| It’s been many years since Robert moved from Austria to the Gold Coast, Australia, where he now lives with his wife. Read on for his bitingly witty commentary on aspects of living and working in Australia, the people, and what would-be expats should keep in mind if they’re thinking about moving to the Land Down Under. |
 Robert Barta |
January 08 2007
-Where were you born?
Austria, Europe (mountains, no kangaroos)
-In which country and city are you living now?
Australia, Gold Coast, End of the World, then left (kangaroos, no mountains)
-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my wife. And a cat.
-How long have you been living in Australia?
Too long, i.e., 7 years.
-What is your age?
40-something (too lazy to calculate)
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Australia?
I always wanted to work in an English-speaking country for a while, but this would not work with my first wife. Now with my second wife we went for the 'adventure.'
-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not really, I got an offer from an Australian university. You need a lot of medical examinations, proof of English knowledge and much, much, much, much time (6+ months for this process for us). Europeans do not have a monopoly on bureaucracy.
-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No, Australia's Medicare is a no-brainer, costs nothing (1%) compared to most European countries. And private insurance is also affordable.
-How do you make your living in Australia? Do you have any type of income generated?
I got this university job. Payment is average but adequate because the expectations are low as well. If I would have to leave the university, life as an IT person would be very difficult.
-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
The local language is English. Most Australians cannot speak it properly, although they fool themselves that they do. It takes some time to get used to the accent as it is only using one, single vowel. For females this is an 'oooiiii' (best through the nose) and for males it is 'oooooaaaauuuuu' (best with throwing the jaw forward while speaking).
Otherwise Australians do not follow any local custom. There is no history, no culture to follow anyway. Well, not counting the New Year fireworks.
-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
We miss some things about Austria: Specifically the food, the mindset and even the negative things like bad weather or misanthropy. At least these things are real. We also miss inline skating along the Danube Island and hiking and skiing and going out into the city. Nothing of that can be reproduced here and we do not fancy the Pacific Ocean or the outback. Too much poisonous and deadly stuff in there.
We do not miss Austrian politicians.
-Do you have other plans for the future?
Well, we have to travel a fair bit through the world, so I'm happy to be able to work at home and not on the road or in hotels. But we are thinking about going back to Europe at some point. We have been thinking this for years now, though.
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
Like most European immigrants we were not familiar with an open housing market, so we rented the first years. Renting here means that you have ABSOLUTELY no rights whatsoever and the owner can kick you out of the house/apartment fairly easily. This is why renting is meant only for the poorer population which cannot afford houses.
A family home, i.e. 4 rooms, about 160m², backyard, maybe with pool, double garage, maybe air conditioning, 2 living rooms, but no cellar or usable roof costs between 450,000 and 650,000 AUD here at the Gold Coast. But the heaven is wide open.
Not that the houses are really worth it. Houses here are a concrete slab + a wooden structure + plaster attached on the inside and a single brick wall at the outside. Done. There is hardly any insulation and if you are a determined burglar with a sledgehammer, it takes you 1 minute to break through the wall. Why bother with the lock.
-What is the cost of living in Australia?
Australia overall is not so expensive, especially if you do not live in a major city. The Gold Coast is infamous for high prices (and bad quality) because of the recent population growth.
-What do you think about the Australians?
I would think that the British may have invented hypocrisy, but the Australians have perfected it. There is more double-speak than in the U.S. Otherwise Australians are shallow and they seem to be proud of it. Their interests are interests rates, the housing market, the stock market, gambling and cricket and footy. In no particular order.
They detest politicians and hardly take politics seriously. They actually do not take anything seriously. Their environmental track record is really bad (almost on par with the U.S.) and also do not worry about global warming at all. Although they may be the ones worst affected as the droughts here are dramatic already.
They definitely like immigrants to work for them. What I am not sure is whether they like to allow immigrants to be in charge when they are more competent.
The myth this country is nurturing is “give everyone a fair go,” but every country has its myths, I'd guess. But there are too many cases of skilled people moving here and then working in a completely unrelated industry: a Czech architect is laying tiles now. A Russian Aeroflot pilot is selling insurance policies, you get the picture.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Australia?
Positive are the ridiculously low taxes, the stable weather and that you have a certain entrepreneurial freedom. The overregulation in Europe, Austria specifically, is certainly much more stifling. Here, if you refuse to be ripped off and if you are clever enough to avoid it, you can make some decent money.
Question is, is that money worth something outside Australia.
Negative is the heat here at the Gold Coast, the ripoff mentality, shallowness and the constant pressure to make everything cheaper and even cheaper still. And the TV. And the food. And the fact that you are far away from every development.
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Australia?
Think twice about leaving a European social security system. It is VERY difficult to return, so moving may quickly become a one-way street for you. If your job does not work out in Australia, you may have a serious problem.
