Australia

El Dorado Modern Age
By Darmansjah Godjali

 

Lucille Lievaux (25), a French woman who worked as a geologist, working back and forth as far as 1300 kilometers from Perth to the city Karatha. In the Aboriginal language, means the State a good Karratha. Kotaini located in the southwest of Perth.

Lievaux initially only as a tourist. However, Australia needs will force geologists make it last with a salary of around 5,000 Australian dollars per month. "Australia is the same as El Dorado," he said, referring to the gold mines in the U.S. that a few hundred years ago made people rich quick inventors. "Very easy to get a job here."

Remarkably, the salary received Geolog Lievaux in the world that is booming is not quite spectacular. A supervisory personnel at the mining company can reach more than 200,000 Australian dollars per year or the salary more higher than Federal Reserve Governor Ben Bernanke salary.

Salary of a truck driver also can reach six figures. A construction worker could reach 150,000 Australian dollars per year, more than the salary of a doctor or a lawyer. "You'll easily find a woman cleaning a toilet with a salary of 100,000 Australian dollars per year," said Tracy Reis (42), employee travel agency in Karratha.

Australia only has a population of 22 million inhabitants. This country has a mining business that is needed economic Asia. The existence of Australians own is not enough to full fill of demand for labor. Mining project to project investment of 400 billion U.S. dollars and require 70,000 workers up to five years, as the government estimated.

The construction sector is also projected to require 196,000 workers over the same period. Construction sector is related to the mining sector.

Australian labor shortages, not only for menial jobs category. However, Australia not like Singapore or Dubai, which opened the door for foreign workers. Economists said the Australian limit the presence of foreign workers.

Australis mining billionaire, Gina Rinehart, asserted, Australia must change the system. "Australia needs guest workers," said Australia's richest resident who has a wealth of more than 10 billion Australian dollars.

Be able in English

Rinehart is chairman of Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd and the daughter of the late founder of Lang Hancock, who began adding iron ore decade the 1950s and 1960s.

"Australia does not only require skilled workers, but also blue-collar workers, guest workers, and construction workers. Australia should emulate Singapore's foreign worker permited although some were not allowed to live permanently, "he said.

However, Australia is sometimes politically shortsighted and anti-foreign. Paul Howes, union leaders and workers including the impact on the Australian Labor Party, recently denounced the arrival of low-wage workers from the Philippines.

"We can not blindly accept the existence of cheap labor to work in remote areas in Australia," said Howes Head of the Australian Workers Union (Awu).

Attitudes like these make it difficult enterprise, Jared Fitzclarence, Aluminum Welding Karaatha owner, said the most difficult to obtain the necessary workers. He had trouble getting local residents to work in his company. Finally he could only get employees immigrants from Bangladesh, who happened to be a hard worker.

"We are extremely difficult to get workers who are drug free. It's not just happening in Karratha, but also in various locations who need good workers, "said Fitzclarence.

He agreed if the foreign workers allowed to more freely enter Australia. "Moreover jikga foreign workers could speak English," he said.