hollyk

Most employers are covered by workers' comp (think it's a requirement so they should be!) which will pay your medical bills, wages whilst you're recovering (in some cases - depends how long you've been there) etc.

Depends where you are. In Broome (as mentioned in OP's plans), hostels are expensive because it's not a backpackers' town. You can probably find cheaper rooms (maybe $25) but you may have to share with 6-12 other people - depends whether you think that's a good option if you're working here at the same time (people coming and going at all hours, having to look after you stuff). As there aren't many backpackers, finding cheap meals and drinks is more difficult. Maybe it's different in the dry season, but now in Broome there are only a couple of jobs going for backpackers. You could potentially get tradie work if willing to travel, had a car, abn and own tools etc and were prepared to commit for a while, otherwise we've found in Broome it's hospitality jobs or the odd one off work.

Take the goods in your carry on baggage (not hold luggage) with the receipt showing the items purchased. This must be a tax invoice (it'll say on it whether it is or isn't in most cases). Present these to the customs officers at the airport TRS booths to claim a refund on the tax paid. You will only be able to claim a refund if you bought the items up to 30 days before leaving Oz - so if you bought them 6 months ago you're no longer eligible. http://www.ato.gov.au/businesses/PrintFriendly.aspx?ms=businesses&doc=/content/47516.htm If you want to claim your tax and super back, you can do this online yourself, or you can pay a company to do it for you. Some businesses in Australia have told me they 'bend the rules so far they're nearly horizontal' but it's up to you whether you want to take this risk. You should get all of your super back, however you will only get some tax back if you were taxed at the higher rate (45% I think) in which case you would be entitled to refund of the difference between this and the normal foreigner's rate (32.5%) in most cases. If you've been taxed at 32.5%, in order to get a refund you'd need to prove that you are an Oz resident for tax purposes (http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.aspx?doc=/content/64131.htm) to claim the difference between foreigner's rate and Aussie resident's rate. That is, if you're doing it yourself and are above board. As I said, you can pay a company to do it for you and you may get tax back using them even if you have been taxed correctly (i.e. at 32.5% and you can't prove you're an Aussie resident), but if the methods they use are dodgy, you may want to think twice. Don't forget you can claim money back on items purchased for work ie suncream, uniform, tools etc up to $300 without receipts, and more if you've got receipts.

I've seen quite a few jobs advertised for front desk jobs at hotels, but only in really touristy places (and Townsville isn't one of them!). I think you'd be better off going to Darwin, Cairns etc or smaller towns along the coast that still have plenty of tourists coming through. Bear in mind that most firms will ask for a 3 month commitment unless it's a specific (for example) 1 month contract. Hamilton Island would be a lovely experience and would give you a chance to see and do things easily on your days off.

I used WN and had to make a claim with them when I got dengue fever in Thailand, and when my phone was nicked in Vietnam. They were pretty prompt at dealing with both claims - I was doing everything by email as didn't have good enough internet connection to skype, so if I'd have phoned they might have been even better. I thought the level of cover they offered was excellent...however, when I got to Australia I let the cover lapse as I didn't really see the point - it won't cover you if you're working in a manual labour job (such as farming, fruit picking etc, which most people will be for at least some of the time), I hadn't booked my flight home (still haven't!) so didn't need to worry about cancellations, any driving I did if it was my main way of travelling would not be covered so you'd need separate insurance and as I'm English, medical cover is free once you've got your medicare number (think it's the same for Canadians). I've just got to make sure I look after my stuff! If you've got your flights booked, loads of trips and tours booked etc then it's probably worth it.

Hello A cheap way to travel round Oz is to either liftshare (which can be arranged on Gumtree or in hostels - usually a couple have got a few spare seats in their campervan and you just pay your share of food, petrol, accomodation etc), Greyhound bus (which can actually be rather expensive - although cheaper than flying - and the distances are HUGE so be prepared to sit on a bus for 24 hours plus) or do what we did which is do rental relocations. There are lots of one way campervan rentals that need to be drven back to their original destination so if you're prepared to sit it out and wait for your route to come up (or be flexible with your route), you can find a good deal. We travelled from Alice Springs to Broome in a Britz motorhome - had to do it in 6 days according to the rental agreement, but paid $5 a day for a brand new 4 berth motorhome with shower, aircon, loo, tv, double bed etc. They also chucked in $250 for fuel so total fuel cost was around $300, plus food for a week and the camping sites (some are free if you don't need power). We worked out the kms we would need to travel a day, got up early, drove a lot and then budgeted one or two days for relaxing and no driving. Awesome if you don't mind driving long distances, are over 21 and have an Aussie licence (easy enough to convert your English one to an Aussie one - took about a week). Re weather - save the top end of Aus for the dry season - March til Oct as it's so hot up here, it'll get sticky and humid...the odd cyclone...if you're looking to work, those conditions aren't perfect! On the subject of work, save up as much as poss before getting here. The majority of jobs for WHV holders are the bog standard bar - waitress - cleaner. It doesn't really matter that you've got a trade - not many Aussie companies are going to give you a job if you're heading off again in a couple of weeks. They will always favour people who can stay for 6 months plus (which you can't on a WHV). Everything is so expensive here that by the time you've taken off accommodation, food, drinks etc, you won't be left with much to spend on all the trips and tours you want to do. For instance - to stay in the cheapest hostel in Broome in a private room is $60 a night. If you get a job here and work 6 hours a day (full time jobs seem to be quite rare) at the standard wage of $20 a day, after the good old foreigner's rate of tax, you'll be left with $81...leaving you a whopping $21 to feed yourself (a six pack of beer is $18, a burger and chips will set you back $16). For mining work you will need a lot of licences to be considered. These include induction courses, health and safety courses inc first aid, driving licence, working at heights, working in confined spaces...the list is endless and will change from mine to mine and from job to job. You will need to spend months and thousands of dollars in most cases to be eligible. Again, if you plan to move round the country, it's unlikely a mine will hire you, a short term worker, over an Aussie. The best way to do seasonal work is to get on a station or do some other live-in work. That way you'll receive free food and accommodation in most cases, so it's not costing you anything, and in return you'll get a basic wage ($350 - $700 per week). You can save up a bit of cash doing it that way and then get them to sign off your visa paperwork afterwards (CHECK that the work qualifies under 2nd yr visa rules BEFOREHAND!). To summarise - a WHV will enable you to get a variety of short term, mostly low paid jobs to keep yourself going and travelling round Oz. In most cases, you won't be able to earn what you were in the UK, or do the job you were doing. You will be up against a lot of competition from fellow backpackers, particularly in big cities, but you should be able to get something, especially in the dry season when there are lots of tourists around and employers need extra help. But definitely a good idea to save up big time before you leave!!

Hi Sorry if this question has been asked a million times but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere - my partner is a UK plumber with NVQ level 3 in plumbing and heating and 15 years' experience. C&G have finally found his certificate so he can apply for a tradesperson licence...but is this enough to get a plumbing job in WA or does he need the independent contractor's licence to get any work? Every job advert just says 'qualified plumber' but doesn't say whether they require TL or ICL. I asked a recruitment agency but they just said he needs to be licenced and seemed a bit confused by my question. I just don't want to go to all the hassle and expense of applying, doing the gap training etc if he won't be able to get any work - we've been in Aus 6 months and only have 6 months left on our WHVs so spending thousands and doing training courses to get ICL isn't really an option if by the end of it he can only stay another month or so before having to go home. If anyone knows about options in another state which may mean he can get either prov licence or contractor's licence quicker please let us know. Thank you