2009 March | Welcome to Australia Blog

French Cooking Lessons – Brisbane

Fabrice from Marseille France, is in Brisbane until September 2009 and he gives French cooking lessons.

While he is not a Chef by trade, he is a very good cook. We organised a team building French cooking session with him recently – it was great and the food was excellent.

We cooked the following dishes:

Rabit in White Wine

Duck in Port

Duck in Cider

Pineapple and Rhum Charlotte for the desert

If you are interested you can contact him at fpenfrat@aol.com

Monday, March 9th, 2009 French in Brisbane 1 Comment

Nature Tourism ~ Australia has a Lot to Offer

When it comes to trekking or taking a horse ride off into the sunset, Australia is the place to be.

If you weren’t impressed by Baz’s Epic then you may have missed the point, at least the point of the amazing scenery, that is.

There are sooooo many natural beauty spots, you will be spoilt for choice. As a new migrant we love the open space Australia has to offer and have spent a lot of weekends heading off road.

Wild emus, stock men on horse back, Kangaroos, Koalas…..are all out there in the wild outback and on the edge of suburban life.

If you’ve just arrived in Australia and are looking for a holiday destination, why not take a trip to The Great Barrier Reef off Port Douglas or Cairns or treat yourself to a sail off the Whitsunday Islands. The reef is still alive and well but it is worth seeing it sooner rather than later.

It has also become increasingly difficult to spot a Koala in the wild but Noosa national park (Queensland) has been known to have a few.

For more nature tourism, this is a great website: www.150mustdos.com.au/

Sunday, March 8th, 2009 Travel Australia No Comments

Report on Skill Shortage in Australia

As a person willing to live and work in Australia, it is interesting to know that you’ll be able to find work easily. The Clarius Skills Index is a report that indexes the shortage and oversupply of skilled labour.

Australia is having the highest level of labour skills shortage since 2001. In particular the demand for computing professionals is 2.1% higher than the available supply.

Amoungst the notable shortages, Chefs come first, Metal-related tradepersons are second, Automotive-related tradepersons are 4th, Health professionals are 5th and computing professionals are 7th.

The unemployment rate is planned to stay low in the next few years, despite the economic down-turn, around 5%.

In ICT, skills shortages will remain in areas such as .Net, Java, Project Managers, Business Analysts, Cisco and SAP.

On average in Australia, wages have increased by a strong 14% since 2005, but this is planned to fall below 4% during 2009/10.

For more information see the report.

Saturday, March 7th, 2009 Skill Shortage No Comments

Diversity & Tolerance – How is the Australian Government Managing?

Source: http://www.immi.gov.au/.

Australia’s new Multicultural Advisory Council met for the first time in Canberra today to discuss ways the Government can tackle cultural, racial and religious intolerance.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the 16-member council, chaired by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, will provide invaluable, independent advice to Government.

‘The council will play an important role in articulating the benefits of Australia’s diversity and shaping this Government’s response to religious and cultural intolerance,’ Senator Evans said.

‘The council will provide advice on the government’s cultural diversity programs, including the Diverse Australia Program launched last month, and Harmony Day which is celebrated on March 21.’

The council will focus on:

practical approaches to promoting social cohesion

overcoming intolerance and racism in Australia

communicating the social and economic benefits of Australia’s cultural diversity

the inclusion of migrants in society.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, said Australia’s approach to immigration and cultural diversity was a national strength.

‘Religious and cultural diversity is a permanent and valuable feature of Australian society and the make-up of the council reflects that diversity,’ Mr Ferguson said.

‘Independent advice from a council made up of experienced and knowledgeable individuals from diverse backgrounds and professional expertise in industry, community, public and private sectors will assist government in developing and strengthening policies and programs to promote social cohesion.’

Friday, March 6th, 2009 Australian Culture No Comments

More Working Holiday Visas are Available

Source: http://www.immi.gov.au/ Good news for working holiday fans.

Young people from Australia and Indonesia will benefit from a new reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement between the two countries, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans said today.

The arrangement, which was signed in Jakarta by Senator Evans and Mr Andi Mattalatta, the Indonesian Minister for Law and Human Rights, allows university-educated Australian and Indonesian travellers who are aged between 18 and 30 to work and holiday in each other’s country for up to 12 months. ‘The work and holiday visa arrangement allows young people from our two countries who want to travel and experience a different lifestyle and culture to work and subsidise their holiday,’ Senator Evans said.

The work and holiday visa differs from a working holiday visa as it requires applicants to have the support of their government, hold or be studying towards tertiary qualifications and speak functional English or Indonesian respectively.

Applicants must also must meet health and character requirements and have no dependent children. Work and holiday visa holders may do temporary or casual work for up to six months with any one employer.

Indonesia has become the seventh country to agree to a reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement with Australia.

There will be an annual limit of 100 work and holiday visas for both countries but this figure will be reviewed on an as-needs basis.

‘Indonesia is a key partner for Australia and this new arrangement is an investment in future relations with Indonesia. It will also help develop links between people in both countries.

‘It will provide a further incentive for young people from both nations to deepen their understanding of our histories, cultures and economies,’ Senator Evans said.

Thailand was the first South East Asian country to agree to a reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement with Australia in July 2004. Australia also has reciprocal work and holiday arrangements with Malaysia, Chile, Turkey, Bangladesh and the USA. Further information on the work and holiday visa program can be found online at: http://www.immi.gov.au/

Thursday, March 5th, 2009 visas No Comments

Stay out of the Sun!

But that’s the reason we moved to Australia! I’ve dreamt to be living in warmer climes…enjoying outdoor living, going to the beach every weekend.

It’s true there are many advantages of living in Australia when it comes to the warmer weather. You can actually plan your weekends away with confidence and it is possible to be outdoors most days of the year.

However, as our current TV advertisers are keen to remind us – Stay out of the Sun. Skin Cancer is the big killer here.

Children are taught at a young age to Slip, Slop, Slap – Slip on a shirt, Slop on the Cream and slap on a hat…we’ve needed to learn and develop the habit.

Most children’s play areas are shaded either by trees or with shade cloths to protect both the equipment and it’s users from the harsh rays.

A lot of indoor facilities are well air conditioned and many Australians will spend a large part of the summer avoiding the weather!

There are numerous clinics to get your skin checked at, if you spot a mole that is growing or changing that is.

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 living in Australia No Comments

Sharks in Shallow Water

When we first moved to Australia, like any new migrant we had a few reservations about swimming in the sea. You’ve seen the film JAWS……you know what I mean.

We asked ‘the locals’ about where it is safe to swim, checked out for signs on beaches and then finally started to embrace the coastal living lifestyle. It took a while and I have to admit, I’m still not as keen to swim in the sea as in a pool and when it comes to surfing, I stick to the shallow water.

This week brought us up sharp when yet again there was a shark attack. It does happen and might I add lately…fairly frequently. From what we’ve heard, February is the month to not swim in the sea. Sharks are known to come into shallow water and do live in rivers too. One theory is that there are more fish near the shore…fishing bans etc…this theory has been dismissed but we wait to hear more.

Why is there an increase in shark attacks?

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 living in Australia No Comments

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