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G for Grass, Greenery, Gardens

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on February 13, 2012 in A to Z of Australia

Our A – Z of Australia focusses mainly on aspects of Australian life that my family find different or interesting.   One of the biggest differences between what my family are used to and Australia is the open spaces and the trees, grass and other greenery.

I remember when Mr O and I drove to Daylesford the first time, he kept saying so many trees, so much space.  “You could build houses here!”

I spent time explaining we didn’t want to build houses there, we like our green spaces.

After the children arrived home with Mr O, I was asked “Why is there so much grass?”  By then Mr O was studying horticulture, so I suggested to the young man questioning, he should ask his father! 🙂

Miss O 1 commented on more than one occasion “There are so many trees!”

They haven’t yet seen the desert, the arid heart of Australia.  A for Arid was our first article in this series.

Look where we spent Christmas Day.  Green grass to play soccer on!

Family at play

Family at play

 

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F for Fair Go

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on February 5, 2012 in A to Z of Australia

If there is one thing that epitomises the Aussie spirit, it is the concept of a “fair go”.  Possibly this dates back to the first white settlers.  Many saw themselves as escaping the class system of England, where not everyone had equal opportunities.  Here they would build a new society: a society where all had a fair go, an equal opportunity to make something of themselves.  Fair dinkum goes hand-in-hand with a fair go: are you fair dinkum, mate?  Traditional virtues are considered to be egalitarianism, classlessness, ‘a fair go’, stoicism and mateship (refer http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/australia/pdf/national_id.pdf).  Australia is a land where mates look out for one another and good honest hard work is rewarded in the land of opportunity. Right?  That is certainly the image we like to present to the world.

Kids at Christmas

Seeking a fair go

Historically, the reality was many got a fairer “go” than others.  It was not until 1967 Aboriginal people were accorded basic citizenship rights and were counted in the national census of the Australian people. Prior to this, the country’s original inhabitants were  not even counted as citizens. It was not until the High Court’s Mabo v Qld decision in 1992, that the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ was dealt with.  At that point Australia’s legal system finally acknowledged that Australia was not an empty continent when the Europeans arrived. Prior to this, Aboriginal people simply did not exist within the eyes of the law as a sovereign people. The Australian Constitution still does not recognise the sovereignty of Indigenous Australians. (Adapted from http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/australia/pdf/national_id.pdf)

Let us not forget the White Australia Policy.  Primarily the White Australia Policy was all about keeping Asian and pacific islander workers out of Australia to protect the employment opportunities of European Australians.  Somewhere along the line, even Greeks and Italians from certain parts were considered too “swarthy” to migrate to Australia.  Today Melbourne is the largest Greek city outside Greece and Australians from an Asian background are numerous. Continue Reading »

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Would you prefer to be a Rinehart or a sex slave?

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on February 3, 2012 in General
The Salvation Army logo (Anglophone Version)

Image via Wikipedia

Today I read two newspaper articles.  Not an unusual event, I know.  In one article three young (believed to be under 18), vulnerable women had been allegedly lured from Thailand on the promise of student visas only to become sex slaves in Australia.  Due to a tip-off to the Salvation Army, the poor young women have been rescued.

The three women, believed to be under 18, claim they were told they were travelling to Australia on student visas but, once here, their passports were confiscated and they say were taken to the brothel and forced to work as prostitutes.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/tipoff-leads-to-trio-of-young-thai-women-who-were-held-as-sex-slaves-20120202-1qvnu.html#ixzz1lJMqWAFE

No, despite what you may believe after my recent article titled “E for Employment” I am not on a spree of writing about brothels.  It was the contrast of the above article with another about poor little rich girls, one claiming to be down to her “last $60,000”, that irritated me.

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E for Employment – Brothel sex inspector

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on February 1, 2012 in A to Z of Australia

As we all know, Mr O received his Certificate II in Horticulture and is now seeking an adult apprenticeship.  January was very quiet on the job front as it always is in Australia.  Today there was an article about a job Mr O didn’t see when it was available (it has been filled, no pun intended).  Coming from a country where this sort of thing is just not spoken about, it took Mr O several minutes to realise why I was so amused at the report.

While I am not commenting on his qualifications for the particular position, I couldn’t resist sharing the article as it certainly provides a perspective on Australian culture that perhaps not many overseas people would see.  Perhaps I should have saved this for H for Humour!

It’s billed as a bachelor’s dream job — being paid $70k annually to “partake of sexual services” at brothels in NSW on behalf of local councils.

An advertisement for the job as a “Brothel Buster Investigator”, placed by Lyonswood Investigations and Forensic Group in Sydney, was published in My Career in late January.

Applicants were required to be unmarried and preferably single, to be willing to have protected sexual intercourse with prostitutes and to provide sworn evidence in court.

http://news.msn.co.nz/worldnews/8411388/australian-firm-seeks-brothel-sex-inspector

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D for Deprecation

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on January 26, 2012 in A to Z of Australia
View of beach at Surfers Paradise with skyline.

Image via Wikipedia

Self-deprecation, that is.  Australia is renowned for self-deprecation.  OK, I cheated  a little on the D.  Sue me.  We don’t like to boast and we’ll rip down (our famed “tall poppy syndrome“) those who we deem to be doing so.   This is one of the biggest differences between the USA and Australia in the business world.  Australians don’t naturally run around saying how great we are (although we are getting more Americanised with each passing year), while in the USA it is expected.  Just cultural differences, neither is right or wrong! Consequently, when involved in international business each has to be aware of these completely opposing traits!

While researching for examples for this article, I came across the following:

Self-deprecation is a basic character flaw or personality defect

http://personalityspirituality.net/articles/the-michael-teachings/chief-features/self-deprecation/

What?  It isn’t a basic character flaw, it is one of the basic forms of humour in Australia!  Michael needs to travel more, I think!  He goes on to say “Remember, the individual with self-deprecation truly believes in their own inadequcy (sic).”  Really?  Not a bloody hope in hell, mate, we just like to laugh at ourselves!

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C for Crime

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on January 24, 2012 in A to Z of Australia
Port Arthur Cell

Image by Keith Lyons via Flickr: Port Arthur cell

How does Australia stack up when it comes to crime?  After all, crime or rather the lack thereof, is something most people investigate when deciding where to live.

While we do make TV dramas about our underworld wars and find our drunken violence in the city streets on the weekends very disturbing and unwelcome, we really don’t have a horrendous crime rate in most areas (there are exceptions in small pockets).

During 2010/2011, 359,079 offences were recorded as occurring in Victoria. The total number of offences recorded in 2010/2011 was 2.4% lower than in 2009/2010. As a rate of recorded offences per 100,000 population, there were 6,428.7 offences recorded in 2010/2011. This crime rate was 3.9% lower than the crime rate recorded during 2009/2010 and is the lowest rate per 100,000 population since the implementation of LEAP in March 1993.

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?a=internetBridgingPage&Media_ID=72176

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B for Balls and Barracking

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on January 20, 2012 in A to Z of Australia
Soccer ball.

Image via Wikipedia

Get your mind out of the gutter!  I’m talking about balls in sport, naturally.  While many countries are predominantly a one or two sport nation, Australia is a many sport nation: many of those sports involve balls.  Mr O and the ankle-biters come from a country that plays soccer.  Big round mainly white ball with black bits.  Soccer, soccer and more soccer.  Mr O tells the story of when he first arrived in Australia and was detained.  Not a lot to do in detention so when another detainee suggested going to the common room to watch “footy” Mr O readily agreed.  He couldn’t understand this weird game at all: this wasn’t football!

My family arrived home in the middle of the Australian Rules Football (AFL) season.  Big, oval red ball.  He did try to develop some liking for our form of football but I do believe he has so far failed.  I’m hoping a family trip to an Essendon game might help when our footy starts up again.

Australian Rules football

Image via Wikipedia

Ball sports in Australia are many:

  • Cricket
  • AFL
  • Soccer
  • Rugby Union
  • Rugby League
  • Basketball
  • Netball
  • Field hockey
  • Tennis
  • Squash
  • Golf

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A for Arid

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on January 15, 2012 in A to Z of Australia
Driest inhabitated continent – Australia

One of the aspects of Australian life that shocked my family on arrival was water restrictions. Four minute showers, people!  They may lack reliable electricity in Nigeria but they do not lack water.  How could this country their Dad was so keen on living in not have enough water?

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Our A – Z of Australia

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on January 14, 2012 in A to Z of Australia

Vegemite - very Australian

Pip (not her real name but she is shy 😆 ), over at Piglet in Portugal is doing something we think could be fun.  Pip is writing “My A – Z of Portugal“, including both the good and the perhaps not so good.  Pip suggested to me, when I commented it seemed like a great idea:

Hi Robyn,
What about an A-Z of what your family discover or feel about Australia?
There is no time limit and a challenge which will evolve!
PiP

We have a page,  Australia in Pictures, but this is a way we can add more about Australia, a country we do love dearly!  The pictures will stay as they are, but under a new menu!

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Statutory Declaration by a Supporting Witness Form 888 Partner Visa

Posted by Robyn Dunphy on January 5, 2012 in Partner Visa

Form 888 is the form completed by people willing to be supporting witnesses to a partner class visa application.  If you are looking for information about the Statement of History of Relationship, refer to Statement of History of Relationship Partner Visa 309/100. I see many, many search terms reach this site looking for what to say on a Form 888.  Form 888 is for Australia, but I am sure other countries have a similar form.  In answer to one search term this morning, yes, you may type the Form 888.  In fact typing is always better as it is clearer to read.  I have also noticed search terms asking “who is the applicant?”  The applicant is the person applying for the visa to come to Australia.

I am not a Migration Agent or a Migration Lawyer. I am unable to offer professional/formal advice. Furthermore, as MARA agents advise, all the time, on the Forums of which I am a member, each and every case is unique, so there are no umbrella statements anyone can give about what you should say in any particular case.  If you are unsure, seek professional advice.

UPDATE 2013 – This warning has just come to my attention re exact wording requirements. This involves specifying the type of relationship, eg married or de-facto. I am looking into this further as my original reference I placed here has been removed from the website in question so I need to locate another. 

What I can say when you sit down to write your statement in support of your family member’s or friend’s relationship, remember one thing above all else: the decision maker knows NOTHING about the couple in question.  You are helping to paint a picture for the decision maker of the relationship.  The advice I was given, to give my witnesses, was to tell them to write from the heart.  That made sense to me then and still does now.

If, for any reason, in your heart you do not feel the relationship is genuine, do not complete the Form 888.   Refer to my Open Letter to the Bad Guys instead!  Remember also you may be asked to write follow-up statements:

A person completing this declaration may be required to submit up to 3 separate declarations during the processing of the application to remain permanently in Australia. They may be contacted by the department for further comment and interview in relation to the information given in this form.

You are signing a legal document: there are penalties for making false statements of four years imprisonment and A$12,000 – make sure you read that part of the form!

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