Australian experts please

[robinpud]

We are coming for a year and are getting down to thenitty gritty of it all. visa,flights and accomodation all sorted. so my burning questions tonight are

1. Which type of dvds do your machines play?same as uk or same as USA
2. If we were to get enough points to open a bank account , how long would they take to process?
3. Is it normal to pay to use a debit card and the cashpoint?
4. Can you get cashback in shops for free using a australian debit card?

Thanks so much

Hi Robinpud,

1. UK
2. I'm pretty sure they are processed immediately and you even get your card there and then (this was the case 5 years ago, I assume it's still the same)
3. Not sure about this one, anyone else?
4. Yes

Where are you going to live Robinpud? I'm in Brisbane.

Hi there

1)Our Aussie dvd player will only play some of the dvds we brought from England, can't remember off the top of my head which regions it will play.
2)We opened our bank account before arriving here. Did it by emails and phone calls. The bank just held on to all our cards etc until we got here and provided ID and signatures.
3)Think the rule is you pay for using another banks cash points. With our bank the charges are debited from the account at the end of the month (I really should know stuff like that).
4)Not sure.

Hope that helps. So much to organise isn't there.

1. Our aussie dvd player plays our english dvds no worries.

2. You need 100 points to open a bank account - usually passport or driver's licence - a utility letter/bill that shows an address/medicare/other bank card. Account is open that day - you are given info which means you need to draw from the bank but cards and pins are then mailed separately within days. And compared to the UK - do not need an appt can just show up with your id and off you go.

3. If you are doing EFTPos ( chip and pin stuff in the UK) no fees, if you use another banks atm - you pay - I think ours is $1.50 per transaction. But using your bank's ATM no problems.

If you want fewer fees - ANZ do an account that has a flat fee of $5.00 a month.

But if you use EFTPOS and do a cash back as well - eg. I pay for my groceries using EFTPos ( my debit card and pin no) and get enough cash out for the week for dh and I - no fees.

4. sort of answered in no3.

For us doing eftpos for the groceries and then the weekly money out, then eftpos our fuel - pay so few fees that way.

We left our UK money in our UK bank and used those cards ( visa debit card) and then just transferred it when our aussie accounts were sorted. However I already has aussie accounts ( an aussie who moved to the UK and then back) and so it was just a matter of sorting our joint accounts then.

If you are in QLD - some good banks - ANZ not too bad, Queensland teacher's credit union.

We bought a cheap dvd player in haste when DD posted some felt material into our old one. That is probably why some dvds don't play. Luckily we now have our old one working again.

Our bank charges for eftpos transactions once we have done more than 5. They also charge for using the cashpoint if you have already used your 5 free. Although other atm transactions are always charged for.

We got around this by getting a visa debit card, ow we don't get charged!

Fantastic answers thanks. We have heard today that several of the banks will open usan account using passports and our confirmation of exchange certificate, so we can get that done as soon as we arrive.
DVDs- we will bring a few favourites.
Eidsvold - your way of getting money is exactly the same way as mine. I inted to shop and get cashback as a way of budgetting whilst we are there as I won't have my salary- just dh's!

tonight's question is re vaccinations. I know you have to show evidence of the chidlren having had their childhood immunisations. We have scribbled pages in the red book. Will the school want something more official. I was wodnering whether to ask the GP for a Printout detailing the dates of the various jabs.

humpy- Sydney .. meeting Arfy and Mogwai for coffee in Jan 2007 I hope!

robinpud - they have an immunisation record here and all I did with dd1 was take her red book with all the info to the GP( here in Aus) and she filled out a form for this immunisation authority and then sent it off. I would take a copy of your red book and tell them your GP has sent it off to the Immunisation people.

So just your GP filling out the form based on your red book info was enough for it to then become dd1's aussie record.

Depending on what sort of visa you came in on - ALthough I think it may be everyone - you will need to apply for a medicare card. I would make that a first stop. You will them be issued with a medicare no - helpful for medical care and your card will arrive later. For dh we just had to take his passport in with his visa info stamped in it and then he was given a card.

From there - once the immunisation info is entered - you can just front up to a medicare office and get a print out of their immunisation record at any time.

Hope that helps.

come to think of it - I think they automatically sent one through to us after dd1's info had been received.

robinpud, how old are your LO's?

DD will need extra vaccinations to bring her in line with Aus standards. UK do 3 HiBs, but as the 3rd is done before 12 months the OZ medical people don't regard it has having been done, so dd will need another. Also they vaccinate against Hep B here & UK doesn't, dd needs that & pneumococcal c too.

They also vaccinate against Chicken Pox, but this is optional and costs $60. DD will not be having it as I really don't think it necc. BTW, I got this info from the doctors surgery, so I trust them.

See {http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/beginning-life/select/eng.htm\Here} for some useful info. Just select your area and it gives you some good info (well, The Adelaide one did, anyhow!

Whoops...try again

Here

Um, I have a quick question too.
The 'sighting' of imms records is only because they have to record that they have sighted it isn't it? I mean, there is nothing that will stop DD getting into preschool if she hasn't had her MMR is there????
In NZ they just needed to see the official record so they could note that she has/hasn't had her jabs (she had her baby ones but I am not planning on her having MMR) - it didn't affect her entry into pre school.

As far as I know, it's just so they can see what has/hasn't been done. They picked up on the ones my dd needed by seeing her red book.

of all the people I have spoken to, there hasn't been any mention of her having to have mmr to get in pre-school.

Thanks Sandcastles

if you are in QLD - chicken pox is now standard and so they may pout your lo's on a catch up course and it will be given free - if not - here in Brisbane - local councils do the vaccs and they are cheap.

Dd1 needed to have Hepatitis catch up course here in QLd and that was it.

Ghosty I am not sure. I know they just looked at dd's record for kindy. I know our kindy will still enrol them ( from memory) but if there are cases in the kindy the parents have to agree to remove their child from the kindy.

My little ones are 9 and 5 so it is the enrollment for school I am concerned about. We are on a temp resident visa sub class 411, so I wonder if they will worry about the extra hib injection. My kids are not good with injections! ( an understatement if ever I heard it!) thanks for the link Sandcastles I will have a good look round there.

Can I just say that before you come, get you no claims bonus proof from your insurers. We have been here 10 weeks & dh had rung them several times to get this piece of paper. Just spent an HOUR on the phone tonight trying to get it sent again.

It took us less time to get our visas..just a little bit of friendly advice! Espec if you are with DIRECT LINE!!

Hi robinpud. I'm in Perth otherwise would have come and joined you for coffee. The only problem I've come up against re immunisations is that unless you are up to date the government will not pay towards child care costs. My DD goes to daycare 2 days and got in no probs, just waiting for immu records to be updated to see if we qualify for any assistance. So don't think you will have any probs getting into pre school. We just took her red book to the local doctors who recorded the details on a form and sent it off to medicare.

pretty sure the uk and aust are different dvd zones. our aust laptop only plays some uk dvds, it seems to be completely random which ones though.

Back to the initial questions - there are a lot of private ATMs which can charge you whatever they want (they charge $25 per transaction on machines inside strip-clubs .)
Also, umlike int he UK, your Credit Card and Debit card will normally be the same card. It's also worth choosing a credit card that gives you frequent flyer opints for every $ you spend.
Make sure you buy a DVD player that is able to play international DVDs.

Robinpud, haven't had time to read the replies but we are just back from a fabulous year in Oz.

1. DVDs are on the whole different but some do work even though labelled as zone 1 (UK/Europe). We played those ones on the computer (all children's ones)

2. If you open your bank account within a week of arrival you just need your passport and proof of visa and you inform them later of your permanent address etc.

3. V normal to use debit card (Eftpos) and cashpoints though banks charge for almost everything (each eftpos transaction, each withdrawal unless from own bank's machine). NB can't use eftpos to pay for things online e.g. flights. V v annoying

4. Cashback normal too (not sure if there's a charge).

Have a great time!

Robinpud - just done some scrolling.

Re vaccs - school wasn't fussed at all esp as we were just there for the year. Only thing that ds hadn't had was hep B and as it's not a compulsory vacc it wasn't worth getting (have to have 2 jabs 6 months apart). Red books are more than sufficient as evidence.

More lovely advice, esp relevant from Hannah'saunt- I think they are a little different with you if you are only there for a year.
As dh will be paid his uk salary and we won't pay any AUS tax, unless I find a job compatible with the childcare, so we surely won't get any childare help.
Sandcastles- we are with Direct Line and have already got the evidence of no claims bonus to send to our austrlaian partner so that his inusrers will cover us to drive their cars. Direct Line will not touch the Australians so we are switching our car insurance to norwich Union who will cover the Australians and are cheaper than Direct Line.

tonight's top question.. first day back at school here and coincidentally an australian family have today bowled up at the kids' school much to their interest. Is Toto a run of the mill Oz name for a boy?

Toto!!?? [shock} No!! Poor little mite!
Are you sure that's not the dog?

Not unless their dog wears shorts and eats a packed lunch!