Hi Leftyandstumpy! I lodged my application through the immi account system and have had regular contact with the immigration department throughout. Contact however has not always been direct with my CO, a lot of the e-mail responses i have received have been signed "on behalf" of my CO. However they have always been helpful in answering any quires i may have had.
A couple of weeks after i had completed the application process my wife found out about a possible employment opportunity in Australia, she expressed interest and had a positive response from the perspective employer. However this means that she would have to be in Australia this coming October, which caused concern to us, considering that i did not know if my visa would be granted at all, or in that timeframe. I explaining this situation to my CO and got the following response,
"Your visa will be granted, provided there are no adverse changes to your circumstances, such as police convictions, a relationship breakdown or health concerns". The processing time until the actual grant date is still around 8 to 9 months from date of lodgement. This is not an exact figure, so it may take longer, however if I am able to grant the visa sooner I will let you know immediately."
My advice to anybody that has not heard anything from their CO, and has completed the application process, is to get in touch with their CO and just ask the question. At the end of the day this is a life changing decision, and one that people have a lot riding on. I'm sure the department understand this and should be willing to alleviate some of your worries/concerns?
Hope that helps?