tax and not mislead the consumer (same applies online). The non-compliance penalties are very heavy fines.

[@petersinclair3997]

“…9” is popular from supermarkets to car-yards. What to buy a used Gold Stream? $999,999?

[@darrellleggo6673]

I had a friend who rang me in a panic, she was making a pudding and the oven temperature called for was 450°, she panicked because her oven only went to 350°. When I finally stopped laughing I told her she had an American recipe and the temperature was in Fahrenheit not Celsius.

[@movingloz]

Totally agree with the tax issue. I’ve had one trip to the US and I’d go to a register with the correct money to get rid of coin and end up having tax added then had to use notes and ended up with even more coin. Omg.

[@michaelsillis1841]

Enjoying your reactions Ryan! I also left school in year 10 to do an apprenticeship in Horticulture with ACT Parks and Conservation Service and TAFE "Canberra Institute of Technology". After that I became a Park Ranger for them. I also went back to college the complete year 12 part time at night, then becoming a nurse/diversional therapist in advanced dementia care, for 27yrs before retiring. In Canberra, high schools only go to year 10, then college is to year 12. TAFE College (any age), is for heaps of trades, fashion, Tech assistant, Hydrography and so on. Uni/University is for degrees etc. It is all fairly flexible really. 🙃

[@jenniferharrison8915]

Tradies get the ladies! Can do attitude, short shorts, healthy, great customer service and flexible skills! TAFE is fun and usually has great teachers - you can redo matriculation, update skills, + get a Real Estate or Building Licence! I use inches and centremetres in my sewing and painting! Most teens have started drinking by 16 anyway, 18 yr olds make adult decisions and accept other responsibilities! A 'salary package' is common - starting wage, review period, bonuses, super, overtime, car allowances, holidays, training options! 👍

[@petersinclair3997]

TAFE does trades and business diplomas too. More recently there are pathways from TAFE into universities. The Australian Quality Framework specifies standards.

[@AntonyGoud]

In Australia it's common to use imperial measurement for height, most footy players 6' foot plus.

[@dee-smart]

I did a course as an adult at TAFE and it was web design. So it is computer related education as well as the likes of painters, plumbers, electricians etc. Most of my class were a lot younger than me and had aspirations of working in Advertising.

[@Alexanderpedro667]

Amazing video, you work for 40yrs to have $1M in your retirement, meanwhile some people are putting just $10K into trading from just few months ago and now they are multimillionaires.

[@Hillary482]

I've been trying to trade but I keep making losses and it's frustrating

[@Alexanderpedro667]

If you are using really a good broker or account manager is easier to earn from the market

[@Alexanderpedro667]

Thanks to Andrea Sheryl Fox, she has always been there to guide me with detailed analysis and recommendations that I would not otherwise have access to.

[@jamietammy4285]

Yeah!!! I started t with Andrea Sheryl 2021 and now my life is good some thing to write home about!!!! I thank God the most He alone made it possible for the opportunity to come my way 🤲🏻🤲🏻🤲🏻🤲🏻

[@Beatrice5875]

Same here, with my current crypto portfolio made from my investments with my personal financial advisor

[@84vintage]

We do also use feet especially when referring to height but I use a ‘ruler length’ as a measurement. 30cm is a pretty average ruler length

[@NapWood-e7c]

Tradie is just a trades person that has completed an apprenticeship. This can be achieved multiple ways. There are group apprenticeship schemes that multiple businesses can share the apprentice to help them complete. So just one business doesn't have to bare the full cost

[@smalltime0]

During the French Revolution they introduced metric (they went overboard with 10 hour days and everything). But they did it practically overnight. Because everyone was super confused they decided to introduce the Mesures usuelles, which introduced new units that were based roughly on old French Imperial measures but redefined in metric. This obviously caused no issues, so much so that when Napoleon was finally defeated for good, the French revoked them and went back to proper metric. The only ones still in use are the livre (500 grams ~ 1 pound) and the ones related to beer (un demis~a pint etc)

[@vaughan7835]

I went to TAFE (Technical & Further Education) in 98 at the age of 29, as a 1/2 qualified Plumber. I called the Trade Authority to ask which semester to start at & I was told "start at Day 1". Had to go through "Basic Skills", then "Water". Already Qualified! for both. Next year started with "Gas". I'd been experienced with Gas since 85. Just quit TAFE cos I had to work 6 days a week. Moved North & got qualified for "traffic control"! Big Bucks! Got injured but no paperwork. Don't have to get up at 3.20am any more. 😂 Chill w my dog, livin in our Van. Stay at local beaches etc.

[@jurgentreue1200]

TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education, and is a state run organisation, although quite a few aspects and courses have been sold off to private enterprise. TAFE used to be free from about 1973 until 1987. It was the best vocational training facility in Australia, but it's much more diversified today. I came through the TAFE system, although I finished school at Year 12. My father used to own a bricklaying business. He'd always train an apprentice or two. They'd spend four days a week on the building site for their practical and one day a week at TAFE for their theory.

[@margi9103]

My sister is a TAFE teacher in early childhood education. Under the current federal government some TAFE courses are free again, including early childhood education. The free courses are in areas of need where there is skill shortage. This doesn’t apply to international students, only students who are Australian citizens or have permanent residency.

[@jurgentreue1200]

@@margi9103 ,, I think many TAFE courses are free now to encourage skills training because of Australia's current skills shortage.

[@pauldahms8332]

As a ex servicemen DAMASK 5 I have never cried seeing dead family members but this rips my heart out and I cry like a baby. I spent hours in a room at action stations the size of a cupboard wrote good-bye letters that day. Upon discharge told my years of service didn't warrant any adjustments to mental conditioning.

[@elisethiel5769]

we still have those editions on Cars and tax, but here its called Stamp Duty, so you have the price of the car, plus registration and stamp duty, some sales include that in a "Drive away" price, but often you still have to do the stamp duty tax

[@twoflyinghats]

One Australian thing she didn't mention: The age pension. It comes to people free from the day they reach the current retirement age, now 67. They can own a home and have a moderate amount of assets and money saved to be eligible. For singles that's with assets under $301,750, for couples that's $451,500 and for non-home owners it's $543,750 for singles and $693,500 for couples, though with that amount's worth of assets and savings you'd think they'd be modest home owners anyway. They don't contribute to it at all; it's free, the result of their previous decades paying taxes, if at all, and is paid every fortnight till they die.

[@ColinEmersonSpeaker]

One benifit of the Superannuation in Australia is that it goes with you to your next job, meaning you don't loose the acculated wealth or the additional benifits such as life insurance and disability insurance. The minimum rate is .legislated and all organisations must contribute that amount to the fund. The worker can make additional contributikns as well. So not too bad a system

[@peter65zzfdfh]

And you can decide where and how it’s invested and who it’s invested with. As long as it’s it invested in something that helps you or your family before retirement (eg it has to be a genuine arms length investment).

[@XxShade_FrostxX]

School is mandatory up until year 10. Then you get into this thing called "senior schooling" or "post-mandatory-schooling." We have to sign a senior agreement, and if we don't follow it, we can be asked to leave. Most things are just like attendance, good behaviour, and effort, and grades. Most will decide to go senior schooling and see how it goes, while also doing a traineeship, or apprenticeship for literally anything. Some people have part-time jobs and can request a school based trainee or apprenticeship which gives different benefits. We also get offered different cert courses to complete and start up(essentially secures a spot in uni). I have a certificate 2 in vocational pathways and going to do a cert 2 in sampling and measurement. My friend has done a start up for medicine and other friends are doing TAFE for hairdressing, young childhood, etc etc.

[@millencolin924]

Love your honesty Ryan

[@Midnight_Hangouts]

99% of Australian kids go till year 12. This is because while you do year 11 and 12 you can go do a TAFE course as well, so you end your high school with a high school certificate and a TAFE degree, or you can study subjects and get an ATAR (uni selection rank) to get into uni straight away.

[@davidmontgomery9194]

Australia used to use the 'yard' as a size of measurement The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.9144 metre

[@MrBCorp]

I think the important thing to understand with the metric system vs the imperial system, is it's easy to convert between things in metric. And it's sometimes handy to know that 1 litre of water equals 1 kilogram, since other liquids can be roughly equal to the same conversion (not always, but pretty close).

[@Chumpess_X]

What makes Celsius easy is that 100 is generally the boiling point of water, and 0 is the freezing point….very straightforward. When it comes to length and weight, the weird thing is here in Australia we often still use lbs and oz when asking about the weight of a baby, and it’s common to use ft and inches for height of pretty much anyone. I usually say I’m 5’3 rather than 160cm.

[@NETFREIGHTSERVICESQUEENSLAND]

he term “5K” refers to a long-distance road running competition with a distance of five kilometers (approximately 3.107 miles). Here’s why it’s called a 5K: Origin and Metric System: The 5K distance traces its roots back to the metric system, which originated in France during the late 18th century. The metric system gained widespread adoption worldwide, including in the United States. As a result, 5 kilometers emerged as a standard race distance1. Distinguishing from Track Events: The 5K road race is usually distinguished from the 5000 meters track running event by stating the distance in kilometers, rather than meters. While both cover the same distance, the 5000 meters track event is measured in meters (5000 m), whereas the 5K road race is measured in kilometers (5K) 1. Popularity and Accessibility: The 5K distance is popular among novice or infrequent runners and joggers.

[@jamesgudgeon4868]

Get Well soon Ryan

[@aidancampbell5644]

You can also do your School Certificate (everything up to and including year 10) and your Higher School Certificate (equivalent to year 11 and 12) through TAFE. As someone who has worked with kids that are disconnected from school (and often have other issues combined with that disconnection), the TAFE pathway is a really good way for these kids to get back into an educational pathway that will give them some chance at employment. Oh, and the education and training I did for the youth work was through TAFE.

[@fleaniswerkhardt4647]

The metric system makes it so easy to work out so many things precisely and quickly - volume, distance, force, weight etc. Btw if meters are too big for you , you can have decimeters too - 1/10 of a meter (100mm) or about 4 inches.

[@Grayhouse67]

Had a discussion with online US friends regarding the Metric the one thing that was not generally answered was why is it that you use the old British style system (imperial) and not the metric created by the French when US revolted against Great Briton and teamed up with French during the revolutionary war?

[@jenpek]

SGC - the superannuation guarantee charge increases by 0.5% per annum, currently we’re at 11% min. Those who have it higher are usually government or educational systems, the highest being 17.5%… I think if a super contribution is calculating higher than 17.5%, it’s probably the minimum SGC plus something called salary sacrifice - which is voluntary contributions made by the employee to have the employer sacrifice some of their gross pay into their super.. there is an annual cap of x amount per year that a combined SGC and personal contributions can be made into a person’s super account, currently that’s $27,500 combined.

[@traceywolf2154]

Yes you can leave school at year 10 however the majority of kids finish yr12 then go to TAFE or Uni... most kids I know go to TAFE or get a job after yr12. A foot = 30cm's. Have to admit when it comes to height I still use feet and inches. When it comes to weather I know both celius and farenheit... mainly due to the metric system coming in in 1972 when I just started secondary school and never learnt metric as the teachers didn't know it either. I'm also good at being able to change ounces into grams due to our cookery book at school being imperial. I've never heard of anyone receiving 23% super from a company... also people if are struggling financially you can apply to your superannuation fund with a drs letter and take out how much you need... the only thing that you have to do up until retirement age which is now 67 you always have to leave a minimum of $6000 in your retirement fund. So there are many aussies that don't have superannuation savings in place for retirement.

[@addie1080]

I stared a part time apprenticeship while in highschool, I worked as a mechanic on Fridays had TAFE every second Tuesday and went to school every other day. I ended up leaving as it wasn't for me but I earned money, grew as a person and incurred no debt. I'm now at uni part time while working full time :)

[@leoniemoran5346]

My grandson is studying year 12 and also doing a school based traineeship, which includes working 12 hours a week. At the end of the year he will have passed his VCE, that is, years 11 & 12 Victorian Certificate of Education and have cert 111 in Horticulture.

[@mikeythehat6693]

Things are still priced at "something and 99 cents" etc. but we have no 1 cent or 2 cent coins, they were discontinued many years ago, so, at the checkout, it just gets rounded up or rounded down to the nearest whole amount. The smallest coin we have is the 5 cent, so it gets rounded to the nearest 5 cent. T.A.F.E. is "Tertiary and Further Education" many people decide to go to TAFE later in life, some go immediately after High School. I have been several times for different courses. You can find a TAFE course for just about anything and sometimes the govt. will help with costs (but not always). Leaving school after year 10 (about 15 years old) is not considered "dropping out" here as many trades people start their apprenticeships at that age. Most (if not all) apprentices have to spend some time at TAFE. ALL "Tradies" get a qualification, to ply their "Trade" and that's why they get paid the big bucks.

[@nonono9469]

with the foot its around 30cm which most school rulers are so we can say "about a ruler or 30cm" since most see that length often but i know many especially my dad that use imperial for monuments in construction on leatherwork ect

[@Jeni10]

Sixty years ago, the school system was a little different. You could go to school and do your Intermediate Exams (3 years of high school) and leave school to study a trade. Or you could continue through to the Leaving Certificate (6 years of high school) and if you matriculated, you could then go to University. A few years later, when I was coming through, they changed it to the School Certificate (4 years of high school) and the Higher School Certificate (6 years of high school). TAFE: Technical and Further Education.

[@margymckenzie7417]

in australia, only some ticket prices are a round number, like $25. Some are still like $9.98 or $19.99 and because we dont have two or one cent pieces, so things are rounded up or down to the nearest 5c unless you're paying electronically. so, something marked $19.98 if paying by cash would cost $20, but if paying on a card it would be $19.98. also, i've noticed some cafes charge a surcharge on weekends when it's busy which can be something like 7%. i think the justification is because businesses have to pay weekend penalty rates to staff. there's also sometimes a surcharge for paying with your credit card (versus a debit card) because the shop has to pay extra bank fees. i think they should just adjust their prices across the board to cover everything because the surcharge additions seem open to some random price gauging.

[@peteratkinson8957]

I was a TAFE teacher of electricians for 30years. Nearly all TAFE students nowadays have completed year 12 at school.

[@NETFREIGHTSERVICESQUEENSLAND]

In Australia, the average salary for a Plumber is approximately AU$64,502 gross per year or AU$28.44 gross per hour12. However, the actual salary can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and employer. Here’s a breakdown of average salaries across different industries: Construction: $83,394 per year Trades & Services: $77,848 per year Government & Defence: $65,376 per year1

[@denisewilson9783]

Hi, our year 10 are 15 years old and they can do some trade courses at their school after yr 10 e.g. for child care, beautician, customer service or business admin, etc, my girls did 3x certificated courses by the time they completed year 12 meaning they were qualified. one child went straight to office admin at 17yo ($22k p.a) the other went into child care ($32k) hated it and after 6 months went into office admin as well. They both left school with their friends with a year 12 graduation certificate as they did their trade courses along with general study. If they changed their minds they only need to take a bridging course at uni, pass to earn a place at uni. A gap year for year 12 students is the usual for Aussie kids and most of our undergrad courses are 3 years I.e. BA of Arts.

[@meeeka]

And easy metric tip: a liter is a quart. We buy gas by the liter, so gas/petrol now is at $2,25 a liter. Multiply that by 4 to figure in gallons what the p/gallon charge is.

[@kennethdodemaide8678]

I think in the US it is compulsory to attend school until you are 16. In Australia it is 15. It depends on the state. Tradies can do an apprenticeship with a business or they can do a course in TAFE or a combination to get their qualifications. It's not hard to change to metric. We did it quite easily but you have to watch out for businesses who see it as an opportunity to rip off consumers. With cookbooks they published recipes with both systems of measurement until the transition to metric was completed. Australians can also contribute to their superannuation if they want to. Whatever you contribute has a reduced income tax (only 15%). There is an upper limit on how much you contribute.

[@Cairns74]

I’ve never seen 23% Superannuation in my life! I’ve worked in mining on huge wages form BHP, Rio Rinto you name it. The most average I’ve ever seen is 14%, average 12%. It’s gone up since it started. When Covid hit Australia we did a one off. So you can’t touch it until you’re 65, however we could apply during Covid for $10K (no tax), and they did that twice. It’s partly why we weathered Covid far greater than America, that and we didn’t let over a million people die. But having Superannuation was a huge help. I had 100’s of thousands of dollars accumulated was in my late 40’s during COVID and being able to tap into it was a huge help, with work being on and off for a while.

[@petersinclair3997]

Go back further a few decades, the ATO sent out letters saying one’s projected super payout exceeded the Reasonable Benefits Limit, if large contributors were paid into retirement funds, high taxes would apply on the benefit. Defined Benefit Schemes have died, where one received 67% of their final salary on retirement until they died. The Westpac Bank one, but sacked thousands of employees to raid the Fund.

[@the_person_in_the_photo]

I left school at 17 and did a retail cert 3 course, also did a barista, first aid, white card (construction) and rsa(responsible service of alcohol) throughout the few years

[@larissahorne9991]

I did grades 11 & 12. Because when I was a little girl, my big brother told me the following. "Finish high school because it's harder to go back." The day I finished grade 10, he'd clearly forgotten having said that because he asked me whether or not I'd be going back. I never had any intention of going to Uni, but I had a great time during those two last years of high school.

[@stevenbalekic5683]

Tradies in Australia get paid a lot once fully qualified and they tend to buy a house and car...and pay them off almost before the ones from uni have even graduated...plus TAFE cost nowhere near as much as uni. If you become an electrician you can get work at one of the mines and get paid $150,000 (average) per year and up to $215,000 per year or more when you are more experienced. This goes for diesel mechanics, boilermakers, plumbers and welders.

[@AE123m]

Not every state can still leave at year 10 (~16yo), in my state over 10 years ago ,when I was in year 11, it was restricted and you could only leave to a contracted apprenticeship (via TAFE) and not just leave because you don't want to complete school... which I could have done in year 10, but didn't. Some states have manditory completion of year 11 and 12 and will offer part time apprenticeships where in 11 and 12 you do the TAFE course and after you just have to do supervised apprenticship and it will still count to the Higher School Certificate (high school graduation certificate which is begining to become the mandatory minimum education completion requirment (it used to be the school certificate that you got in year 10)). Some states even let you do university courses in 11 and 12 to set you up for early entry into professions.

[@NimBelle]

You don’t get a GED if you leave in year 10 - a lot of schools actually offer students to be able to do TAFE certificates while in school if they don’t choose an ATAR (going to university) pathway