In 2015 Melbourne was once again ranked the world’s most liveable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index – an accolade we’ve received five years running. This world recognised index rates 140 global cities across a range of liveability factors. While this is our fifth consecutive year at the top of the table, we’re proud to have consistently ranked as one of the world’s top three most liveable cities since the index began in 2006.

Contributing to our ongoing top ranking is Melbourne’s consistent performance across five broad categories. In 2015 we achieved perfect scores in healthcare, education and infrastructure while we outranked Sydney in the areas of stability, and culture & environment.1

It’s achievements like this that make Melbourne’s lifestyle an easy sell when recruiting and retaining talented professionals. Australia is ranked by expats in the top 10 places to live, ranking particularly highly for general quality of life, ease of settling in and as a destination for working abroad.2

Victorians are a healthy group, with a life expectancy that is amongst the highest in the world.3 We have high quality public and private hospitals, as well as community health services, ambulance and dental services. Melbourne has received a perfect score for healthcare for each of the past five years by the EIU Liveability Index.

Melbourne features numerous parks and open spaces. In the middle of our bustling city, take the opportunity to enjoy the tree-lined pathways through the Treasury and Fitzroy gardens, the sculptured terraces of Birrarung Marr, and the expansive Royal Botanic Gardens.

Melbourne is home to a highly educated population and some of the best schools and universities in the world. Over half of all Victorians aged 15-64 hold some form of post-secondary qualification, while over one quarter have a university degree.4 With 10 world-class universities, Melbourne has the highest ranked university in Australia and the third highest in Asia Pacific.5 In addition there are over 2,500 schools in Victoria of which over 1,300 are in Melbourne.6

According to the Plan Melbourne strategy, 1.7 million new jobs will be created by the year 2050 across the city and inner-suburban areas. These will be in a diverse range of sectors, particularly the financial, insurance, professional, scientific and technical services. Healthcare is also a huge industry, contributing $2.5 billion to the state’s export earnings. In addition to this, employment in education has increased by 44% in the last decade, the Plan Melbourne strategy also highlighted. The impact of globalisation and demand for imports has created a greater need for freight and goods-handling industries, which are predicted to increase by over 55% by 2020.

Do you want to move to Melbourne

ARMEES will guide you in the right direction to make your relocation as easy as possible. Get in touch with ARMEES today.

Top ten reasons to move to Australia

1. Fresh Air

Australia has one of the lowest air pollution levels in the world.

2. Unspoilt Nature

Australia has a large variety of beautiful natural ecosystems. We have golden sandy beaches with clean water, tropical rainforests, arid deserts and snowy mountains. There are over 500 national parks in Australia and 14 world heritage areas.

3. Multicultural Society

Australia is truly a multicultural society. 43% of Australians were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. Each year we celebrate our diversity on Harmony Day (21 March).

4.  Low population density

Australia has the lowest population density of any continent in the world with only 6.4 people per square mile.

5.  Climate

Australia has a temperate climate with mild weather all year round and more than its fair share of sunshine.

6.  Healthcare system

Australia has one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world. Medicare provides basic health cover for all Australians and there is a private healthcare system as well.

7.  Job opportunities

Australians pride themselves on perfecting a work-life balance. With a strong economy and low unemployment rate (around 5%) Australia is a good place to find a new job.

8. Laid back lifestyle

Australians have a reputation for being laid back and friendly and what’s more it is actually true. People are much more likely to give you the time of day in Australian cities compared with other cities around the world. There’s also a comparatively low crime rate.

9. Great place to travel

Australia is such a vast country that you can spend all your holidays exploring it. Domestic travel has it all from rainforests, beaches, to ski-resorts and stunning ancient landscapes.

10. Great opportunities for study

Australia has an impressive number of study options for international students with more than 1,200 institutions and 22,000 courses to choose from. Australia has the third highest number of international students in the world behind the UK and US even though we have a much smaller population than those countries.

Contact ARMEES highly efficient team if you require any assistance or help in moving to Australia.

Please use it as a guide only. These facts were sourced from: Countries ranked by Air Pollution – Statistic Brain; Harmony Day – Australian Government website; Moving to Australia – Diversity Australians one and all; Top ten countries with highest reported crime rates – Maps of World; OECD Better Life Index; Ten facts about studying in Australia, About.com Geography

Beware of Immigration scams

We don’t want you to become a victim of an immigration scam. If you need legal advice on immigration matters, make sure the person helping you is authorised to give legal advice.

Under the Migration Act 1958, it is against the law for an individual in Australia, who is not a registered migration agent with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, to provide immigration assistance.

Using unregistered migration agents could leave you at risk of being given incorrect or misleading advice. Also, as you will not have the benefit of consumer protection, an unregistered agent might take your money without providing an adequate service or even any service at all.

How these scams work

• You receive a call out of the blue from someone claiming that there is a problem with your visa and that you need to pay money upfront to avoid risking deportation.
• The scammer may pretend to be from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Australian High Commission, Customs and Border Protection, or incorrect government departments such as Customs House, Canberra Border Security and Citizenship, and Immigration Services Australia.
• The scammer may state that the payment is in relation to the fictitious ‘Citizenship and Immigration Services Alien’ or ‘CISA’ card.
• The scammer will concoct all sorts of elaborate stories to trick you into thinking there is something wrong with your visa, such as you must purchase a ‘CISA’ card, you failed to provide information for the card, or the card’s details need to be updated or fixed.
• The scammer may also have a lot of information on hand about you such as your full name, address, date of birth, nationality and details about your visa status.
• You may feel a lot of pressure to hand over your money, with scammers reportedly calling victims multiple times and threatening deportation.
• The scammer will instruct you to send them the money via money transfer. If you hand over any money, you will never see it again.

Protect yourself

• If you receive a phone call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from government and asking for money upfront to avoid deportation, just hang up.  There is only one official Australian Government provider of visas: the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
• Be on guard – just because someone seems to have a lot of information on hand about you, it doesn’t mean that they’re the real deal. Scammers go to all sorts of lengths to get to know you, including collecting personal information online through websites and social networking forums.
• Never provide your personal details to a stranger—scammers will use your details to commit identity fraud.

Report

You should such incidents to the relevant state or territory police and to the Immigration Dob-In Line on 1800 009 623.

You can report a scam to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch or by calling 1300 795 995.

Moving to Australia on Work Visa? Make sure you know your rights & entitlements.

You have rights when you work in Australia

The Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) work together to help you understand your legal rights when working in Australia.

Your employer must comply with both Australian workplace laws and immigration laws.

Your rights under the Migration Act 1958

Under the Migration Act, your sponsor is required to meet a number of obligations which ensure that you are provided with appropriate terms and conditions of employment.

These obligations require your employer to:

• provide you with equivalent pay to that of any Australian employee who has the same occupation as you in your workplace
• only require you to perform duties that relate to your approved occupation
• pay reasonable and necessary travel costs to allow you and your family members to leave Australia, if requested in writing by you, your family or DIBP on your behalf
• not make you pay for any costs relating to your recruitment, or the costs associated with the business becoming or being an approved sponsor, including migration agent costs
• make sure that you do not work for any other employers without authorisation
• pay you in a manner that is capable of being verified by an independent person (e.g. electronic funds transfer or cheque)

Your rights under the Fair Work Act 2009

Everyone working in Australia is entitled to basic rights and protections in the workplace.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is responsible for ensuring employers are meeting the legal requirements of Australian workplace laws, specifically the Fair Work Act 2009, including the National Employment Standards (NES).

National Employment Standards

Most people working in Australia are covered by the National Employment Standards. The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system regardless of the award, agreement or contract of employment that applies to an employee.

The NES ensure that you have certain minimum conditions of employment. These minimum conditions cannot be reduced.

There are 10 minimum workplace entitlements under the NES:

• A maximum standard working week of 38 hours for full-time employees, plus ‘reasonable’ additional hours
• A right to request flexible working arrangements to care for a child under school age, or a child under the age of 18 with a disability
• Parental and adoption leave of 12 months (unpaid), with a right to request an additional 12 months
• Four weeks paid annual leave each year plus an additional week for certain shift workers (pro rata for part-time employees)
• Ten days paid personal / carer’s leave each year (pro rata for part-time employees), two days paid compassionate leave for each permissible occasion, and two days unpaid carer’s leave for each permissible occasion
• Community service leave for jury service or activities dealing with certain emergencies or natural disasters. This leave is unpaid, except for jury service which is paid for up to 10 days
• Long service leave
• A paid day off for public holidays, except where reasonably required to work
• Notice of termination and redundancy pay
• The right for new employees to receive the Fair Work Information Statement.

Some conditions or limitations may apply to your entitlement to the NES. For instance, there are some exclusions for certain casual employees.

Modern awards

In addition to the NES your employment may be covered by a modern award. Modern awards provide minimum wages and conditions for an industry or occupation. These conditions apply on top of the NES and include entitlements such as breaks, allowances and rates of pay for working at different times.

General protections

Employees have the right to be free from unlawful discrimination, the right to engage in industrial activities (including the right to become or not become a member of a union) and the right to be free from undue influence or pressure when negotiating individual arrangements.

Employees are also entitled to protection from having or exercising a workplace right which includes being entitled to a benefit under a workplace law or making a complaint to the Fair Work Ombudsman about their employment arrangements.

Pay slips

Employers must issue pay slips to you within one (1) working day of your pay day. It is best practice for these to be written in plain and simple English.

Who should I contact if my workplace rights are not being met?

If you believe your employer is not paying you the correct entitlements and/or you believe your workplace rights are not being met, you can make a complaint to the Fair Work Ombudsman. The services of the Fair Work Ombudsman are free to all workers in Australia.

If you are concerned that your sponsoring employer is not meeting their obligations in line with the terms of your visa you should contact DIBP.

Your sponsoring employer cannot cancel your visa. Only DIBP can grant, refuse or cancel visas. The department can provide information on visa choices, rights and obligations, including how to change your sponsor or apply for permanent residence.

If you require further information or assistance from DIBP, visit www.immi.gov.au or phone 131 881.

If you need an interpreter when contacting DIBP or the Fair Work Ombudsman, phone the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450.