Happy-Go-Lucky Australia doesn't feel happy or lucky

After decades of prosperity, the country is facing persistent economic turbulence.

For almost three decades, Australia seemed to have a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card that allowed it to weather the dot-com collapse and global financial crisis without a recession, while its citizens benefited for the most of high salaries, affordable housing and golden prospects. .

When a recession arrived in 2020, it was because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But four years later, Australia has failed to shake off some headwinds, notably the high cost of living – the price of bread has increased by 24% since 2021 –, a market for unstable work and growing inequalities. While these and similar issues also concern countries like Britain and the United States, they particularly sting many people in Australia, which has long considered itself the "lucky country."

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0 ">Australia is among the richest, most resource-rich and most stable countries in the world. But millions of residents are experiencing levels of difficulty not seen in many decades. They say they are struggling to support themselves, pay for housing, health care and cover utility bills. And many young Australians are facing a reality their ancestors never had to face: they will be worse off than their parents or grandparents.

Robyn Northam, 28, who once dreamed of becoming a hairdresser. But rising rent and exorbitant childcare costs for her two children made training out of reach. Just two generations ago, she says, her grandmother was raising a family in her own home as a single parent, while working part-time as a nurse.

"If you For an average Australian woman, it's virtually impossible," said Ms Northam, a content creator in Cairns who, with her partner, pays 600 Australian dollars, or about $400, a week in rent. "It's a totally different world now."

ImageA residential area in the northern suburbs from Melbourne. Rents in some areas of Melbourne have increased by almost 50% year over year.Credit...Alana Holmberg for The New York Times

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