abz123

I was under the impression (possibly mistakenly) that no-one gives two jots about a credit rating from another country. Bottom line is really proof of an income stream. We looked into HSBC and they wanted huge (couple of hundred pounds, maybe more) to set up their account but you still wouldn't have your bank cards in your hand until you arrived in Oz (please correct me if this is factually incorrect) as any bank will want to identity check you before issuing cards. We opened an ANZ account with very little hassle from the UK and have since moved onto the NAB as they hold our mortgage so for offsetting it made more sense to combine everything there. No issues with either bank. We used Moneycorp to move the proceeds of our house sale "down under" and they were great and came up with useful suggestions like photographing documents and emailing them when we didn't have access to a scanner. One BIG thing I can recommend is speaking to your bank and giving them written instructions that you authorise them to transfer money to your Moneycorp (or other broker) account for onward transfer to whichever Australian bank you decide to go with before leaving the country. This bit was the real fly in the ointment for us.

Is it cooked or raw splatter? Seriously though (and with no accurate basis to make the assumption) I would imagine you are okay with a bit of staining. Do the mods know if we have any AQIS members on this forum?

Hi What line of work do you fall into and what State are you planning to settle in? Would be easier to help with this info.

Hi, looking for some help form those of you not in Oz! Been buying DTE biscuits in the "British aisle" (but made in France!) in Woolworths but am coming home for a Christmas visit and can't see to find anywhere that stocks them in the UK. Tried the big three supermarket's websites but no joy. Has anyone seen these or are they going in the suitcase along with the Vegemite! Got a four-and-a-half year old "princess" to keep happy so this truly is a dilemma! :cute: See http://www.mcvities.com/range/kids for more details. Also, been a while since I went through Perth airport but do they still do the big "bags" of Tim Tams in duty free?

Two different things here: 1) CCB - Child Care Benefit which is means tested 2) CCR - Child Care Rebate which is not. To get CCR you must have a permanent resident visa, satisfy a minimum (weekly) working / looking for work criteria. If you are not eligible for CCB (i.e. over the income threshold) you still have to claim CCB at a zero rate (i.e. declare yourself as ineligible!!) before claiming CCR. CCR can be paid dfirectly to your (approved) child care provider so you only pay the other 50% or you can choose to have the 50% paid to you weekly, monthly or quarterly (I think) or if you haven't claimed it during the tax year, as a lump sum after the event. Just did my daughter's 2011/12 claim and was advised that the lump sum method would not be available going forward. Hope that helps, but just Google Child Care Rebate and you'll end up on the right government website.