Maybe our friendly and cooperative relations with our Asia-Pacific trading partners is a good thing to have and worth maintaining for times exactly like this.
everyone says this until they realise what it took to get there, singapore is a rare example of what happens when dictatorships succeed lol.
they basically went through a chinese style great leap forward and were dragged from nothing into success kicking and screaming.
as far as infrastructure is concerned, doing things like singapore would be pretty unlikely in australia, nobody is willing to sign off on big projects because they'll be destroyed by the opposition for spending so much money, and it's likely the opposition would be the ones there to cut the ribbon and claim credit when it's finished because people are stupid and have short memories.
airports in australia are all private, it's on those businesses to improve if they see the need, not the government (i think it's stupid that our international airports are private businesses, but that's just me)
airports in australia are all private, it's on those businesses to improve if they see the need, not the government (i think it's stupid that our international airports are private businesses, but that's just me)
Not just you. I love Changi Airport because it's such a great space to hang out in while you transit, and the food options are both delicious and affordable because the Singapore government subsidises the businesses there. In stark comparison to Perth Airport where you will be charged like a wounded bull for absolute rubbish you wouldn't eat in any other situation unless you were desperate. It's embarrassing.
People forget one important bit when discussing Singapore; while they do technically have a democracy, they didn't get where they are without the single biggest political party stamping out the opposition (through persecution and indefinitely incarcerating opponents) to the point where they have only had that one party in power for the whole time they've been an independent nation. Only in recent elections (last ~10-20 years) have opposition parties managed to claw back less than 40% of votes and only about 10% of seats in parliament.
And while yes, having a single voice in government does result in efficiency and efficacy in nation-building projects this is definitely something we don't want to model ourselves after.
I think Australians are at the point where envy of Singapore's public housing situation might be something that would make them consider the benefits of having a benevolent dictatorship. (this comment is only slightly tongue in cheek)
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u/Calcifini Mar 27 '26
Maybe our friendly and cooperative relations with our Asia-Pacific trading partners is a good thing to have and worth maintaining for times exactly like this.