In his 1964 book The Lucky Country, author David Horne coined the term Lucky Country in the opening words of his last chapter writing:
"Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise."
I personally view the quote as being more relevant now than in the 1960's when it was written. This is because of reduced manufacturing capacity compared with the 1960's along with reduced scientific spending and innovation resulting in a poor economic complexity (87 out of 133 countries). As such, Australia is indeed the Lucky Country in the sense David Horne stated, being reliant on mining raw materials.