Are Aussies perceived to be harder workers than Poms?

[PeterJa]

I was wondering if anyone on here has ever felt that they lost out on work opportunities because they were British. I ask because back in the UK I had an Aussie mate who owned his own successful business in the building industry. He informally told me over beers that he tried to avoid employing British people whenever possible because Aussie and Kiwi workers worked much harder and were more reliable. Furthermore when doing casual work of door to door sales of Energy earlier in the year, I was encouraged by my managers to state as part of my pitch at the door that our company was Australian with headquarters in Melbourne unlike other Energy companies, and many potential customers seemed to like this. Does such an attitude extend to the workplace when recruiting, or is it only about whether you have the skills for the job on paper when applying?

 

I asked Aussies I work with if Brits are given a fair chance when applying for jobs - I was worried as I know Brits who have moved to Spain and Portugal and won't be employed if a local is available.

 

The Aussies think it's a non-issue. They don't favour Brits but they say Brits are known for being hard workers.