Posted on 05/12/2006 5:46:52 PM PDT by blam
Taxes. ~ aculeus
And regulations. The same reasons people are leaving California, arguably the most beautiful state in America, and moving to frickin' deserts!
Which would be bad if it was true. However :-
1) NZ immigrant unemployment is below the Australian born unemployment rate.
2) Kiwis in Australia cannot go on the dole for 2 years - that is you're employed or you're broke. Similarly I haven't noticed (in Melbourne) any Kiwi beggars at all - all that I've encountered have Aussie accents, so it's not like they're getting handouts there either.
3) Australia is currently reporting a major skills shortage, with lack of skilled applicants being the main problem reported by Australian businesses (at least according to yesterday's Age). If Australia doesn't want culturally-similar Kiwi's simply close that border, but also they need to think of who they get in to fix their labour shortage.
4) Is the dole in Australia really that much better than in nanny-state New Zealand? I faltted with someone temporarily unemployed in NZ and she got about $195/week in 1999. A long-term unemployed Aussie here I flatted with was getting about $175 per week in 2003. Even with the exchange rate difference I don't think the Kiwi dole bludgers would be any better in australia than in New Zealand, and without the $500 flight, 2 year waiting period, higher cost of living, lower medical benefits etc.
It is a common myth in Australia about the Kiwi dole-bludgers but it really doesn't stack up with the facts.
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