Loopylu

I’m not back in the UK permanently but on a 3 month stay as my Dad died in February. I am lucky in that I can work remotely from here. I return to Qld in early May. I am looking forward to seeing my husband and kids again. I will have had my UK fix for a while and so can cope with life on prison island again…. At least I’ve missed the worst of the incessant La Niña rain and it will be cooler.

Yeah - Tassie only really has Aurora as retailer for small customers. It’s similar in regional Qld where only Ergon Electricity supplies mums and dads customers and the cost to deliver is heavily subsidised by the State through the Community Service Obligation. Unfortunately electricity prices are set to soar in the next few months in Australia so wages are going to have to rise after nearly 13 years of stagnation.

The standing charge is quite low but where those without solar are subsidising those with solar is that about 35-40% of the electricity consumption charge is attributable to the transmission and distribution use of system charge. So those without solar pay more towards the poles and wires that everyone uses. It hits the poor most who cannot avoid solar. That’s why they are talking of introducing an extra levy on those with solar so they pay a fairer share of maintaining grid capacity at a level that everyone can use when the sun doesn’t shine.

Your assessment of the situation is spot on. I went to talks by Paul Simshauser about 8 years ago where he raised the issue around solar penetration and insufficient revenue to distribution companies to fund the poles and wires needed when there is no sun. He also raised the issue of those who cannot afford solar subsidising the rich as those without solar would pay the lion’s share of the standing charge. He reckoned that those with solar would have to pay a fair share of the standing charge. The other issue is that in SÀ they now stop solar exports when the grid is oversupplied or charge to export. Dynamic operating envelopes will soon be with us but it will be a brave government who forces it through.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/households-set-for-higher-power-bills-as-wholesale-prices-double-20220404-p5aaqa

I’ve no idea about European prices but I understand that Australia has not yet experienced the full flow through of increased energy prices. As you’ll know, the Fed Govt has reduced fuel excise to ensure petrol prices go down ahead of the election. My husband said petrol was as high as $2.52/litre recently but is now back down to $1.55 following a reduction in global oil price and the excise cut. Australia also produces its own coal and has an abundance of CSG to generate electricity and this explains in part the reluctance to transition more quickly to renewables which will require greater investment which a free market is not delivering and the LNP has done nothing policy wise to encourage private investment. Europe has also some way to go before it stops taking Russian gas whereas the UK stopped taking any last week which will have contributed to higher gas prices in the UK. I am guessing that Brexit has also played a large part in pushing up imported fuel costs as it seems to have done for all other imports. UK is now looking to build several nuclear power stations. No doubt favourable terms for trading uranium featured in the recent Aus/UK trade agreement.

I have worked in the electricity industry in Qld for 14 years and did the same in the UK for 15 years. Believe me - there have been as many small electricity companies go to the wall in Australia - it just isn’t considered newsworthy in the same way as it is in the UK. In both markets, the big players manoeuvre to put them out of business and reduce competition, pushing up prices for consumers. My Mum also had fixed electricity charged for a couple of years but is reliant on oil for heating. She is lucky to also have solar so her bills aren’t too high in any event.

I totally agree - I am in the UK for 3 months and can’t see mass panic on the streets. Yes - there has been a steep increase in fuel costs recently and filling up my Mum’s oil tank for heating was pretty pricey compared to last time but this can be blamed largely on the Ukraine situation. Prices are already starting to come down as the global oil markets adjust. A similar fuel increase has already occurred at the petrol pump in Australia and I read recently that electricity prices are due to rise steeply in Australia too. The problem is that the UK media and opposition parties appear to be more vocal about issues here whereas the Murdoch media in Australia cover up the difficulties faced by the average person in terms of accessing decent public healthcare and education and the cost of living. The Australian media also seems to delight in showing the negatives about the UK (huge chip on shoulder in my view) but similar issues arising in Australia get little media coverage in the UK. The main coverage about Australian politics here has been the woeful climate change response and the flood issues. People here you meet in shops etc generally are friendlier, more helpful and more cheerful than my experience of people in SEQ but that could be the effect of Spring!

I know exactly how you feel. My Dad died in February too but fortunately I got back in time to spend a few days with him before he passed. I have managed to be able to stay in the UK for 3 months to spend time with Mum as I can do my work remotely and I work for a great company that allows this. I see you work in a school so don’t have that flexibility and your kids are probably too young to leave for more than 2-3 weeks (my youngest is 17). Quoll and Marissa are right that you must act now while the kids are not at high school otherwise you could end up stuck indefinitely where you only exist and go through the motions and you never feel truly at home or peace (this is how I feel after 14 years languishing in SEQ). I am truly stuck now due to the age of my kids and my Aussie husband’s health (he is on dialysis). Moving country is just not an option right now. If you work in a school could you spend all of the long holidays in the UK and take the kids with you? Your husband could come for the couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year and then go back to work. A bit of time on his own rattling around the house and seeing the transformation in you from spending a long time in the UK may make him realise how you are affected by living down under. All the best - you are not alone.

My husband has end stage CKD and is on dialysis. Private health won’t get you very far here unless you are very wealthy as private dialysis is very expensive and Australian health insurance policies often don’t cover the full costs and there can be a large gap that the patient has to stump up. Most people who see a nephrologist privately transition to public health once they hit end stage CKD and boy do they moan about not having a choice of treating doctor and their appointments not being on time… The public health kidney clinics and dialysis units are very good but the in patient public hospital care and vascular surgery (eg to create fistulas) is dodgy and badly run in my view here in SEQ. They have had 3 attempts at creating a fistula for my husband and he has had all sorts of issues such as a collapsed lung and more recently a huge blood clot in his jugular vein caused by junior vascular surgeons not checking a vein had reinflated after being clamped. He is currently on heparin to break up the clot and has a central line in his chest instead of a fistula so he can dialyse. He had to go nearly a week without dialysis because there was no theatre space for the central line procedure to be performed. You think the NHS is bad…. The other thing to take into consideration is the cost of medication. Medicines are generally more expensive here (no fixed prescription charge - just a cap of around $36) and very little is free. Even people on unemployment or disability benefits don’t get free prescriptions. The other thing to consider is life insurance. No Australian insurer will touch you with a barge pole. My husband managed to get accidental death cover when he was Stage 3 but if he dies of a cancer unrelated to his kidneys we are not covered. If you do move here, keep any UK life policy going if you are allowed to do so. Sorry to be so negative but the public health service here is patchy and very different from the UK. It’s well on the way to being more like the US. Another useful resource is the Australian Dialysis Community on Facebook. It may be worth joining as you will learn about kidney care from people all over Australia.

Australia is ditching PCR tests for incoming travellers who are fully vaccinated from 17 April. Also Singapore announced today that no vaccinations certificates are required for travellers. Normal service is slowly being resumed.... Qantas has also apparently produced a new ad with Kylie Minogue and other famous Aussies singing "I still call Australia home" which will be aired on Sunday. Sounds vomit inducing....

My sister in law works for Qantas in ticketing at Brisbane International and she told me the rules change daily. Have you looked at the SingaporeAir info I gave you as I don’t believe you need a PCR anymore to transit through Singapore. As SingaporeAir are state owned and based out of Changi they would know the latest position. Personally I would not fly Qantas internationally because customer service is so poor as demonstrated by the lack of information provided to you on transit arrangements. I get email and text advice from SingaporeAir on my health requirements about 2 weeks before flying.

I only read the SingaporeAir website and did not pay too much attention but it read like the PCR was only required for the transit through Singapore when I read it in mid January. I am sure you are right if it makes you feel better…

Yes - you are right. I checked this last night. I think there was a brief period when it was not required and it was reinstated after I arrived in the UK in late Feb. The last time I checked was early Feb and it seemed that it was not required. I think it was reinstated when borders were reopened to all comers and not just citizens.

I found this on SingaporeAir website: Transit restrictions SIA and Scoot customers may transit through Singapore Changi Airport to their planned destinations. All transfer routes have been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, with certain exceptions. Find out more by checking our latest list of regulatory requirements for transit passengers. You may also wish to learn about changes to your transit experience. Covid-19 pre-departure test Travellers are not required to take a pre-departure test to transit through Singapore. However, they should ensure they meet all applicable testing requirements for their final destination country. Passengers transiting through Changi Airport are reminded to wear their masks while in transit and observe safe distancing measures. Transit passengers on Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights Passengers travelling on a VTL flight to transit through Singapore must also be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and hold a valid vaccination certificate in English issued by any country. Please refer here for more information on pre-departure test requirements. I imagine same rules apply to Qantas flights transiting in Singapore.

I flew on on 6 February from Australia to UK via Singapore and had to have PCR in order to transit through Singapore. Not required for entry to either UK or Australia if fully vaccinated. SingaporeAir has detailed information on the Covid testing requirements for transiting in Singapore. I think I read that the Singapore PCR testing requirement was lifted a week or two after I travelled. I don’t go back to Australia until early May so have not bothered to double check yet.

I’m in Wales too (Carmarthenshire) as my Dad passed away on 15 Feb. The district nurses, GP and the Marie Curie nurse were amazing and the oncology and palliative care was also first class. My husband is not having such a great experience in the public system in Qld. He has kidney failure and is on dialysis. It ‘s been over a year and after 3 attempts he still does not have a satisfactory fistula (partly down to surgical error). After the last fistula failed he had to wait a week for a permacath (and therefore dialysis!) and he developed a 3cm blood clot in the jugular vein and he had a collapsed lung… All very stressful when I was here dealing with the end of my Dad’s life. I had a few very early morning and late night calls to the RBWH. As you say we are off topic! Sorry.

At least the NHS is short of money due to caring for all which I believe is part of the Hyppocratic (not sure of spelling) oath rather than Medicare which is severely underfunded and charges those who don’t show a Medicare card. The reason borders were shut for so long in Qld and WA was due to fear of underfunded hospitals being overwhelmed….

Not if the practice is already full and has no capacity for new patients. The NHS is very trusting unlike Medicare which is one of the great things about the UK. I’m currently back in the UK for a few months and the lack of red tape and officiousness is a breath of fresh air. So glad to be missing the Qld floods too.

I work as inhouse legal counsel in the electricity industry and have experience advising metering providers, retailers and the network operator on smart meters. I am surprised that AGL is not forthcoming with the tariff but this may be because they offer a range of tariffs associated with smart meters depending on your personal circumstances and even which State you live in. You can go to the government Energy Made Easy site https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ and put in your current usage, location etc (have your last bill handy) to see what is available in terms of tariff. You should then be able to see what tariffs AGL offers for smart meters. You may even find that another retailer is cheaper and decide to switch to them. I binned AGL several years ago when our meter failed and they tried to charge us double the previous quarter's tariff based on the previous homeowner's usage for the same quarter in the previous year. We ended up at the ombudsman but we won the argument and due to AGL's incompetency they refunded us $700 twice and refused to take back the overpayment....We took it as compensation for the hours spent on the phone trying to sort out the situation. In addition to the benefits identified by the commentators above, you may be able to access time of use tariffs under which you pay less for using power overnight when there is less demand. If you can be flexible with when you use energy intensive appliances you could save some money. I hope this helps. However, you are correct that you are allowed to opt out under Chapter 7 of the National Electricity Rules as they currently stand. This may change in future if federal government energy policy changes.

I've had a look at the link and it appears the legislation looks at tax residency status rather than nationality and so even if the purchaser is a British Citizen, if they have not lived in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before the purchase, the additional stamp duty will apply. This is akin to the treatment of British Citizens who have lived overseas and who want to attend British universities. They have to have lived in the UK for 3 years (not 183 days) prior to attending the university in order to access domestic student university fees. Similar residency requirements also now apply in respect of accessing the NHS and obtaining welfare benefits. It appears those British Citizens who want to buy real estate get off quite lightly in terms of wait times. On a more practical note, it is probably better for anyone relocating to the UK to rent first to ensure that they are happy with their chosen area. Even if they lived there several years before, areas can change greatly.

Hi - I can't answer your questions on additional training but just wanted to ask what visa you will be arriving on as this may impact your ability to find work. The building industry in Australia is highly regulated and workers have great protections such as portable long service leave. There is also reams of security of payment legislation to make sure everyone gets paid on time too. I advise on construction contracts but don't know much about qualifications required. I hope someone with more relevant experience comes along to answer your specific questions.

As a dual qualified lawyer (admitted in England & Wales first and then admitted in NSW but practising in Qld), if your son plans to return to Australia to practice law then he should do his degree and PLT and get admitted in Australia. It is far easier to take the conversion exams to be admitted in the UK than to do the onerous exams to be admitted in Australia. I was lucky as I converted in 2008 but not long after this it became so much harder for a foreign lawyer to get admitted in Australia. I would have had to take nearly all subjects again! As I specialised in a niche area of law (energy and utilities) I was sponsored over by a Top Tier law firm which covered my exam costs (and relocation). However, the flow in lawyers is definitely out of Australia rather than in at the moment. London and New York have poached nearly all of the 1-4 year PQE members of one Brisbane Top Tier's M&A team as they offer much higher salaries (even relative to living costs) and the youngsters are sick of being locked up for 2 years due to Covid.

Has the climate cut on seasonal illnesses? - I have developed hayfever in Winter as my system does not get on with Australian natives and this is when they flower. I have to take steroids to manage this. I have also developed chronic eczema in my ears caused by the Qld humidity. I sometimes wake up with ears full of flaking itchy skin but again steroid cream clears this up. Has the outdoor lifestyle helped to improve your general fitness? Definitely not. I used to walk ALOT in the UK but the Qld climate means it is often too unpleasant to walk long distances. I was back in the UK for 2 months last year and I got back into walking. If I want to exercise now, I go to classes or use equipment in air-conditioned gyms. The best outdoor exercise I can get here is gardening and I choose my times of day carefully. Does the different food and diet have an impact? Again, I packed on the weight (at least a stone) within a year of moving to Qld but this was probably due to situational depression (self-medicating with wine) and my age (just turned 40 at the time). There is limited low priced diet focussed take away food on offer near workplaces. Miss Boots and M&S in this regard. I take my own food in now to ensure I am eating well. Does the extra sunshine lift your mood and sense of wellbeing? Sometimes but I really hate the extreme weather in Qld when it can bucket down for days on end when there is a La Nina event and then we get no rain for months and my garden suffers. I definitely prefer the definite seasons on offer in the UK/Europe.

This advice is spot on. Also, I am pretty sure you can enrol for A levels without GCSEs, again at a college. A transcript of academic results/school reports should be sufficient evidence to any more selective institutions whether your children have the requisite up top to make a good fist of A levels.