The Daily Mail reported on July 13 that a reporter interviewed people on the streets of various parts of Australia and asked people if they were willing to fight for their country, and received an unexpected answer.
Journalist Fred Pawle recently asked passers-by about this question on the NSW Central Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
"My initial idea was to see if people's answers were relevant to where they were and which areas people were more or less likely to fight for their country," Pawle told the Daily Mail.
Overall, he said, respondents' responses were in line with his expectations, with fewer people willing to fight for their country than Sydney in Melbourne, which has experienced the world's longest Covid lockdown.
"In Sydney, there are about 80 per cent of people who are willing to fight for their country, while in Melbourne it's only about 60 per cent."
"I'm amazed at the results of Byron Bay, if you live in this kind of paradise, shouldn't you defend it? I needed to guide them a little, but most said yes. ”
Pawle said he was not surprised that more and more people were saying they would not defend Australia because society was becoming more and more polarised.
"Eighty and 100 years ago, Australians won world wars through will, strength and unity, and those qualities seem to be less than they were today," he observed.
In the video, many male respondents said they would not hesitate to take up arms if the country was attacked.
"Definitely, I live here," replied a man from Brisbane.
"100 per cent, Australia is the best country in the world, friend." Another man said.
A young man in Byron Bay said: "Of course, but only for defense, and it doesn't feel good if your friends all go to war and you don't." ”
"I will be on the front lines," said an Aboriginal man from Melbourne.
But others said it depended on the circumstances, or that they chose not to go to war for different reasons.
A Byron Bay resident answered "no" when asked if he would defend Australia, but answered "absolutely yes" when asked if he would fight for this beautiful seaside town.
"Who the hell are we fighting for?" The man asked.
"Are we fighting for ourselves, or are we fighting for the politicians who will end up doing the same thing?"
Another Byron Bay resident said they "don't want to be involved in this complex and dramatic political battle".
"I'm against violence," one interviewee said.
A man with a United Kingdom accent said he "would move somewhere else" if Australia had a conscription system.
"I value my life more than those things."
Another man said he didn't think Australia was "worth defending in its current state".
When asked if they were fighting for territory or values, Pawle replied that they were not sure that Australia's values were aligned and united, so it was not clear whether it was worth fighting for them.
"It's really worrying," Pawle said.
But he also said he was encouraged by the willingness of the majority to defend this "wonderful place" despite the divisions in society.
"A lot of people say they won't fight overseas, but for most people, when it comes to defending Australia at home, the answer is yes."
"It's an important question, the drums of war are beating, but a lot of people look at me and think why are you asking this?" ”
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