Having a mobile phone in Australia is a way of life and you won’t need to be in the country for long to realise that many Australia’s simply can’t live without their little mobile friends! Most Australian mobile phone companies require contracts of at least 24 months for post-pay phones (the type of plan where …
Australian Mobile Phones – Getting Mobile In Australia Read More »
Depending on your home country’s agreement with Australia, and your visa status, you may be entitled to Australia’s national healthcare service, more commonly known as Medicare. Those on permanent visas are entitled to the same Medicare benefits as Australian citizens. Within Australia, Medicare usually covers: Free or subsidised treatment by health professionals such as doctors, …
Medicare – An Overview Of Australias National Healthcare Service Read More »
Banking in Australia really isn’t that different to banking anywhere else in the world. It helps however to have an idea of what you are looking for before shopping around for your first Australian Bank Account. There are currently over 20 banks in Australia with the ‘big four’ being the Australian New Zealand Bank (ANZ), …
Income tax in Australia is the most important revenue stream within the Australian taxation system and like it or not, as a resident of Australia, you’re liable to pay income tax on income from all sources. Thankfully, one exception to this rule are the funds that you bring into Australia when you originally emigrate and for …
Income Tax In Australia – A Guide To Australian Income Tax Read More »
Cheque Savings or Credit is a question you’ll frequently be presented with when paying for goods or services in Australia, but what is the difference? As a new arrival (or soon to be resident) in Australia, I thought it would be worthwhile providing an overview of the Cheque Savings and Credit options and the key …
Cheque Savings or Credit? But what’s the difference? Read More »
Jobs in Australia still exist in their thousands and despite some of the more sombre news printed in the media of late, finding a job in Australia shouldn’t be too hard a task once you get here. One of the questions were frequently asked is ‘are there many opportunities doing job type ‘x’ ‘? Or …
We had a really useful entry posted by one of our forum members which I think is really worth sharing on the main pages of getting down under. Following this advice could save you quite a bit of your hard earned money once you finally make it down under so the entry is worth a …
How to avoid the age loading fee on your private medical insurance Read More »
Applying for my Australian Driving License is something I have been meaning to do for some time it’s just that I haven’t had chance to get around to it. The timing thing was starting to worry me though. If you are a just a visitor to Western Australia then your allowed to drive for a …
How to Apply for your Australian Driving License Read More »
So you’ve decided to move to Australia. The sun shines, the sky is blue and Aussies speak a Language that we can all understand! Ok, the first two points in that last statement are accurate but the latter may be stretching the truth just a little. Welcome to the amazing world of Australian slang words. …
Australian slang words – a definitive guide to Aussie slang Read More »
Being new residents to Australia we applied for the first time buyers grant as part of our mortgage application. The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) scheme was introduced on 1 July 2000 to offset the effect of the GST on home ownership. It is a national scheme funded by the states and territories and administered …
I took this picture last week (click on thumbnail for a larger image) to give you an idea of the size of some of the plots of land that you can pick up here in the Northern Suburbs of Perth. This latest land release is in a place called Burns Beach which is approx a …
Land for Sale in Australia – but not as we know it Read More »
When we were back in the UK, it seems banks and building societies used a similar formula for calculating how much money you could borrow when applying for a mortgage. It went something on the lines of 3.5 times your income if you were the sole person applying for the mortgage or 2 times the …
How much money can I borrow to buy a house in Australia? Read More »
