Well considering that I'm from an island in the Caribbean with no BMX stores, one old BMX track from the 70s and until 2 years ago no real skatepark(and the current skatepark barely counts) and I first started riding a bmx bike there you are definitely getting the wrong impression. This was before the internet so we had to make do with the random bits of BMX that ended up in the island's shops.
Yeah people will still ride. Sure.
Doesn't mean you're screwing over your local scene any less by buying from overseas. You should buy local. Or you could buy from danscomp and support some fat bald men(teehee) in suits who don't ride bikes. Or you could shop at empire and support the scene in Austin.
To put things in perspective, I'm not Australian and I would sooner spit on my grandfathers grave than support a mail-order over a local shop.
At least when I throw my legs over my ride I don't have to feel dirty about it.