Schooling our boys in Melbourne on a 457 visa

[Mullso]

Does anybody have Information on whether we have to pay for education on a 457 visa, I have heard various conflicting information , I have 3 boys one turns four this October , one turns two and one is only just 4 weeks old.
Also on an aside I presume I will be able to get my four week old immunised in australia ? As we will be moving across before he completes his uk vaccinations.

Cheers, my wife is stressing out!

[Rupert]

You don't pay for schooling in Victoria. Vaccinations are available here in Australia.

[The Pom Queen]

As Rupert has pointed out you don't pay in Victoria, you do in some other states though that's why you are getting conflicting advice. Yes the vacs will be done here.

[Mullso]

Thank you, that is a relief. I think my wife has been researching too much and confused herself. I can tell her to de stress now!

[Scarlett10]

Also on an aside I presume I will be able to get my four week old immunised in australia ? As we will be moving across before he completes his uk vaccinations.

Cheers, my wife is stressing out!

Before moving back to the UK, I got my Nurse Immuniser Qualification in Melbourne and worked in general practice for 6 years. We used to get many little British bubbies and toddlers through (could always spot them as accents aside, their parents were always clutching their little red health books - blue in Victoria!). So long as you have your medicare card, the normal childhood vaccinations will be free. It is a slightly different schedule to what you would have received in the UK (so don't look at your older children's records and stress that the records are different!). In the UK you usually get invited to your Drs for the vaccinations. This does not happen in Aus - you have to remember to go yourself! You have far more choice as you can go to any local GP (a word of warning - where I used to work - if you attended the vaccination clinic - the visit was free. If you attended the GP in a normal appt - although the injections were free, you had to pay for the appt. Its wise to check before you go).
Your other option is that all local councils offer regular childhood vaccinations at local health and community centres and at Maternal and Child Health Centres. They usually run on a regular day (ie 3rd Friday of the month) and are also free. You don't need to book - you just show up and wait.
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunis...e-victoria.htm this link will take you to the Victorian vaccination schedule so you know when to take your baby in. Australia has a far better vaccination schedule as they offer Hepatitis B, rotavirus and chicken pox as well as all the other vaccinations you would have had in the UK. Your 4 week old will have his first vaccines at 8 weeks, your other 2 boys will be eligible to receive the vaccinations that they have missed under a catch up schedule (Hep B and chicken pox, not the rotavirus as that is for babies under 7 months old). Not sure if the government are still offering it, but the Government were all providing a free pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination to all parents of new babies. Victoria had experienced a sharp rise in whooping cough and as babies are not protected until they have had their three doses, parents were boosted instead.
It is well worth having if they are still offering it (the UK is also having a large increase of whooping cough, currently).
Hope that all helps and does not confuse you further! If you need any further help, I am happy to tell you what I can, but as I say, you can contact your local GP or council and they will help you out as well. Don't forget to catch up your older sons - they will be thrilled, i am sure!

[mumoffour]

I've just been told my eldest 2 (8 & 7) need to have Hep B - they're going to love that! :-( Youngest 2 are ok though cos they born in Dubai and have had it.

Different countries, different schedules - get your medicare sorted out asap and the rest will follow.

Don't forget to get ambulance cover sorted - I was surprised to hear it's not included on Medicare and with kids, let's face it, it's always better to be over-prepared x