Expert: Patrick Cummings - 7/7/2008

Question
dear sir
my wife and i are qualified nurses--and we are thinking of emigrating to australia. we completely confused with few questions--we have been livin in london last 7 years and have 2 small kids-- love city life but cant afford to buy a house.. need catholic education for our children-- and love to live in a nice weather with a big house...
1. out of three cities where to move.. sydney or melbourne or brisbane--
2. with one of us working can we afford to live there..
3.we are public transport lovers..is there a good system
4 we are down-to-earth people cant stand rudeness.. are they polite ??
5.we are indian origin-- any racial problems..
6. is the education system good ??
thanks
jack

Answer
Hi Jack -

I know for a fact that Queensland, and Australia in general, is looking for qualified nurses and their is a visa category just for medical professionals.  I personally have a preference for Brisbane as that is where I spent my time, but countless others can argue on this the most.  Of the three, Brisbane is the warmest in the winters, which was a plus for me coming from a cold environment.

Cost of living was not as shocking to me as I came from a very large city and was used to city rent, but my mates from smaller towns did find it to be high.  I'd suggest checking out some of the rental housing websites to get a general idea on the price of a home.  It is recommended that you do not exceed 33% of your annual income on housing, so I'd just take that number and see if you can get by with only one working member of the family.  Check out http://www.domain.com.au

Public transport I found to be a little weak as I once again came from a big city where everything ran on a 7-15 minute schedule.  Check out http://www.translink.com.au for an idea on the Brisbane public transport system.

The australian population I found to be generally polite, but I cannot speak to everyone.

Racism in general exists throughout the world, and Australia is no exception, but I'd classify it as generally a welcoming and accepting country.

I cannot speak to the educational system besides the highest levels, which I found to be more than adequate for my studies.

Cheers,
Patrick