Highlights
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates 3,450 skilled visa holders permanently left Australia in July, the highest monthly figure since April last year
- Economic policy program director at the Grattan Institute Brendan Coates says Australia can't afford to lose to long-term skilled migrants
- The federal government does not plan to reopen international borders until at least mid-2022
Australia is admired for its clean air, fresh food and natural environment – all rarities in large Chinese cities.
But the inability to go for outings to enjoy these so-called luxuries due to extended COVID lockdowns across the nation has driven some overseas-born skilled workers to return to their homeland – a place they say they are able to live in more freely.
“The impression I used to get of Australia was a place of freedom. It is a place where the air, environment and food are clean. But now, because of COVID-19, you can’t enjoy these things,” says Simon Chen, an Australian permanent resident now based in mainland China’s south-east.
In July, he left Australia and his job as a marketing coordinator of a media company to be closer to to his family and friends.
Restrictions on travel and outdoor activity in Australia mean places the country are known for are off limits. Source: Simon Chen
“When I got back to Guangzhou, the city had also experienced a COVID outbreak. However, at that time, it was handled very quickly. It took about one to two weeks to contain.
“When everyone heads out now, they do so very freely. Sometimes when I head out, I don’t even wear my face mask."
Chinese authorities have imposed targeted lockdowns, tightened movement control and ordered mass testing to curb the latest resurgence in COVID cases as the highly infectious Delta variant spreads across the country.
Mr Chen says the Chinese government is better at containing the outbreak and reassuring residents that their needs are taken care of when they need to isolate.
In Australia, they keep delaying and delaying action. So, it seems like it's getting unbearable watching a country I used to live in, seemingly unable to make a full recovery.
Mr Chen is just one among half a million migrants, many of them skilled workers, to have left Australia since the pandemic hit early last year, according to a recently published .
In May, there were from Australia, the highest monthly figure since the pandemic began, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“Net overseas migration continues to be in negative territory with a further 77,000 people expected to leave Australia in the 2021-22 financial year,” chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration and Liberal MP Julian Leeser wrote in the report.
Most policy-makers, think-tanks and economists consider skilled migrants and workers, such as accounting and business infosystems tutor Arthur Tsang, vital to Australia’s long-term economic prospects.
Mr Tsang says with work hours shrinking in the university sector due to the major drop in international student enrolment, he is considering leaving Australia to be closer to his family.
Arthur Tsang having brunch in Sydney. Source: Arthur Tsang
“I think I would definitely be looking for the earliest opportunity to leave Australia for Hong Kong to see my parents,” says Mr Tsang, an Australian citizen and teacher at the University of Sydney.
“I think my parents are getting old and need care and I’m the only child in the family. So, going back to actually caring for them is really, really important to satisfy the obligations of a child in Chinese culture,” he adds.
Mr Tsang likens the lockdown situation in Sydney to a “war-torn situation,” where families are being separated as a result of human impact.
There is “no light at the end of the tunnel” on when the lockdown will end, he says.
We definitely think that if we go back to Hong Kong, there will be a lot more freedom. I can definitely now see some of my friends are working back in the office. They are able to dine-in.
“They actually have a lot more freedom. Despite not so much political freedom, I think there is a lot of material freedom that we (in Australia) are not able to have right now,” Mr Tsang adds.
With his university contact hours being cut by 30 per cent, Mr Tsang says if the nation doesn’t open up next year, he may eventually be forced to leave Australia permanently to find work elsewhere.
“As Hong Kong citizens, we are actually allowed to apply for the British National (Overseas) visa. We may need to think about seeking pathways to go to countries which are more open than Australia to make sure we are actually able to work, make ends meet and deploy our skills to contribute to society,” he explains.
Arthur Tsang's work as a university tutor in Australia is drying up. Source: Arthur Tsang
Though high salaries, a work-life balance and access to fresh food and air have conventionally drawn many migrant workers to Australia, for now, it may not be enough to retain them.
“When I’m really busy, I think of Australia. Here in China, life feels much faster,” says Mr Chen reflecting on his past.
“I remember living and working in Australia when weekends were for relaxing and going out for brunch. It was awesome,” he adds.
But Mr Chen, who has since fulfilled his dream of becoming a fashion brand owner and creator, says he does not regret leaving Australia permanently, adding he’ll be back for a holiday when the international borders reopen and quarantine is no longer needed.
“I’ve missed my brunches. And the big breakfasts,” he recalls fondly.
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