Why Are We Here?

Heading towards home

Back in 2010 life in the UK wasn’t going too well for a lot of people and seemed to be getting worse.  While Paul always found work as a self-employed carpenter, his wages have dropped in real and actual terms by a staggering amount over the last 10 years, partly as a result of the influx of labour from the Eastern European countries and partly as a result of the recession which began in 2008.

My own career in insurance litigation was also affected by the recession and, like Paul, I was earning far less than I was in 1999.  I have had two jobs which involved a 3 hour commute each day and when I did find work nearer home, within a year I was unfairly dismissed when they replaced me with an unqualified and inexperienced graduate who they paid a pittance. 

The area of law in which I practice is increasingly being dealt with by unqualified staff who are prepared to work for much less than anyone with the qualifications and experience. 

We both experienced the knock on effect of the recession, in particular the tactics that employers use to put staff under increasing pressure to perform beyond that which is reasonable, and you find yourself working in a culture of fear that you will lose your job any minute.  Certainly that was my experience, going to work every day, fearful of making any comment and on more than one occasion being told that I was lucky to have a job and if I didn’t like it…

Melbourne Central Business District from St Kilda

Even on as we were travelling I would keep up with the news back home and I was regularly horrified by how much worse things seemed to be getting in the UK and Europe.  Without getting too political, the government seemed to be intent on imposing increasingly draconian cuts which were affecting the most vulnerable people in society:  the poor, the sick and the disabled. 

At the same time, the cuts weren’t working (and still aren’t), the economy is at a standstill, and the idiots in charge are just stubbornly ploughing ahead without any regard to how their policies are affecting the majority of people, protecting only the rich and making them richer.  What was worse was seeing how their tactics of demonising the weakest in society was turning the public against those in need. 

The media’s role in vilifying those on benefits cannot be underestimated but neither can that of those people who regurgitate the crap that is spouted by the press without checking the facts.  I am not even going to start on the alarming rise in popularity of extreme right wing politics and the affect this is having on the UK in general as a normally tolerant and welcoming, multicultural society but I do despair of what I see is going on back home and for the moment I am happy we have the opportunity to try our luck in Australia. 

Just before I head completely off subject (which I obviously have done already but never mind), I would also just like to say I really do not understand why people think that we would be better off out of Europe when we would still have to adopt and incorporate many of its legislation in order to continuing trading with the EU but outside of the EU we would no longer have a voice around the table.  When you hear the right wing anti-Europe brigade talking about “regulations” that are stifling growth you can bet your bottom dollar that they are talking about hard earned employees’ rights such as the Working Time Regulations which most companies force you to opt out of anyway! 

The ferry to Tasmania

We are not an empire anymore and we have got to grow up as a country and realise that there are other, bigger, more economically sound nations in all four corners of the world and that in order to maintain an important political and economic profile we need to be part of the EU and evolve.  The trend is shifting and we need to accept it.  

And for the last time, leaving the EU would not result in our longer being bound by decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights.  They are two separate entities.   And this is completely off subject but I just might slap the next idiot who says that human rights legislation should not apply to certain people.  The clue is in the name and human rights are (or should be) afforded to every single human being whether they are a convicted murderer, a suspected murderer or an innocent man (or woman) accused of murder. 

So I think we have established that what is going on back home on the politics front is frustrating me just a tad.

As far as Australia was concerned, the little I had found out about the country intrigued me.  It is a largely classless society where opportunity is available to all regardless of who their father went to school with.  It has been run by a labour government for many years and workers’ rights have always been top of the agenda and entrenched in the country’s psyche.  It does have a reputation for overregulation and because it has both Federal and State legal systems, it seemed to me to be a bit of a minefield.  It also has a reputation for the great outdoors life (read: healthy) and another for enjoying a good old piss up at a barbie (read:  not so healthy).  Could it be that neither stereotype is correct?

Rainbow lorikeets - there are hundreds in Melbourne

I admit I was curious about this country although it always felt to me to be too far from home and nowhere near anywhere apart from New Zealand.  However, as we were spent our time travelling through Europe, Russia, China and south east Asia  it became increasingly apparent that what I meant was that it is miles away from Europe.  It is very near China and India and where much of the world’s economic growth is at the moment. 

It also has penguins which can only be a good thing in my opinion.

Anyway things weren’t looking like they were going to improve any time soon in the UK and so Paul woke up one morning and announced that he thought it would be a good idea to emigrate to Australia for a while at least to see how we got on.  The economy in Australia was, at that time, much better than that in the UK, Europe and the States, and as Paul was an Australian Citizen, I could apply for a partner visa and if successful would be eligible to live and work in Australia on a permanent basis.

No-one was more surprised at this turn of events.  Paul last set foot in Australia 19 years ago and as far as I was aware, we were planning to visit for a couple of weeks but that was it.  He had always made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of returning to Australia for any length of time (apart from as a tourist/traveller) and that his home was, and always would be, London.

So, plans were changed, the visa process began and I was eventually granted a permanent visa subclass 100 which I had to validate by 24^th May 2013, and which I managed to do by the skin of my teeth.

We entered Australia on the morning of 22^nd May 2013 and after visiting family and friends in Adelaide, made our way to Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road, and finally arrived in Melbourne where we decided we would make our home.

When considering where to live and work we had considered Darwin but the climate did not appeal, particularly to Paul who would be spending most of his time outdoors in the blisteringly hot and humid weather.  Paul briefly considered New Zealand because they are rebuilding Christchurch after their devastating earthquake but the economy there is such that lots of Kiwis are taking advantage of their right to live and work in Australia and are moving over in their droves.

Private motor boats in the marina at St Kilda

We also thought about moving to Sydney but we went off that idea and both agree that Melbourne was definitely the best choice.  It is a beautiful city, very European but also very Australian.  It is on a beautiful part of the coast with a busy working port, lovely beaches and a bit of a bohemian vibe to it.  However, I must say that the weather leaves a lot to be desired in winter.  Although I hesitate to complain, it is freezing at this time of year, and we simply don’t have the clothes for it (or the money to spend on them at the moment).  I am assured that I will yearn for cool days when it is the height of summer but I shall reserve judgment.

And did you know that in Melbourne you can experience all four seasons in one day?  Well, if you spend more than 5 minutes in the city you will have heard that sentence uttered at least once.  By the end of that day you will want to punch the next person who shares that well known adage.

So we were happy with our decision and after a little exploration we were beginning to believe we would really like Melbourne, and St Kilda in particular.  All we needed to do now was to find somewhere to live, find a job, and settle down to enjoy living in this lovely city so far from home.

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