Friday, March 4

We had a quick trip to Hobart last night.  Jamie and Nera have met a young filipina who has only been in Tasmania for a few days.  She is employed by a local physiotherapist on a 457 visa and, before she can start work, she needs to have an authority from the Registration Board and it must be collected in person.  Without transport and because of the appalling lack of public transport in Tasmania, she intended to take a taxi - for a 450km round-trip!

So we found ourselves loading up the car and rushing down the highway to be there before 5 o'clock.  On the way, we found out a little more about her situation.  Before, she arrived, she checked the internet for accommodation and found a room in a shared house.  She was asked for $150 to 'hold' the room, and a 4-week bond, plus four weeks in advance.  When she arrived, she was also told there was a $20 monthly fee for the internet, $5 per week for toilet paper and $1 per squeeze for dishwashing liquid.  The house was occupied by a divorced man and his 21 year-old, biker son.  They happily took her money and offered no receipts.  She was told that, if she changed her mind, nothing was refundable.

Of course, alarm bells started to ring so she has moved in with Jamie and Nera today.  She is uncomfortable about causing a fuss so is chalking it up to experience.  It leaves a nasty taste in your mouth when you see how young, vulnerable people in our country can be so ripped off.  

Long story short, we arrived in time, collected the paperwork, had fish and chips at Mures on Constitution Dock and were home by 9.30, exhausted.