" A Mate" wrote in
:

Tipping is a minor facet of Australian life - AND in only a very few
areas.

In all except top end silver service restaurants tipping is neither
required nor expected. In fact it's non-existent.

On taxis, almost everywhere, it's the norm to round the fare up to the
next '5' or '0'.

Porters are found in so few hotels (5* maybe; not always then) that
they're not an issue.

Occasionally a drinker will leave his/her small change after the last
drink in a bar.




"freenews.iinet.net.au" wrote in message
...
Tipping is a very un Australian thing to do.

I haven't seen one for many years, but there used to be signs in pubs
saying "Tipping is un-Australian". My guess is that the signs were
orchestrated by one of the unions seeking to increases wages by
discouraging tipping so employers couldn't use it as an excuse to
reduce wages.

Personally, as an Australian, I don't see the point of tipping -- I
think we should pay for the overall product/service which in turns
pays the staff who deliver it. Even when travelling overseas in
cultures where tipping is the norm, it seems very inconsistent to me.
Why do you tip a cab driver but not a bus driver? Why do you tip a
waitress but not a flight attendant? Etc.

Kerry

Indeed, when dining with my Aussie friends they are always quick to
restrain the tipping tendencies of this Yank.


--
Joseph Coulter, cruises and vacations
www.josephcoulter.com

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