They also don't mention we (I'm Australian) lost the Ashes. That's not the point - they are saying we talk about the bad things all the time, and fail to take a step back and look at how good we have it.
To address your points:
they try and play down the government debt because it's low, but omitted the fact that 4 years ago it used to be zero and now is growing faster than Ireland did before it went bust.
Well, no.. they specifically talk about government debt. They point out it is lower than almost any other developed country. I don't understand your point about "it growing faster than Ireland" - yes, there is currently a deficit budget (which means borrowing is occurring). I've never heard "it is growing faster than Ireland did when it went bust" argument before, but it doesn't make much sense to me. The Australian economy is much, much bigger than the Irish economy, and the Irish debt crisis was caused when the Irish government suddenly took over billions in private banks debt, not by government borrowing.
They also omitted the fact that personal debt - ie debt owed by people rather than the government is also one of the highest in the world.
This is true, but is misses the point that Australian savings are also at record levels [1]. People are choosing to keep debt while saving money.
Australian also homes usually take out the top spots in the 'most unaffordable' list.
This is true, but at the same time is one of the things that has driven household assets to the highest in the world. [2][3]
They also omitted the fact that the workforce has gone from being one of the most free back to a much higher regulated workforce, and as a result productivity has dropped precariously and strike action has exploded.
That's a very political statement that I disagree with, but I don't think the argument would be useful here.
There is no mention in the article of what is termed 'the two speed economy' where manufacturing firms are struggling and retail businesses are closing their doors
The "two-speed economy" and Dutch Disease is the biggest challenge facing the Australian economy over the next few years. But that wasn't the point of this article.
[1] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/household-t...
[2] http://www.smartcompany.com.au/wealth/20100429-average-wealt...
[3] http://www.beesnees.com.au/thebuzz/2011/11/landlords-in-a-gr...