> I wonder how much Australia is influenced by people who loathe the US and move from it to Australia because it's far away and yet Anglophone and "western".

No, you don't get to blame Australia's insanity on the US. They're fully in control of their own destiny and are one of the richest, most privileged nations in world history. Australia will have nobody else to blame if they plunge further into fascism from here.

If I am not mistaken most of the immigration to Australia is from UK, India and China.

That may be, but do they hate where they came from the same amount and do they talk about it as much?

Probably very few. Liberals who are alienated with the U.S. would sooner move to Canada for the healthcare, conservatives alienated with the U.S. would sooner be dead than be alive in Australia without guns if their bumper stickers are to be believed.

It’s a misconception that Oz has no guns.

In 1997 they banned “defensive” firearms. The guns you want because they work well. Semiautos, center fire handguns, pump shotguns. Bolt actions are still possible to get, but not great at self-defense, or overthrowing your government.

Side note… in 1997 these guns were banned, and crime fell. As it turns out though, not only was crime already going down, but there was an increase of 2x police per capita, and curiously crime in the USA fell at a greater rate with no gun ban or large increase in police, crime was high in the 90s for some reason, some people say lead paint bans but the causation is weak.

The only things Americans know about Australia are Steve Irwin and Outback Steakhouse, i.e., nothing.

Ok, but I was referring to expatriates.

Also, you forgot Paul Hogan. And Kylie Minogue. And Nick Cave.

Also, while absolutely nothing sticks in my mind about either, the names of Kevin Rudd and Kim Beazley have been retained in my memory.

I don't think they hear anything that'd make them want to emigrate. We just hear that most of the country is desert, even though when I actually went there everyone (in the cities) turned out to be tanned Scots obsessed with beaches and coffee.

If there's places Americans want to go, it's Canada, Europe or Asia, though I think their opinion of Europe is a little overrated if anything.