Donald Horne 's famous quote is often referred to by many Australians. However, people have taken its meaning at face value, focusing only on its first part, whereas Donald Horne meant it to be sarcastic. What he meant by this quote is that Australia has only prospered as a nation because of other countries and that the people within it have not done anything to contribute to this. He was very upset by some of Australia 's decisions such as the White Australia Policy. Many people believe that this quote is true but many people oppose it. When analysed in 5 different areas, social, historical, economical, environmental and political, and compared to other countries, in this case Vietnam, a decision can be made about whether this quote is true
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These include deforestation, pollution and the effects of the war. In 1943, 44% of the nation was made up of forests. This number decreased to 24% in 1983 and 20% in 1995. A ban of unprocessed timber exports was implemented in 1992 and there have been replantation efforts however, the ban meant buying timber from neighbours, such as Laos and Cambodia, which hurt their environment. Air pollution in Vietnam is a major problem. The main reason for this pollution is the amount of low-quality motorbikes. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, there is a motorbike for every two citizens. This has a terrible impact on global warming and other such environmental factors. Water pollution is another environmental concern in Vietnam. Most industrial areas do not have waste water treatment plants and, around Vietnam, only 14% of waste water is treated. This has resulted in the loss of many ecosystems. The war also had a great effect on the environment. Agent Orange was used as a defoliant, bulldozers were used to remove vegetation and topsoil, landslides were purposely created, melaleuca forests were burned and elephants were bombed. It is estimated that 20,000 square km of forest and farmland were destroyed because of the effects of the Vietnam War (Stewart, 2012). Australia also has the problem of deforestation. This can increase the salinity of the soil. Around 7% of agricultural areas in Western Australia are suffering from this problem. Agricultural clearing and overgrazing have also led to major changes in the environment. 13% of Australia 's original vegetation has been removed for agricultural purposes and only 2% of original grasslands remain in temperate areas due to overgrazing. Again, like Vietnam, Australia has problems with pollution. Around 19,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 141,000 tonnes of nitrogen are deposited into rivers each year and industrial development is affecting the land (Wwf.panda.org, 2015). A solution to making
These include deforestation, pollution and the effects of the war. In 1943, 44% of the nation was made up of forests. This number decreased to 24% in 1983 and 20% in 1995. A ban of unprocessed timber exports was implemented in 1992 and there have been replantation efforts however, the ban meant buying timber from neighbours, such as Laos and Cambodia, which hurt their environment. Air pollution in Vietnam is a major problem. The main reason for this pollution is the amount of low-quality motorbikes. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, there is a motorbike for every two citizens. This has a terrible impact on global warming and other such environmental factors. Water pollution is another environmental concern in Vietnam. Most industrial areas do not have waste water treatment plants and, around Vietnam, only 14% of waste water is treated. This has resulted in the loss of many ecosystems. The war also had a great effect on the environment. Agent Orange was used as a defoliant, bulldozers were used to remove vegetation and topsoil, landslides were purposely created, melaleuca forests were burned and elephants were bombed. It is estimated that 20,000 square km of forest and farmland were destroyed because of the effects of the Vietnam War (Stewart, 2012). Australia also has the problem of deforestation. This can increase the salinity of the soil. Around 7% of agricultural areas in Western Australia are suffering from this problem. Agricultural clearing and overgrazing have also led to major changes in the environment. 13% of Australia 's original vegetation has been removed for agricultural purposes and only 2% of original grasslands remain in temperate areas due to overgrazing. Again, like Vietnam, Australia has problems with pollution. Around 19,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 141,000 tonnes of nitrogen are deposited into rivers each year and industrial development is affecting the land (Wwf.panda.org, 2015). A solution to making