Many people have asked me how my time in Australia was. I spent almost four months in Perth in the state of Western Australia, and discovered that although it was only a short 4-5 hour flight from Singapore, the way of life Down Under couldn’t be more different.
Here are the main takeaways, which may be interesting for Singaporeans who are curious about life in Western Australia (WA).
Life in WA suits certain profiles much more than others
You’d have to understand that mining comprises 80-90% of WA’s economy. So if you’re in that sector, it would probably make a whole lot more sense to be here, because mining jobs pay extremely well and are plentiful.
If you’re not in mining but are good with your hands - say, you’re a car mechanic or a plumber - those jobs pay extremely well here too versus back home. In fact, these roles are the high income earners in WA rather than the ‘white collar’ work that we think of back home - like being a banker.
Other than those types of roles, everything else is pretty generic and sits on an average pay scale. If you don’t do the favoured roles of WA, you’re likely better off in Singapore, which is a financial capital and also a hub for a greater variety of economic activity.
You have to be OK with the taxation system… And flatness
This point is related to the above. Essentially, it doesn’t pay to earn a lot in Australia, because you’ll be in the highest income tax bracket (almost 50%). The system favours low to middle income earners, broadly speaking. You’re taken care of from cradle to grave even though you don’t earn a lot. There’s very little to worry about. It’s unlikely one has to sleep on the streets as there is social housing or if one is unemployed, there are welfare benefits. This is egalitarian and is a noble system, but it’s not for everyone.
The product is a flatter society where the lower income earners are not doing too badly (thanks to minimum wage) and are able to lead a decent life with home and car ownership. The wealth of the rich are redistributed to the society through mostly free healthcare and education.
Do note that you don’t just pay income tax but also capital gains tax (CGT). The latter taxes up to 50% on capital gains on everything you own globally, including properties, cars, shares and so on. Being tax efficient in Australia is very important and is a skill that Singaporeans lack because we take it for granted.
Schooling is more academically relaxed and very liberal values wise
It’s often said that Singaporeans will do extremely well in the Australian school system. In general, it’s true. It’s because those in the Australian system typically are used to a more relaxed academic pace. It doesn’t mean that they are any less intelligent, it’s just that they are not pushed to their limit like kids are in Singapore. Whether this is a good or bad thing is a personal preference.
Due to the vast amount of resources and opportunities available in Australia, I’m guessing that is why the education system is also more relaxed. There are more paths to success than just academic excellence. Many tradies who are not good in math or science continue on to own huge houses with pools, earning good money just being a plumber or an electrician. Or, they can make the natural resources of the country work for them. In Singapore, you essentially have to join the rat race or fall of the treadmill very quickly.
However, Australian education seems to follow the direction of Anglo-Saxon countries in being very liberal. Parents and teachers don’t have power over their kids and in fact it’s the other way around. Children can call for protection if they deem their parents are disciplining them too much. Same-sex relationships and abortion are more accepted here. Some like this and some don’t. I personally prefer a more conservative and traditional approach.
Work life balance is excellent, but you would spend a lot more of your spare time doing a different kind of work… housework.
People in Australia wake up very early. Contrary to popular belief, I find Australians extremely hardworking, organised and ‘put together’. They wake up at 5+am, get breakfast and lunch prepared for the kids (canteens aren’t common in schools), do a run or cycle, then send the kids to work and finally start work early at around 830am. When they work they are very focused and do not waste time playing with their phones, scrolling TikTok or Whatsapp (latter hardly used here).
But after working hard they then put a hard stop on their ending time, which for parents is usually around 3+pm, because they have to fetch their kids from school. They then go home, get dinner prepared and then put the kids to bed by 730pm. Isn’t that such a balanced lifestyle that’s properly planned?
Of course, having a helper in Australia is uncommon, so a lot of the spare time is taken up with household chores, whether it is doing the dishes (mitigated somewhat by a dishwasher), the laundry or tending to the garden. Some would enjoy this and some don’t. However, in Australia it is pretty common for an average person to have a 3000-5000 sq ft house and a backyard to tend to. So the average person would know a great deal about maintaining a house, which is only the privilege of the top 1% in Singapore.
Cost of living in general is about the same as SG or lower
The Australian dollar is now only $0.88 to one Singapore dollar. So everything seems to be on discount.
But it is not just the currency. If you know where to shop, things are indeed generally cheaper in Australia. For example, groceries are cheaper and also fresher. House and kitchenware are high quality and it is common to find up to 80-90% discounts during sales. Even if you eat out, it is equivalent to eating at restaurants in Singapore. Only thing that Australia doesn’t have is hawker centres with extremely affordable meals. Still, portions are large and it is possible to have two people share one portion. It really isn’t that expensive to live in Australia.
I haven’t even mentioned the houses and cars. A good aforementioned 3000-5000 sq ft house on its own land in Perth in a decent area will cost about A$800k to A$1m. There is no such thing as leasehold in Australia - everything is freehold. In fact, within freehold there are different tiers, and strata titles (Semi-Ds as we call them in SG) command less money than green titles (not subdivided). It’s a life that the average Singaporean can never dream about.
Cars, so long as they dont attract Luxury Car Tax, are also pretty affordable. Their road tax is calculated based on the car’s weight, not engine size (again, pretty ‘flat’ between the top and bottom). It’s very possible for someone working in McDonald’s to be able to drive a brand new BMW after just a few years of saving money. Fuel is around A$1.70-$1.80 for 98, but one covers much more distance here so the bills do add up. Overall, it’s still much cheaper than Singapore.
Produce is fresh and the environment ranks high
One of the most enduring memories of our adventure was collecting live lobsters from the back of a fishing boat at Freo that just went out to the sea to catch them in the morning. They sold for A$50 per kg. I did not know how to ‘dispatch’ lobsters but I brought it to a willing friend to try and to barbecue them too. They were the freshest lobsters I ever had.
We also attempted to catch blue swimmer crabs at Mosman Bay, actually a very urbanised area and not rural at all. Although I was not successful, my wife caught one and it was an amazing feeling to catch crabs just within the waters of the city.
The Australians care a lot about the environment and that shows in the way they sort their thrash. They spend an inexplicable amount of time making sure it is properly done and if it isn’t the council can refuse to collect your thrash!
DIY is way of life
In Singapore we may call an Ah Seng or Ah Meng to help us sort out a bad fuse at home. Well in Australia most people just learn to do it themselves because it’s either very expensive to get a tradesperson down, or you’d have to wait impractically long for their next appointment. As a result, people in general know how to do a lot of stuff on their own and I see this as a huge plus.
Survival skills are in the DNA of every Australian and I think most Singaporeans would not be able to survive when put on a deserted island while Australians would do OK.
The aforementioned crab catching is one example, but it also flows down to things like how to build a house. In Australia it is common to design and build one’s house, and be the main con to handle a build. Ordinary people can buy land and build their dream on it. Of course, they are then more aware of the pitfalls as well.
You’d enjoy the outdoors more there
After work, it’s normal for people to change to their swimsuits for the beach when it is still sunny and to catch the sunset before going home. Being a suaku Singaporean I never swam in the ocean much before, but I enjoyed it so much in Australia. There are protected shark net areas (where sharks are prevented from going into) where it’s perfectly safe to just head out. I really enjoyed the crystal clear waters and listening to the seashells clinging against each other as the waves ebb and flow. This is quality of life!
And then when you head down to Margaret River you can enjoy vineyards but also more outdoor things like jaw dropping beaches and hikes. I love it that you can just hop down south anytime you want to take a break. There is also plenty more to see in WA which I have not mentioned - the state is ten times larger than the UK! One can never finish seeing WA and it is as diverse as you’d imagine in climate and culture away from Perth.
You’ll quickly realise crime becomes something to be acutely aware of
In Singapore I lament not being able to enjoy a cool breeze and always have to turn on the AC. Well, in Australia you definitely have cool nights but then there is another problem - you make yourself vulnerable to crime when you open your windows and doors. This is something we never ever have to think about in Singapore but in Australia you need to be aware of such things. Therefore, it is common for Australians to spend significant amounts of money on security, whether it is a CCTV system, an alarm system or CrimSafe doors.
During our 2nd night in a home we had somebody drive to our driveway at 1230am, come out of the car and lurk around the compound. We were genuinely spooked and reported the incident to the police. A quick check of the suburb’s Facebook groups revealed that this is a rather common occurrence to scout a house before a break in. Break ins and car thefts happen every fortnight or so, and this is even in a rather decent suburb!
‘Socio-economic’ class is a term loosely thrown about in Australia
This brings me to the next point. I’m surprised that in a ‘high sensitivity’ society like Australia, the term ‘socio-economic class’ is very commonly used. For example, one would often hear things like, “Armadale is a lower socio-economic area and therefore is subject to more crime”. It makes me a little uncomfortable to classify areas as such, but I guess, it is also the reality. It’s not that apparent in Singapore as everywhere is generally safe and clean.
Things in Australia are Black and White
When I was working in the regional office of a super luxury brand, I was often told of the problematic Tall Poppy syndrome in Australia. I did not really understand it so much until this extended time I spent in Australia.
Essentially, it is not Australian to stand out in society. It could mean going over the speed limit, for example; and I suspect this is at least partially the reason why speeding enforcement is so strict in Australia. Why do you need to go faster than everybody else?!
It could also mean being too wealthy or to wear something flashy. This is generally frowned upon and I realised that Australians are not materialistic at all. In fact they are one of the least materialistic people I know. They also do not really care for dress conventions. Just wear what’s comfortable!
How the black and white theme comes into the picture is that you are expected to conform, but once you generally fit in then the vibe is pretty relaxed. It is something not easy to understand but once you realise the country’s motto is ‘Fair Go’ it all starts to make sense.
Existential concerns over material
I think the aforementioned point is linked to this - Australians always have had to deal with more existential threats, like bushfires, and I felt this primal fear when we were at Margaret River. There was a day when the sky turned smokey and brown and it literally felt like the fire was just round the corner. I realised quickly that we didn’t have to match the Joneses so much anymore when we had to think about evacuation routes and exit plans.
You’re not the dominant race
This is a distinctly Chinese Singaporean point. I felt like a minority in London but then there were so many foreigners that I didn’t really stand out. But in Australia I felt it more - maybe it was Perth’s small town vibe. But I really felt that the minorities stayed in the areas with better schools but those which were not traditionally the more premium areas, while the vaunted Western Suburbs remained quite white. It was not easy choosing between the comforts of one’s own countrymen or to really immerse and live among the locals. But suffice to say, Singapore still feels like home, better or worse.
Hot is hotter in WA
We say Singapore is hot and humid, but the oven-like 40+C temperatures in Perth’s summer was properly hot! Yes, we didn’t sweat as much but I’d argue it was just as uncomfortable! Thankfully, summer is the only painful season, the rest are pretty pleasant in Perth. It was also very nice to have calm beaches early in the morning (due to the winds) while there is an ocean breeze that blows inland during the evening, so it is generally always windy as the day closes. It’s called the Freo Doctor.
We don’t really know how to ‘live’
I feel like Singapore is some sort of bubble and life is unusually good in it. And when I mean by good, I mean it is quantitatively good but I am not sure about the quality. For example, if one works hard, there will be a HDB to aspire to and work to do. However, families often have dual income workers and children spend much of their childhood in centres or with helpers. Families also probably take their entire lives to pay off their mortgages. And well, material pursuits seem more prevalent in Singapore. All seems to be good on the surface, but I think we do not see the costs of such a life until much later.
There are just so many more ways to live in Australia. There’s urban life, farm life, rural life, FIFO life, etc. There are more paths to live and more options for those who don’t fit into the general narrative.
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I hope this gives some insight about life in Western Australia as a Singaporean.
I do feel that most migrants I have observed come from countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, where Australia clearly may offer a better life. For Singaporeans, it is less straightforward as we are coming from a pretty good standard of living. It is then more of a lifestyle choice than anything else.
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