Life in Australia
Cars and Driving
New Permanent Residents are allowed to drive for 3 months before they need an Australian Driving Licence.Most Australian states don't require permanent residents to pass any tests - practical or theory - before issuing Australian licences. This only applies if you are from New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA.
Queensland requires new Permanent Residents to pass a 30 question theory test before issuing a licence. You do not need to sit the practical test if you come from one of the countries listed above.
Holiday / Vacation Entitlement
Australian workers are legally entitled to four weeks of paid leave every year. In addition to this there are around 11 to 13 public holidays each year, dependent on State.Sport
Many Australians live for sport - playing and watching. As a result of this passion, Australia enjoys sporting success on the world stage far beyond what would normally be expected for a country of around 20 million people.The three most popular participation sports in Australia are aerobics, golf and tennis. For males, the top three are are golf, cricket and tennis. For females it's aerobics, lawn bowls and netball.
Crime
Australia is not crime free by any means. While its murder rate may be lower than the United States, car crime and burglaries are common. Sydney is Australia's crime capital with higher offending rates for most crimes than other cities.Within every Australian city there are bad areas and good areas. The worst areas can suffer crime rates 10 to 20 times higher than the best areas. If you are concerned about crime, you should choose your suburb carefully. It's easy to find out by asking local people which areas are best avoided.
Healthcare (Medicare) in Australia
Australia has a subsidised health system called Medicare. Your will be eligible for Medicare provided you are a New Zealand citizen or have gained Australian permanent residence or have a valid work visa or have a valid visa and an immediate family member who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.When you arrive in Australia, you need to wait a week before registering for Medicare. This gives time for your visa information to reach the Department of Health. You need to apply in person for your Medicare card at a Medicare office and you should bring your passport. You should receive your Medicare card around a fortnight after you apply.
Australia also has reciprocal healthcare agreements with a number of countries. These agreements mean you will be given free medical treatment, provided it is urgently needed, if you are from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Malta or Norway.
Medicare refunds you for 85 percent of the Medicare Schedule Fee for primary care (non hospital) costs. If you are treated as a Medicare patient in a public hospital, your treatment will be free.
You need to have your Medicare card (or at least your Medicare number) available when you visit your doctor or collect a prescription.
If any element of your treatment is provided privately, Medicare will meet 75 percent of the Medicare Schedule Fee for the treatment.
The Medicare Schedule Fee is controversial because doctors (public or private) are entitled to charge more than the fee. You will need to meet this from your own funds or some form of medical insurance.
To fund Medicare, you are taxed 1.5 percent of your gross salary. The tax rises to 2.5 percent of salary if you earn more than $50,000 per annum ($100,000 for families) and you do not have private medical insurance.
If you need to see doctors frequently, the Medicare Safety Net helps you cover the costs. (Link opens a pdf document.)