Hi,

I migrated out to Adelaide 04/2010, worked for 10 months as a Project Safety Coordinator within the joinery manufacturing industry. As of 01/2011 I have been employed in the oil and gas industry as a Field HSE Officer, my experiences of acquiring work and being offered roles has been very good.

Alot depends on where you go, there has been a downturn in the amount of roles being advertised over the last 12 months, Adelaide is quite slow at the moment, WA is churning along due to the north west corner (mining), I have not researched much to do with Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin or Brisbane.

I came out with no leads just got my head down and acquired the OZ OHS Diploma and applied for some roles and achieved the role I am in today. As for money, the govt pay's around 75-85k in Adl for a WHS inspector ( I believe) and around 95-120K fly in fly out in mining, over in WA you can earn 250k doing 3/4 wks on 1 off, may not be the best if you have a family but good salary to get established if you are on your own.

Living costs can be quite expensive, I have just calculated that I have spent 60+k on rent over the last 3 years, of today's ex rate that's about 45k pounds, but when you are earning an ozzy dollar it should not bare that much significance not unless you live outwith your means, guess some do. My wife is just about to return to the work force after 18 months off to raise our 1 and only child, we managed to afford all that you need, pay rent, service car and save every month, wont say how much I earn but within the achievable amount for FIFO in Adelaide.

Anything else I can answer please ask.

Chris

Hey there,

I moved across to WA approximately two years ago on a 457 visa to work on the Gorgon Project on Barrow Island doing an 8:3 rotation. After a little over 14 months I moved back into Perth City in a slightly different role and brought my wife over to join me.
The mining and O&G indistries were both booming up until recently and a lot of local and ex-pat's are being laid off due to a number of different reasons. One of the emerging issues in WA is the massive wages and benefits the workers demand in both sectors. Unions are very strong in this part of the world and while they feel they are looking out for their members, they are helping scare away the major O&G players from the region.
Approx $150 Billion has so far been committed to LNG projects across Australia with an additional $100 Billion going begging which under the current climate will not likely materialise. I use the massive Browse LNG project which was some 4 years in the planning and did not get past Final Investment Decision (FID) some six weeks ago due to the major investors concluding there was not enough profit to be made in part due to high wage demands. The emergance of Floating LNG is also a factor in the equation which is influencing decisions being made on new land-side terminals.
Bottom line is, WA is full of good local HSE professionals who are always looking for work on FIFO sites. Wages are a lot higher than UK, but so is the cost of living. A beer in most bars in Perth will cost around $10 and that is not even a pint.
The weather and lifestyle are great, however the chance of securing the big paying job is diminishing rapidly.

I have been in Perth for over 2 years, working for an O&G Operator on one of the said mega projects. In relation to potential opportunities, Perth is more or less a closed shop now with regards to bringing over talent from overseas on 457 Visas, due to costs, local personnel availability, potential governmental policy changes etc. There is a high percentage of people here who obtain there Cert IV in OHS with a view to striking it lucky and getting a job up in the mines on rotation or on one of the O&G projects, earning the big dollars. All this does is water down the capability levels of such positions at site locations, so the bar is slowly being raised to mitigate this.

Perth is a very expensive city to live in. Rental properties close to the city are on average $1000 per week and taxes for the higher earners is over 40%, so all this needs factoring in when considering gross remuneration levels. I have over the past years worked in and lived in Dubai and Singapore and they are considerably cheaper places.
In summary, gaining an OZ qualification does not guarantee a position, your simply joining the very long queue. Best advice is to secure PR (this takes time) which allows you to work freely, rather than being sponsored by a company.

Cheers.