Egalitarianism

Egalitarianism is a belief that all people are equal. This is an underlying attitude in Australia and the basis of the fair go. A white Australian might complain about the “aboriginal problem” or about the influx of migrants from the third world, but then include several of each as friends. This is because the Aussie tends to take each person on his or her own merits and character. It’s said that it doesn’t matter how much money a man makes, what counts is whether he’s a good mate and can spin a good yarn at a party.
This egalitarianism is most evident along the foreshores. Australians love the water, and everybody wants to live next to it—be it a brook, river, bay, or the ocean. Now this might be a bit of a shocker, but with few exceptions, in an Australian city you cannot live on a beach, bay, or river.
You can live across the street from the water, but there will always be a road in front of you. There are a few exceptions: some very old blocks (lots) established before the zoning laws changed, manmade canals in waterside developments, and property far from a city—but in ninety-nine percent of Australian urbanized areas, you can’t build directly next to the water.
Why? Water features are considered public property, and institutional egalitarianism mandates access for all. The government has eliminated the possibility of having a wall of rich people’s houses blocking ordinary folks from the water, as has happened in California and Florida.
This makes for an odd juxtaposition. You can buy a million-dollar block along the coast, build your million-dollar dream house on it, and as you sit on your veranda watching the sunset, sipping your chardonnay and nibbling beluga, some poor battler without a pot to piss in can drive up in his rusted old Ford Falcon, park across the street blocking your view, stumble barefoot down to the beach, beer in hand, and enjoy the same sunset. That’s egalitarianism.