My Story — first generation migrant
I came to Australia in 1998 with a dream. I studied business at Monash University and after a few struggling years got myself a decent job in one of the big banks. I did pretty well and had got a few promotions in the bank.
Then came the whole concept of outsourcing. Everybody during that time was new to the concept of “Re-engineering and outsourcing”. The concept was based on the fact that getting some back end job done, in India or Philippines, was cheaper as labour is cheaper in India or Philippines.
The Bank took a strategic decision to outsource 50 back-end support jobs to India. And guess who was responsible to see it all go smoothly. No marks for guessing.
My dilemma is that I came to Australia in search of a better life which meant — better job, better earning, better living, and better environment and now I was helping jobs to go to India because it’s cheaper there. I was literally crying thinking what the hell am I doing.
I had always thought “Australia was the lucky country” but outsourcing was a really bad trend, since all jobs were going out of the country. The government did nothing to do otherwise. All Academicians were in support of Globalisation and consumerism. All manufacturing moved to China and India. Australia was not competitive enough.
“Australia should be first” and not any other country.
All the four Car “manufacturers” left Australia and started importing their cars. We lost thousands of jobs and now “Holden” will be closing its shop. It pains to see another “Australian brand” will be no more. That Brand alone is worth billions of dollars. We are not only losing money we are losing 150 years of History.
Australia is not “the lucky country” any more.
Sad.
