India-Australia News and Discussion

[Pathik]

I think Sureshhh is a Malsi. Heh heh. Not may of so called right wingers here are bothered about the Aussie decesion

it's not aussie decision per se. It's a global trend where right-wingers are busy targeting hindus even though ironically hindu rw is defending them.

RW in other countries does collateral damage to Hindus, but thats expected under the malice of racism and we can create more awareness about Hinduism to keep this in check. However RW'ers opposes malsi in all countries which is a good thing. Its better than having libs or lefties ruling the Hindus anywhere in the world

[Singha]

what is the rate of personal income tax over there? are VAT higher than india?
is high schooling all free and decent?
is higher edu affordable and decent?
medical care with low out of pocket expenses?

if the above are good its a decent bargain to pay more tax imo..replica of northern europe

[Aarvee]

I am in the same boat Prathik. My PR expires in Nov. So RRV is 360$ ?

I became a dad about 2 weeks ago. Me and SHQ planned delivery in India so Kid is Desi by birth and gets Desi passport to begin with

[Pathik]

what is the rate of personal income tax over there? are VAT higher than india?
is high schooling all free and decent?
is higher edu affordable and decent?
medical care with low out of pocket expenses?

if the above are good its a decent bargain to pay more tax imo..replica of northern europe

All of the above mostly true and thats why Oz is livable with very low crime rates to go with. Its the day to day out of pocket expenses and the rent which is a killer for most immigrants. Still going by the unregulated schooling and medical care costs in India its a much better deal. I keep hearing about current itvity couples struggling to save decent amount in India even with DINK status which is not the case in Sydney and Melb.

[Aarvee]

@ Singha

There is GST, I dont think there is any VAT etc. Till class 12, it is mostly affordable in Public schools since there is Govt support. There is also some Centrelink support (family benifits etc) until the child turns 18. University is not bad. There is HECS (higher education commonwealth support) which is a tax free loan from Govt. It starts getting deduced once the recipient starts working. Medicare takes care of most of medical issues but we pay a surcharge and levy when we pay income tax.

Tax rates 2016–17

The following rates for 2016–17 apply from 1 July 2016.
Taxable income Tax on this income
0 – $18,200 Nil
$18,201 – $37,000 19c for each $1 over $18,200
$37,001 – $87,000 $3,572 plus 32.5c for each $1 over $37,000
$87,001 – $180,000 $19,822 plus 37c for each $1 over $87,000
$180,001 and over $54,232 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000

The above rates do not include the:

Medicare levy of 2%
Temporary Budget Repair Levy; this levy is payable at a rate of 2% for taxable incomes over $180,000.

[Pathik]

I am in the same boat Prathik. My PR expires in Nov. So RRV is 360$ ?

I became a dad about 2 weeks ago. Me and SHQ planned delivery in India so Kid is Desi by birth and gets Desi passport to begin with

Congratulations Saar! and welcome to the nannha mujahid club. Not too far- our boy turns 1 next month but he was born hear after hearing some bad reviews of maternity hospitals near our house in desh, most of them pushing for C-sec etc.

Return Res PR is $360 yes. SHQ has lived in the US on both the coasts but still feels family life in Oz is best, one of the best places to raise children after India she says. she is a social butterfly so must be true

[Singha]

pretty reasonable and lower than northern europe I think.

[Pathik]

pretty reasonable and lower than northern europe I think.

Northern EU especially Norway is the most expensive place to live

[Aarvee]

Thanks

SHQ was in Melb till her 7th month and traveled to Chennai to have the jnr. Was looked after at the Mercy hospitals.

Told by the Dr untill 3 days before due date, we can expect normal. then, a scan, got told fluids lower, baby smaller and hence CSec 2 days before due. Baby was indeed small (2.4kg) and Dr is trust worthy so we think it was necessary.

Any ways, OT.

[SSridhar]

sureshhh, you are skating on very thin ice. Just one more post along similar lines, you will be out of BR permanently.

[Singha]

second that . i have a agat seeker lock too if your AAMs miss.

[rahulm]

Vish_mulay has articulated the situation quite nicely.

I have lived and worked in London, EU, NZ, stints in JP and HK and off course India. All in all, factoring in Life style, climate, work culture, wages, consistently low inflation opportunities and governance I have found Oz to be the best. That's not to say it's perfect but yes I have found it to be the best. Most people here who call them white pakis are arm chair Oz speciallists, haven't been there and have little,to no idea of the place. That's fine with me

Taxation remains high but delivery of civic sevices is very good. GST at 10 percent has remained unchanged for yonks.

Education standards and access to schools is very good. If you live in a schools catchment, you child is guaranteed a place in the school. There are selective schools if your prefer and private schools for the well heeled. Quality of public schools is just fine. Thank you.

Medical facilities are top,notch and even in government facilities. Often, if you have insurance and prefer to be a private patient, you share the same facilities as public patients in the same hospital except you get to choose your doctor ergo in the same hospital you can be a public patient with no choice of Doctor or a private patient who gets to nominate a Doctor.

Then, there are private only hospitals.

While I undersstand and appreciate that others have different values and priorities that they consider important, I have my own, in which quality of governance and transparency come before religious structures of any denomination and goats, cows, buffaloes, rats or any other animal . . Yes, i should be flogged and lynched

+108 to Vosh for highlighting the visa rorts by a certain section. While, unpleasant to discuss it is a fact.

The 457 was being mis used even by medium to large desi companies. I am at the Sr management technology client side coal face and speaking not from one but too many instances over many years. Eg. A local DBA worth $120k was undercut by onsite
DOO being paid $60k - that's half. If we don't provide accomodation then these DOO's live in hovels with 6-8 people in. 2 bed to an apartment.

The student visa thing is a even bigger racket.

While it's ok and justifiable to celebrate Dharmics swarming all parts of the globe incl. Oz The 457 visa became a racket and its natural it should be tightened.

As for me, I did not go on a 457 or student visa (my dad was not well off/ or corrupt) went the long hard way on a PR and was jobless, homeless and with a princely sum of AUD 2060 in my pocket the moment I set foot in Sir Kingsford Smith airport. The journey began from there.

[vish_mulay]

Same here. No 457 but skilled based PR which took 8 months and truckload of paperwork. SHQ does not want to move anywhere until 2 nannahs are high school graduates. No expense from my pocket as school from pre kg to 12 is free. After school program is cheap and is covered by govt rebate (up to 7500aud per child per year). one nannah is in day care which is killing us by costing 60 aud per day after govt rebate. Healthcare is free and after seeing Indian, USA and Aussi system, can vouch the NSW health is world class. My wife has severe respiratory restrictions and both pregnancies were extremely difficult. Initially went private as I was still under influence of USA system, but realised that with govt system we got panel of 6 top notch consultant with 2 obgy 1 paed 1 pulmnologist 1 critical care anaesthetic and spine specialist. Down side was that she was politely asked whether Snr residents can discuss her case as study with very minimum intrusion in privacy. The residents are still friends who are in touch. (total cost for both pregnancies from pocket was less than 500 AUD combined). Its a safe free and cheap country if you earn 2 incomes. Last India trip was eye opener when you realise total cost to raise family in a decent city like Pune.

[vish_mulay]

The way I look at my experience in Australia, you need to be little thick skined. The Aussie way is bit brash but once you get to know them, you will find genuine good people who will go out of way to help you. Personally I am a no nonsense person and adapted well here. If you give back, which I do, Aussies actually respect it. Honestly, I have faced minimal in your face evanjedis here than USA. Schools are strictly secular and incorporate every culture. My sons school asked me to provide list of all major festivals and their significance so that they can introduce his classmates to his culture. He is encouraged to wear ethnic cloths during cultural week. Overall I am very happy with school teachers and management. Bullying is tackled instantly and parents are informed asap if you child is bullied or is a bully.

[vish_mulay]

Now some drawbacks. 1) Drinking and easy access to party drugs from age 10-11. Alcohol use and abuse quite natural part of life here. Highest per capita consumption in the world. 2) Real estate property cost. Astronomical for major cities like Sydney and Melbourne. 3) Eating out is expensive, I mean more expensive than NYC. 4) Lastly, personally I think the nature and weather is not as diverse as US or Europe or Africa. After some years all gums look the same!

[vish_mulay]

Forgot to add, if your child is academically gifted, the university education is free via scholarships and bursaries. There is a difficult but doable student loan system if your child doesn't qualify for the benefits. However the in state fees are much cheaper than USA and quite manageable.

[rahulm]

Party drugs are now plentiful in all major cities in India incl Pune but I suspect casual use is higher in Oz. Property prices in sydney and Melb are way too high.

asset price inflation has contributed significantly to Oz growth in the last decade or so, therefore, housing affordability is a real issue which no government has has the b@lls to tackle.

Brash and in your face yes but if you give it to them then it works. They become your friends. Meek head nodding and then complaining in whispers does not work. I agree, not everybody is built for this.

I'll give you a personal example.

After hoofing around for 3 months (no car) looking for work in the hot Sydney summer I made it to the MD's deck for a final in a Sydney based building firm

The chap, a non nonsense Aussie peered at me over his glasses and said he would quite happily give me the job but I might get teased in the construction trenches on site and was concerned I might not be able to handle it and come wailing and squealing to him. To which, I instantly replied, I would never ever come to him but by he same token if somebody else ever came to him and wailed about my repartee then I fully expect him to ignore them.

He let out such a loud laugh, shook my hand and said I had the job. That's how I landed my first job and we got along very well. I have many more such anecdotes.

Yes, I agree, this is not for everyone. If one is the sort who is very sensitive and chui mui princess types it's best to avoid the place, wear a dhoti and shiver and make complain most hardly and pressurefully [sic] And Aussie princesses can also,let it rip. Theye no shrinking violets.

For some weather variety try Tassie

BTW where is AndyB these days. Gone very quiet.

[sureshhh]

it's not aussie decision per se. It's a global trend where right-wingers are busy targeting hindus even though ironically hindu rw is defending them.

RW in other countries does collateral damage to Hindus, but thats expected under the malice of racism and we can create more awareness about Hinduism to keep this in check. However RW'ers opposes malsi in all countries which is a good thing. Its better than having libs or lefties ruling the Hindus anywhere in the world

This attitude is what made us sepoys in the past.

[sureshhh]

sureshhh, you are skating on very thin ice. Just one more post along similar lines, you will be out of BR permanently.

I am pro India but am against those who support western nations even when our people become cannon fodder in this so-called fight against radical Islam. So you're gonna ban me for holding this view? Knock yourself out.

[Bhurishravas]

sureshhh, you are skating on very thin ice. Just one more post along similar lines, you will be out of BR permanently.

I am pro India but am against those who support western nations even when our people become cannon fodder in this so-called fight against radical Islam. So you're gonna ban me for holding this view? Knock yourself out.

Other things have happened in the past too. Like MN Roy taking dictation from Stalin and commis inviting chinese to liberate India, not to mention invasions by "so called moderade Islam".
Terming everyone hindu right doesnt help.

[JE Menon]

>>Knock yourself out.

I just did...

Snatched the pleasure away from SS & GD - sorry boys

[vish_mulay]

My battisi well having last laugh!

[vish_mulay]

https://www.facebook.com/abcnews.au/vid ... 053823983/
Very nice explanation of what and why Turnbull modified 457 visa.

[SSridhar]

Now, Australia wants a LEMOA - Dinakar peri, The Hindu

Australia has put forward a proposal to have a logistics support agreement with India on the lines of the one concluded with the U.S. However, yet to take a call on it, India has said that it would first like to get the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the U.S. operational.

India and Australia have been expanding their military-to-military cooperation, especially in the maritime domain, given their shared interests and concerns in the Indian Ocean, with the rapid expansion of China’s naval presence in the region.

To facilitate cooperation in this regard, Australia has proposed a logistics agreement and has already submitted a draft to India. “The draft was submitted 18 months back and a response from India is awaited,” a diplomatic source told The Hindu . However, India has informally conveyed that it would like to first operationalise the LEMOA with the U.S. and would like to take up other such agreements after that, defence sources told The Hindu . “Let us first implement what we have signed, we can then access its merits and consider other agreements based on the necessity,” one official said.

Observer status

The proposal comes in the backdrop of Australia’s recent request for observer status during this year’s Malabar trilateral naval exercises scheduled to be held in July, as reported by The Hindu .

While a formal decision has not yet been taken, officials indicated that it may not be accepted this year.

After a decade of negotiations, India and the U.S. signed LEMOA, the first of the three foundational agreements, last August. However, it is yet be operationalised as India had to streamline its administrative procedures. That process is now almost complete and the Defence Ministry is expected to issue the notification from its end in the next few days.

At the time of signing LEMOA, defence officials said that that they were open to similar agreements with other countries as well, depending on the necessity and the advantage that they would bring to India.

[SSridhar]

There is a relentless congealing of common interests.

I recall the 1990s when the Australian security analysts used to be critical of the rapid expansion of the IN and its increasing capabilities as a blue-water navy. We have travelled a long way since then.

India & Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation in 2006, and issued a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation which showed a commonality of maritime interests during the former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s visit to India in 2009.

During his earlier stint as Japanese Prime Minister, Abe had told a joint Indian Parlaiment in August 2007 his vision of a “broader Asia” constituting the Pacific and Indian Ocean countries—such as Japan, India, Australia, and the United States—that share the common values of democracy, freedom, and respect for basic human rights.

The first ever Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the four nations - India, US, Japan & Australia - was held immediately thereafter in c. 2008. India's reluctance not to anger China led to the demise of the QSD which has left the other three to progress on their own.

The joint communiqué at the end of the c. 2011 annual US-Australia strategic review meeting called Ausmin , called for, “deeper strategic ties between Australia, the US and India, welcomed India's engagement in East Asia and called for greater co-operation with India in providing for maritime security.” As Australia began to realize the increasing significance of India, it formally requested the US to consider Indo-Pacific as as the replacement paradigm for the Asia-Pacific during the annual Strategic Review meeting with the US as part of Ausmin.

During her state visit to India in October 2012, the Australian Prime Minister, Ms. Julia Gillard, India and Australia agreed to explore closer defence and security relations. Ms. Gillard wanted ‘full naval exercises’ between the two navies. Earlier, Australia, which has 40% of world’s uranium, had decided in October 2011 to establish nuclear trade with India including exporting Uranium . India and Australia, realizing that they have to come closer in critical strategic issues, held their first talks on civilian nuclear partnership in March, 2013, a meeting that was not only concerned with bilateral nuclear matters but wide-ranging including global non-proliferation possibly leading to membership in the Australia Group. In her visit to New Delhi in November 2013, the Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, announced Australia’s decision to support India’s membership in NSG.

In March 2013, India and Australia, under the aegis of the Australia-India Institute (AII), launched a taskforce in Canberra “to discuss, debate and report on policy directions that both may consider for the future enhancement of regional security”. The taskforce’s report has also examined the issues related to sea lanes of communication (SLOC) security along the long Indo-Pacific littoral, with particular focus on Indian and Australian perspective on SLOC security between the Red Sea and South China sea and to consider the roles of India and Australia in Indo-Pacific security, including discussion of Indian and Australian perspectives on their (and each other’s) future roles in Indo-Pacific security. The taskforce has been based on four principle-related aims including to discuss the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), its changing global significance, the various perspectives of regional states and the IOR’s relationships with other regions as a part of a broad context for an analysis of security issues.

During a historic visit to Australia in June 2013, the Indian Defence Minister, A.K.Antony and his Australian counterpart issued a joint statement stating that a bilateral maritime exercise between the two navies will be held in 2015. India and Australia had participated together in multilateral maritime exercises in Malabar in 2007 and in Milan in 2012. Both sides acknowledged that maritime security and freedom of navigation in accordance with principles of international law were critical for the growth and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. The Indian Navy was invited to the October, 2013 International Fleet Review (IFR) held in Sydney and the invitation was accepted by A.K.Antony. India sent its state-of-art INS Sahyadri for the IFR. In c. 2013, Australia released a Country Strategy Document on India which identified the Indian Navy as possessing the most potential for a close maritime partnership. In September 2014, during his state visit to India, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Modi. Australia reversed its policy of not signing any deal with non-NPT countries.

During the hugely successful visit by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to Canberra in November 2014 (the first Indian PM to do so in 28 years), India and Australia also signed a Framework for Security Cooperation Agreement apart from other agreements. Mr. Modi said that the Framework for Security Cooperation Agreement was “for advancing regional peace and stability, and combating terrorism and trans-national crimes”

The two countries also host an annual Defence Policy Talks and a 1.5 Track Defence Strategic Dialogue.

When the 10-year Indo-U.S. defence pact, Defence Framework Agreement, signed in June 2005 expired, it was extended with more provisions and closer cooperation for another 10 years during President Obama’s second state visit to India in January 2015 to be the Chief Guest in R-Day celebrations. The new framework not only expanded the scope and frequency of the military exercises but also included new partners such as Japan and Australia. In June 2015, India, Japan & Australia again had a security dialogue in New Delhi. In the trilateral dialogue, maritime security, including freedom of navigation in the South Indo-China Sea and trilateral maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean were primarily discussed. Unnamed Indian defence sources claimed that India, Japan and Australia had decided to deepen their ties in all sectors, especially in the field of maritime security. It was also said that “Discussion on a possible trilateral naval exercise was held but no decision has been taken”.

In September, 2015 the Indian and Australian navies conducted the first joint exercise, AUSINDEX, off Vishakapatnam.

In early 2016, the US began to push India for joint patrols of the Indo-Pacific region. During his visit to India in March 2016, Admiral Harry Harris, U.S. Pacific Commander said: “We should be exercising together and we should be turning those exercises into coordinated operations.” He also mentioned that at the trilateral India-Japan-Australia meeting [in late 2015 in Tokyo at the Foreign Secretaries level], the three sides discussed “maritime security — including freedom of navigation patrols — and trilateral cooperation”. He also suggested considering expanding the trilateral Op. Malabar into a quadrilateral one by including the Australian Navy.

During the Australian PM Turnbull’s visit to India in March 2017, several important military-related agreements were signed. It was decided to hold regular annual bilateral naval exercises AUSINDEX starting from c. 2018, while a bilateral exercise of the Special Forces would be held in the later half of c. 2017. It was also decided to hold the first bilateral army exercise in c. 2018

It is worth noting that Australia has a LEMOA with the cash-strapped and China-fearing Philippines now.

[Singha]

we should ask for a lemoa for any aussie bases in east timor and makassar islands ... whether with indonesia or aus or preferably both . our subs can then patrol that region for next decade and get familiar

[SSridhar]

^ I agree, Singha. If Malacca is closed, the alternative is the Sunda (Selat Sunda, Selat Lombok) and the Makassar Straits. We must have LEMOA with Indonesia in all these places. Indonesia already is weary of China with the latter's claim on the Indonessian island of Natuna. The 'First Island Chain' of China extends all the way from Japan in the north through Philippines in the south to Indonesia in the west.In March 2016,there was some maritime action between a PLAN patrol boat, Chinese fishing trawler and the Indonesian Coast Guard off Natuna.

RAN & Indonesian navies have been collaborating and even considering joint patrols in the Indo-China Sea.

[Singha]

.https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/o ... dream.html

Aus caught the usa uk disease

[vish_mulay]

There have been dooms day predictions about OZ real estate bust from 2009. What many don't understand is that besides Sydney and Melbourne, rest of Ozland is in recession. Re markets are already flat or in negative territory for most of The down under. The problem with Sydney and Melbourne is skewed demand and supply. As a double income family with kids, I want house in a suburb which has good schools, better medical facilities, public transport and has relatively less law and order issues. Very few suburbs fulfil all these conditions and hence huge demand spiralling the re cost. There was no new land released for real estate developers for 10 years after Sydney Olympics. There is need for 60000 new dwellings to sustain the population growth, migration both internal as well as external and supply is not yet at the replacement level. Add on the Chines money influx and its a extremely bull territory. Buying in a good suburb is out of question for many double income families.one interesting outcome, multi generational family homes.

[vish_mulay]

How long it will sustain, no one knows. The cardinal ratio of 9 times the average family income for lending, was breached in 2015. Recently, they published list of 78 suburbs where home price is above 2 millions dollars. Sydney is crazy re market.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/whopping ... 22-gvokv1/

[amritk]

It'll probably sustain for decades, mostly because of Chinese money. And then it could be Indian money. There may be hiccups, of course.

[Pathik]

The aussies are also extremely talented art wise, which is often not that highlighted as their sporting culture. Every aussie i know knows atleast one musical instrument, singing or some form of art like craft, painting or building things. This i guess comes from a very encouraging school culture. Given the pea size population this is commendable

[Neshant]

How long it will sustain, no one knows. The cardinal ratio of 9 times the average family income for lending, was breached in 2015. Recently, they published list of 78 suburbs where home price is above 2 millions dollars. Sydney is crazy re market.

US housing market collapsed when it was 6.6X income.

So when that real estate bubble implodes, it will be massive.

The cynical side of me says that western govts are trying to herd their people into real estate ownership prior to a currency devaluation and/or high inflation (which is ongoing).

However this bubble could just as well collapse regardless as leverage in the system begins to crumble under the weight of bad debt.

[vish_mulay]

I have buffered myself for ~40% correction with interest rate going up to 8%. After that I will be sitting with begging bowl and cursing all. Fortunately, I invested in the areas which have good schools and hope that will save my posterior for some more time than other suburbs.

[Sagrawal]

There have been dooms day predictions about OZ real estate bust from 2009. What many don't understand is that besides Sydney and Melbourne, rest of Ozland is in recession. Re markets are already flat or in negative territory for most of The down under. The problem with Sydney and Melbourne is skewed demand and supply. As a double income family with kids, I want house in a suburb which has good schools, better medical facilities, public transport and has relatively less law and order issues. Very few suburbs fulfil all these conditions and hence huge demand spiralling the re cost. There was no new land released for real estate developers for 10 years after Sydney Olympics. There is need for 60000 new dwellings to sustain the population growth, migration both internal as well as external and supply is not yet at the replacement level. Add on the Chines money influx and its a extremely bull territory. Buying in a good suburb is out of question for many double income families.one interesting outcome, multi generational family homes.

I recently moved to Sydney and had hard time finding suitable rental accommodation. Rent is very high in areas with good school and public transport. Finally got a small 2 bedroom unit in Carlingford which has a good school but 1 hour away from CBD for $480 a week. Houses are in range of $700 plus a week.

[SaraLax]

My B-i-L (an IT professional) returned home in 2016 after having stayed for an year & half with his 2 Kids & wife in Sydney. He had more than a decade of experience in a big Indian IT company, went to Oz, then searched for a job, attended a couple of interviews and got a similar profile IT job. 6 months later, he brought over his family to Oz and put his small kids into school there. But he complained about too much pressure from neighbourhood folks with lots of 'marketing' of christianity and when subtle pushes to change religion became more & more frequent .... he decided enough is enough and he returned back home to his older company and is again travelling around the world to devise & design s/w implementations for his customers. He is not a very religious Hindu in any way but felt the atmosphere was not good enough for the future of his children and decided to give up on plans to earn more money and come back in 'lock stock and barrel' mode (sold of at cheap prices ... car, appliances, furniture & household items & etc that he had bought there). I particularly remember him saying that the Oz company he worked for ... used old, no-longer-supported Microsoft technologies and was comfortable with that .... whether the server OS or Outlook mail and so on and that he was very suprised to face that scenario. I will get more info later .. when he comes back to India from his current work related foreign trip.

I don't know how much prevalent this attempt to co-erce Dharmics to change to Abrahamic religion is .... across Australia. Maybe people on the ground will have a better view and how to handle these types of unwelcome advances.

[Sagrawal]

Our neighbor from Philippines wanted to take my son to Church yesterday which was politely declined. I counter invited my neighbor & her daughter to Satya Narayan Katha next month. I hope they will not ask my son to go to Church again.

[SaraLax]

I don't see much of discussions/posts on the 'troubles' that Adani is going through to setup a big coalmine in Queensland. To me (maybe i am biased) .. Adani company & their coalmine project seems to be hated & felt unwelcome a lot by the local lefties, greenies, environmental NGOs, similar ideologically motivated labour politican folks of Oz (and even Ian Chappell, former cricketer).

I wonder if there would be this much amount of protests if this same project were to be handled by say an .. Australian or American or Chinese mining company. Am i wrong to analyse this issue from this perspective ?.

Is it the case that Adani is trying to unfairly wring out as much money as he can (as govt subsidies, cheaper loans & additional support) from the local government <OR> Is it that Adani is being attacked more due to his place of origin ?.

Apart from some center & right wing leaning politicians of Oz - Is there any other non-politician, non-cricketing-guy of some repute in Oz who feels normal or good about Adani's coalmine project ?.

Forum members based in Oz - could probably share some related info for above queries.

[Agasthi]

Our neighbor from Philippines wanted to take my son to Church yesterday which was politely declined. I counter invited my neighbor & her daughter to Satya Narayan Katha next month. I hope they will not ask my son to go to Church again.

I havn't seen much of this Christianity marketing in your face but subtle attempts are there, like in the playgroups for kids which are usually at churches and at times of Easter or christmas there are pamphlets but nothing compared to what i have seen back in India even. I think Australia is more hindu friendly than AP or TN (maybe i'm exaggerating). But I did notice that all suburbs have a church as part of the design and not much due to need. All the churches are usually closed and on Sundays only Asians seem to attend and each race has its own church, very different from a temple.

I live in Carlingford as well and a strong indian family community has kinda developed in the last couple of years and a good mix from all corners. Trouble is, a few pakistani families have suddenly moved in bulk from other parts and from perth in the last 6 months and one of our pakistani neighbours knowingly was being downright obnoxious when she offered beef pasta to us. We asked if you would to trade for pork korma! Should have seen the look on her face. This is the first time i'm seeing and talking to pakistanis and they are different from us but them so are sri lankan tamils. I seem to have more in common to talk and share about, with my gujarati neighbour than a sri-lankan tamil. I guess post 1947, we all seem to be on different trajectories.

[Bart S]

This is the first time i'm seeing and talking to pakistanis and they are different from us but them so are sri lankan tamils. I seem to have more in common to talk and share about, with my gujarati neighbour than a sri-lankan tamil. I guess post 1947, we all seem to be on different trajectories.

I am Tamil myself but my experience (albeit limited, and from a couple of decades ago when overseas Indians were not as prevalent as today) with SL Tamils are that they are downright obnoxious to Indian Tamils and look down upon us for some reason. My guess is that most of them got in through the refugee quotas and didn't have the filters that Indians living or going abroad go through.

However they are extremely close knit and network in a way that few Indians (save Mallus perhaps) do.