Australia is booming, in particular Brisbane, where I am. Tom/Kerry got it right - critical shortage of drafts people, even just decent CAD operators. 2 civil projects in the city at the moment are worth about 5 billion
Rates, from what I've heard, range from $40 - $50 /hr for a decent CAD operator and anywhere up to $80+/hr for an experienced drafter in all disciplines. Company I worked for recently was bringing in people from all over the world (sorting visas etc).