Accept it, all the signs are there - pumpkins with catastrophically embarrassing faces etched into their pliable flesh litter the streets; crisp, auburn leaves carpet the pavements; our whole framework of time has been arbitrarily shifted back an hour, and it is now the height of folly to leave the house without ice-picks, snow-shoes and at least some other rudimentary ice-safety equipment - we are currently being welcomed into the icy bosom of winter. If the prospect of another worryingly prolonged spell of being plunged into icy darkness, and having to watch the nation's Lidls being torn asunder by the carpricious teeth of irresponsibly-piloted industrial vehicles, fills you with the dread, perhaps you are considering a change of scenery.
Perhaps however you strive to base your major life decisions, like emigrating, on things more fundamentally important than weather. Perhaps you would consider emigrating because you have graduated from college and have come to find yourself at something of an impasse career-wise. Perhaps you more broadly feel disenchanted with life in Ireland and are looking for a fresh start, in somewhere diametrically opposite to Ireland - both climatically and geographically. Perhaps - and this I personally find to be the most compelling reason to consider moving to Australia - perhaps you are sick to death of Ireland's endemic land mammals having a frankly piss-poor capacity to jump long-distance. Sure, the hare can arguably hold its head above the fray and absent itself from the line of such criticism, but beyond that it's slim pickings. If you're looking for a mammal to jump the length of a double-decker bus and go knocking on the door of a pine marten then you are nothing less than a bigger fool than I already thought you were to begin with. A kangaroo's your man.
All this is to say that if you're looking to up sticks and move to Australia then your options to do so have been significantly expanded. The 'Working Holiday Programme' has raised the maximum age of applicants by five years, from 30 to 35. The programme allows successful applicants to live and work in Australia for up to two years - though they are technically only supposed to remain in the employ of one company for a maximum of six months.
Patrick O'Donovan, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs announced the reciprocal deal which entitles Australians to come and work in Ireland under the same conditions - assuming they seek the exact opposite from the conditions outlined at the outset of this article.
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The programme is now open to anyone between the ages of 18-35.
H/T: Joe.ie
