SBS Gujarati Australian update: 14 May 2025
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SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
English Noh play 'Oppenheimer' to be premiered in Tokyo on the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
'Oppenheimer' will be performed at the Kita Noh Theatre in Tokyo on August 6 (the bombing of Hiroshima) and Aug 9 (the bombing of Nagasaki). 'Oppenheimer' was premiered in Australia in 2015. The performance in Sydney is available to watch on YouTube for free. Listen to SBS Japanese Audio on Tue, Thu and Fri from 1pm on SBS 3. Replays from 10pm on Tue, Thu and Sat on SBS1. Listen to past stories from our podcast. Download the free SBS Audio App and don't forget to visit SBS Japanese Facebook and Instagram page!
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘We're done': Queensland influencers' huge call about living in Australia
A pair of Queensland influencers and their two children are leaving Australia 'for good' – a decision that an increased number of people have made in recent months, no longer able to hack our nation's soaring house prices and cost of living pressures. Brent and Molly Orwell, who rose to social media fame by documenting their two-and-a-half year trip around Australia in a caravan, shared the news with their followers this week. 'WE'RE LEAVING AUSTRALIA. FOR GOOD. (Not for a holiday. Not for a break. Not for a visa. We're done),' they wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. 'We've sat with this decision for months … years!! Wrestled with it. Played out every scenario. Listened to every doubt, every judgement, every 'what if'. But deep down, we know what's right for our family, our business, and our future. And it's not here … in this country. 'Australia will always be home. But it's no longer where we're meant to grow and raise our children. Because when you're: Taxed to the eyeballs no matter how much you make or 'write off', slammed by (the) rising cost of living no matter what state you live in, crushed by the weight of tall poppy syndrome if you dare dream bigger, seeing policies and laws change faster than you can adapt, watching our cities struggle to keep up with decisions we didn't vote for, watching systems shape your kids in ways you didn't choose … and watching opportunity for entrepreneurs get smaller, not greater … You realise you can either stay silent and conform … or do what's best and make a move. 'We chose to make a move … This isn't a flex. It's a call to anyone who's ever felt like they didn't belong in the system. We have given ourselves approx (sic) 8 weeks and we are out! 'We have so many emotions right now as we pack our first few boxes, but there is no point living a stagnant and truth be told – unhappy life where we are currently at in Australia.' The Orwells are yet to disclose where they will be moving to – instead, urging their followers to guess. But migration data has shown they aren't alone – with many other Australians seeking an alternative, and potentially cheaper, lifestyle. According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures, migrant departures – people leaving Australia to move overseas – increased by 8 per cent to 221,000 from 204,000 between 2023-2024. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the only major demographic group to consistently leave the country is Australian-born citizens, with a further 57,100 leaving in 2023-2024 and just 35,590 coming home. The median age of those moving overseas was 31. Many who have left the country have taken to Reddit, where they blamed high property prices as the sole factor for their departure. 'I'm one of those Aussies who left. I moved to Japan. The job pays about the same as I'd make in Australia but the cost of living is way lower. Got a loan and bought a home only 20 minutes from two capital cities,' one Redditor said. A second one wrote: 'I moved overseas and won't return unless the housing prices go down or become accessible. I literally will never afford a house back in my home country until it does. I've purchased a 2 bedroom apartment overseas in a city with fine living conditions (although I miss the beaches) for a good price.' 'Wish I could return, but it's not worth it to live in poverty or without prospects of a future. Congrats, Boomers,' they added. 'Crazy' place Aussies aren't heading to The Orwells' move comes just months after fellow Queenslander Kat Clark – who has a combined TikTok and Instagram following of more than eight million – announced that she, her husband and youngest daughter would be relocating to the US. 'We have had some opportunities come up in America and we are going to give it a go,' Ms Clark explained, adding her family intends to stay in LA for the next two years. The 38-year-old's announcement came as a surprise to her fans, many of whom questioned why the popular influencer and businesswoman would ditch Australia for America, particularly given President Donald Trump's increasingly controversial – and concerning – government policies and strict border stance. 'Moving to America in this political climate is crazy,' one follower wrote, while another added, 'She thinks living in America will be like visiting America for a holiday. Can't wait for the 'we're moving back' video.' Addressing the backlash in a subsequent episode of her Basically Besties podcast, Ms Clark said the family's relocation had been in the works for at least a year, and had been prolonged by the process of securing a visa. 'I didn't want to tell people where we were moving until we got confirmation, but I also didn't want to tell people because I knew (they) would get mad at me – which happened,' she said. 'I understand where everyone is coming from. Living in Australia, we get a lot of negative media about the US – you see all the US shootings, you see crazy people that live in America – so, I get it. 'But a lot of people don't understand with our jobs and what we do, there isn't as much opportunity in Australia than there is in America – and that's one of the main reasons we are going there, for our work … If it's the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life, I am going to come back home.' Australian travel businesses have seen bookings to the US drop significantly as Australians, Canadians and Europeans choose to holiday elsewhere, amid experts' warnings and cases of tourists being denied entry on arrival (and, at times, strip searched and thrown in prison) spooking travellers. Earlier this year, US International Trade Administration statistics showed the number of visitors from Down Under had plummeted 7 per cent in the 12 months to March 2025 – the steepest decline since the same time four years ago, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak. Flight Centre CEO and founder Graham Turner told it was an 'unsettled climate' impacting business travel, while tourists worry about passport control or simply don't want to visit the States 'because they don't like what Donald Trump's doing'. The President's trade and entry policies were a 'significant' contributing factor to Flight Centre revising its 2025 financial year profit guidance from $365-$405 million to $300-$335 million. Mr Turner said it was also the one major factor that is 'outside (Flight Centre's) control'. Mr Turner said he hoped Australian and global travel to the US will start to recover between now and September 'depending on what Trump does'. 'It depends a lot on what actually happens to these tariffs … which obviously we can't predict,' he said.
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
Backpackers opt for city work over outback Queensland experience
Each afternoon, the beach volleyball nets at The Strand in Townsville are filled with overseas backpackers enjoying the north Queensland winter. Hostels are fully booked and local hospitality venues are at capacity with workers completing their 88-day regional work requirement for their second-year visa extensions. Townsville's Australian Hotel owner Katie Kelliher said she received at least five resumes a day. "There's always backpackers looking for work, but this year in particular it's been next level," she said. "We are so inundated with the amount of people that are currently looking for work we can't even take resumes anymore." As the coastal towns thrive with the influx of travellers, north-west Queensland businesses and farmers are missing out on the backpacker workforce they rely on. The Working Holiday Maker visa is a cultural exchange program with over 40 partner countries offering young people the chance to work and travel for up to 12 months. Visa holders are required to complete 88 days of regional work in tourism and hospitality, the broader agricultural industry, mining and construction, or natural disaster recovery to extend their visas for another year. Robert Downie is the local publican at the Royal Hotel in Hughenden, about 400 kilometres west of Townsville. He said most backpackers were opting to work along the coast, which had impacted on his business. Julieta Blans from Argentina is one of those completing her regional work requirement in Townsville so she can stay in Australia for a third year. She said it became harder to find work and accommodation during the winter months because the weather was better. "Everyone starts leaving in December. Last year there was no-one, the hostel was empty," she said. "But now the weather is beautiful." She said the change to include hospitality in the 88-days requirement encouraged her to extend her stay in Australia. Shane McCarthy, the president of Agforce, the peak industry body representing primary producers in Queensland, said the short-term workforce had not been the same since the pandemic. "There always seemed to be a good supply of young people willing and able to come out and have an outback experience while they earn some money," he said. But now, Mr McCarthy said grazing properties were struggling to find the extra hands in the paddock. "You either have to try and do it yourself or you're putting it off until you can find someone to help you," he said. He suggested incentives to get workers out of the cities and into the bush. As backpackers now struggle to find work and accommodation in the bustling coastal cities, publican Robert Downie hopes more will venture to the outback. "I don't think they quite realise how good it can be out west," he said. He said accommodation was often provided for workers, and people around town were keen to get to know visitors. "We've actually had more stay longer because they enjoy being here so much," Mr Downie said.
