This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
If first impressions count, Sydney Airport is a disaster.
Having just flown across the United States and then the Pacific - a 22-hour slog - arriving at Australia's gateway on Monday felt like an episode of Muster Dogs, as we were corralled and cajoled by human kelpies.
The barking started an hour before landing. No friendly welcome, rather a stern script read over the PA about our strict biosecurity laws and the customs and quarantine declaration that needs to be filled out. Fair enough. Our island continent has much to protect but the wording could be a little friendlier, a little less ominous.
But it's after landing that the real pain begins. Foreigners are herded into the cattle race at immigration while those with Australian passports breeze through the automated gates. Again, fair enough. Many other countries have similar arrangements. But the process could be a little friendlier. "Please" and "Thank you" and the odd smile would help.
The staff supposed to help direct people to the right queue should realise that repeating instructions at a louder volume doesn't make them any easier to comprehend - especially if English isn't your first language and you've just spent a whole day and night pretzelled into your seat in the arse end of a crowded Boeing.
How different the experience in San Francisco a week earlier, where the immigration process was not only super efficient but the officers actually smiled. "You're going to Nashville? Wow, my favourite city!" beamed the woman who checked my passport. "Welcome to the United States. You'll have a great time."
And, unlike Sydney where it can take an eternity, our bags were actually on the carousel once we cleared immigration.
It's at customs and quarantine where the kelpies get really snappy. Every time I join that poorly signposted queue, my heart goes out to the non-English speakers who look tired, confused and a little frightened as they're barked at by unsmiling officers. More warning than welcome.
We pride ourselves as being a successful multicultural country but it's not evident at our national airport where if you don't speak English or have trouble with the Aussie accent, you're met with scowls and extra scrutiny.
Survive the terminal and you're left to the wolves outside, in the form of cab drivers keen to lighten the wallets of visitors unfamiliar with Sydney's geography. "Which way would you like to go?" they ask, knowing full well someone just arrived from London will have no idea of the best way into the city and might just expect the driver to have "the knowledge".
Sydney Airport claims a taxi from the airport to the city "in light traffic" will set you back between $45 and $55 but I've rarely managed it for under $70. Compare this to the prepaid taxi from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which costs around $40 for the hour-long trip into town. In Sydney you could take the so-called AirportLink train but you'll pay $17 to mix it with commuters who've paid a fraction of the cost. Unlike other airports around the world, there's no dedicated rail link.
Ragging on Qantas has become a national pastime - rightly so given the airline's questionable practices. But it's only one part of a sorry puzzle. As a welcome mat, Sydney Airport is threadbare, especially for overseas travellers. Crowded, confusing, unfriendly and ridiculously expensive, it's in dire need of an overhaul. Oh and some simple good manners.
It's not just arrivals who run the gauntlet either. The snarling security kelpies can make departing unpleasant too, treating the passengers who pay their wages like livestock rather than people. Male security staff have been accused of humiliating female passengers by shouting at them, not giving clear instructions and even forcing them to remove clothing unnecessarily.
Surely, we could do better.
Now, I've got that jet-lagged rant out of the way, and before I stretch out to untangle my limbs, I want to thank Steve and Jenna for minding the burrow in my absence. As always they did an excellent job and got you all talking.
HAVE YOUR SAY: How do you rate Sydney Airport? What could be done to improve it? What's the best airport you've used? And the worst? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The head of the Qantas loyalty division has resigned from the airline to pursue other opportunities. Olivia Wirth has been at Qantas for 14 years and spent the past five in the loyalty chief executive role, overseeing the airline's Frequent Flyer program.
- Police have arrested 15 people allegedly involved in a regional drug trafficking ring moving methylamphetamine "throughout the Shepparton community and into Melbourne". More than $100,000 in methylamphetamine was seized with cocaine, GHB, MDMA, electronics and $50,000 cash in searches across 17 properties between October 9 and 13.
- Social media platform X has been fined more than $600,000 and could face charges of modern slavery over compliance failures when tackling child sexual exploitation. The platform formerly known as Twitter has been issued with a legal infringement notice by Australia's eSafety commissioner and has 28 days to respond or pay the $610,500 penalty.
THEY SAID IT: "There are those airports which make you feel better, and there are those airports that, when you go there, your heart sinks: you can't wait to get out of there. They both function as airports, but it's the things that you can't measure that make them different." - Norman Foster
YOU SAID IT: Bravery is not for everyone but those who display it inspire others.
Garry J writes: "Many years ago I was heading off from the Palais in Newcastle to my car when I passed a group of about five or six guys hassling a girl at the bus stop. I don't know why but I walked up to her and said, 'There you are, our car's just around the corner." I took her hand and the thugs left her alone and, yes, I did take her home to safety. I didn't feel brave I just reacted without thinking and did the right thing. My act might have been 'brave', although in the same situation today, it would be foolish, not brave, and perhaps I could have appeared to be just another bus user which may have been enough, or called 000 when I was able to get out of direct sight."
"The referendum result has me feeling brave just to go out to the supermarket in my little town," writes Ken. "I was handing out on Saturday for the 'yes' campaign and it certainly felt divisive in the community. On reflection I think as a country, a society, we are not as dismissive and uncaring as the referendum result suggests. I think the Uluru Statement from the Heart remains a shining light, and alas it is the depth and ugliness of our current political divide that has scuttled it, not a profound ugliness in our society as a whole. I'm still so appreciative of the fundamental caringness of the people in my town. I'm so sad about Saturday's result; it appears so unloving. But the voters who walked past my outstretched hand? We'd all be side by side in a crisis. Thanks Jenna. Whatever's next, be brave."
Bernard writes: "Your question about bravery reminded me of a poem during the 1960s: 'Do you have to wear khaki to be courageous; do you have to wear a slouch-hat, to be brave?'"
"Like you Jenna, bravery doesn't seem to be in my DNA, which is annoying, as my father was decorated for bravery in World War II," writes Ian. "I pray I never encounter a situation which requires bravery. Then again, there's supposedly a fine line between bravery and stupidity. If you run into a fire or the surf to rescue a child, you're brave if you get the child out, but stupid if you die. But there are other kinds of non-life threatening bravery. Like applying for a job for which you're not qualified, or asking out a girl who is out of your league. I've done both, but only the first one worked out. Sometimes getting out of bed in the morning and going to work can be brave, like if you have a toxic manager or workmate (and I'm not talking about the Taliban, but it could feel like it). Sometimes facing the mundane crap of life is bravery enough."