• IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here.

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Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne


as singaporeans are smarter than you redneck australians, may the benefits of education enlighten you, poor thing.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178405,00.html

Race Riots Engulf Sydney

Monday, December 12, 2005

SYDNEY, Australia — In one of Australia's worst outbursts of racial violence, thousands of drunken white youths attacked police and people they believed were of Arab descent at a Sydney beach, angered by reports that Lebanese youths had assaulted two lifeguards.

Young men of Arab descent retaliated in several Sydney suburbs, fighting with police and smashing 40 cars with sticks and bats, police said. Thirty-one people were injured and 16 were arrested in hours of violence Sunday.

The city was calm Monday, and police formed a strike force to track down the instigators, some of whom were believed to be from white supremacist groups. Police said they were also seeking an Arab man who allegedly stabbed a white man in the back.

Prime Minister John Howard condemned the violence, but said he did not believe racism was widespread in Australia.

"Attacking people on the basis of their race, their appearance, their ethnicity, is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians irrespective of their own background and their politics," Howard said.


Australia has long prided itself on accepting wave after wave of immigrants — from Italians and Greeks after World War II to families fleeing political strife in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In the last census in 2001, nearly a quarter of Australia's 20 million people said they were born overseas.

However, tensions between youngsters of Arabic descent and Australians of European origin have been rising in recent years, largely because of anti-Muslim sentiment fueled by the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States and deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 88 Australians in October 2002.

About 300,000 Muslims and Arabs live in Australia, the majority in large cities.

"Arab Australians have had to cope with vilification, racism, abuse and fear of a racial backlash for a number of years, but these riots will take that fear to a new level," said Roland Jabbour, chairman of the Australian Arabic Council.

The riots apparently began after rumors circulated that youths of Lebanese descent were responsible for an attack last weekend on two lifeguards at Cronulla Beach. Police said the assault was not believed to be racially motivated.

Police had increased the number of officers patrolling the beach in the Sydney suburb on Sunday after cell phone text messages urged people to gather there to retaliate for the attack.

Police said more than 5,000 white youths, some wrapped in Australian flags and chanting racist slurs, fought with police, attacked people they believed to be of Arab descent and assaulted a pair of paramedics trying to help people escape the riot.

Police fought back with batons and pepper spray.

Many of the youths had been drinking heavily, police said.

One white teenager had the words "We grew here, you flew here" painted on his back. Someone had written "100 percent Aussie pride" in the sand. TV broadcasts showed a group of young women attacking another woman, whose ethnicity was not clear.

The violence shocked this city of 4 million, which prides itself on being a cultural melting pot.

"What we have seen yesterday is something I thought I would never see in Australia and perhaps we have not seen in Australia in any of our life times and that is a mass call to violence based on race," Community Relations Commission chairman Stepan Kerkyasharian told Sky News.

"Our disgrace," said a front page headline in Sydney's Daily Telegraph. Below was a picture of white youths attacking a man who appeared to be of Arab descent on a train in Cronulla.

Keysar Trad, a prominent member of Sydney's Lebanese community, said he had spoken to one victim who was released from the hospital Monday and was urging for calm.

"He doesn't want any retaliation by anybody from a Middle Eastern background," Trad said. "He wants everyone to allow the rule of law to take its course, leave it to the police and he said he holds no grudges against anyone."

Morris Iemma, the premier of New South Wales state, said police would use video images and photographs to track down the instigators.

"Let's be very clear, the police will be unrelenting in their fight against these thugs and hooligans," he said.

Cronulla, one of the few beaches in Sydney that is easily accessible by train, is often visited by youngsters from poorer suburbs, many of them of Arab descent. Residents accuse the youths of traveling in gangs and sometimes intimidating other beachgoers.

Cronulla is several miles south of iconic Sydney beaches like Bondi and is not a popular destination for foreign tourists.

Aborigines rioted in the Sydney neighborhood of Redfern in February 2004 after blaming police for the death of a 17-year-old boy. Forty police were wounded, eight of them hospitalized, in a nine-hour street battle with residents.
 
Last edited:
Australia's Persistent Racism

The truth for all to see:

http://norighturn.blogspot.com/2008/03/appalling-racism-in-australia.html

Appalling racism in Australia

A group of women and children were kicked out of a hotel in Alice Springs because of their race:

"When we booked in, the manager, she gave us the keys to the rooms and we went and put our stuff in the rooms.

"We all went outside and the manager came out and told me that we weren't suitable to stay there," Ms Langod told ABC Radio today.

"They said (it was) because of our race. Other customers were making complaints that they were scared of us.

"I felt like I wanted to cry because it made me feel like I wasn't an Australian, like I wasn't wanted there."

It's appalling to see that this sort of thing is still going on in a supposedly civilised democratic country like Australia. And it shows that despite having made a historic apology, they have a long, long way to go.

In case you want to avoid it, the hotel in question is the Alice Haven Backpackers Resort. And if you'd like to let them know what you think of racists, you can email them at [email protected].
 
Last edited:
Re: Australia's Persistent Racism

Yawn....

There's already a thread on this you twit.

http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?t=8888

Ok, I changed it to yet ANOTHER exciting story of racism in that backward country.

Got lots of lovely readers comments too, for example:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinio...arks-australias-persistent-racism-992016.html



Has Kathy Marks lived in a remote area of Australia? Has she had to share her town with Aboriginals who really couldn't give a stuff about "the law"? Has she had to call the Police, scared to death because Aboriginals are drunk and fighting with smashed bottles in her front garden or trying to break into her car or house. I very much doubt it!! Well Kathy Marks, I do live in a Northern South Australian town and share this town with Aboriginals and have to put up with their behaviour because if I speak out. . guess what. . I'm racist!!. Aboriginals have endless amounts of Government money thrown at them and they spend it on alcohol, get beyond drunk and become a public nuisance. These poor ill treated people throw rocks at passing motorists for fun, call you a white c@#t while shopping with your children and generally have no respect for anyone else or anyone elses property unless of course you're the same colour as them. Our Police Officers deserve medals for dealing with this 24/7

Complain about this comment

Posted by Sickofit | 09.11.08, 01:24 GMT

ouch. or maybe this one?



Australians are in denial about the genocide and the racism & stolen wealth which forms the basis of their settler society. Australia was one of only four nations in the world (NZ, US, CAN) that voted against the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, last year at the UN.

It has also been noted that "Australia has been found guilty by a United Nations body of practising racial discrimination against its own citizens.

Australia has agreed to be bound by all major international human rights Conventions and has taken a high profile on promoting human rights internationally - especially in opposing apartheid in South Africa. But both national and international bodies are now saying that Australia is itself guilty of fundamental human rights breaches in its treatment of its indigenous citizens. "

You are right Kathy Australia is not only persistent but unrepentant (as a lot of the comments show) about its racism against its Indigenous Peoples. Free Lex NOW

Complain about this comment

Posted by Ana | 06.11.08, 09:13 GMT

wow. how sad.
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

as singaporeans are smarter than you redneck australians, may the benefits of education enlighten you, poor thing.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178405,00.html

Race Riots Engulf Sydney

Monday, December 12, 2005

SYDNEY, Australia — In one of Australia's worst outbursts of racial violence, thousands of drunken white youths attacked police and people they believed were of Arab descent at a Sydney beach, angered by reports that Lebanese youths had assaulted two lifeguards.

Young men of Arab descent retaliated in several Sydney suburbs, fighting with police and smashing 40 cars with sticks and bats, police said. Thirty-one people were injured and 16 were arrested in hours of violence Sunday.

The city was calm Monday, and police formed a strike force to track down the instigators, some of whom were believed to be from white supremacist groups. Police said they were also seeking an Arab man who allegedly stabbed a white man in the back.

Prime Minister John Howard condemned the violence, but said he did not believe racism was widespread in Australia.

"Attacking people on the basis of their race, their appearance, their ethnicity, is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians irrespective of their own background and their politics," Howard said.


Australia has long prided itself on accepting wave after wave of immigrants — from Italians and Greeks after World War II to families fleeing political strife in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In the last census in 2001, nearly a quarter of Australia's 20 million people said they were born overseas.

However, tensions between youngsters of Arabic descent and Australians of European origin have been rising in recent years, largely because of anti-Muslim sentiment fueled by the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States and deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 88 Australians in October 2002.

About 300,000 Muslims and Arabs live in Australia, the majority in large cities.

"Arab Australians have had to cope with vilification, racism, abuse and fear of a racial backlash for a number of years, but these riots will take that fear to a new level," said Roland Jabbour, chairman of the Australian Arabic Council.

The riots apparently began after rumors circulated that youths of Lebanese descent were responsible for an attack last weekend on two lifeguards at Cronulla Beach. Police said the assault was not believed to be racially motivated.

Police had increased the number of officers patrolling the beach in the Sydney suburb on Sunday after cell phone text messages urged people to gather there to retaliate for the attack.

Police said more than 5,000 white youths, some wrapped in Australian flags and chanting racist slurs, fought with police, attacked people they believed to be of Arab descent and assaulted a pair of paramedics trying to help people escape the riot.

Police fought back with batons and pepper spray.

Many of the youths had been drinking heavily, police said.

One white teenager had the words "We grew here, you flew here" painted on his back. Someone had written "100 percent Aussie pride" in the sand. TV broadcasts showed a group of young women attacking another woman, whose ethnicity was not clear.

The violence shocked this city of 4 million, which prides itself on being a cultural melting pot.

"What we have seen yesterday is something I thought I would never see in Australia and perhaps we have not seen in Australia in any of our life times and that is a mass call to violence based on race," Community Relations Commission chairman Stepan Kerkyasharian told Sky News.

"Our disgrace," said a front page headline in Sydney's Daily Telegraph. Below was a picture of white youths attacking a man who appeared to be of Arab descent on a train in Cronulla.

Keysar Trad, a prominent member of Sydney's Lebanese community, said he had spoken to one victim who was released from the hospital Monday and was urging for calm.

"He doesn't want any retaliation by anybody from a Middle Eastern background," Trad said. "He wants everyone to allow the rule of law to take its course, leave it to the police and he said he holds no grudges against anyone."

Morris Iemma, the premier of New South Wales state, said police would use video images and photographs to track down the instigators.

"Let's be very clear, the police will be unrelenting in their fight against these thugs and hooligans," he said.

Cronulla, one of the few beaches in Sydney that is easily accessible by train, is often visited by youngsters from poorer suburbs, many of them of Arab descent. Residents accuse the youths of traveling in gangs and sometimes intimidating other beachgoers.

Cronulla is several miles south of iconic Sydney beaches like Bondi and is not a popular destination for foreign tourists.

Aborigines rioted in the Sydney neighborhood of Redfern in February 2004 after blaming police for the death of a 17-year-old boy. Forty police were wounded, eight of them hospitalized, in a nine-hour street battle with residents.

1. Once again - quoting sensationlist media - this time three year old article.
2. Who is it you're criticising by posting this one? The Aborigines, the white people, the lebanase, other europeans, people of arab appearance, muslims, balinese - it's not really clear.
3. I already alluded to this "old" news in my earlier post - I knwe u wouldn't be able top resist digging it out somewhere.
4. John Howard is no longer prime minister :D
5. The article in no ways implies mainstream Australians are racist.
6. By calling all Aussies racist or rednecks, you too are being racist - you just don't get this, do u?

7. Sam - can u please send some of this drivel to the trash - I don't think "emigration matters" was intended to be a list of anti-australian threads... one or two I can live with - everyone to their own and entitled to their opinions, but this guy posts the same crap as different people every day and really annoys the shit out of me - and he obviously has no real knowledge of Australia or the people. I think he must live for the aussie-bashing threads - after he finishes his job collecting cans all day, he can't wait to get home to post another one. Yeh, I know - I can put him on ignore - but he'll just post under another user name. Shit - now he's got me whinging... breathe in, breathe out :rolleyes:
 
Re: Australia's Persistent Racism

Ok, I changed it to yet ANOTHER exciting story of racism in that backward country.

.

Why Sinkeeland is so forward is it?? No discrimination is it? Singaporeans have to serve NS whereas FTs enjoy the fruits. What do you call that shithead? OK. Then don't go to this so called backward country. Stay on in your forward country Sinkeeland like the pathetic loser cockroach you are and go on sucking your PAP's dicks.:oIo:
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

1. Once again - quoting sensationlist media - this time three year old article.
2. Who is it you're criticising by posting this one? The Aborigines, the white people, the lebanase, other europeans, people of arab appearance, muslims, balinese - it's not really clear.
3. I already alluded to this "old" news in my earlier post - I knwe u wouldn't be able top resist digging it out somewhere.
4. John Howard is no longer prime minister :D
5. The article in no ways implies mainstream Australians are racist.
6. By calling all Aussies racist or rednecks, you too are being racist - you just don't get this, do u?

7. Sam - can u please send some of this drivel to the trash - I don't think "emigration matters" was intended to be a list of anti-australian threads... one or two I can live with - everyone to their own and entitled to their opinions, but this guy posts the same crap as different people every day and really annoys the shit out of me - and he obviously has no real knowledge of Australia or the people. I think he must live for the aussie-bashing threads - after he finishes his job collecting cans all day, he can't wait to get home to post another one. Yeh, I know - I can put him on ignore - but he'll just post under another user name. Shit - now he's got me whinging... breathe in, breathe out :rolleyes:

yup, you dont react very well to education. people being beaten and killed, riots, mob violence, "drunk white australians beating foreigners". its like the US in the 1960s over there.

i suppose Pauline Hanson was not back in 2007 running for the senate. "i receive letters from white australians who are scared of muslims. that's why i am running for the senate to ban them from australia". this must be my imagination, huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBiPtqJA58

you poor sap. you dont realize how sick and backward you & your country are.

sad.
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

yup, you dont react very well to education. people being beaten and killed, riots, mob violence, "drunk white australians beating foreigners". its like the US in the 1960s over there.

i suppose Pauline Hanson was not back in 2007 running for the senate. "i receive letters from white australians who are scared of muslims. that's why i am running for the senate to ban them from australia". this must be my imagination, huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBiPtqJA58

you poor sap. you dont realize how sick and backward you & your country are.

sad.

Hahahaha - u've played the Pauline Hanson card - I've been waiting for it, coz now it shows your complete ignorance... media has done this to you. In Australia, PH is literally a joke - songs have even been written about her (mocking her of course) and actually been so popular they've hit the charts. The Australian media see her as a joke and portray her racist ridiculous views the same way... international media have always tried to suck gullible people like u in to take notice of this nobody and make u believe that this psycho is representative of the rest of the population... how many votes did she get?? U really are ignorant. Stop the racist crap and look deep into yourself - I don't have any idea why you have this bee in your bonnet, but I seriously recommend (and I am being 100% sincere when I say this) that you get some counselling or psychological help - carrying so much hate in your heart for a race of people is just not healthy... seriously mate - I am not mocking u now, I'm concerned for your state of mind and well being... take a vacation - visit some other places, broaden your mind and experiences and cultural tolerance - life will be much more enjoyable, trust me. Take care buddy, life is way to short to stress yourself out this way... - there's a whole world out there to discover.

I just now watched the youtube link you sent - u can see they are mocking her, yes?? Why post this - it supports her being an idiot and different to mainstream australia... u have a very strange way of posting things that don't support your views or messages... please pal, get yourself some help, or a healthy hobby.
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

yup, you dont react very well to education. people being beaten and killed, riots, mob violence, "drunk white australians beating foreigners". its like the US in the 1960s over there.

i suppose Pauline Hanson was not back in 2007 running for the senate. "i receive letters from white australians who are scared of muslims. that's why i am running for the senate to ban them from australia". this must be my imagination, huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBiPtqJA58

you poor sap. you dont realize how sick and backward you & your country are.

sad.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRs6nfcQqVQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNv-zIX9cNY

:D
 
Last edited:
Re: Australia's Persistent Racism

Ok, I changed it to yet ANOTHER exciting story of racism in that backward country.

Got lots of lovely readers comments too, for example:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinio...arks-australias-persistent-racism-992016.html



Has Kathy Marks lived in a remote area of Australia? Has she had to share her town with Aboriginals who really couldn't give a stuff about "the law"? Has she had to call the Police, scared to death because Aboriginals are drunk and fighting with smashed bottles in her front garden or trying to break into her car or house. I very much doubt it!! Well Kathy Marks, I do live in a Northern South Australian town and share this town with Aboriginals and have to put up with their behaviour because if I speak out. . guess what. . I'm racist!!. Aboriginals have endless amounts of Government money thrown at them and they spend it on alcohol, get beyond drunk and become a public nuisance. These poor ill treated people throw rocks at passing motorists for fun, call you a white c@#t while shopping with your children and generally have no respect for anyone else or anyone elses property unless of course you're the same colour as them. Our Police Officers deserve medals for dealing with this 24/7

Complain about this comment

Posted by Sickofit | 09.11.08, 01:24 GMT

ouch. or maybe this one?



Australians are in denial about the genocide and the racism & stolen wealth which forms the basis of their settler society. Australia was one of only four nations in the world (NZ, US, CAN) that voted against the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, last year at the UN.

It has also been noted that "Australia has been found guilty by a United Nations body of practising racial discrimination against its own citizens.

Australia has agreed to be bound by all major international human rights Conventions and has taken a high profile on promoting human rights internationally - especially in opposing apartheid in South Africa. But both national and international bodies are now saying that Australia is itself guilty of fundamental human rights breaches in its treatment of its indigenous citizens. "

You are right Kathy Australia is not only persistent but unrepentant (as a lot of the comments show) about its racism against its Indigenous Peoples. Free Lex NOW

Complain about this comment

Posted by Ana | 06.11.08, 09:13 GMT

wow. how sad.

Ya go outback and they will refuse you service, charge more money for asia guest.

Many tale come from collegue who uni there.

Ozzie people most worst racism people.
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

pauline panstdown is actually quite funny.

But deflecting wont work. she came back in 2007, she ran, and she got votes. And that is why your country is a backward racist one.

Maybe forty years from now australia may heal its racist wounds.

Very sad for you and your country. Tsk Tsk.

Yep - she ran, she got the votes of the minority whackos and a few people who don't understand her policies...

Summary of 2007 senate votes:

Total Voters: 12,656,805
Pauline: 141,268
% of Voting Population: 1.1%

It is very disappointing there are still a small % of whackos, but by no means is it anywhere near the majority of mainstream Australia. Most of her 1% came from small geographic spots near her home constituancy.

Your point was??

First Preferences: http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/Web...FirstPrefsByStateByVoteTypeDownload-13745.csv
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

pauline panstdown is actually quite funny.

But deflecting wont work. she came back in 2007, she ran, and she got votes. And that is why your country is a backward racist one.

Maybe forty years from now australia may heal its racist wounds.

Very sad for you and your country. Tsk Tsk.

Its ok cockroach. Losers like you are better off in Sinkeeland. In addition to dreaming about your Canada and US, suggest you also think carefully about picking cardbaords, selling tissues and picking cans because chances are that you'll be doing those in your twilight years. :oIo:
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

Hahahaha - u've played the Pauline Hanson card - I've been waiting for it, coz now it shows your complete ignorance... media has done this to you. In Australia, PH is literally a joke - songs have even been written about her (mocking her of course) and actually been so popular they've hit the charts. The Australian media see her as a joke and portray her racist ridiculous views the same way... international media have always tried to suck gullible people like u in to take notice of this nobody and make u believe that this psycho is representative of the rest of the population... how many votes did she get?? U really are ignorant. Stop the racist crap and look deep into yourself - I don't have any idea why you have this bee in your bonnet, but I seriously recommend (and I am being 100% sincere when I say this) that you get some counselling or psychological help - carrying so much hate in your heart for a race of people is just not healthy... seriously mate - I am not mocking u now, I'm concerned for your state of mind and well being... take a vacation - visit some other places, broaden your mind and experiences and cultural tolerance - life will be much more enjoyable, trust me. Take care buddy, life is way to short to stress yourself out this way... - there's a whole world out there to discover.

I just now watched the youtube link you sent - u can see they are mocking her, yes?? Why post this - it supports her being an idiot and different to mainstream australia... u have a very strange way of posting things that don't support your views or messages... please pal, get yourself some help, or a healthy hobby.


This brain dead retard is beyond any help. In fact, many forummers are looking at him and his nicks like clowns here and just killing their boredom with him, as for me, I just enjoy fucking idiotic born loser cockroaches like him. :cool:
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

This brain dead retard is beyond any help. In fact, many forummers are looking at him and his nicks like clowns here and just killing their boredom with him, as for me, I just enjoy fucking idiotic born loser cockroaches like him. :cool:

Oh no... what a kind statement for him... heehee
 
Re: Four men beat up M'sian student in Melbourne

Yep - she ran, she got the votes of the minority whackos and a few people who don't understand her policies...

Summary of 2007 senate votes:

Total Voters: 12,656,805
Pauline: 141,268
% of Voting Population: 1.1%

It is very disappointing there are still a small % of whackos, but by no means is it anywhere near the majority of mainstream Australia. Most of her 1% came from small geographic spots near her home constituancy.

Your point was??

First Preferences: http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/Web...FirstPrefsByStateByVoteTypeDownload-13745.csv

My point is Australia is 40 years behind the US.

Case closed.
 
Australia Begging for Tourists to Visit

In 2006, due to the massive drop in foreigners visiting Australia, the following ad campaign was launched:

"Where the Bloody Hell are You"

Self Explanatory.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/australia/article734231.ece

Australia's bonzer. So why the bloody hell aren't you guys here?


TOURISM chiefs in Australia have ditched the country’s highbrow sales pitch to attract foreign visitors in exchange for a more rustic approach: swearing. “So where the bloody hell are you?” is the new slogan, which was announced yesterday as part of a £76 million campaign that will appeal to people in Britain, Europe, the United States and Asia.

The “bloody hell” advertisement replaces the “Australia — a different light” campaign of 2004, which featured Australian artists and British celebrities such as Michael Parkinson. It was artistically acclaimed but was a marketing flop.

The latest advertisement marks a return to the use of rustic Australian idioms made famous by the actor Paul Hogan’s “Throw another shrimp on the barbie” campaign of the 1980s. It begins in an Outback pub with a man saying, “We’ve poured you a beer”. Then follows a sequence of idyllic images including a boy at the seaside saying, “We’ve got the sharks out of the pool”, and partygoers watching Sydney harbour fireworks saying, “We turned on the lights”. A traditional Aboriginal dancer says, “And we’ve been rehearsing for more than 40,000 years”. The advert ends with a bikini-clad young woman stepping out of the sea asking: “So where the bloody hell are you?”

But, if the initial reaction in Australia is any guide, the adverts could prompt a spell of national navel-gazing akin to that which followed the Paul Hogan campaign. That campaign provoked criticism for portraying Australia as a nation of happy simpletons.

The new advertisement has already provoked controversy, drawing in John Howard, the Prime Minister, who said that the word “bloody” should not be considered offensive. Fran Bailey, the Tourism Minister, welcomed the emphasis on the word bloody. “It’s the great Australian adjective. We all say it — it’s part of our language.

We’re presenting ourselves to the world in a very friendly ‘as we are’ people,” she said.
 
Re: Australia Begging for Tourists to Visit

Tsk. Tsk. Why have people stopped going to Australia?

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20080717a3.html

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Aussie tourism looks to recover 'lost mojo'
'So where the bloody hell are you?' campaign finds Japanese going elsewhere for better return on their yen


By KEDE LAWSON

SYDNEY (Kyodo) Panoramic landscapes, furry native animals and world-famous icons were once enough to draw millions of tourists to Australia's shores each year.

News photo
Tourism ambassador: A Japanese family enjoys a close encounter with a baby koala in this undated photo provided by Tourism Queensland. KYODO PHOTO

However, within the last seven years, the nation's tourism industry has suffered from stagnation, with Japanese numbers in particular dropping off.

Although 2007 saw a record 5.6 million arrivals, the growth in the number of international visitors since 2005 has skidded to a halt, with an average of 5.5 million tourists arriving annually.

The dire figures have prompted critics to say the industry has lost its mojo.

In 2007 the top three markets for Australian tourism were New Zealand, Britain and Japan, together making up nearly 40 percent of all arrivals, or 2.2 million people, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

But the same year saw a 6 percent decrease in visitors from Britain and a 12 percent drop in those from Japan compared with 2006.

Overall, international tourism plays a vital role in the Australian economy, with an annual contribution of almost 22 billion Australian dollars, while the industry itself employs some 500,000 people.

The government body Tourism Australia believes there are several reasons behind the industry's relative inertia.

"Australia is undoubtedly facing some challenges in the international market as a result of factors such as competition from other destinations, aviation constraints brought about by high load factors and more Australians traveling overseas, as well as the increased value of the Australian dollar," Tourism Australia Managing Director Geoff Buckley said.

A significant factor behind the dwindling tourist numbers is the continual decline in Japanese arriving on Australia's shores, analysts say.

Since 2005, there has been a steady downturn in Japanese travelers, with last year's 570,000 visitors representing a 12 percent decrease from 2006 and amounting to the biggest drop across all markets.

Tourism Australia said there are a number of financial issues behind the slowdown, with the overwhelming factor being the strengthening Australian dollar, which, according to the tourism body, has affected the Japanese market more than any other.

Nathan Oldfield, from Japan Travel Bureau, said the strong currency also translated into higher tour costs.

"It is difficult to explain that the same tour will cost 20 to 30 percent more than it did the previous year," he said.

As a result, Japanese travelers are developing an interest in Asia, targeting countries that include Cambodia, where their yen goes much further, he said.

The latest fuel surcharges imposed by airlines have also dramatically increased fares to Australia.

This worrying trend is set to continue after the Qantas Group announced in June that escalating fuel costs had forced the carrier to reduce its number of direct services to Japan by 22 percent over a full year.

Cairns, located in far north Queensland, will be most affected by the service cutbacks and now faces an estimated 60 percent loss in direct flights from Japan.

Rob Giason from Tropical North Queensland Tourism, the regional tourism body, said the local economy is likely to suffer losses of A$100 million annually from the cutbacks.

Known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns has long been the most popular Australian destination for Japanese visitors because of its famed tropical beauty and relatively easy access.

The town has also become the "Las Vegas" of Australia, with some 1,500 Japanese couples choosing to tie the knot here each year.

Peter Ford, a manager from South Pacific Bridal, a company that organizes Japanese weddings, said flight cutbacks would lead to a devastating 50 percent decrease in his business.

The sharp reduction in flight capacity and its impact on the local economy has prompted federal and state governments to commit an A$8 million rescue package to assist the ailing local tourism industry.

"This package will be welcomed by the industry and it will go a long way toward helping the industry find long-term solutions to the challenges confronting it presently," Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said in a statement.

The Qantas Group announcement also led Queensland State Tourism Minister Desley Boyle to travel to Asia, along with top officials from Australian tourism bodies, in an effort to encourage other airlines to take up the dropped routes to Queensland.

Meanwhile, tourism experts also blamed a superfluous focus on advertising.

"We think in the past there has been a reliance on advertising as a silver bullet that would solve all the industry's problems," said Olivia Wirth, general manager of Tourism and Transport Forum.

The comments follow the 2006 Tourism Australia campaign featuring a bikini-clad model who seductively asked potential visitors, "So where the bloody hell are you?"

The controversial A$180 million campaign was heavily advertised in Britain, Japan and Germany, and was embarrassingly banned or withdrawn from some countries for using a "mild swear word."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently told Parliament the ad campaign failed to yield any significant benefits for the tourism industry.

"That campaign, every place I have visited in the world, has been basically described as an absolute rolled gold disaster," he said.

This was further reflected in a downturn of visitors from the three main countries targeted by the campaign.

Wirth said that while promotion and marketing are a core part of attracting visitors to Australia, there needs to be an increased focus on the supply side, not just the demand.

"This means looking at new accommodation, new ways to differentiate Australia from the competition. We need to focus on our natural competitive advantage, focusing on our national parks and indigenous experiences," she said.

"Australia needs to keep reinvesting and reinventing to ensure we attract new and returning visitors."
 
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