4. WE HAVE BECOME BALKANISED

The personal touch and familiarity that used to exist between people has largely evaporated. We have become remote, focused on work, and withdrawn into ourselves. Verbal exchange has largely been replaced by emailing and other more impersonal forms of dialogue.

There are distinct threats to personal safety, meaning that guard dogs, fences, security systems, locked gates and blacked-out fences have reinforced this balkanisation to the extent of conferring a fortress mentality upon us all. We care less about others and share less. The sweetness of the Australian personality has soured