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Discrimination against South Africans in Australia?


KCT

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We have started the long road of visa application in Australia (189) and still in the very infant stage.

I have heard that there is in fact discrimination against South Africans in Oz as we are seen as a threat to employment market etc and at the end of the day, we end up spending time with fellow South Africans.

Is this the case or is it just isolated cases and I would hate to go through all this to only not have the freedom we all look for in SA.

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I'm an Aussie and I've barely heard South Africans mentioned where I'm from, (Brisbane) let alone discriminated against because of some perceived threat. I'm sure the odd case or so may exist though as there are always exceptions. Maybe it is different in Perth in areas where many South Africans congregate in one area of Perth or something. Doubt it would be wide spread or universal though.

Just remember 1 in 4 Australians are born overseas and almost 1 in 2 have a parent born overseas. I think you can rest assured many people mix when open to contact with others. Many people on my street growing up were born all over the place. It is the norm here in the cities.

Edited by Fish
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Hey,

That is not the case in my experience. Aussies love South Africans. We speak good english, we fit in well and we contribute to the economy.

In my experience they hate the Asian guy who incorrectly dumps all his rubbish next to the bin and when confronted just lies and says, "me no english". FYI... They have "council cleanup" days here for getting rid of big items. You don't dump them next to the bin.

Cheers

Paul

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I don't hate the south african or the asian guy...just saying ;) don't love them all either....just take each person as they come...and yes I represent the opinion of ALL australians :)

Edited by Fish
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KCT what I can say is that during our 6 years journey in Australia we NEVER EVER experienced any discrimination. That also goes for all the Saffas friends we met during that time.

The only negative comments I picked up were in respect of some arrogant Saffas who enter Australia expecting things to suit their own expectations.

With the right mindset you will certainly experience freedom here!

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I work with every nationality under the sun so have no issues with anyone, just reporting what I have heard via the grapevine and wanted to know if its a isolated case!

Thanks to the responses.

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I work with every nationality under the sun so have no issues with anyone, just reporting what I have heard via the grapevine and wanted to know if its a isolated case!

Thanks to the responses.

It's true what they say about our cricketers though :)

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I think it all depends on where you live and how easily you integrate into the society around you. I personally have not experienced any discrimination as a South African but have heard stories of people in general (not just us Saffa's) being had a go at for taking local jobs, however having said that I think it's isolated icedenses that get blown out of proportion because of the fact that we are already on the defensive because of where we come from and South Africans tend to take things personally.

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Nope, certainly isolated cases. There's no official mandate on disliking South Africans. :)

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I dont think its true. I have not experienced anything like that when working with ozzies, and also talking to agents, they like us. One agent said she prefers south african women as we work really hard and are honest and reliable.

As a recruiter I can tell you this - when I wanted to fill a position in South Africa, and I got many applications, it does happen that you will not look at an overseas applicant when there is sufficiently qualified local talent. It's called fair discrimination and if that happens you can't blame the ozzies.

That has happened to me in a job I was interviewed for twice. The GM really liked me but in the end an ozzie lady with 25 years experience in government got the job. I was discriminated against if you want to put it in that context, but it was fair and I dont blame them at all. I would have done the same.

Unfortunately, as have been said a million times on this forum, ozzie experience is so important. That's why I always say that people should volunteer. My volunteer work is not really difficult but they seem to accept it as ozzie experience and the agents have told me over and over that they would not have looked at my CV if I didnt have that.

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Hi

I just recently started working here in Australia,so far i have not experienced any discrimination. The people I work with have gone out of there way to make my experience as pleasant as possible. :D

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I'll go with Fish's first comment - I am known at work as the "South African", but it's simple to point out I'm as Australian as their parents or grandparents were. Doesn't work for one of the guys whose forefathers all arrived in chains on the first fleet ..... but his wife is a Pom who's lived here for 30 years and didn't bother to get citizenship, so I point out I'm more Australian than she is.

I do take stick at cricket time, but that's all in good spirit.

I fact I've seen no discrimination. Of course I don't pretend to be very sensitive about many things, so maybe it's there, but not obvious to me.

I was expecting problems at one of my shooting clubs, where one of the lads had a "F... off we're full" sticker on his ute. Guy lent me his firearms and kit to shoot with, while I was waiting for licences. When I mentioned the sticker, his answer was "You're not that type of immigrant".

Edited by OubaasDik
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Honestly? Most Australians don't love South Africans and don't hate South Africans............................I don't think they really care..............lol.

South Africans are hardly a threat in the employment market as they make up such a small percentage of the population, around 0.007%.

I have heard the odd story about arrogant South Africans, but as with all nationalities, there are the odd few that get remembered for the wrong reasons.

Toitjie is right, when looking at applicants for a job, you are more likely to short-list those with Australian experience of both the workplace and the culture, but that is the same anywhere.

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We have started the long road of visa application in Australia (189) and still in the very infant stage.

I have heard that there is in fact discrimination against South Africans in Oz as we are seen as a threat to employment market etc and at the end of the day, we end up spending time with fellow South Africans.

Is this the case or is it just isolated cases and I would hate to go through all this to only not have the freedom we all look for in SA.

You'll need to get out your salt cellar from now on because that sort of comment will be from someone "back home" (who has probably never been to Australia) trying to put you off going. So ask away and you'll get the truth from the forum. All the best with your plans.

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" I have heard that there is in fact discrimination against South Africans in Oz as we are seen as a threat to employment market "

KCT, this makes me want to laugh hysterically, then cry a bit and then it just makes me really, really angry. With the wisdom of being in Sydney for over 5 years, I can tell you this is utter rubbish. Please stop listening to a word this person ever says again. Next thing they will spew those old classics like, South Africans are such hard workers, Australians are lazy....

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Haven't experienced any discrimination so far at all. Really, no one here really cares where you are from, so long as the job gets done or you do what you are suppose to do. You can also only settle in as well as you allow yourself. We don't go to the South African shop a lot (we only buy mayonaise there and the rest one can get at IGA or Woolworths) and we're starting to speak the lingo and so forth.

Don't believe everything you hear, it is a good thing you asked this question on the forum.

Good luck with your journey ahead!

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In my six years in Australia, I have only come accross this once some years back. I was in a function and there were a group of ladies talking with each other next to the group I was standing with. One of the ladies in that group was carrying about how she hated South Africans and went on and on quite loudly about every stereotypical South African characteristic. She could equally have been speaking about any other race or ethicity, cause she sounded like a real bigot either way. That was the one and only time I heard any form of discrimination.

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I felt more discriminated against in South Africa for having a white skin than I have ever felt in Australia for being an immigrant.

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I go to a "Men's shed" here in my home town of Mount Barker in South Australia.

It was started up about five years ago by three Aussies and one South African bloke all going to the local Baptist Church. We meet on Friday mornings to talk over things, share hassles we might have with the family or the wife, and talk about health issues or money worries. . . . . you know, the usual stuff that old farts talk about.

There are about twenty of us regulars now, Aussies, Poms, South Africans and we have a barbie (braai) at the end, round about lunchtime, with a cuppa and then disappear for the week.

I've palled up with Pete, a great bloke from PE in South Africa who has come over on a Parent's Visa. His three kids now all live dotted around Australia. We play cards on Friday night with a bunch of other blokes, some Aussies, some South Africans, one an old school mate of mine from the 1970s.

Anyhow . . . . I digress. Another bloke from Jo'burg came a year ago, an older bloke and his wife. He was battling financially with the South African Rand keeping on its descent against the Aussie $.

He got some handyman work to do, was painting a house in a nearby town. He fell off the roof, crashed through the skylight and broke his ankle.

We all got together, fixed up his painting job, repaired the skylight and gave him the money owing for the job.

He got a bit choked up a few weeks later when he was hobbling around, telling us he'd never had such support from a bunch of blokes before in his life.

Aussies might be direct . . . they might tell you to bugger off . . . but I know who I'd want by my side when the proverbial hits the fan, and I am battling. . . . . . . South African, Australian, Pommie or not.

Edited by Bob
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@Bob, and that's exactly why I like the Aussie's. Straight forward, down to earth and honest. Most of which are willing to lend a hand when it's needed the most. Just look at how people pulled together in the 2011 floods.

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I like Aussies, direct to a fault. I would rather prefer to know where I stand than to be stabbed in the back all day long. I have been here almost 4 years, and have been knobbed by Saffers twice in a row in business ventures gone wrong, where they abused my trust and my connections to win business from me. Not the Aussies. yes there are bad and good both sides, but man some of the Saffer boois I have run into here are true pieces of work, so to speak.

I have not experienced any discrimination other than what is right, e.g. most qualified for the job. far different from SA where almost every job in in the end was, sorry your a wit ou, you cant have the job. Funny thing though, the Saffers I mentioned earlier in the post, have all left the city and moved over east due to them getting a bad rap with the local business Aussies for being unscrupulous. Guess who the first people were to tell me its all okay? Yip Aussies.

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No discrimination towards South Africans in my experience, but they (quite rightly) look after Aussies first in the job market.

At the workplace they don't seem to distinguish between Aussies and anyone else at all. To the point that they don't even seem to acknowledge that you are different (despite my Eastern Cape accent).

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