Why should I not move to Australia?

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Bee

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#83268 13-May-2011 09:43

Following on from another topic and recent conversations with Friends, I'm looking for serious answers now to this Question :

Why should I not move to Australia?

I work in the IT industry so getting a job over there would be relatively easy.

Pros:
Ignoring exchange rates - just looking at straight cost of living :

Salary/income is the same or better (before and after tax?)
Rent /house prices are the same or better
Food is cheaper
Phone / internet is cheaper

(all based mainly on anecdotal evidence)
The politicians in NZ don't seem to have a clue what to do about the economy anymore.

Cons:

Snakes
All my family lives in NZ (would I really miss them???)
full of Australians

So based on that I'm seriously starting to think its an extremely good idea.

So why should I not move to Aus? What is keeping you here?

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#468628 13-May-2011 09:56

Family - and perhaps winter sports - aside I can no see no reason NOT to move to Aussie

In fact for the young and unattached I would recommend it - I can see no advantage to satying. Why would you not go?

I expect my kids will :(

=mjc=
.

reven

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#468630 13-May-2011 09:59

spiders, snakes, crocs.

i could never do any gardening in ozzie, and ever since i saw Arachnophobia im worried there will be a poisons spider behind every toilet in ozzie.

vexxxboy

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#468637 13-May-2011 10:16

because i wouldn't be in NZ and having visited over 100 countries there are more important things than lower cost of living.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

nigelj

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#468641 13-May-2011 10:20

jim.cox: Family - and perhaps winter sports - aside I can no see no reason NOT to move to Aussie

In fact for the young and unattached I would recommend it - I can see no advantage to satying. Why would you not go?

I expect my kids will :(

I'm "young & unattached" and I moved back a couple of reasons:

1) Food may look cheaper, but I found for myself that in reality it wasn't, before I had moved I had done a comparison and it was pretty much the same, and the prices I was looking at didn't really reflect Queensland.
2) Medical costs, getting sick in Australia (even with reciprocal rights) is crazy expensive. Sure, a New Zealander qualifies for Medicare from the first day for a 'permanent migration' (you have to declare that you intend to stay for a while). But there are some things that we take for granted (Free blood lab tests for instance) that you have to pay for, SNP (main lab provider in Queensland) in 09/10 decided to ditch their Bulk Billing arrangement and started invoicing patients. I ended up getting a bill for A$100+ of only about 20-50 was refunded by Medicare.

The worst part was, I wouldn't have even been able to claim it on medical insurance if I had it, because it was likely that they'd claim that it was due to a prior condition.
3) I actually prefer it back here. I took a holiday back here, and ended up my realising what I was missing here.

Now sure, my observations are based on Queensland, I have no idea of how labs etc are done in NSW/VIC etc.

Bee

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#468642 13-May-2011 10:21

vexxxboy: because i wouldn't be in NZ and having visited over 100 countries there are more important things than lower cost of living.

Yes? like what exactly?

All I have so far is snakes and spiders in Australia and no family in Australia, and those are quickly becoming very minor issues to me - but otherwise Australia is just a bigger better nz yes?

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

gehenna

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#468646 13-May-2011 10:28

The "full of australians" issue becomes a lot bigger once you're actually there and surrounded by them :)

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Talkiet

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#468655 13-May-2011 10:41

Have you looked into recent employment law changes in Australia that are moving them closer to a US style "fire at will" system?

I think NZ is too far in the other direction to be honest, but it strikes me as something that will in the medium term somewhat bring employment conditions and pay closer...

I was over there a few years ago during the protests around the introduction of these changes and it sounded pretty bad.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

blakamin

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#468658 13-May-2011 10:48

nigelj: (Free blood lab tests for instance)

Where? Nowhere here I've been gives free blood tests!

If my Mrs would leave (been in the same town 38 years), I'd be gone like a shot!

nigelj

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#468659 13-May-2011 10:50

blakamin:
nigelj: (Free blood lab tests for instance)

Where? Nowhere here I've been gives free blood tests!

DML in Auckland used to be free for Doctor ordered blood tests, and I'm pretty sure Labtests tests are free as well.

EDIT:

Labtests in NZ have http://www.labtests.co.nz/Information-for-Patients/Tests-We-Offer/Test-Funding-Eligibility.aspx which is about free testing.

Looks like Australians in NZ aren't always covered, but the changes that SNL made in Queensland was blanket to everyone that was eligible for Medicare except people that earned under about A$40k.

itxtme

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#468660 13-May-2011 10:53

blakamin:
nigelj: (Free blood lab tests for instance)

Where? Nowhere here I've been gives free blood tests!

I assume he means when referred by a GP or other public health provider the blood tests do not cost you anything

nigelj

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#468662 13-May-2011 10:56

itxtme:
blakamin:
nigelj: (Free blood lab tests for instance)

Where? Nowhere here I've been gives free blood tests!

I assume he means when referred by a GP or other public health provider the blood tests do not cost you anything

Yes, I should have been more specific, "Blood pathology".

Edit: actually, based on the link in my other reply, even self-requested tests are free, which is interesting. Personally I never knew you could walk up to a collection centre and say "test my CBCs". (I think this is what blakamin was referring to?)

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vexxxboy

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#468663 13-May-2011 10:57

Bee:
vexxxboy: because i wouldn't be in NZ and having visited over 100 countries there are more important things than lower cost of living.

Yes? like what exactly?

All I have so far is snakes and spiders in Australia and no family in Australia, and those are quickly becoming very minor issues to me - but otherwise Australia is just a bigger better nz yes?

Quality of life, i hate crowds , i can get to work in under 10 minutes driving, i can play golf on any of the 6 courses within 20 minutes, the lakes in summer are empty so are the beaches i can drive 5 minutes and be in the redwood forest with some of the best bike trails in NZ

Common sense is not as common as you think.

HelloWorld

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#468680 13-May-2011 11:59

Vexxxboy, you mentioned Redwood forest, are you from Rotorua?

gehenna

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#468681 13-May-2011 12:01

Health care costs are relative. When I lived in Melbourne I often paid $50 per doctor visit but pay $35 here in NZ. They have Medicare though so sometimes (seemed to be random) you could get reimbursed the cost of your visit...not often in my exp though.

Prescriptions are also relative - something that costs me $3 for 3 months supply here in NZ was $40 per month over there in Melbourne. Then again something that costs me $70 a month here in NZ was costing $20 a month over there.

It's not a "grass is greener" situation as most people think. There are weird ways of doing things over in Oz, weird costs that you wouldn't expect. Plus having to carry cash around everywhere is a PAIN given their coins are so huge! Hardly anywhere accepts small eftpos transactions so going to a cafe can be a real nightmare when it comes time to pay and they tell you "$20 minimum for eftpos".

vinnieg

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#468690 13-May-2011 12:11

vexxxboy: Quality of life, i hate crowds , i can get to work in under 10 minutes driving, i can play golf on any of the 6 courses within 20 minutes, the lakes in summer are empty so are the beaches i can drive 5 minutes and be in the redwood forest with some of the best bike trails in NZ

Same here, I prefer quality of life over just money

Although Brendon(Bee), since all your Pros include money, it is possibly more important to you than nature? And that's fine, everyone has different opinions and likes/dislikes. If you want a higher salary, cheaper phone rate, country with a better economy, I say move.

Flights aren't too expensive back to NZ to see your family either

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

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