Re: PING Andicee: "Migrants flock to WA jobs"


"zadoc" <zadoc@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:bqbor1tqotesvrqsjnkn0grm45gs4h4ij6@xxxxxxxxxx
> On Wed, 4 Jan 2006 19:54:31 -0000, "andicee" <andy.ceeatdsl.pipex.com>
> wrote:
>
>>SNIP
>>
>>>>True, but do not despair. Firstly, what state are they in? From
>>>>memory, the UK doesn't have separate states, everything is either
>>>>"local council" or "federal".

True. The goverment gives certain powers to local councils but puts
restrictions on certain aspects or sets them certain targets. They get
penalised for failing to meet these targets. Bit like keeping your offspring
on reins!!

SNIP>>>>

>>>>In Australia, the states are so different from one another as to
>>>>almost qualify as separate countries. When you cross a state line in
>>>>Australia, even the beer glass sizes change.

Surely a pint's a pint tho?

> It is pretty inefficient, though. Things are slowly changing. It
> wasn't until a few years ago that traffic rules and signs were
> standardised. :-) Firearms legislation is the same in all states,
> AFIK, although still administered by the individual states.

What are the current firearm laws? My research was inconclusive due to every
website putting a different spin on things! Are the majority of Aussies for
or against would you say?

>
> Medicare, social security, pharmaceutical benefits are all federal.
>
> There are no state income taxes. In the US there is a Federal income
> tax, Federal social security tax, as well as state income taxes.
> However, there is a GST or "Goods and Services" sales tax on most, but
> not all, items. This can be pretty complex.

But does it work? Do you feel you are getting value for money and that the
goverment has got it right? Or do you feel short-changed; ripped off?
>
>>>>
>>>>Historically, it was even worse. Up until WW2, the railway gauges
>>>>weren't even standard between adjoining states. On the eastern side,
>>>>with the coming of the railways, N.S.W. had adopted the American gauge
>>>>of 4 feet 8 1/2 inches. Victoria thought the future was in wide
>>>>gauge, so they used 5 feet 2 inches. The Queensland government, at
>>>>the time, thought that narrow gauge would do, so they settled on 3
>>>>feet 6 inches.
>>>>
>>>>So, as late as WW2, or even later, passengers and freight had to
>>>>change trains at the state borders.
>>
>>Crazy...or is it?
>
> I wouldn't call it crazy, but again it was very inefficient.

But what a way to monitor your populations movements trans-state!
Co-incidence or intentional? Or paranoid?

SNIP>

> That doesn't surprise me. However, there may be some odd little
> quirks. Power points are different, for a start.
>
> active \ / neutral
> | earth
As I say, I've got the regs and they are VERY similar


> In the US, believe it or not, outlets have no earth pin, just two
> parallel slots for active and neutral. So it doesn't matter which way
> the consumer puts the plug in. A pretty hazardous system, actually,
> but it was cheaper.

As I understand it though they only require eathing for outside points,
GFCI, which is the same as our RCD (Residual Current Circuit breaker). All
incoming services and pipework is plastic is it not?
>
> Of course, once a country settles on a standard, it is very hard to
> change, which is why the US hasn't gone metric. They are also stuck
> with a NTSC television standard when most countries are using the
> superior PAL.

All be HD soon though
>
> I was surprised to discover that downtown Sydney still had a DC
> distribution system as well as the usual AC system. It was very handy
> for lifts ["elevators"] but I don't know if it still is used or not.

Not sure about that one Z. I do know that although the DC has been chopped
down from AC somehow, somewhere, incurring losses and requiring many
transformers it negates the need for earthing...useful in at risk locations
such as bathrooms.

SNIP

> Well, I don't know about the UK system, but would say that generally
> speaking the standards here are higher than they are in the US.

Don't know about that! Standards seem to be dropping at an alarming rate.
Class sizes getting bigger and if you aren't a brainy kid to start with you
will never progress very far educationally. Not to say that a decent
education is ANY guarantee of a successful life/career however.

> There is still a potential problem with schooling in Australia if
> families move interstate. Your daughter would probably fit right in
> with the W.A. school system, but if you were to be there for a couple
> of years and move to another state she might find herself ahead or
> behind her classmates in a particular grade.

Wouldn't be planning to move around much once we'd settled somewhere. The
whole point of this exercise is to give her a stable platform from which to
start the rest of her life. And to provide the wife and I with some comforts
and peace of mind we ain't gonna get here!!

>>>>You see where this is leading to, of course: Each state has its own
>>>>qualifications for Trades certification. An licensed electrician
>>>>from NSW (or any other state) is not _automatically_ licensed in any
>>>>other state.


> True, and if I were you, would be checking on qualifications required
> in all states and territories. Some states might be more desperate
> than others. AFIK, there is nothing stopping you from using your
> qualifications to get a license in NSW to justify your migrant visa,
> but as soon as this Australia wide qualification goes through you
> could use your skills in any state.

Need Grade A in WA. Going to check other states as necessary.

>
> Actually, it may well go through even before you get down here. A
> state that requires a two year "apprenticeship" isn't as likely to
> attract migrants as a more flexible state.

Seems sensible. I really do think that I'm possibly overthinking this
though. However, as someone once said, Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor
Performance...hey, THAT'S on topic :)


> Still, I can see why the states might want to do it, as migrants can
> come from any country in the world, and their standards for an
> electricians license might vary widely.

True and another example of the Aussies having their heads screwed on
>
> Recently, an Indian surgeon who had been practicing in the USA, and
> banned from doing certain operations there, was hired by a hospital in
> Queensland. It is claimed that he was responsible for the deaths of
> several patients, and has since fled back to the USA. Can probably
> find you some info if you are interested.

Our new scheme, Part P, is a joke. Electrical installations have ALWAYS
neede testing and certifying. Now we have to register with a governing body
and pay them 500 quid for the pleasure!! Just another way to screw us, oh,
and for the tax man to eliminate private cash work.


> Yes, can appreciate that. However, I can also see the reason for it.
> After all, does it really make sense that an electrician who got his
> license in, say, 1950 be allowed to practice today without coming up
> to speed?

I had to update from the 15th edition of the regs to the 16th only 4 years
ago. There were 50 YO guys there updating from the 14th to the 16th!! What
were they doing in the meantime? Rule of thumb. STILL used today on a
regular basis. For example, I don't need to consult my regs to know what
size cable to use for a ring main (socket outlets) or a lighting circuit.
Top of my head I can tell you the current carrying capacity of all sizes of
cable I'm likely to use on a daily basis.
>
> Admittedly, the trade may not have changed all that much since then.
> However, consider something like medicine and surgery.

Just safer ways of doing things...maybe. RCDs (see above) for at risk
locations, bathrooms, swimming pools, outside power points.


> They can here too. It is just that it is illegal for them to install
> it without a license. I'm not a licensed electrician, but am
> perfectly capable of replace a defective power point. However if I
> were to do so, and there was a fire, and my insurance company could
> prove that I had made the illegal installation my home and contents
> insurance would be void from the time of installation.
>
> Most, if not all, home and contents policies have restrictions on the
> quantity of inflammable liquids that can be stored on the premises.
>
> Several years ago there was a case where someone had stored a barrel
> of petrol [gasoline] in his garage, which was several meters from his
> house.
>
> His wife was heating oil on the stove to make some chips, but was
> distracted by a phone call. The oil eventually flashed and destroyed
> the kitchen. Fortunately that was the only damage, the fire dept. got
> there in time to save the house.
>
> However, the damage to the kitchen was a few thousand dollars. When
> he filed a claim, his insurance company sent out an investigator, who
> somehow found out about the petrol stored in the garage.
>
> Although this had nothing to do with the kitchen fire, his policy was
> voided from the time he had stored more than the permissible amount.
>
> This is not unusual in the insurance industry, and the same thing
> probably applies in the UK and US. It does really pay to read the
> fine print on such documents!

How many householders know that it is THEIR responsibility to have their
electrical wiring checked every ten years. Or that main earth bonding is
THEIR responsibility. Have a new gas meter installed by the Gas company and
they will not reconnect the main earth (if it was there in the first place)!
Sure, there is a sticker on the inside of the meter box telling you this (if
it hasn't fallen off), but it is still down to you. Have a fire, or get a
lethal shock from a gas pipe that has gone live and your insurance, house,
content and life are invalid. Only in extreme cases I would have thought but
that is the law.

SNIP

>>Hey, there's nothing to say I HAVE to carry on being an electrician once I
>>get there though. I'll be effectively mortgage and debt free. Could take a
>>part-time job and spend my time on the beach/golf course/talking to the
>>mrs...OK, maybe not the last one, but you get my drift.
>
> True, of course. It is a free country. If you can resist the lure of
> considering money the most important thing in life, you don't have to
> work full time as an electrician, or even part time if you don't want
> to.
>
> Still, it is nice to have a trade to fall back on if necessary.
> However nothing stopping you from setting up an import business where
> you can use your skills to install the gear you import, is there?

Not much call for central heating out there tho...more aircon.

SNIP

> I could, of course communicate with you by e-mail if you are willing
> to keep my e-mail address confidential.

Of course, but
>
> However, our correspondence on the group makes a refreshing change
> from the endless and useless political arguments, don't you think?

Definitely. Although politics shape our lives in many ways, in truth, there
is not a lot we can do to change policy or dictate what they do once they
are in power. Frustrating and not worth worrying about too much IMHO
>
> Moving from one country to another is a legitimate survival step. I've
> never regretted coming here from the USA. If I did, I would go back
> there. :-)
>
> If you manage to get here from the UK, you will probably kick yourself
> for not coming to Australia decades ago.

Wished I'd done it years ago. If I don't like it I can always come back and
scrounge off the state. May find that a bit hard being an English speaking
white man tho :) Not sure I'd be elligible for much!
>
> Yes, it really is that great, but we are trying to keep it reasonably
> quiet. Wouldn't do to become overpopulated, you know. :-)

No chance!

SNIP
>
> Well, the wife and I don't have kids, by choice, but can see that this
> would be a factor.
>
> As said earlier, I have never been to the UK, but if you are worried
> about the future of your daughter I cannot think of a better or safer
> country than Australia.
>
> When I was a kid in the US, at 12 or 13 I could disappear for hours
> without even bothering to tell my parents where I was going or why.
> This wouldn't be possible or even desirable today in most countries,
> and possibly not desirable in major cities here.

Couldn't do it here. A 6 year old girl was snatched from her BATHTUB, only
last week. Thankfully she was 'unhurt'. He dumped her naked in the snow, 15
mins away having sexually 'molested' her! What kind of a sick ***...? Oh,
never mind!
SNIP

> At the moment, see no particular reason to communicate by email. Our
> communications on the group may be useful to others. If not, they
> don't have to read them, do they?

True. Think I answered this in previous post. Getting late!
>
> Incidentally, my ISP and others keep telling me that I should
> "upgrade" from dial-up to ASDL or Broadband. I cannot see any
> advantage in doing so. What do you use?

Gor broadband cos dial-up was painfully slow here. Apparently the UK is the
broadband capital of the world! How much does your ISP want for broadband
then? I'm paying about £25 per month for a 2 meg connection. Yeah right,
like I ever use even half of that! It was originally a half meg connection
and they've upgraded it FOC over the years. Hey, it's reliable and that's
all I really want.
>
> Anyway, keep up the good work, and don't hesitate to contact me on the
> group if you have any questions. Will forward any info to you that I
> think might be of interest.
>
> One item on the news strikes me as interesting, although sad. Last
> night on the TV news there was a report that most of the miners in
> Virginia were found alive. In this mornings news, it turns out that
> there was only one survivor.
>
> Reason given is "communications difficulties".

UNBELIEVABLE. Been on the news all day. Heads will roll. can you believe tho
that the mining co in question had such a poor safety record and yet the
mine was still open. Indeed, miners were still willing to go down the
mine??? A lot of questions to be asked there!

SNIP

> Please keep us informed as to your plans.


Will do

Andy


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