seraphim

No, tradies here are not very good, even the ones that have been recommended by word of mouth. Standards have been poor, they have been lazy, or not even quoted. There is obviously way too much work and not enough people, let alone skilled ones. often damage and lots of chasing. Currently trying to get quotes, the winner so far is only that because they were the only person to actually turn up and give a quote! I'm sure there are skilled tradies, but we don't exactly live in the sticks, and yet can't find one. Actually, the electricians we had have both been decent, and the locksmith was good, but renovators, plumbers, carpenter, landscapers, awful. Water carter BTW is quoting you spring water because they fill up from a dirty non potable farm dam for free rather than paying for it from the main, buy your own bowser, you'll thank me!

Sorry Pink, I didn't realise it had quoted you on my response, it wasn't directed AT you! I must've pressed reply with quote instead of just reply to thread! Wasn't' intending to have a pop at you (or anyone)! You do raise an important point on chicken pox which as you say must have been in reference to an earlier question, and I'm fairly sure I've never heard any of my colleagues suggest catching chicken pox over vaccination (in theory, as are all these things, the vaccine 'should' offer greater protection against later life shingles which catching chicken pox doesn't always, so it's supposed to be better for long term resistance.) Well, that's not true, I would have a pop at Wakefield! :wink: he's caused so much headache and heartbreak.

Get the full MMRV jabs, they shouldn't do your kids any harm. Talk to the GP when you get here about what's needed. You can always pay for separate vaccines if you chose but MMRV is fine. it's easy and GP's are generally pretty good with getting you up to speed, and linking Centrelink and medicare to it for the childcare placements. Failing that, speak to your local public health unit about school and community vaccinations and they're a wealth of helpful info. Vaccines are always preferable to catching the disease, it's the equivalent of refusing to put a seatbelt on your child because "I drive carefully so no one will crash into me". sheer arrogance. Yes, I have kids, and yes they are immunised, and yes I work in health! Most work by exposing the child to a crippled version of the virus which allows your child to build up the same residual antibodies without the side effects of the infection. OP, Andrew Wakefield is probably responsible for more child deaths than any 50 child murderers you care to mention, as he falsified his work (Still given credit today by 'experts' on the net) knowingly. There is no real link to autism from any vaccine. The link only exists on the internet and in peoples heads, which is still a very dangerous space to exist in, as it will never go away and will reinfect people with it's lies. You may as well believe the earth is flat (actually, I know one or two of them as well!). :huh: Aus is great, but they do believe in protecting their children (which I think is good but there are a few who don't!). QUOTE=Tickled Pink;1936893389]I think chicken pox is ok - don't hold me 100% to that, but my understanding is they're happy for kids to catch it rather than be compulsory immunised for it.

for the cost of shipping, waiting, and hoping they're not damaged, I'd honestly sell them and use that plus the shipping saved to buy new (so you can use it right away!) when you get here. the thought of no fridge for maybe 16 weeks (don't believe shipping estimates!) is not one I'd entertain. If you use gumtree etc, you can get basic stuff to last until you buy a house and then can get exactly what fits in the new place. That said, properly drained they'll be fine to take, if bone dry, but will be prone to going mouldy if closed for 4 months and dinged etc in transit, which, depending on insurance, won't be covered.

I've only ever watched a few episodes of the 'border security' programme, but every one I've seen ahs had at least 1 person trying this, and they have not even left the airport, straight back onto a flight and blacklisted for immigration for a period of time as well. it is probably just a complete coincidence, but of the programmes I've seen, it is only ever young Irish men who have tried this, although that may be just the way the footage is edited by the television programme, as I'm sure a huge variety of people have tried this as well. Once that sticks out was permanently barred as he had changed his name to his mothers name in order to try for a second visa. Your choice, but it's entering the country illegally, and as it's also knowingly, expect zero leeway when you are caught, they WILL know. Just get a sponsored 457 instead, that'd be legitimate and could lead eventually and with luck to PR.

You do not have to join EH Australia OR EHPA to be an EHO in Australia, it’s not like requiring EHRB in the UK. There are jobs, seek is a good start as discussed. EH Australia recently had a consultation on whether to remove EHO from the shortage list. As far as I know, the occupation is still on the list, but the mining downturn has resulted in less vacancies needing overseas fulfilment. I was assessed by VETASSESS as being an Australian EHO equivalent on my BSc Environmental Science, not on my EH qualification. The professional here is a little more compartmentalised than the UK, you have Workcover for Occ H&S, the EPA for all EP related stuff, The Food Authority for food borne illness, health for public health and local government for onsite sewage, general EH work, routine inspections and DA’s. (Again, NSW). There’s some overlap but in my experience I’ve not met as many generalists as you might in the UK. Note, Public Health Officers are NOT technical officers (don’t know where that came from). They typically hold an MPH, often go through the PHO training program for their respective health service for 3 years post qualification, and work in the Health Service, rather than Local Government (at least in NSW, other states may vary I suppose). They are usually disease, epidemiology, or other health related/policy fields, rather than regulatory officers. It’s a good field but more policy orientated than regulatory. I found work through Seek and got the job via Skype interview so it is possible, and agencies are plentiful here including Hayes, Cardno, and if you’re into FIFO, there are agencies which specialise in environmental safety or health and safety too. Good luck with the planning .

Just go to the nearest med centre. The jabs are free for the core ones, the extra ones over UK are fine, and if you're down as 'catching up' the childcare won't be an issue as the main variation is the dates/ages for different vaccines. medicare and Centrelink link up quite well now. if you do get your own scripts from the chemist and pay, don't leave it in your car for a while as if it's a live vaccine and outside temp control it'll be useless and won't give any protection to the kids! just get it straight before going to doc's and stick it in a cool bag. welcome to the forum (and oz!0

easy! thanks for letting me know. long shot but worth asking!

before I complete my eTax for this year, I was wondering, are my class 2 NI contributions a form of tax and if so, are they tax deductible from australian tax? Probably not, but someone here might know, and otherwise my tax affairs are straightforward! Ta!

Much as I dislike these 'keyboard wars' people seem to have...here we go, as I have to deal with this at work... Please please if you are, or claim to be 'healthcare professionals, get your data from peer reviewed journals, not 'googling a bit'. Any muppet can write anything on line (as I am writing now, hopefully muppetless!) http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/48/1/93.short Raw milk IS more dangerous than treated milk (not my opinion, it's an epidemiologically determined statistic, and these authors would have been content either way as long as the evidence was robust, they have no interest in the outcome other than that it is accurate and valid), the reason it's not recommended is that some of the bacteria can pass the placental barriers into the unborn child, and place stresses on people who are either sharing their immune system, or who have reduced immune responses. And yes, even perfectly healthy people can get ill from it, or maybe not, it's a bit like Russian roulette for your gut! If you want to drink milk 'like they do at home', then live 'at home'. it's banned for retail sale for a reason. If you own your own cow and want to drink the milk raw, there is not a piece of legislation to prevent you from doing so, but you have to choose to do that. if you chose to live an urban lifestyle and don't own a milk cow, then tough, you won't have the opportunity to drink it! The option is there, but you up your risk of food illness (which I'm guessing you'd expect the taxpayer to fund a cure/treatment for) then not in this country, while these laws are in force! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2282302/?page=1 You lose between 5-20% of 'some' nutritional value of milk, but you don't generally rely on milk for vitamin c anyway, at least, not in a unbalanced diet. Also, boiling aka 'sterilisation' loses BOTH more taste (subjective) and nutrients (established fact) than low temperature log 5 reduction pasteurisation does.

when you buy the car, it should come with a RWC (roadworthy, like an MOT) done within the last 45 days which will enable you (along with the paperwork), to go to an RMS (where you change your license over etc) to get it registered in your name, this costs 3% of the purchase price+$30. (10k car = $330) For insurance, I found bingle.com.au to be remarkably cheaper than the rest. RWC = MOT, done annually at the same time as Rego and CTP (can't do rego/ctp without one!) costs around $40 from a garage, very basic. Rego - Varies by car size so the bigger the car (tare weight means empty weight) the more you'll pay. Our SUV costs around $450 per year for that, the smaller estate $260ish. Compulsory Third Party insurance CTP or green slip- exactly that. Can't drive without it (legally), and you have to have rego and rwc etc too. Varies depending on age area I think but ours is around $520 a year. it doesn't cover you, just what you run in to i.e a building! Actual insurance - the same as the UK meaning of car insurance (the CTP pays for what the UK equivalent of the motor insurers bureau would be I guess). this varies a lot as does normal car insurance. Get some, drivers here are insane. If you can drive a manual, they're cheaper but are also harder to resell, so haggle hard. car salespeople are the same the world over. second hand cars hold their value well (generally). Avoid hail damage as it costs more to insure a damaged car for some reason (don't know why, anyone?). Look for a history and buyer beware. Buy a car under 10 years old and with less than 160,000km on the clock and from a dealer you'll get 3 months warranty or 5,000km warranty, whichever is first. AC packed in on ours and was fixed under this, thankfully! good luck and enjoy Sydney, it's not always this cold! buy a car with Air Con! hard to find one without it! hope some of that helped.

take less than you think! if you're taking a 70l rucksack, roll up 3 large towels and put that in first. then pack the stuff you'll take. Then take out the towels! it will be a LOT easier to carry around where the wheels don't roll (see everywhere except airports/posh hotel lobbies) and you will have room for the things you will buy when in country, such as local clothing/toiletries etc. great investment is something like a berghaus spirit rucksack. the straps zip in to a cover which protects them in transit, and they're comfortable straps when needed. the pockets are also all inside facing = only 1 lock to 1 zip locks everything and no one can sneakily zip a side pocket containing your whole life (wallet phone passport money) while you sleep. I also bought a pacsafe which travelling alone through SEA and South America I thought was great. you can chain it to yourself even for those loooong local bus journeys! good luck and enjoy the trip! the bigger your rucksack, the more you pack, do at least 3 trial packs and be brutal, you will come home with things you never used otherwise! remember you have to haul it round for a year!

They have a blue book equivalent here, which they help you make when you visit the nurse at the surgery, we took our red book to help with this. Word to the wise, as I work in disease control, get your child vaccinated. So many other protections you take for granted aren't' afforded here, whether by climate or otherwise. yes it will mean a financial cost if you don't and no childcare etc, but more importantly, it may mean the death of your child and/or someone else's child if you don't. The pertussis vaccine isn't great but it's better than nothing, and MMRV (the quadrivalent version of MMR, including varicella, far more effective than actually getting chicken pox it seems) are very good. Hep is also important here but isn't an issue or rather is too expensive in the UK. Put it this way, the government never spends money on you, so if they're offering to vaccinate, there is a reason for it, or they'd spend that money on themselves! Wakefield, the moron who lied on his medical paper, and was subsequently stripped of his authorities by the medical council, has probably contributed to the deaths of more children than anyone since sir Thomas Midgley thought lead in petrol would be a good idea! The 'facts' on the internet mean you can't do good peer reviewed research on this issue, speak to your GP, they vaccinate their kids, and they really DO understand the issues.

I'd advise south Penrith, Glenmore park, St Claire etc. You should be able to get a 4 bed rental for around AU$500 a week. reasonable areas to start out in. all good access to M4 and family areas. depending on where in the M4 you're OH is working (it's a pain at rush hour as are all motorways) determines where you'd want to live as an hour gridlock every morning and evening isn't that much fun! The local childcare areas around there are ok too as are schools unless you plan on sending private in which case i wouldn't know! Penrith has most amenities of a UK town and is easy enough to reach.

It's near me, and I stayed in the next suburb for a few weeks when we emigrated. It's what I'd call rough, not where I'd chose to raise a family or look for a better life etc. It depends on what you're used to, but if you're looking to emigrate halfway round the world for a better life, St. Marys' is one of the less desirable suburbs near here, and by less desirable, i mean moss side. Is the location due to work? What they refer to as 'westies' means the areas around parramatta mainly, not the penrith area, which has it's faults but is nothing like the fairfields and blacktowns etc. If you're moving to this area due to work, let me know as i've been here a year now and have a fair idea of good/bad/indifferent areas in the local area.

Well done on getting a look in for one! Answer honestly, be enthusiastic and passionate about what you do, as that does come across. Be as knowledgeable as you can without being cocky, and don't BS, as you never know who else may be listening and hopefully a good company will smell BS a mile off anyway! I found if you really don't know something but can relate previous experience well, or seem the kind of person who will pick up local variations quickly (so describe instances where you've had to learn and apply quickly is good) then employers like that mental dexterity and flexibility even more than those who know 1 way to do something. Hardest thing is not to second guess yourself. DO ask relevant questions and if you have none (i.e they'ev answered them) state you did have question X or Y but thank you they did already answer it in the interview. Interview them as well as letting them interview you asking how the company sees it's progressing no this project of that, including how you can become involved/how they would want t you to become involved etc. Also, just note a few 'examples' of the most common things such as the 'name a time when you've had deadlines' or name a time when you've dealt with conflict and how it was resolved' etc, just to get rid of the bog standard HR questions so you can focus on the job part. Note, I'm no recruitment expert, but did have my interviews via skype voice only before coming out (luckily had choice of job on arrival as a result), and I had an OK success rate, from starting to apply for jobs to landing in country (once visa validated) took us 7 months including selling the house. Good luck! Sorry, just read your latest post you've had interview now, hope it went well for you!

Wash the dog with the hosepipe, which is a standard thread! it'll be hot for a large part of the year and it will cool them down and they can shake in the garden as much as they want! Don't wash them with shampoo too often though unless they're a handbag 'rat' dog! And there are loads of doggy mobiles as said above plus dog washes in wet rooms inside pets at home stores too. You can probably adapt almost everything for everything but if renting you have to be able to adapt it back!

Yes, we used them and didn't rate them much. In hindsight we would have gone with an alternative. I'm sure all companies will have those giving positive or negative reviews however(as can be seen even from this thread), and I'd imagine most shipments turn up OK or else those companies would go bust. You'll probably be OK. If we ever relocate again, I wouldn't use them.

"She'll be right". Uttered by every trade when they screw up/ do a botch job/do something other than you've paid for!

You'll adapt. Things are different but you'll find local brands that will do and it'll be cheaper than importing! I can't tell the difference between vegemite and marmite (I'm sure others can!) Things just taste a little different I'm not a fan of the chocolate here as much as it is made differently for different climatic conditions but still tastes like chocolate, and if it's what you have then it's what you get used to! Theres a few things we could not find easily and I suppose miss but we've just bought local stuff and we buy seasonal and local a lot more here than when we lived in Leicestershire and could just get anything at any time of year from tesco! Aldi is a welcome sight from home and the layout is the same! And and early welcome to Oz for 5 weeks time!

Thanks for all the (sensible) replies, all very useful and appreciated! Went to Myer in the end and bought one of their trees, along with lights, which looked nice and will hopefully last a couple of years! The "pop up" xmas special shops we visited but the trees looked the same as in Big W. Thanks forum!

What he said, and I'm glad there are ex car sales people here, as I can ask for advice on the forum now before I buy my next one!

They are, my bad sorry Tink! The second one even has a pop up shop a few KM's from me, so that's great! (i swear I drove down that road yesterday and the store it says its in was't set up yet, maybe I've just missed the setup, i'll have a look. Thanks again!

Thanks Maryrose that'd be brilliant! I'd love for us to have a nice tree (fake obviously, no tree would survive 41 degrees with the roots cut!) so the little one can start a nice tradition with us now she's old enough. Thanks tink too for the links, i really want to see them though as the brissy shop is a bit far!

Any further encouragement to you would just feed the troll and detract from the OP's question. Yeah I was 'off my game mate' (I suppose you need mates so fair enough) lets get the OP's point back on track! Thanks for the info on cars from the ACT all being perfect though, I'll look there if I buy used again, it's not that far, actual useful advice. Are they all honest johns? I love hearing new things that 'everybody knows'!