Why I’ll NEVER Return To Australia

0:21 I'm an Aussie, I have migrant workers. I have picked up and driven them home when their cars break down, helped them english with applications for courses, helped them move house. They are here, young and brave but exposed, it's my obligation to help and protect them. In return I get loyalty, respect, friendship and a hard day's work out of them. When I was young and travelling, others did the same for me, now it's my turn to give back. We're not all bad. Good luck mate.

As an Aussie country girl who grew up on a farm out west here in Queensland, I'm appalled and embarrassed by your story. Please know that we're not all like that. Anyone who suffers abuse by farmers, PLEASE 🙏 make a formal complaint to the authorities and put the word out and why. If they're called out officially and publicly, they'll have no seasonalworkers and their crops won't make the harvest, therefore, no money. They deserve to be punished. End of story. It's important to note that like any 'business', there are always some arseholes among many good and decent people......and there ARE many more good and decent farmers in Australia who treat seasonal workers very well. Some seasonal workers will say a particular farmer is bad, yet others will say the same farmer treated them well. While there maybe some less than desirable farmers around, there's always 2 sides to every story.

Couple of years ago we heard of two girls that had done some farm worker. After working on the farm for three months, they were dismissed and paid their wages. But the farmer deducted accommodation expenses, a paid them each about $350 for three months work!! We accommodated them for a week and gave them $1000 each to get going again,and make up for the disgraceful treatment by the farmer. We feel nothing for farmers whining they can't get pickers or other seasonal workers. Treat people right you won't have a problem.

Although this was posted 11 months ago, I feel it's still worth sharing my personal experience in Australia. So, I am 24 years of age; I moved to Australia back in 2022 when I graduated from uni in Lebanon. I was genuinely so excited as I've been in Australia before on a holiday and fell madly in love with the people, sceneries, culture and how generally the country is. So when I moved here, I had a huge slap on my face as to how abusive and condescending my boss was (just for context: I was working in a corporate environment in Sydney). In a country where mental health is often spoken about and how important it is to be maintained, I was utterly shocked at how rough and merciless the bosses and co-workers can be. The meanness and rudeness experienced were unbelievable. I know this doesn't apply to all Aussies, but the trauma that you can develop in a foreign country where its people may fail to fathom the other different person is mind-blowing. Now, in your case you did have the choice to go back home and then head over to New Zealand, whereas mine I simply have no choice due to the daunting situation in my home country of Lebanon. To end this comment on a positive note, though, I am grateful for Australia as a country as it is my safe haven, and I only hope that things will get better with me and every grappling migrant because, truth be told, IT IS NOT EASY!

My husband got cellulitis and was sent to hospital for treatment . Long story short , three days later I was called to say that he had passed due to complications with his kidneys . Please take everything seriously because sometimes you might not get to go back to your loved one's. So glad you're okay now 🇦🇺

You know we have strict workplace health and safety laws in Australia? These scumbags need to be reported. I can't stand to hear people being treated like this, absolutely sickening. Pity we don't have decent people in parliament that would take this more seriously.

I’m Australian, 54 years old, and I can remember jackarooing out longreach and Windorah way, treated like shit carting timber fence post on my shoulder outer the scrub, been ripped off more than a few times, they tell you your useless so you don’t leave, killing the confidence of young bloke that still effects me today. Always full of self doubt. Yes they are not all like that, but a lot are. I have had great bosses as well. But one good thing that come out of, I never tell a kid they can’t do anything, always encourage them to keep trying, and I’m a better dad for it.

Australia is a country where no matter what job you do you are at risk of being abused by your coworkers/boss, sometimes its best to tough it out, other times you need to pay attention to the warning signs and move on. Sometimes when you get hired by a business you will notice that most of the employees are fairly new or the business is understaffed, this is because the old employees all got the shits and left. For many people life in Australia is hard, but for others like people in specific trades or with a niche skill and lots of experience life tends to be pretty easy.

What a great story, and as an Aussie myself I think those banana farmers were real pricks to be treating backpackers like that. It's criminal.

Bro I had to comment. As an Aussie who travelled around picking fruit for a few years - probably more for the backpackers than the work - I hear you. I witnessed so much abuse over the years, from farmers targeting certain guys to pick on, to sexual abuse and intimidation of the girls which was sadly very common. You brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for the story and best of luck to you mate.

I first lived in Auckland and then in Sydney. I have a New Zealand passport but am not New Zealand born Professionally I’m a psychiatrist. I’m pleased you are able to share your story as a narrative. The traumas you experienced are severe. I’d be surprised if you didn’t experience PTSD. I used to consult on medical and surgical wards at the hospital I worked at in north Sydney. Both the cellulitis and the staph infection could have killed you. Let alone the abscess on your back. Horrible horrible to hear of this terrible time in your life. I’m pleased to hear that you sound happily settled in the beautiful Wellington. I need not tell you to simply take care/ look after yourself. May you never have to experience such traumas again. And thank you for also remembering to thank the medical and nursing staff. As a doctor I always express my thanks and praise to the nursing staff without whom we could not operate hospitals effectively. Thank you for your channel and your uploads.

It’s really amazing that you are alive to talk about this. The bad luck of all of it is crazy! Glad you made it.

I never knew this as an Australian. This video needs to be sent to our politicians. This is unacceptable what happened to you in our country.

Hi mate, I'm an Aussie from Brisbane and spent 6 months in Tully (north qld) banana farming. It was truly hard work, but the backpacker hostel was too much fun. The locals are unsophisticated and abusive. I quit many farms and found some nicer smaller family owned ones. Sorry to hear about your scary health problems. Glad you survived to tell your story. EDIT: Not all the locals were unsophisticated and abusive. Some of the locals were amazing people. One terrible experience I had was working on one farm, in which the farmer took a disliking to me. After a long, hot day working in the banana fields, I was super thirsty and asked the farmer for some drinking water, he pointed to a tap. I drank loads of the water as it was nice and cool. 24 hours later, I felt really off, started vomiting and felt like I had been hit by a bus. Went to hospital and had a stomach bug from bacteria. Was really sick for 2-3 days. The farmer knew too well that tap was straight from the creek/river. Bastard made me sick. The reason he took a disliking to me was because he was talking about one of the British girls on the farm, really dirty, and I would not engage in his disgusting conversation, I'm a gentlemen when it comes to repspecting woman. He was a dirty local and instantly disliked me for that reason. I survived, so all good in the end.

Wonderful storytelling! I am so sorry for your dreadful experience. Thankful that you have lived to share it with all of us. I will subscribe to hear more about your journey and experiences.

I'm a local and I have to say it's a national sport this sort of thing. *Never respect people that command it. Respect is earned. Self confidence is a good counter to this sort of thing. The way to deal with people like this is to stare them straight in the eye and say something like, "Go to hell you nobody. Who do you think you are, Nobody?" When they respond, you have to stay calm and respond slightly arrogantly pointing your chin at them and looking over or down your nose, "So it's fine when you're dishing it out is it?" Treat them like a child, by saying, "No I'm not playing this stupid game, do you want me to keep working or am I leaving - let's work this out now, staying or going make your mind up, I need an answer now?" The thing is, they need you bad. You have the power not them. All they're doing is playing power games with you because they can. You have to stop them quickly and clearly and in front of other workers if possible. Remember power is like a see-saw. If one tries to unbalance it in the workplace you need to quickly and decisively rebalance. *Never ever jump when they say jump if it is an unreasonable request. The moment you jump to an unreasonable request you will never gain your power back. You've lost it and with it any hope of happiness in that workplace. Your employer has his/her see-saw end on the ground with you up in the air and you just allowed it to happen. Unfortunately people like this inhabit every crack in society in this country. It's called narcissism personality disorder, where they see the workplace rules not applying to them. You see it more in rural areas than cities for sure, just because these types are more visible. In cities they blend in. I'm a truckie. At a rural location I was screamed at to move a rolled up 15m long 350kg wet canvas tarp, which was impossible by myself. I said calmly, "Either come over and help me or get a forklift." You see it wasn't my tarp, it was theirs, only I had used it on their trailer carting product for them. I folded it up as instructed but couldn't move it as it is far too heavy for one man to move on his own. I told them it was wet and it needed airing but they told me to do as I was told. Fair enough. I folded it up and after that, that was when the trouble started because they told me to move it 30m across a warehouse on my own. After the aforementioned suggestions of help or a forklift, I just said, "No, that is an unreasonable request and I refuse." Then the screaming, the ranting the raving. They threatened the supervisor. I said, "Yep you better get him but I still won't move it - just so you know." He came out told me to move it, I explained, he didn't listen then I said, "No," then the branch manager - same story and I repeated, "No." At the end they're all standing there opposite me. I can see they're at a loss of how to deal with me (since it isn't about the tarp). I couldn't resist and taunted them all by saying very calmly and with a smile on my face (I'm taking the piss but they're too arrogant to understand), "Look it's like this, you can take me to the High Court of Australia and if they tell me to move the tarp I still won't move it. Ring my boss, ring the police, do whatever you have to do and I still won't move the tarp. Get me sacked I really don't mind in fact I couldn't care less." (which is true because there's a severe shortage of truck drivers). 18 months later the bloody tarp is still sitting exactly where I rolled it up. Replacement cost for that tarp might be $8-$12,000. It will be rotted. I don't care it's not my tarp. My boss doesn't care either. I still go there and never have any trouble, in fact they get me in and out quickly. This is how you have to be.

That's appalling! The worst thing is....our greedy government have allowed this to happen for many, many years. It's basically slave labor, and non of these psycho farmers are ever brought to pay for their abusive ways at all. And, the main population of Australia, have no idea that this happens. They know that backpackers go work on farms, but they think it's all fun, and laughter and partying. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It's disgraceful, and it's a blight on our country.

You don't have to work on a farm to encounter work-place psychopaths in Australia. Very few of the many companies I've worked for had effective policies against workplace abuse or for weeding out workplace psychopaths and, if you're not prepared when you meet one of these individuals they can BS you into doing yourself all sorts of harm just for jollies. And, yes, these guys really do work hard to make the workplace as dangerous and unhealthy as possible so I'd recommend, at the minimum, reporting the farmer in question to the OH&S regulators in Queensland and see what happens.

This sounds horrible! I'm so sorry this happened to you. You seem like a very kind, caring, and optimistic person and I hope you never endure this again. All the sickness on top of the abuse. Just awful

This is honestly disgusting, as a local, im really sorry that this was your experience in australia, weird that there are bed bugs in melbourne, over my 13 years if living, ive never seen any, i hope you never have experiences like this ever again in your life