Latest news with #Strathfield
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Expat exposes 'expensive' trap catching those moving to Australia: 'Super surprised'
A British woman who recently moved to Sydney on a working holiday visa has revealed the common cost-of-living trap catching out expats. Thousands of British people come to Australia each year, and some have found the price of life Down Under to be a shock. Gabby Watson is currently on the third year of her working holiday visa (WHV) in Australia, having previously done her first two years a decade ago. The 35-year-old, originally from the East Midlands, told Yahoo Finance she'd found the cost of living, job market and rental market weren't nearly as bad as everyone made out to be online. Watson said a big trap she'd seen many expats fall into was renting in expensive suburbs like Bondi Beach and then complaining about not being able to afford anything. RELATED Gen Z worker reveals $4,732 DoorDash, Uber Eats cost-of-living problem facing millions Centrelink cash boost for millions of Aussies: 'More money in bank accounts' Centrelink age pension changes coming into effect for millions 'I'm staying in Strathfield, which everyone is super surprised at, since most people on a WHV tend to base themselves in Bondi or Coogee, but these areas are super expensive and really aren't 'real' Australia,' she said. Medium rents in the inner west suburb are $1,000 per week for houses and $700 per week for apartments. Comparatively, Bondi has average rents at $1,700 per week for houses and $925 per week for units. Watson said she secured a room for rent in a sharehouse within the first week of being in Australia through costs me $250 a week, [and] is on par with what I was paying back home, which is wild when you compare the most expensive city in the country to a small market town in the midlands in the UK,' she said. Watson said location was important for both accommodation and when applying for jobs. 'Forget Bondi or Manly or Coogee, you can visit them anytime, but they'll hold you back if you're serious about finding a decent job without the competition of other backpackers, especially in hospitality roles,' she said. 'Same goes for accommodation. These areas are super expensive, and for the price you'll be paying to share a bedroom with a stranger with zero privacy, you can have your own room with a balcony just 15 minutes from the CBD.' A total of 193,922 visa applications were granted in 2023-24 for the working holiday program, up from 178,306 the year prior. The United Kingdom was the most popular country to be granted Aussie visas, followed by France, Ireland, Japan and South Korea. Some expats have found it tough to find work when they land in Australia. Northern Irish man Jordan Morris said he was forced to leave the country after being unable to find a job or accommodation after three weeks in Sydney. Watson said she was initially a bit worried she would struggle to find work in Australia given the current economic climate, but ended up finding a job within a week of arriving. She applied for temporary debt collecting type positions, since this is where most of her experience is. But it took about 20 applications before she secured a two-month contract. Watson said finding a job on a WHV was 'not impossible' and recommended people base themselves in a large city and contact recruitment agencies. 'I tend to reach out to them by phone, speak to the person/department responsible for temp work, on a WHV you can't accept a permanent position, have a chat with them, and then send over my CV,' she said. 'Calling them first gives you a bit of an edge over other people and they can get a feel for your experience.' Superior People Recruitment director Graham Wynn told Yahoo Finance those on working holiday visas could face difficulties finding work, depending on the industry. 'If you're happy to go into retail or hospitality, it's not a problem because they do have casual staff in those industries,' he said. 'If you're looking for something where the employer is looking for long-term or career-driven people, you've got no chance on a working holiday visa.' Wynn said Watson likely found it easier to find a job because of the particular industry she was applying for. 'That kind of industry has a lot of burnout of staff, it's a tough job," he said. "So to find someone with experience, they're going to grab that person and even if they only get six months out of them because of their visa situation, they'll take it because they are struggling to find people." Wynn recommended people on WHVs looking for retail or hospitality jobs to physically hand out resumes to businesses that are hiring. He said it can be worth exploring recruiters, but to make sure you found one that specialised in temporary or labour hire, not permanent in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Why this brand new multi-million dollar home complete with a pool, spa and cinema room is set to be demolished
A multi-million dollar mansion will be demolished after a local council won a five-year court battle with the owners who built the home without seeking permission. Sydney plumber Rabi Malass and his 34-year-old wife, Sarah, bought a coveted block of land in Strathfield, in Sydney's inner west, for $2.8mllion in 2017. The home on Boden Avenue was already DA approved for a knock-down and rebuild but the couple wished to make alterations to the existing plans. They hired an architect to redesign the layout and the façade of the home who they believed had engaged with the Strathfield Council to seek approval. But as Sydney was plunged into lockdown amid the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, the couple were still yet to receive approval for the redesign. Mr Malass made an ill-fated decision to push on with construction so his workers could remain employed as council became 'uncontactable' despite multiple calls. He told the Land and Environment Court in 2023 that his architect had assured him council would not object to the minor changes, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. But, his architect had also urged Mr Malass to wait for approval as he might need a building information certificate (BIC) to protect the unauthorised works. Mr Malass told the court he was later shocked to discover his architect had never applied for approval for the modified development. In September 2020, council issued a stop-work order following a slew of complaints from frustrated neighbours. The issue escalated to the Land and Environment Court after a council inspector observed evidence building works were continuing. Fed-up neighbours claimed they saw workers in high-vis on a daily basis, heard drilling and even saw dust and smoke coming from the home. But, construction still didn't stop. Council inspected the property 10 times between June 2021 and September 2022 and observed 'significant building activity' at the home. A number of new features had been added without approval including a spa room, parking space, gym, playroom and a cool room. Meanwhile, Mrs Malass - who bought the property - has pleaded guilty to multiple contempt of court charges including continuing with unlawful construction work. Council told the court the contempt resulted in the Malass' putting the finishing touches on the new build and then unlawfully moving in. Mrs Malass was fined $20,000 for contempt in November, 2022. In 2024, Justice Nicola Pain issued an order for the family to vacate the property, demolish the unlawful work and comply with the original building plans. Despite the demolition order, the home is still standing as the Malass' make a last-ditch bid to salvage parts of the home. The family has since lodged a new development application and made a formal request for a BCI. The application would allow the family to remain in the existing home while partially demolishing the first floor and completing some construction work. Strathfield Local Planning Panel rejected the applications, which are now under appeal before the Land and Environment Court. Mr Malass told the court he has spent $700,000 in legal fees and that his plumbing business was in voluntary administration due to the ongoing legal battle. Mrs Malass was ordered to pay council's costs of more than $157,000 in addition to hundreds of thousands of dollars it is seeking in legal fees.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Sydney train delays live updates: Passengers told to avoid travel amid chaos in aftermath of power outage
Sydney Trains are working to get six tracks operational on the network after a heavy rail collided with overhead wires near Strathfield on Tuesday afternoon. Follow live.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Syndey Trains: Avoid travel alert issued with major delays and cancellations on on T1, T2, T3
Commuters are being urged to 'avoid travel' on Sydney 's train network as major delays and cancellations cause widespread chaos. The network came to an abrupt standstill on Tuesday afternoon after a passing train became entangled in fallen high-voltage wires suspended above the tracks near Strathfield station in Sydney's inner-west, which triggered a power outage. Major disruptions across the train network have continued into this morning, with buses still replacing trains on several lines throughout the city. Transport for NSW warned commuters early Wednesday that significant delays and cancellations would continue to plague Sydney's rail services throughout the day, including the T1, T2, and T3 lines. 'Passengers planning on travelling on the rail network this morning are advised to avoid travel or use alternative transport if possible,' Transport for NSW said. 'If you need to travel on the network there will be limited shuttles operating. 'If passengers must travel, plan ahead and allow extra travel time. We have trains running on all lines, but at a reduced frequency. 'Sydney Trains teams have been working hard overnight and have removed a defective train and completed repairs to the overhead wiring that caused major disruption on the rail network yesterday.' About 22 bus services will be supplementing trains between Lidcombe and Ashfield from 6am. 'Sydney Trains apologises again to passengers for the inconvenience of the continuing disruption,' Transport for NSW said. 'It's expected the work will be completed later this morning and we will look to transition to normal timetabled services for the afternoon peak services.' About 300 passengers on board the packed train hit by live wires were stranded for three hours before they were evacuated by carriages one by one. NSW Transport Minister John Graham described the situation as dangerous and life-threatening as a 1500-volt power connector was sitting on top of the train. This is a very serious incident, right in the heart of Sydney's train network,' Mr Graham told ABC News. Mr Graham said the train's pantograph collided with overhead wires, causing the damage. Footage showed impacted passengers being escorted off the train and walking along the tracks to safety. The power outage caused three other trains to come to a halt, with staff arriving on site to evacuate the passengers. Strathfield is a major interchange for multiple lines, with the incident affecting every line on the Sydney metro except for the T4 line. The Metro, light rail and local buses weren't impacted.
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- News.com.au
Thousands affected as power outage trigger enormous train delays in Sydney
Commuters are in for a chaotic morning as several train lines remain delayed due to power supply issues at Strathfield station in the city's west. Trains were brought to a grinding halt on Tuesday afternoon about 2.30pm after part of a train's rooftop power connecter became tangled with the overhead powerlines, which were brought onto the track. The issue triggered massive delays across the train network, with five of six lines temporarily closing and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded for several hours, generating an enormous crowd through Central Station. Crews were on the scene overnight working to restore the power issue, and have removed a 'defective train' and repaired the overhead wiring. 'Teams are completing the final inspections before we reinstate the power later this morning to allow all six tracks from the west through Homebush to operate services,' a Transport NSW spokesman told NewsWire. 'Sydney Trains apologises again to passengers for the inconvenience of the continuing disruption.' The affected lines include the T1, T2, T3, T5, T6, T8, T9 and BMT lines, with commuters urged to seek alternative travel arrangements until the power supply issues are completed. Most trains will continue to be delayed on Wednesday morning, Transport NSW confirmed, with the Strathfield lines are expected to re-open early on Wednesday morning, though delays and gaps in services are still expected throughout the morning period. According to Sky News as of 6am, 15 per cent of all T1 lines are running on time, 25 per cent of T3 and 88 per cent of the T4 lines are operating as normal, whereas only five per cent of the Airport lines are on time and zero per cent are running on the T5 lines. 'Repair crews have worked throughout the night, and we expect all lines at Strathfield to be open again around 6:30am," a Transport NSW statement read. 'Trains will continue to operate on all lines but will not run to timetable and the frequency of service will be reduced. 'You may also need to change trains to continue your journey.' Limited replacement buses will replace trains between Lidcombe and Ashfield. As wild weather rips through Sydney and on The Central Coast, with flooding at Cockle Creek causing massive delays between the Newcastle Inerchange and Fassifern on The Central Coast and Newcastle line, with buses replacing trains. Trains at the Hunter Line are also not running due to flooding at Sandgate. While limited buses are replacing trains, they are unable to access some stations due to the flooding.
