Hindi: Emerging communities

21 Jun 2012, 11:30 am   -   Source: Andy Park, SBS
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Indian IT specialists and doctors are among the biggest users of highly-skilled visas, but an often overlooked statistic is the sometimes highly-cultured spouses they bring with them, like renowned classical dancer Aruna Subbiah.

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By Andy Park

They are the doctors walking the hospital corridors and the IT specialists propelling Australia towards a digital economy, but in their homes, lie ancient arts.

For every subcontinental high-skilled 457 visa holder who fills Australia's skill shortages, there are the spouses and families they bring with them - some, like Aruna Subbiah, are high-skilled too.

But unsurprisingly, the classical Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam does not appear of the list of skill shortages.

“[My husband] is a doctor and I came as a dependant spouse with him,” Aruna said.
A leading proponent of the Southern Indian art form, Aruna has trained and toured with the best.

“As a temporary resident, we do have the eligibility to work, but when it comes to really applying for jobs that are more suitable to our skills and expanding my work in the field of Arts then permanent residency is a must,” she said.

She and her friends are one of many spouses of highly-skilled workers who are not able to employee skills in their chosen area, and often resort to more menial work which is allowed under their visa type.

“They’re just sitting at home and they have had such good careers back home in India but they’re not able to pursue that full-swing here, so it’s like a big emotional trauma for many of them where they’re also challenged between whether to stay here of to go back to India,” she said.

Australian-Indian business leader Neville Roach AO has advised both Indian and Australian governments on Indian migration policy, the 457 highly-skilled visa has even come to be known as the “Roach visa”.

He said that the list of needed skills is subject to labour markets rather than cultural values.
“Whether or not they get a job in their skilled area will depend on employers,” he said.

“If it is an area where there is already a severe skill they in turn could get a 457 visa, but they don’t have to, as a spouse they can get employment and the area they work in will just depend on the market and the skills they have and what employers want.”

“The challenge there would be meeting the criteria for skills shortages. So an employer who wants to recruit someone with those skills and has difficulty recruiting those skills in Australia has every right to apply and to help them with a 457 visa,” Neville said.

Neville came in to Australia in 1961 and forged a successful, high-profile career.
“Australia still had a white Australia policy [then] so I didn’t apply, nor did I want to apply for a permanent residence but I came here on what would be the equivalent of a 457 visa today; it was a temporary entry, long term for business specialist,” Neville said.

He believes the relationship between India and Australia, which was damaged during the Indian student violence in Melbourne, needs to be strengthened.

“I think India needs to be put right up top there with the US and China, because it is the second fastest growing economy in the world, it’s destined to grow even more.

“It’s one of our biggest markets we have a huge balance of payment surplus with India. There are lots of reasons why we should treat India as a special relationship. he said.

For Aruna, her next option is to apply for a distinguished talent visa, based on her dance skills.

“There should be more acceptance of that category as even part of the general skilled migration, because Arts doesn’t feature at all,” she said.

“I feel I have the talent and the skill, it’s about finding the right channel to take it further.” she said.

Census , Andy Park SBS

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