 |
|
|
Realising the vast size of Queensland, we’re surprised to discover 54% of the population, 3.5 million, live in Brisbane. Since 1825 Brisbane has developed from a small rural town to a city but does still have a town feel about it, and plenty of open spaces. Networking we’ve experienced, is very important both when finding jobs and settling in. There isn’t an official organisation set-up to help new immigrants get connected and immigration agents don’t generally assist beyond the initial move. However, with one in four Australians born outside of Australia, there’s a lot of people who have done the same. In addition, there is positive propaganda to encourage multiculturalism and acceptance of new comers. It was said at Brisbane’s first multicultural festival held this year, that there are 150 languages spoken and 100 different faiths, in Queensland. The multicultural festival is a day celebrating different food and customs with dances and music from all the diverse subcultures in the state. Joining a subculture group i.e. French club for the French, is an excellent way to meet people who speak the same language, get help finding jobs and recreate some home comforts. Libraries are also a great resource here. In addition to lending books, there is free internet access, advertisements of most local and regional events/festival, groups and clubs which are often child friendly and are free to join, they provide tourist information, bus and train timetables and have a selection of books and media in most languages. Living in a family orientated society, there are also play groups; mom/dad and babies get to together once or twice a week at a centre to share morning tea and give the children a chance to play. For babies up to 12 months it is free, and then costs on average 9$USD per semester. Childcare nurses are stationed at pharmacies giving free advice and consultation which reduces medical costs. Hobby groups (book clubs, scrap-booking, arts & crafts, photography, fitness walks etc) often cater for all the family; mom and babies, singles, grandparents etc. In the absence of children, animals seem to be must (dog walking or horse riding) as is the practicing or watching of sports, especially rugby league, Aussie Footy, cricket and horse racing, which are all a cornerstone to Australian society. The ‘arts’ do exists and Brisbane is on the musical circuit. Local performances and shows out in the open are more popular than the formal auditorium spectaculars. There are a
lot of qualified/skilled workers who come here and for the first 12 months
or so find themselves in companies where they’ve had to take a step down
in position and salary expectations. The good news is however, that there
is a lot of movement and having short term contracts does give room to
progress fairly quickly and short contracts mean a higher hourly rate.
A typical salary for a teacher, government worker, nurse depending on experience
and qualifications is roughly 33 000$USD a year. This is considered a good
salary by the state. Management and senior positions are generally above
58 500USD. Most Queenslanders will say that the salaries haven’t grown
at the same rate as the real estate market and that a good salary isn’t
really enough to maintain a comfortable standard of living.
Mechanics and tradesman vary in price greatly and are known to charge through the roof if you’re unaware of the going rate. Decent tradesmen who want to build a good reputation and client base do so very quickly! Like anywhere being new makes us an easy target. I guess we’ve accepted that on some things such as repairs to our camper and air conditioning in our car, we’ve paid through the nose due to time restraints. We now take the time to ask around, ask for several quotes before booking our car in for repairs and seek after sales service. With the increasing number of families moving to Brisbane, Australia’s largest growing city, there are several systems that are struggling to cope with the population. To our horror we’ve found waiting lists for childcare are 18 months long. This is a relatively new situation for Brisbane and for us it’s a case of begging our need to be recognised, to try and jump the list a little. The child care centres and carers I’ve met are registered, strict with their safety standards and accommodating. Whether I would like one, two or three days a week is fine, the price isn’t bad either (roughly 35$ USD per full day). Both family day care, which is held at registered homes and full centres which has larger groups of children from babies to pre-school, have a high ratio of carers to children. The facilities are often fantastic and many centres are modern and specifically designed with car parking space and are positioned off main roads. Given that Australians are known for their large families, 4 children per couple can be normal, the need for assistance outside the immediate family is high and kindergarten attendance whilst not mandatory is also becoming increasingly popular. Part of the Childcare fee can be claimed back at the end of the tax year. In addition, like Australians, new immigrants are entitled to a family allowance which is calculated according to the number of dependant children and household salary. The allowance paid per fortnight just about covers the cost of nappies! There is also a baby bonus which is at present 2200$ USD, and is given at birth as a payment by the government. Vaccinations for children are free and there is a small financial reward of 73$ USD for completing the first year vaccination programme- Australia is keen to illuminate childhood diseases. In contrast to day care facilities, state schools can’t refuse children and most have at least one classroom assistant per class of 25. In Queensland pre-school is currently being debated and reorganised to decide if it is compulsory or not and if there will be a biannual in take of students. Generally children start school at around their 5th birthday. Alternatives to state school is of course private; religious, single gender, academic or of a specific philosophy. Like any where
schools vary in facilities (air conditioning or not!), reputation, and
attitude toward discipline. Surprisingly bright children don’t get to jump
ahead in state schools but fortunately children with learning difficulties,
from what I’ve heard are accommodated. Interestingly, bullying and disruptive
behaviour of children can lead to ‘back to school’ classes for their parents,
a scheme which puts the emphasis on the parents to be responsible and accountable
for their child’s social education.
More importantly though, there are BBQ’s to be had, Australian wine and cheese to be sampled, tropical fruit in season and an active baby to be chased after. A vacation up to the barrier reef to the Whitsunday Islands and Airlie beach is a definite must on the agenda for next year. Having been inspired by the immigrants and travel of the first Australians I’ve written a series entitled ‘Sunflowers in the Desert’ which can be read on www.keepitcoming.net or my web page CreativeArts on http://members.optus.com.au/~jeanjacquet/ The following article is the first article Sarah wrote for the magazine:
To contact
Sarah Click Here
|
Immigrating
To Australia - 