Rhrosty,
C'mon we all know what an Asian society looks like, a caste of very intelligent, very rich families at the top, a brahmin or technocratic caste and a mass of unintelligent, malnourished peasants.
If we're to be part of Asia, the personal wish and policy of all politicians then that's the type of society we're going to have, a society in which, as you pointed out the 'first families" (or "Zaibatsus" if you will) steal from or stand over the innovators and tall poppies.
We see it everywhere, the rich White families selling out the posterity of the poor and working class to their Asian allies, the Fisherman's Bend development in Melbourne is a case in point but it's rife, especially in Victoria:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/lowend-buyers-shut-out-of-fishermans-bend-20141101-11fh5p.html
If you hadn't been to Melbourne for ten years you'd be stunned at how much it's changed.
By the way, Asian societies are pretty big on gender roles and assigning women a certain status in society so the main factor mitigating against advances in this area in Australia is the rate of demographic change and the re making of a prosperous first world, White nation into a second tier Asian oligarchy.
The "left" have all the same information that I do and we agree on most points but they ignore or downplay race as a contributing factor anywhere in the discussion of issues such as equality or prosperity.
It's right to decry the old system of colonial privilege for it's structural inequalities but the new system of 21st century colonial oligarchy is virtually indistinguishable from the former, up to and including the re-appearance of slavery in it's oldest and most recognisable forms.

Oh God! Tell me Conrad, just how many times do you socialists have to get it wrong before you wake up to yourselves, & recognise YOU HAVE IT WRONG.

You have tried 5 times to have a lady Premier or Prime Minister, & each time we have had an unmitigated disasters. Not done even yet we have a socialist lady, thicker than 2 gate posts as opposition leader in Qld. Hell even the lucky country can only suffer so much incompetence before we are in the do do.

We have most state education systems now run by feminists, I couldn't call them ladies, & they become a bigger disaster daily.

Queensland Health under Beattie & affirmative action had dozens of women promoted to senior management, & thus to their 5th or 6Th levels of incompetence. It has taken years & a couple of hundred million dollars to get their pay system working again, & hospitals adequately staffed again. Our local hospital, catering to about 35,000 was 6 years without maternity services under one lady district general manager.

Give me a call when your finances are stuffed, I know a good male accountant, who'll be able to sort you out.

I don't know what you're talking about Hasbeen!

I can't wait for Tanya Plibersek to be Treasurer and Sarah Hanson-Young immigration minister.

Some quality leadership there.

/end sarc

The ‘more women than men go university’ statistics are misleading.

Across the Western world generally, women tend to outnumber men in humanities, art and design (creative industries), and community medicine and education. Men outnumber women in computer science, engineering, business and technology.

Also, female-dominant courses formerly provide by TAFEs (polytechs), teachers colleges, art schools and nursing institutions have been upgraded from diploma to university degree status. As a result, it appears as if women are ‘on the march’ and overtaking men at universities, when it’s really just a case of universities incorporating previous female-dominated institutions and courses into their campuses.

Another huge factor that is constantly overlooked is that men comprise the overwhelming majority of trades (other than hairdressing), which do not require university training. As blue collar trades are still overtly macho, sexist and discriminatory, women are generally discouraged from joining them. Other than the trades, women’s job choices are limited to either low-paid service jobs, unskilled factory work (which is greatly diminishing) or university study

Killarney, "As blue collar trades are still overtly macho, sexist and discriminatory, women are generally discouraged from joining them"

What absolute nonsense from someone who obviously has nothing to do with trades and blue collar work.

Women would be welcomed but they do not apply for the jobs and training opportunities. We presently have women on a building site, for instance truck driving. They come from Ireland and are here as temporary workers. No locals are interested. The pay and conditions are good and there is plenty of work.

I am not interested in speculating why very few Australian women and not so many women generally are interested in the work. Others can do that. The fact remains that no employer is likely to knock back anyone who will turn up at work and do the job.

Killarney, I quite agree with you that women and men have seen their life choices reduced over the past 50 years. Do you have any suggestions for changing that?