Moving to Australia? ​ Here are some tips to help you settle into life.

Moving to Australia? ​From accomodation to banking, to healthcare and holidays, here are some tips to help you settle into life down under​.

Banking

• The Commonwealth Bank of Australia have an online service to help people moving to Australia to quickly and easily open an Australian bank account​.

How to do it?​

• You can open your account online 14 days before your travel and,  then, you visit a branch with your passport within a week of arriving (which is very easy, as there are lots of branches) Visit https://www.commbank.com.au/moving-to-australia​ to learn more.

Other major banks include: Westpac, National Australia Bank, ANZ, NAB, Bank of Queensland, Macquarie Bank, Bendigo Bank, Bank of Melbourne, Bank SA & Bank West ​

Transferring Money

• You may decide to transfer money at the start, during or towards the end of your time in Australia​, you can often do this via your bank or an online provider. ​

• Another option is Halo Financial, get in touch with Geraldine Collett: Geraldine.collett@halofinancial.com ​to find out more

Tax Rates

• All workers in Australia are required to pay tax. The amount of tax you’ll pay will depend on how much you earn. ​

• Full details on income tax rates and secondary tax rates can be found here

Tax Return

• The tax year in Australia runs from 1st July to 30th June ​

• You have from 1st July to 31st October to submit your tax return​

• Full details on the tax return process and to find out whether you need to complete one can be found here​

Superannuation

• In Australia, your 'pension' is called 'superannuation', simply put it's money put aside by your employer over your working life for you to live on when you retire from work ​

• Employers in Australia pay money - 'contributions' - into a 'superannuation' account​

• Most people can choose the super fund they want their contributions paid into. If you’re eligible, your employer must give you a standard choice form within 28 days of the day you started working for them so you can make that choice in writing. If you do not choose a fund, your employer will choose a fund for you. All employers have a nominated super fund, or ‘default fund’, where they make super guarantee payments for their employees who have not selected a preferred fund.​

• You can find out more here ​

Medicare Card

Upon arrival in Australia, you will need to get a 'Medicare' card. This provides access to the Australian health system.​

Medicare gives you access to a range of medical services for free or at a lower cost including: ​

• Doctors ​

• Specialists ​

• Optometrists, and ​at times, dentists and other allied health professionals ​

• Lower cost prescriptions, and ​free care as a public patient in a public hospital ​​

To be eligible for Medicare you must live in Australia and be either: ​

• an Australian citizen ​

• a New Zealand citizen ​

• an Australian permanent resident ​

• applying for permanent residency - conditions apply ​

• covered by a Ministerial Order, or ​

• a Resident Return visa holder ​

You may also get a Medicare card if you’re visiting from a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement country.  More information can be found here.

Taking care of your mental health

No matter what, the process of moving can be quite mentally taxing and moving back to a country you have been away from for a while can be a bit of a culture shock so it is important to look after your mental health.  ​

There is a wealth of knowledge and support services that can be found here.

Leave & Holidays​

• Annual Leave: employees are entitled to a minimum 4 weeks of annual leave for every 12 months worked. Leave begins accumulating from the first day

• Sick Leave: Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to sick leave. Full time employees have 10 days and it is pro-rata for part-time employees​
• Public Holidays: this varies by state however it is between 11-14 public holidays. ​

Shipping

• Robert Walters works with a partner to get Australian’s returning home or people moving to Australia for the first time competitive shipping rates. ​

• We recommend Solaris Relocations. Out contact is John Morris: john.morris@solarisrelocations.com ​
  

Mobile Network Providers

• Australia has three network providers: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone ​

• Broadband Network Providers: ​There are multiple broadband companies across Australia. You can use this link to compare providers based off your location: 

Accommodation​


Recommended websites to use when trying to find a property to rent or buy: ​

• www.realestate.com.au ​
• www.domain.com.au​
• www.rent.com.au ​
• If you're returning home to Australia or looking for a more permanent home, a good resource is: https://moneysmart.gov.au/buying-a-house which offers guidance on every step of the process​

Setting up a home

Some rental properties can come fully furnished however this is not always the case in Australia. If you are looking to furnish your new home here are some places that will be of help: ​

• Myer
• Harvey Norman
• Kmart
• Target
• Ikea
• Freedom Furniture

​Public Transport

Each state in Australia has their own public transport ticketing system. Most systems accept 'ApplePay' but there are also tickets and passses through:​
​

• Adelaide Metro: https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/ ​

• Metro Card​

• Melbourne: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/ ​

• Myki Card ​

• Perth: https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/ ​

• Smartrider Card ​

• Sydney: https://transportnsw.info/ ​

• Opal Card ​

• Brisbane: https://translink.com.au/ ​

• Go Card  ​