As many of you would have known, Australia is fully of compliance. There is compliance against bullying or discrimination at the workplace and there is also the famous Work, Health & Safety (WHS) regulations which is much more onerous that the version in Malaysia.
The WHS here covers many areas and may even include whether one can change the light bulb at your workplace or whether one needs to buy insurance whenever a tradie comes to your home to repair or fix your house.
Last weekend, I happened to be at a reputable tyre shop to change tyres to my car. As I was in the waiting lounge, waiting for my tyres to be replaced, in came a man with some enquiry which I happen to overhear.
It goes something to the effect that he had a tyre which was either bald or nearly bald i.e. not legally allowed to be on the road, which had a nail embedded in it. He wanted the nail removed and the tyre patched to be either reused or as a spare.
The staff manning the counter at this shop told him that they (the shop) cannot comply with his request due to safety and duty of care, as the tyre itself was no longer road worthy. Hence they are legally not allowed to repair nor allow this tyre to be on the road ever again (even as a spare).
He either had to discard this tyre or get a new one as a replacement, NO repair is allowed.
I cannot imagine this scenario ever happening in Malaysia, but it goes to show the level of compliance and trust built into the system here in Australia.
One can imagine the scenario in Malaysia, where the shop would comply to the customers' request and collect a fee for the work done.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
What has happened?
It has been close to five years since we arrived in Sydney. This blog has been dormant for quite some time and I've decided to revive it again, time permitting.
So what has happened so far? Some of the milestones achieved so far include:
a) Changed two employers
b) Completed a Certificate IV Course in Carbon Management when carbon taxes were in the daily news
c) Completed a Graduate Diploma leading to membership with the Governance Institute of Australia
d) Joined millions of Aussies in home ownership with a bank mortgage
e) Bought my first new car with an added mortgage
f) Kids are settled down well and coping reasonable well is school with the elder one in high school
What has so far been the lessons learnt since we moved here:
i) Getting a job is VERY difficult, I know of people who are continuously in temporary positions without reasonable level of certainty in their role
ii) Home ownership is expensive, much more compared to other parts of the world
iii) You need to obtain council approval to cut down trees in your back yard
iv) Sydney is a very expensive city to live, I guess you can't have it both ways as it has one of the highest wage rates in the world (hence also why getting a job is difficult)
v) The Authorities here are generally more forgiving as they give you the benefit of the doubt and are more trusting (I guess its part of the system here as people are more honest generally)
vi) Many Asian families continue to put pressure on their children similar to the way back in Asia and competition for good schools is keen although less compared to Asia
vii) We still eat Asian cuisine most of the time
viii) People generally change cars and homes frequently
ix) Setting up your own business is easy and selling/ buying businesses are common
So what has happened so far? Some of the milestones achieved so far include:
a) Changed two employers
b) Completed a Certificate IV Course in Carbon Management when carbon taxes were in the daily news
c) Completed a Graduate Diploma leading to membership with the Governance Institute of Australia
d) Joined millions of Aussies in home ownership with a bank mortgage
e) Bought my first new car with an added mortgage
f) Kids are settled down well and coping reasonable well is school with the elder one in high school
What has so far been the lessons learnt since we moved here:
i) Getting a job is VERY difficult, I know of people who are continuously in temporary positions without reasonable level of certainty in their role
ii) Home ownership is expensive, much more compared to other parts of the world
iii) You need to obtain council approval to cut down trees in your back yard
iv) Sydney is a very expensive city to live, I guess you can't have it both ways as it has one of the highest wage rates in the world (hence also why getting a job is difficult)
v) The Authorities here are generally more forgiving as they give you the benefit of the doubt and are more trusting (I guess its part of the system here as people are more honest generally)
vi) Many Asian families continue to put pressure on their children similar to the way back in Asia and competition for good schools is keen although less compared to Asia
vii) We still eat Asian cuisine most of the time
viii) People generally change cars and homes frequently
ix) Setting up your own business is easy and selling/ buying businesses are common
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Trust v2
Is the reason for red-tapes and bureaucracy due to lack of trust? Or also due to poor enforcement? And does red-tape and bureaucracy the reason why law abiding citizens get penalised and crooks get away with murder?
How can Malaysia break away from the above?
Let's compare a few examples:
i) If you get stopped by a cop for running a red light what does one do? Pay legally the fine or pay illegaly a bribe?
ii) If getting a permanent residency easier if one pays their way through or go through all the eligibility rules and regulations in Malaysia?
iii) Why do traffic offenders with multiple fines always get discounts after waiting for enforcement for years and a law abiding citizen who pays fine early pays the full rate?
How can Malaysia break away from the above?
Let's compare a few examples:
i) If you get stopped by a cop for running a red light what does one do? Pay legally the fine or pay illegaly a bribe?
ii) If getting a permanent residency easier if one pays their way through or go through all the eligibility rules and regulations in Malaysia?
iii) Why do traffic offenders with multiple fines always get discounts after waiting for enforcement for years and a law abiding citizen who pays fine early pays the full rate?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Trust
Due to the fact that the system in Australia acts on the presumption of trust, many things can be done on the phone or online via www. However as many Australians have got this built into their personal system, there is a higher tendency for them to give others the benefit of the doubt and trust the other person more.
This is directly opposite to those of us in Asia, where trust must be earned over a longer duration of time. A simple example is getting documents or identity certified for Government or other applications. In Malaysia for example the identity card is of utmost important, without one, one is nobody. Getting things done means carting along loads of documents, forms and getting it certified etc. before even submitting the application and then there is the vetting process.
Today I just found out my company got cheated over a credit card scam from Nigeria. I would have thought that these Nigerian would have attempted to scam those in Asia or so, but I guess choosing someone from a more trustworthy society may be easier given that people here are more trusting that those from Asia.
Please don't get me wrong, there are good and bad in every society. We just have to exercise caution everywhere regardless of our presumption!
This is directly opposite to those of us in Asia, where trust must be earned over a longer duration of time. A simple example is getting documents or identity certified for Government or other applications. In Malaysia for example the identity card is of utmost important, without one, one is nobody. Getting things done means carting along loads of documents, forms and getting it certified etc. before even submitting the application and then there is the vetting process.
Today I just found out my company got cheated over a credit card scam from Nigeria. I would have thought that these Nigerian would have attempted to scam those in Asia or so, but I guess choosing someone from a more trustworthy society may be easier given that people here are more trusting that those from Asia.
Please don't get me wrong, there are good and bad in every society. We just have to exercise caution everywhere regardless of our presumption!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
REGO i.e. Road Tax
Well, trust is definitely at a much higher level here in NSW. You get to renew your "rego" or the Malaysian equivalent of Road Tax for your car without stepping foot out of your home.
1 month before the expiration, you receive a notice to renew the rego with the "sticker" enclosed.
You just buy your Third Party insurance online (with premiums comparison on the RTA website to shop around) and then just pay your rego notice online with your credit card.
Upon payment, you get a receipt reference number and then you can stick your newly renewed rego on your car and drive till it expires again.
What a way of change from Malaysia where one has to go to the post office to get a new roadtax sticker!
I wonder how they police those who fail to pay unless they get into some trouble with the law or insurance?
1 month before the expiration, you receive a notice to renew the rego with the "sticker" enclosed.
You just buy your Third Party insurance online (with premiums comparison on the RTA website to shop around) and then just pay your rego notice online with your credit card.
Upon payment, you get a receipt reference number and then you can stick your newly renewed rego on your car and drive till it expires again.
What a way of change from Malaysia where one has to go to the post office to get a new roadtax sticker!
I wonder how they police those who fail to pay unless they get into some trouble with the law or insurance?
Credit Cards
Despite having good credit history from Malaysia, getting a credit card can be a pain.
I got one when I first arrived from the banker I bank with regularly i.e. where my salary is deposited. All I got was a limit of $1,000; lower than when I first obtained my first credit card nearly 20 yrs ago.
Well few months later after making regular payments I applied for an increase and got a rejection letter.
To this Big 4 bank, you'll be receiving a termination in due time as I've managed to get two new cards from other institutions with credit limits that are more than 4 x my existing limit.
So much for loyalty. You can spend millions in your campaign but without looking into details, you lose a customer like me.
It reminds me of a similar rejection by Malaysia's largest bank about 10 yrs ago. Till now they've not got my credit card despite attempts in sending my preapproved cards without any application.
Good bye!
I got one when I first arrived from the banker I bank with regularly i.e. where my salary is deposited. All I got was a limit of $1,000; lower than when I first obtained my first credit card nearly 20 yrs ago.
Well few months later after making regular payments I applied for an increase and got a rejection letter.
To this Big 4 bank, you'll be receiving a termination in due time as I've managed to get two new cards from other institutions with credit limits that are more than 4 x my existing limit.
So much for loyalty. You can spend millions in your campaign but without looking into details, you lose a customer like me.
It reminds me of a similar rejection by Malaysia's largest bank about 10 yrs ago. Till now they've not got my credit card despite attempts in sending my preapproved cards without any application.
Good bye!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Theft
We wrongly assumed that things would be safe in our neighbourhood despite several assurance from our neighbours who have been around for 10 yrs or so. Our kids 2 week old bicycle and scooter were nicked last night as I forgot to close the garage door.
So much for security here. Well this happens everywhere and lesson learnt painfully!
So much for security here. Well this happens everywhere and lesson learnt painfully!
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