Guide to Housing, Jobs and Community ⭕️ Work in Progress in...

Guide to Housing, Jobs and Community

⭕️ Work in Progress in comments below ⭕️

Please feel free to provide contributions in comments, and I can incorporate them into the main guide above.

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Guide to Housing, Jobs and Community ⭕️ Work in Progress ⭕️ Suggestions can be added in comments below, and I can add them to the main guide.

Flights

You can book through an IATA agent, search on the airline’s website, or search routes through apps / websites such as: - https://www.google.com/travel/flights - https://www.skyscanner.com.au - GoZayaan

The major airlines in Australia are: - Qantas https://www.qantas.com - Jetstar https://www.jetstar.com - Virgin Australia https://www.virginaustralia.com

Other Airlines that commonly fly to Australia are Other Airlines that service interstate routes are: [list in process of being cleaned sorted] - Air New Zealand - Hinterland Aviation - Alliance Airlines \ - Aerotech Australia - Emirates - Singapore Airlines - Airnorth - Rex Airlines [was in receivership now operates within Australia] - King Island Airlines - Bonza [in receivership / may have closed - please check] - Fiji Airways [] - Regional Express - Link Airways - Air Link - Nexus Airlines - Eastern Air Services - FlyPelican

List of International Airports in Australia: - ACT Canberra Airport - NSW Sydney Airport - VIC Melbourne Airport - QLD Brisbane Airport - WA Perth Airport - SA Adelaide Airport - TAS Hobart Airport - NT Darwin International Airport - FNQ Cairns Airport - Red Centre Alice Springs Airport - Kimberley Broome International Airport - Goldfields Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport - Pilbara Port Hedland International Airport - VIC Mount Hotham Airport - External Territory Norfolk Island Airport

Airport Transfers Skybus (Melbourne / Hobart)

https://www.skybus.com.au/buy-tickets/

Will drop you off at the Southern Cross Station in the CBD

Uber

[insert link]

Didi

Similar to Uber (a little cheaper)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.didiglobal.passenger

Banking and Money Transfers This can be done post-landing as well, as we need to activate the account after landing. It’s easy with a passport and hotel address. It will be active soon, and you will receive an ATM card in a week's time. - You can open an account online with Commonwealth Bank up to 14 days before you arrive in Australia. - You can also open an account online after you arrive or by visiting any CommBank branch. Whichever option you choose, you’ll need to bring some documents to the branch when you first visit, to formally prove your identity before you start using your account.

We recommend you bring along original copies of your: - Current passport (original document required) - Details of your current Australian visa - Tax Identification Number (TIN) for each country of foreign tax residency - Student ID or letter of enrollment (students only) Another option is HSBC Bank, however, CommonWealth Bank is one of the big 4 banks in Australia.

Accomodation Key online platforms are RealEstate, Gumtree, Flatmates, and most importantly, Facebook groups relevant to your own home country and community.

Short-term and Temporary - Temporary Airbnb: www.airbnb.com.au - Booking.com [Reviews indicate that customer service is terrible (risk of overbooking / difficult refund process) - in process of verifying this claim ]

Rentals - Real Estate: www.realestate.com.au - Domain: www.domain.com.au - Shared / Flatmates: flatmates.com.au - Tenant: www.tenantapp.com.au - Homely: www.homely.com.au Tip: Given the requirements of rental agents for new tenants, it maybe feasible to do a lease transfer for your first rental residence as you will not have a rental history to support your rental application.

Miscellaneous: - Property Data: - CoreLogic Property Data - www.corelogic.com.au - Prop Track: www.proptrack.com.au - SQM Research https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php

Public Transport - NFC or physical card-based: based - think some states allow you to use credit card but comes with charges - NSW: Opal Card - transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/opal/get-opal-card - VIC: myKi - www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki

Melbourne Trains + Train Timetable https://www.metrotrains.com.au

Vaccinations Carry vaccination history for all kids (and adults?).

Identification Documents Apply for Proof of Age Card: VIC: https://www.vic.gov.au/proof-of-age-card QLD: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/proof-of-age

Medicare and Medical Insurance Medicare http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au

Medicare Levy Surcharge Medicare Levy Surcharge is charged if you earn above the specified thresholds and do not not have Private Health Insurance. This will be charged as part of your tax return. https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/medicare-and-private-health-insurance/medicare-levy-surcharge

Private health Insurance Rebate In addition to Medicare (free) you will need some level of insurance to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge if you earn above the specified thresholds [as part of your tax return]. You will get a tax rebate in your tax return for the private insurance you take out. https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/medicare-and-private-health-insurance/private-health-insurance-rebate https://www.finder.com.au/health-insurance

Childcare and Subsidies CCS in Australia is a government initiative that provides financial assistance to eligible families to help cover the cost of approved child care services, including long day care, family day care, and outside school hour’s care. The subsidy amount is based on factors such as family income, activity level, and the type of child care service used. It is designed to make child care more affordable for families and encourage workforce participation. Check out Child Care Subsidy Calculator here: https://www.careforkids.com.au/child-care-subsidy-calculator

Schooling You can get admission anytime in the Public school relevant to your area postcode. School fees may be free, or a nominal amount (depending on the state)

Job Search and Resumes Prepare resume as per Australian standards, and alter/tailor your resume as per the keywords in Job description. - LinkedIn: Make sure you a complete and professional profile on LinkedIn. - Seek.com.au: Seek is the most popular online job platform in Australia. - Facebook groups to search for entry level jobs. - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com (offers a mobile app as well) - Seek: www.seek.com.au (offers a mobile app as well) - Career One https://www.careerone.com.au - Indeed: www.au.indeed.com - Indeed - This global job site has a separate portal for Australia and offers millions of job opportunities - https://au.jora.com (offers a mobile app as well) - Hays: www.hays.com.au - Adzuna: www.adzuna.com.au - Michael Page: www.michaelpage.com.au - Workforce Australia: www.workforceaustralia.gov.au

Other temporary / ad-hoc jobs etc [unverified] - Airtasker: This Australian-founded community marketplace connects people with tasks like moving, cleaning, delivery, and handyman services. It also offers virtual tasks like data entry and research projects. - Fiverr: This Australian freelance platform is easy to navigate and offers over 250 categories of professional services, including writing, graphic design, translation, and web development. - DesignCrowd: This platform allows prospective designers to bid on design work for companies. - Gum tree: This large classified ads portal has an Australian page where you can post open roles and reach out to candidates. - TaskRabbit: This gig app allows you to pick up odd jobs for extra cash, such as assembling a table or planting flowers. - The OddJobs App: This app allows users to make extra cash by helping others with simple, one-time tasks around their homes or community.

Centrelink and Welfare Centrelink delivers income support and other payments to Australians. It is part of Services Australia - an Australian Government department delivering payments and services on behalf of a number of government programs including Medicare and Child Support as well as Centrelink. Check out Centrelink website http://www.familyassist.gov.au/

Tax and Business Registration You will need an Australian Tax File Number (TFN) to start working. If you plan to start a business/company, you may also need an Australian Business Number (ABN). http://www.ato.gov.au/ https://abr.business.gov.au/

Superannuation Guides to Super / Provident Fund / Pension / Social Security - https://www.ato.gov.au/calculators-and-tools/super-yoursuper-comparison-tool - https://www.forbes.com/advisor/au/superannuation

Car Purchase Carsales and Gumtree are good platforms. For Indians: You can use your Indian license for 3 or 6 months to drive here depends on your moving state. Car can be purchased with your passport and license. If name in passport and license different, you might need IDLV from VFS https://www.carsales.com.au/ https://www.gumtree.com.au/

Mobile Phones www.accc.gov.au/consumers/telecommunications-and-internet/choosing-a-mobile-phone-service

Sites for comparison of mobile plans: - https://www.finder.com.au - https://www.whistleout.com.au

The 3G Network has been switched off in Australia from 29 October 2024 [https://amta.org.au/3g-closure ], phone with VoLTE support will be required to use in Australia, please check your device here https://amta.org.au/3g-closure-old/check-my-device

NFC / Tap to pay Consider a phone with NFC as NFC is used for digital payments and can be useful for paying instore and for public transport (refer public transport here (add hyperlink to section). If your work requires you to travel a lot to many countries then Phones with E-Sim support should also be considered.

Refurbished Items [Limited Warranty / Used Items] - https://mobilefederation.com.au

Major Providers: - Telstra: www.telstra.com.au - Vodafone: www.vodafone.com.au - Optus: www.optus.com.au

Disclaimer: Please note that it's not always enough to match just one frequency. Australian phone networks are built using multiple frequencies, and not all frequencies are available in every location. The network frequencies used in rural areas are often completely different to those used in the city.

If a phone doesn't support VoLTE, it is no longer able to be used for phone calls. Source: https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Will-my-phone-work-in-Australia-carrier-network-frequencies

Tips on Financial Security and Stability Congratulations on making it to Australia! In this section, we speak of making the best out of your finances to have a more successful future. We talk about Frugal Living, so that you can live a happy, healthy and stress free life while ensuring that you are financially secure Step 1 - Prepare a Budget To get some insights and understand what are some common and major expenses refer below some websites https://www.refinery29.com/en-au/money-diaries Step 2 - Meal Planning Making a meal at home is cheaper than regularly eating outside. From time to time There are deals for free food or discounted free food

Shopping There are 3 major supermarket chains in Australia, Coles, Woolworths and Aldi The online Website / Android / Apple application allows you to create shopping lists / carts and see the prices of each item across the 3 supermarket chains https://www.coles.com.au https://www.woolworths.com.au https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/mylists

https://www.aldi.com.au

Frugal Living A frugal lifestyle refers to someone who makes economical choices with their finances and resources. A frugal person will manage their money carefully, spend money sparingly, look for sales, and research diligently to make the most prudent financial decisions possible. A browse through of the internet will provide some insights on best deals you can find - do also note there are some fake insights as well so please read through the entire discussions or see user reviews Some common reddit communities to explore discussions and understand where you “MAY” get the best deals [tread with caution - Not everything on the internet is true, people also do end up losing ] https://www.reddit.com/r/AusFinance/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AussieFrugal/ Malls in the main CBD can be expensive, so try and avoid impulse buys. Kmart should have most things. If you’re in Melbourne CBD , you can find some good bargains at the Spencer Mall https://spenceroutletcentre.com.au which is close to the Southern Cross Station (a little walk from the Station at which the Skybus drops passengers off from the Airport). Uniqlo is also a popular Japanese fashion retailer popular amongst students www.uniqlo.com/au/en/ DFO, Direct Factory Outlet is also popular for Branded Items https://www.dfo.com.au

Car vs Public Transport? Australia has # of categories of Public Transport Train Tram Bus Each State has their own public transport management system and fares vary across states [Refer respective state sites] Depending on your needs and travel patterns, you will have to determine how best you can utilise Cars Cars require parking and parking spots are rented out on a weekly basis. Factor in carparking costs if you do not have an allocated parking slot. For example Parking fees for a week at [area] ranged between [amount] (data from source) Also factor in Annual Car licencing and registration Costs It maybe more feasible in some places to drive to a train station, park your car at the parking lot (factor in security and logistics) and then take a train into the City Refer Car Buying Guide Facebook Groups and Marketplaces As with all things on the internet there are genuine sellers as well as scams on Facebook Marketplaces. There are certain groups online that you will find offer free items, you only have to visit and collect from the side of the road. Note: exercise caution when organising pickup or paying a delivery fee as this can also be a source of scam. Comparison of Finance, Lending, Credit Cards, etc https://moneysmart.gov.au - A must read https://www.money.com.au https://www.finder.com.au Credit Cards - The website has a very useful feature of comparing cards https://www.money.com.au/credit-cards

Example: Some providers offer a free credit card [downside: with HIGHER interest] and / or offer cashback for certain milestones . If you are able to plan your cash payment well, you could save some money (as long as you pay on time before HIGH interest kicks in or cancel the card after the promotion / fee free period is over) Note: Information may not be up to date

State Specific Resources VIC: liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/live www.visitmelbourne.com/features/official-visitor-guide

NSW: www.nsw.gov.au

QLD: migration.qld.gov.au/about-queensland/living-in-Queensland

NT: jointheterritory.nt.gov.au/live

WA: migration.wa.gov.au/gday-western-australia

ACT: canberra.com.au/live

TAS: www.migration.tas.gov.au/live_and_work/live_in_tasmania

SA: https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/Settlement%20Info%20Pack_0.pdf https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/support-and-resources/resources/fact-sheets

https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/

Other Information Don't bring heavy food items, most of the items are available in stores. You may bring a Mixer, Pressure cooker, rice cooker + dress, shoes etc. But, alternately, you can buy these items from Kmart Australia. Supermarkets and other Department Stores [In progress] Coles Woolworths BigW 7/11 Stores

PRE-DEPARTURE CHECKLIST - Obtain / Secure copies of relevant Documents (Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, etc) - Bond / Debt Clearances / Protector Stamp [Obtain and do not risk being denied travel] - Get dental procedures updated if quality and cost efficient procedures available where you are - Book flights for whole family - Consolidate and close bank accounts - Setup mail forwarding in your home country or update addreses - First Flight ? Refer First Flight Checklist - Some warm clothes if you are travelling in winter or to (VIC, SA and NSW) (until you go shopping) - Personal Information
- Make two photo copies of the following documents and leave one copy at home with your trusted family or a trusted friend and other in a safe place while you’re travelling, separate from the originals - passport - itinerary and tickets - visas - travellers cheques and credit card numbers
- driver’s licence or international driving permit
- insurance policy The reason for the above is this . In the unfortunate event should you lose your main documents while travelling, you will have copies to rely on for your embassy or country’s foreign affairs to assist you quicker. Same for credit cards - should they be lost, upon calling the bank, they may require details of the card you are trying to block. DO NOT PROVIDE CARD DETAILS TO ANYONE WHO CALLS YOU SAYING THEY ARE YOUR BANK.

Refer: https://moneysmart.gov.au/online-safety