24 May 2007

What would attract a young person to Canberra?

| Pandy
Join the conversation
25

See that johnboy is leaving us, I was wondering what would attract a 20 something gal or boy to come and work in Canberra? Look at the Live in Canberra campaign

with loads of pictures of the national icons: interested? Or is Sonic barking-up the wrong tree with his promise of 100s of jobs?

Join the conversation

25
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

What’s wrong with the road to the coast? Seriously. Do people need massively wide straight roads in order to drive anywhere? is that driving or sitting in a mobile loungeroom pressing levers with their right foot?

We need a dual carriage highway to Batemans Bay

“hookers. porn. fireworks. I reckon that would attract people.”

yeah, but only all at once, absent diane. one or t’other alone wouldn’t have the same pull.

This line is continously pushed, but the reality is Canberra is a long way from the sea

No shit sherlock – but do you think you could get snow and surf 2 hours either side of coonabarabran ?

Oh yes the erotic sheep statute goes without saying doesn’t it? Irresistible…

There wouldn’t even be a Canberra if Keating had his way:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21786304-421,00.html

A statue of a sheep in a compromising position?

“Oh and the proximity to both sydney and melbourne – the coast and the snow”
This line is continously pushed, but the reality is Canberra is a long way from the sea. Further than any city in Australia. Probably the main reason I packed my bags (hooray, good riddance, stay out etc)

An Al Grassby statue?

I think more of a youth culture, encourage people to live in the inner city (Braddon etc) rather than out in the burbs (Gungahlin, Tuggers), see if you can get a bit of a Darlinghurst/Newtown/St Kilda kind of atmosphere going.

Defo more nightlife.

The employment situation is obviously a positive. All you have to do is walk through Civic and see all the “help wanted” signs plastered in just about every shop window, not to mention public service and also the private sector.

More than generous public housing rental subsidies to young blonde chicks with big breasts.

case closed.

What would attract a young person to Canberra?
I would assume more young people…

Therefore the graduate recruitment programs are heading the right way.

I’d also throw in free (and vastly improved!) public transport for all.

Accommodation – young people get put through the grinder by the self-important Nazis who call themselves “property managers” at real estate agents.
I’m always amazed at how they treat all renters as scum, even though they could be the agent’s next property purchaser as soon as they have some savings put away.
Of all the agents we have rented through, there has only been one who has treated us as humans worthy of respect, even though we have always left rental properties in better condition than we found them. So that’s a half-dozen real estate agents I would NEVER buy a house even if it was THE HOUSE…
Sorry – [rant off]

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt2:52 pm 24 May 07

The main reason anyone would move to Canberra is for professional career development. There are more opportunities in this town than people know what to do with. For those with solid tertiary qualifications, the sky is the limit.

I would move to Canberra too if someone as hot as me lived here 🙂

Seriously though folks – Canberra does have a lot in the way of public sector career development – i mean hay – I been on that wagon for 5 years now and steadily climbing – and that was entering the workforce from a trade with no admin skills at all.

Plus canberra is a great place – its leave – not as crime ridden – has great cafes and night life – but I woul dbe happier of I did not have to go to Syd Melb or Bris to see my fave bands…

Fear Factory 2002 @ ANU rocked.

Oh and the proximity to both sydney and melbourne – the coast and the snow – as well as great trout and costal fishing is a distinct advantage as well.

neanderthalsis2:06 pm 24 May 07

I moved down 18 months ago from Brisbane and I must say that the chief reason was the much higher pay and better career opportunities on offer. I think the pushing the ‘Lotsa Jobs’ line and the fact that the ACT has the highest average earnings of all states and territories would encourage more people to come here.

Like KandyA suggests, there is a bit of a fly in fly out mentality amongst many of us blow ins. I spend at least 1 weekend in Brisbane a month and get across to Sydney a fair bit too. It’s a bit like the mining industry, where people will come in, work for a few years earning bigger dollars than were available at home, build the experience, then head off again.

Canberra still has the stigma of being the home of Politicians and faceless bureaucrats; there is a perception (mainly from thyose that have never been here) that it is a boring sterile city that is generally too cold to do anything. I have found it is much the opposite though.
It hasn’t got the XXXX swilling pub culture of Brisbane and North QLD, which is one great advantage; you can normally find good live jazz bands playing and plenty of things to do in your spare time.

It does get bloody cold for a QLDer though.

some work would be nice. i know it’s crazy to say it, but something outside of the public service.

i just left canberra because of the (lack of) opportunity in canberra. i’m in melbourne now – i don’t necessarily like it here, but at least there’s opportunity.

i love keating but it was a silly thing to say.

i moved to canberra at 23 for a graduate position fresh out of uni – only having visited once before and not knowing a SINGLE person here… 7.5 years on i am still here and loving it. it is clean, green (as in green spaces throughout urban development – yes they’re a bit dry at the mo LOL), has great people, a fantastic range of jobs, and really good facilities. i love my life here!

ps. Paul Keating is a tool.

OzChick… were you joking? I don’t think having Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Chanel stores here are likely to attract people to live here. Maybe to visit and shop but not to live.

I think if there were better entertainment here, that would attract some people. We typically miss out on all the big name performers and the nightclubs we have are getting fairly generic.

Paul Keatings not a fan of our fair city http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21786304-2,00.html

Absent Diane12:56 pm 24 May 07

hookers. porn. fireworks. I reckon that would attract people.

Ruby Wednesday12:54 pm 24 May 07

I moved here last year at 24. What attracted me? A lot more career options here than in Brisbane. A lot less of a mentality that advancement is based on who you know. Much higher pay. Cooler weather, which made for a very nice summer. More cultural things to do than in Brisbane. Mr Wednesday likes the fact that there are more people from his country around here, and that the city is planned and thus easier to get around than Brisbane, and also has far less traffic.

The downside was trying to find somewhere to live, and the rent was a big hike from what we were paying, but still well worth it. We also had to finally buy a car, but that is only ’cause we had the good luck to live a short walk from a major train station when we were in Brisbane.

Yer link is busted.

where i work (in ACT Govt) we have in the last year 5 new starters from interstate. the 2 from Sydney went back nearly every weekend- the bloke (who has since returned) was here for 9 months and didnt spend a single weekend in Canberra!

To attract a chick you would need a better variety of designer clothes stores. Brand Depot was not an improvement to say the least.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.