Reference to 'class' is not appropriate in Australia. Class distinctions in Britain and Europe were hereditary, arising over many, many generations. Some still exist.

Our founding fathers were determined that class distinctions would not hold sway here - although a few people like squatters - gave it a try and were badly disappointed.

Anyone who talks about class in Australia is a Leftist expounding the politics of envy (many people see money as a divider).

If you have reached HSC standard without knowing that class does not exist in Australia (in the true meaning of the word), you have been badly let down by your teachers and the education system.

You should not be looking here for answers; all the responses will be politically loaded - including mine, many will say.

For heavens sake, talk to someone at school. Get into some history books. Don't rely on people you don't know, again, including me.

One way society changes, is by maturing. The average age of a society to some extent determines its conduct. We have reasonably good medical systems, many of us get our three score and ten plus some, and some of us get wiser as we get older.

Have a look at Irish society. It was predominantly Roman Catholic, and supplied a great number of the early settlers to Australia. It was rebellious against the English, and with the supplies of guns and trained men, trained in the British Army in WWI, funded from Irish Americans, Britain was sensible to let them have a republic. Since the same society now has no oppressive enemy to oppose, and the only legitimate way to oppose it, was to belong to the Roman Catholic Church, the influence of the church has waned. They still teach most children, but after school ends, there are few who attend more than a few times a year.

Irish Congregations in Australia are struggling for Priests, and many times the Priest can hardly speak English. When the Priest is drawn from Latin America, he still practices the same religion, but the articulation is difficult.

Some people are born with innate abilities. It is said that the top two percent in intelligence create ninety eight percent of the jobs. Gout, that pesky little build up of uric acid that swells joints and makes so many men limp, predisposes an individual to success. Leaders rise up and show the way, and can change society dramatically, just look at Robert Mugabe, he is both a lawyer and a Roman Catholic: A Disastrous combination.

Education and how it is slewed can change society. If you are not taught to question everything your teachers are falling down on the job. Doing basic research these days is so much easier, when you use your Google. However you are required to conform or be failed. Give the professor what he wants and you will get credits, try to be original and you may get ahead of your teachers. Most of all have fun

Many people will have you believe there is no class difference in Australia. This is very false. There is a definite hierarchy that exists in our society.

The wealthy and the powerful have a vested interest in both denying class exists while perpetuating it for their own means. The same thing happens with racism. The ruling classes are more than happy to have immigration because it keeps their businesses and profits growing while at the same time sowing racism and racist attitudes in the lower classes so as to keep them divided and powerless.

By their use of the media, which they own, and the advertising industry, which serves them gratefully, they perpetuate the myths that poor people are responsible for their own poverty and have no one to blame but themselves and that rich people are that way from some innate superiority or even more fatuously from hard work. As if being paid 250 times the average they are working 250 times harder than your average min wage slave. Sick isnt it that we fall for this so easily.

They use the education system to make people submissive and compliant. "Obedience" they call it. They have the state and politicians in their pocket and bribe them at will and call it "political donations". The state in turn supports and protects its mates with laws, policy and the hired thugs we call the police. Many people are incarcerated to protect the propertied classes.

The facts remain that being born rich or poor will decide the outcome of the vast majority of lives. The few who rise from poverty are always held up as the example anyone can follow but the fact is that old money is the overwhelming resident of the top ten percent of the wealthy. If you are born rich you have all the advantages if you are born poor your screwed before you even start. The few who reverse this trend are overwhelmingly effected by chance and good decisions that pay off massively.

The same goes for rock stars and celebrities. Does anyone seriously think being paid millions for a few minutes/hours writing some song or acting is normal? This is a massive distortion and it has led to young people seeing fame as the only way out and being prepared to do anything to get it. But it takes peoples minds away from the actual picture of the ruling class being the only ones to really have any freedom in our society and even they arent really free. They are scared to death of the teeming masses and fear for what they have and so what they could lose.

The church backs this philosophy and uses it to further its own power over its adherents by assuring them that god knows what he is doing and no matter how bad your life is now that if you devote yourself to their teachings you will be better off after you die. Old churches may be dying out but at least they had a compassionate veneer the new evangelicals have nothing but hatred for the poor and they teach a gospel of prosperity (for the faithful) and retribution (for everyone else).

This traid of church, state and money is what rules over us and has done so for the last few hundred years. The class system that has developed works to entrench the privilege and power of the few and make sure that the overwhelming majority stay impoverished and at the whim of the bosses and landlords and the moneylenders

OK, maybe I did paddle my own canoe a bit hard, but I maintain my point about tribalism is still valid.
The aristocracy came about when tribal leaders became a tribe of leaders.
I remember watching a Ray Martin show many years ago, about a bunch of society dames having a 'charity lunch'. After the 4 or 5 of them spent over a grand on a meal with wine and the works, they all chipped in $20 each for the poor.
When queried about this disparity, they pointed out that "to the poor, $20. is a lot of money".
In Australia, our tribal leaders are showing the same discrimination.
Oh to be in the same tax bracket as the guy I'm paying to represent me.
Oops, still paddling..

*Oh to be in the same tax bracket as the guy I'm paying to represent me.*

There of course we have the real problem here Grim. Envy.

Yet if you had saved your pennies 30-40 years ago and ploughed
your savings into BHP shares, you'd now be laughing.

Perhaps as a kid, you never passed the marshmallow test :)