Australia's Care for Eco-Environment

loki_chaos SG

as you all know the next wallaby is coming up as usual like every year. Just want to hear some previous experiences...For me, now is the preparation stage. And I find it quite disturbing that the Australians are so strict about cleaniness of our equipment. What really offended me was the dummy granade thing. For my unit we are supposed to clear out the sand, bring it there, and put in the Australian sand. This is like so discriminating.

dkcx SG

Aust always have strict rules about agriculture stuff so its not only for the army but in general for anyone going to Aust. They don't want you to 'contaminate' their environment

Rednano SG

just put ur local fake grenades at home, then buy 2 new yakult bottle and go there put in their soil lor...

Since Australia is a continent by itself, its called 'Down Under'. Thus naturally, they are very careful to reduce any foreign soil and insects into their environment.

e.g. if 1 local lizard hid in 1 reservist bag, then arrived there, it may inter-breed with its Australian counterparts to create a new breed, a hybrid...

flapdoodle SG

they are afraid new diseases or virus will come about due to contamination from foreign soil or biological matter..

flapdoodle SG

About the inter-breeding, its because Australia has many native animals which are not found anywhere else in the world. They don't want to cross breed them.

LazerLordz SG

The Australian agricultural regulations are there for a purpose. Please do not contaminate their soil just by cutting corners.

Such acts can affect defence relations and training regimen.

It is not about discrimination. The Aussies care a lot about their nation, and it is rightfully their call to make.

noahnoah SG

yep

aussie love nature

everywhere is so clean le

flash9933 SG

Aussies are "environmental" people ...

And it was the first time in my life that I'm told to kiwi the bottom of my boots to clear off the fine stains of mud during the kit inspection !!!

LazerLordz SG

Generally speaking for people visiting Australia,

When you land at Australian airports, they will fumigate the plane as a precaution too.

Also, do not bring plant/animal material over, and things like bak kwa will be disposed off as well at Immigration.

SilverRevo SG

Aussies are "environmental" people ...

And it was the first time in my life that I'm told to kiwi the bottom of my boots to clear off the fine stains of mud during the kit inspection !!!

you kiwi the bot of your boots.

you're just covering up the stains.

saf ah saf.

loki_chaos SG

yep

aussie love nature

everywhere is so clean le

If Aussies love nature so much, I think they should focus their attention more towards the Reefs that are dying due to pollution.

loki_chaos SG

Aust always have strict rules about agriculture stuff so its not only for the army but in general for anyone going to Aust. They don't want you to 'contaminate' their environment

Hmm...never mind about the hybrid thingy...but I don't understand...How can soil from another part of the earth, when being 'brought' over to another land, brings about contamination? No matter where it comes from, it's still called soil.

dkcx SG

Soil contains bateria, fungi etc etc. There is still 'life' in terms of microscopic organism and they don't want you to bring any of such thing into Aust.

If you really go do a scientific analysis, you will notice that soil from different places are not exactly the same. What is same to the naked eye is very different under microscopoc instruments.

LazerLordz SG

If Aussies love nature so much, I think they should focus their attention more towards the Reefs that are dying due to pollution.

Well, what makes you think the GBR is not covered by ongoing efforts to restore, recover and protect?

Anyway, let's not go OT.

loki_chaos SG

Well, what makes you think the GBR is not covered by ongoing efforts to restore, recover and protect?

Anyway, let's not go OT.

nonono...don't get me wrong. The Great Barrier Reef is not called by that for nothing...it's the biggest reef in the world...What I meant was, if they can't prevent pollution within their own continent how can they prevent it from being brought into their country. Anyways, if they can prevent one type of pollution/contamination through this kind of ways(foreign checking of equipment), they can never prevent all of it. An example would be carbon monoxide from cars...are all their cars CNG?

Just to take note, I'm not against them being environment friendly...Just that I find it too exaggerating.

Gedanken SG

Pure ignorance. There's a nifty little site called Google that, if used for purposes other than porn searches, will help you understand how contaminants and parasites are not universal.

The very fact that you could ask that question shows that you lack the education to operate at the policy-making level, so you may as well just shut up and follow the policies made by the people who do have the education. Mind you, it's the policies of the powers-that-be at Gombak I'm talking about, not the Aussies'.

The bottom line's simple - if you don't keep that crap out of Australia, it could cost billions of dollars in crop damage. Any nonsense you spout about the love of nature, pollution or the reef is irrelevant.

Wallaby is Australia's playground, and it's up to them to let people in. If Singaporeans like you don't want to play ball,it's no skin off the Australians' noses. It just means that MINDEF will have one less training area because Australia's DoD isn't going to want to answer for your stupidity causing untold damage. Guess whose problem that becomes then?

Crop damage probably doesn't mean shit to you, and that's just fine. It does, however mean something to MINDEF, so when you get that tingling sensation of your CO's boot up your arse, you may as well know why.

If all that's too much for you to wrap your little head around, try something simpler: how is any of the Australian reasoning different from Singapore's justification for banning chewing gum?

loki_chaos SG

If all that's too much for you to wrap your little head around, try something simpler: how is any of the Australian reasoning different from Singapore's justification for banning chewing gum?

Simple. Banning of chewing gum was to solve the internal problem of finding gums underneath almost anything that has a bottom surface, although it doesn't really help much. Singaporeans still try to bring it in for their own enjoyment and sharing.

Anyway, the initial starting of this thread was about sharing of pre and post wallaby, and wallaby itself experiences. Not about debating over some environmental issues over Australia being vulnerable to crop damages through foreign contamination. I just shared my view and dont know why the title was changed, and I would appreciate if the title would be changed back and get the thread back on track if possible. If not, just lock it.

Gedanken SG

Regardless of the thread title, you DID write:

And I find it quite disturbing that the Australians are so strict about cleaniness of our equipment. What really offended me was the dummy granade thing. For my unit we are supposed to clear out the sand, bring it there, and put in the Australian sand. This is like so discriminating.

did you not?

Now you may be the sort to treat things at surface level, but that's a fatal assumption to hold if you're trying to worm your way out of a tight spot.

The fact is that you've already shown your ignorance by not knowing how soil contaminants and parasites vary across regions and countries. Despite that, you have the temerity and unmitigated gall to to hold yourself fit to question the instructions of your superiors (in every sense of the word).

We ask for thinking soldiers and we get you instead - the unthinking un-soldier. Guys like you are the reason why the Yanks got their asses whupped in Vietnam, in contrast to the Poms were the ones opening up a can of whup-ass on the communists in Malaya.

Once again you show your inability to think. The gum ban was a specific solution to an identified problem - same with the quarantine regulations of Australian customs. The only difference is scale - Singapore wanted to save a a few grand in maintenance fees, a contamination problem applies on a much larger scale.

Now if something that simple doesn't sink in, I don't know what it's going to take to educate you out of being an ugly Singaporean.