Yea, pretty much. You have to take into account that after those 6 months it will become very difficult/expensive for the company to get rid of you so they want to make sure you're 'worth it'.

Yes, it is normal. Employment laws are generally very favorable toward the employee here. It is difficult to fire someone once they are on a full time permanent contract, so companies understandably want some time to confirm that they made the right decision.