Independent journalist Rebekah Barnett has joined a growing exodus of Australians moving overseas, blaming the nation’s leadership for making “a good life much harder to build”.
The Perth local took to social media to share a photo of her family on a plane bound for Bali, revealing they have sold their house and will call the southeast Asian island home.
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Ms Barnett outlined seven reasons her family opted to uproot their lives, with the first being the cost of living.
“Prices are up (about) 25 per cent since 2019. Real wages are down four to five per cent,” she said in a post to X.
“$1000 left in cash since 2019 now buys about $800 worth of goods. Five interest rate rises this year (!) Young families, including us, are feeling the pinch.”
Housing affordability was the second factor, with Ms Barnett noting it now costs eight to ten times a full-time wage to afford a home.
“Most families require two incomes minimum to secure a home,” she said.
Time was another important aspect, with long work hours taking away time from family. This was followed by childcare which in Perth costs $35 to $40 an hour for a nanny.
“In Bali we can pay a nanny well above a living wage for help around the home on our own terms,” Ms Barnett said.
One of the more polarising catalysts for change was surveillance, with Ms Barnett revealing she didn’t want her family to be “filmed everywhere we go, all the time”.
Ms Barnett also branded Australia as an “over-regulated nanny state”.
“Barriers to doing business. Increasingly complex tax rules and compliance measures. You can be fined for just about anything,” she said.
“We want to live without being constantly micromanaged by incompetent middle-managers.”
The seventh and final reason was one many families living along the coast could relate to – sharks.
“Seriously! Ryan has already been bitten once off Perth beaches and in WA we’ve already had three fatalities this year,” she said.
“Now he’s a dad, he doesn’t feel it’s worth the risk anymore.”
By moving to Bali, the family doesn’t have to give up their love for the ocean as they can “surf without being stalked by a Great White”.
“I’m just one of (about) 35 million people who move countries every year to build a better life for their families,” Ms Barnett concluded.
Many of Ms Barnett’s followers respected and understood her decision to relocate, with some even admitting they too were making the move.
“I’m doing the same next year, after 25 years of running businesses in Victoria, the Victorian Labor have ruined me and I’m moving overseas and I’m taking my new business with me,” one business owner said.
A second said: “don’t blame you, Labor really f**ked Australia, we are taxed to death”.
But some criticised the move, suggesting this relocation was only possible for those earning an Australian wage in a developing economy.
“The only way Bali is a viable and appealing option for you is due to the education and opportunities you’ve learnt in Australia,” one comment said.
“You’re now able to take a Western wage to work in a more affordable society.”
A second said: “You realise you’re only able to do this because the strength of the Australian economy allows you to right?”
Ms Barnett’s family joins a number of well-known Australians who are shifting overseas to pursue new opportunities.
Melbourne billionaire Adrian Portelli moved to Dubai earlier this year to expand his business, while Queensland-based influencers Brent and Molly, who shot to fame online through their travels around Australia in a caravan with their kids, also made the move last year.
“We’re leaving Australia. For good. Not for a holiday. Not for a break. Not for a visa run. We’re done.” They captioned their social media post, according to Perth Now.
They listed sky-high taxes, insane cost of living and shrinking opportunities for entrepreneurs as their reasons for leaving.
News.com.au has contacted Ms Barnett for comment.
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