zilch

I know some of the users on here have made the move, and i may have an opportunity to move to OZ in the next few months, on a company sponsored temporary residence scheme (4 years). If anyone can advise of some of the bear traps to be aware of (already discovered the tax rate is 47% ), plus medicare will put a big hole in my pocket.. Was wondering whether to sell the house, can i go for permanent residency after a specific period (cannot find this out on any websites)... believe the REX is a youngsters car down under, so will need to find something a bit more grown up no doubt

Any advice would be welcome

Thanks

Jim

wakeboardar

ive just come back from 5 weeks in sydney and bloody hell its getting expensive

2 years working before residency it also costs 2000 quid
the wife sister and husband is going through the process now
she works for Hilton and him on a sailing mag
I saw plenty of wrxs but hardly any sti`s petrol is cheap though

ozzy

Insurance is a killer for most drivers and they get nicked a lot around Sydney. I was staying with my Aunt/Uncle while I was there in the summer and there was a great looking STI in their underground carpark.

Compared to here clothes, sports goods, food & drink and general stuff was cheaper. Electronics were not as cheap as I'd hoped and house prices are just ridiculous if you want to live in the city.

Husaberk

Don't move to Victoria, I got nicked by unmarked car hiding behind a truckstop in May doing 145k(89mph) in a 100k(62mph) zone, the HSV Clubsport was barely ticking over. $300 on the spot fine and banned for 6 months(starting 30 days after being nicked), I was only another 5kph off an automatic 12 month ban. All my relatives warned me that the feds will do people for 1k over the limit, the other states have the same penalties but Victorian fuzz never give warnings, only tickets.

letdown

The cost of living has gone up so much lately as has house prices. Sydney IMHO you will need 500K for a half decent place. You will be v lucky to earn 100K in Sydney.....beware. And on top the 45% tax.

Yes it is nice and sunny and the beaches are nice.....but as with all places you need money in your pocket to enjoy it.

Oh and as a side issue the amount of Kevs/Chavs from the UK f'ing and blinding round the place is quite unreal !! And please dont hang your flag over the balconey of your B & B....its not Ibiza !!

Ga22ar

I emmig out to Melb last Aug and have been loving it so far. Yes the salary is less (about 40%) but the cost of living is lower, the range of choice makes the UK look the backward country that it is..

If you're in the city or touristy bits then yes you get a lot of brits (and other nationalities) around. But I live here so dont go to the touristy places I go to the beaches and pub/clubs the locals use.

As for the chap doing 145KMH I'm not surprised he was nicked, as most people roughly comply with the speed limit (and hey its only 60mph - but whats the rush) doing 145KMH would make you stick out like a sore thumb. (and by the way if you did 45% faster than the limit in the UK on a motorway (102MPH) would you not get nicked\banned ??)

Its a lifestyle choice out here - things are more relaxed and chilled. Melb is great - by far the better city out here, weather is like the UK but generally 10c warmer all year round (lowest about 9c, hottest 40c) it does rain but its not that freezing bitter rain. More sport than you can shake a stick at

(Sydney - expensive to live in and hot, Brisbane very hot - but not too expensive, Perth - nice for holiday but most wouldnt want to live there - and is f**king hot)

markr1963

Just curious, why wouldn't most want to live there? And yes, it is f**king hot

Mark

Little Miss WRX

www.immi.gov.au for everything you will need to know on the rules and regs of getting across there.

Gordo

Don't be too scared by the 40% tax - the total % you pay after all other taxes is still lower than the UK (here it's 41% plus 17.5%VAT on purchases, high fuel taxes, stamp duty etc).

e.g. of you only ever spent your (taxed) earnings on VATable goods, you'd have paid 50% tax on your higher rate earnings (41% income tax, less another 15% of the 59% left to spend).

People I know who've been have all come back - their advice is consistently to buy property here and let it out and rent out there, then when you come back you haven't been effected by swings in the UK property market. Always assume you're going to come back.

have fun!

Gordo

Husaberk

Ga22ar, I ran the risk and got caught, can't complain. All I'm saying is as a car and bike nut I could never live there long term. Most Aussie car mags seem to agree.

As you observed most people stick to 60-65ish and appear to have developed the mindset that they don't to have pay much attention to what they're doing. General standard of driving was the worst I've ever seen, it was pretty much how I always imagined the States would be if I'd visited it when 55 was the maximum limit.

Big Daz

My Wife & I are currently speaking to agents & filling in the forms at the moment with a view to moving 2007 - Cant wait. Brisbane looks the best bet for us at the moment
Daz

Daz34

Perth is a fabulous city. Love Freo too

ozzy

There's bugger all in Perth. Nice place to visit, but people I know who lived there felt it was just too far away from anything.

Wasn't keen on the south - Melbourne, Adelaide. Much preferred Sydney and Brisbane/Gold Coast. It was feckin hot in winter up on the Gold Coast, never mind summer

wah

Daz34 you have just brough a smile to me, Freo is great if I could move to Oz thats where I would live

Daz34

Not too far to the Margaret River. Beautiful country (and wine!) down there

Daz34

My brother lives there

What I would give to be sat in the Sail & Anchor right now with an ice cold Redback watching the world go by

zilch

Are you still in sunny Sydney then ?? Tried the OZ immigration site, but seemed a bit low on information on when and how temporary (company sponsored) can go for permanent residence... assume its 2 years ??

Been there about 4 times in the last 3 years, and noticed they are definitely hot on speeding and motoring offences generally, seems more so than the UK.

I would be based in Sydney, and have to live within an hour of town no doubt.
Still negotiating the deal, so just have to see what comes out of it...

Thanks for all your replies

Jim

Petem95

One of my mates has been living in OZ for 6months - hes working there for 8months as his company have an office there and gave him the chance to work there for a bit to see if he likes it.

He too has had some problems with the Aussie coppers - he got pulled over on a highway for doing something like 75-80mph when the limit is 62mph (100kmh), and they threw the book at him. Big fine, driving ban, complete bollocking etc. Apparently theyve realised theres a lot of money to be made from speed traps, and you can get done for being only a few kmh over the limit.

Overall he said he likes the place, but not as much as he expected he would. Hes going to try and stay however as he reckons in the long term it'll be a much better bet than the UK which is not heading a good way right now.

RRH

My mate lives out in surfers paradise, qld. he's been trying to get us to move out there for ages and, to be honest, with the state of the manufacturing industry in the UK these days I'm pretty tempted.....

zilch

queensland, been there twice on hols.. diving (of the scuba variety ) mind you not surfing...seems a great state, but could only work in brisbane in my line of work i think..the job is actually in Sydney..

Cheers

Jim

mattsan

My skills application is going through at the moment before we can send the main apllication off.I was just wondering why these people you know have all come back?? I have mates in melbourne and brisbane,i want to go to melbourne the wife to brisbane!! Nightmare! Were keeping our house on for a year and renting in oz,then if we like it we can just sell up and buy a house over there.If it doesnt turn out to be as good as we thought we can then just move back home.

Flatcapdriver

I think that what he's alluding to is that the people who have come back regretted selling their houses with little to fall back on when they returned to the UK. Oz is a great country but not one I feel I can live in at the moment, not least of which is the **** like police and a business environment that is not as flexible as here in the UK. I've seen too many people adopt the ostrich like grass is always greener attitude and go over only to be disappointed. Equally, there are heaps of emigrants who never regret the move so it's a case of horses for courses.

Ga22ar

Hi..

As already said there's bugger all in Perth.. Perhaps the worlds most remote city ?? - once you're outside of Perth itself there's nothing there..


Fair cop you take the risk to speed and you (will) get done, dont forget out here there is no requirement to make cameras et al visible or to warn of them, hence we get them hidden in bins and behind signs..

And yes I agree that (in Vic anyway) they are prob the worst drivers (behind Italians) in the world.. Saying that I commute to work on a 600 bike (about 50mls daily) I feel a lot safer on a bike out here than I ever did in the SE and London.

The only good advice I got was to take out the equiv of BUPA out here, this was useful as I prolapsed a disc in my neck after being her for 3 months and spent the next 10wks out of it after spinal surgery... Would of cost an arm and a leg normally with medicare and the like

cheerio

zilch

Does anyone know if Superannuation is payed before tax as per the UK Pension coming out before the government takes its wedge , or is it after tax in Australia.

Additionally what other tax benefits are there, personal allowance, married mans allowance etc. ???

Anyone know the practicalities.. hoping its not 47% and then 9% supperannuation.. but rather 9% super and then 47% on the balance, or am i in for an even bigger shock

Thanks

Jim