Collie

Marisa, I agree with your point re BUPA's information. Doesn't make sense to me. Most PHI hospital policies will exempt you from the surcharge. However they are far from a small player in the market, they would be 1 or 2 (with Medibank) in terms of market share (c. 25%) and have been operating in Australia for close to 20 years.

Just ask the question of your PHI. Get them to confirm it. It will probably be in the t's & c's The big PHIs are Medibank (different to Medicare) Bupa HCF NIB HBF (WA based) HCF & HBF are member owned funds, (ie no shareholders). I'm open to correction but I believe VeryStormy has been based in the UK for about 5 years now.

Also Ambulance cover is included as a benefit on most hospital policies. You can buy ambulance only cover (quite cheaply) if you don't have a hospital policy. Has no impact on the medicare levy surcharge (neither does extra cover btw).

Not true mate. Even a basic hospitals policy exempts you. It is a key feature. I worked for one of the large health insurers for a while a few years back (and looked specifically at this product at the time).

All the big health insurers will offer Overseas visitor policies, it is an extremely profitable product for them (I used to work for 1 of the big 4). As said above it exempts you from the surcharge (only levied if you earn over a certain amount, it's about $90k for a single) but not from the normal medicare levy.

Don't sweat it too much. Finland has the best rated education system in the world and they start at 7.

Not quite correct for WA. Kindy and Pre primary are 2 different years. Kindy is full days (8.50 am to 3pm in my daughter's school) but 5 days per fortnight, 3 days 1 week, 2 the next. It is optional, free (part of the normal school) and for kids turning 4 before 30 June. It works well and my daughter loved it. Pre Primary is compulsory in WA and is full time and for kids turning 5 before 30 June. I always find it bizzare that different states have different systems (& not just for schools). Tbh, I really don't see the point of state governments at all.

Wow, in WA they start kindy (5 days per fortnight) at 3/4, cut off is 30 June and pre primary (full time) at 4/5. My daughter will be 6 at the end of March and already has 2 years behind her. She is already reading at level 8 Purple on the UK scale.

Just bring a copy 9f the birth cert with your details on it, just in case. I don't think you'll need it though. I travelled to Europe (not the UK though) through the middle east last year with my 5 year old on Australian passports. We had no issues anywhere. I have family court orders but never had to produce them.

Hey mate, I'm CIMA qualified as well. They have a mutual recognition with CPA here but if you are going to Sydney you shouldn't need CPA (it's just more $). CIMA is recognised in Sydney. Have a look on seek.com.au to get a feel for the market for your skills. Linked in is also good. Reach out to a few recruiters before arriving. The big ones ate ok for junior roles (Hays, Michael Page, Hudson etc). For mid to senior roles the boutique agencies are better. Some good ones are TOM, MARS, Ethos. You should be ok in Sydney with your qualifications and experience. Good luck and happy googling.

Well, of that's the case, you should have no issues as long as you have passports in date (not sure if you'll need 6 months on them for the UK or transit countries). Enjoy your holiday.

Ok. For a holiday you should be fine. UK immigration won't cause an issue. It's easy & free to check the family law watchlist with the AFP and worth doing for peace of mind. Last thing you need is an issue at the airport. If the child has travelled overseas before without issue, it is unlikely the other parent will have applied to put them them on it. Depending on the age of the child, longer term it may be worth formalising the situation with consent orders in the family court. This can be done by mediation and just formalised in the court. At some stage you will need to renew the child's passport and will need the other parent's consent (unless the child turns 18 in the meantime). Just curious, how did the child obtain a passport in the first place without the other parent's consent? (Or did they give their consent at some stage?)

A bit like your "where to live query", you won't get everything absolutely perfectly as you want it and need to compromise on something. Several possible solutions have been suggested to you based on other people's experiences. It's either wear the cost of a serviced apt/holiday let until your stuff arrives (10-12 weeks) and you've a place or rent furniture or buy cheap stuff 2nd hand temporarily. When I returned in 2011, I initially stayed with a friend before finding my own place and renting the basics until my own stuff arrived.

Hi there, Will only be an issue if the child is on the Family Law watchlist. You can check with the AFP (google the form), they normally turn it around in a few days. If the child is on the watchlist, they will not be allowed leave Australia until removed (court order) Are there court orders in place? A letter of consent from the other parent isn't required but can be helpful if you run into hassles. Depending on your intentions you should also be aware of the Hague convention. If it's just a holiday you should be ok. If you intend to relocate permanently without the other parent's (or family court's) expressed written consent you could have an issue if the other parent applies for a recovery order. Hope this helps. Unfortunately, I have some experience of the Australian family court system.

Apparently brushing with a crushed stawberries & baking soda mixture does the same thing.

Seek is the main jobsite, also have a look on Linked In. Reach out to recruitment agencies in that field and desired location. With trades, it tends to be a lot of word of mouth. Unlikely to get something before arrival.

Min 1 hour, probably more like 90 mins depending on the time. As suggested above, ferry from Manly may be a better option (and avoids tolls). May be quicker on a motorbike as you can legally use the bus lanes.

You can negotiate a cheaper rate with a host for a long stay. Have a look at stayz.com.au too or even gumtree. Also you could get a place sooner and just rent furniture until your stuff arrives or buy 2nd hand stuff cheaply on fb/gumtree with a view to re-selling it.

I'm open to correction but don't think that's possible, see my post above about PR "expiring".

It has it's own CBD etc but is only 15 km west of Sydney CBD and would be considered part of Sydney.

No, in terms of immigration. I think there is a fairly consistent response on the super ? Temporary residents can withdraw super under DASP rules. PR / citizens can only withdraw super early under the hardship rules posted by Alan above.

Well, his information is contrary to that of 2 well respected agents I know and the direct experience of an aquaintance.

I suggest you consult a decent migration agent.

This is incorrect information. Permanent residency is permanent. The travel portion has an expiry date. This can be extended by securing a RRV (Resident return visa). Easy if you are on shore and living in Australia. If you are offshore and living overseas, immigration may want some evidence of your intention to return to live in Australia in the near future (next 12 months) and may (or maynot) grant a RRV from 1 to 5 years depending on individual circumstances. To the OP's point, ypu cannot withdraw super early if you are a PR/citizen unless you satisfy the hardship reasons (eg terminal disease etc). It is not a DASP issue but a hardship issue.

Single, happily (or is self partnered these days ) but a parent and hate to admit it, middle aged. So most of the people I know in Sydney are in the mid 30's to m8d 50's demographic with mortgages, kids 9f all ages etc What's that quote? When you assume you make an ass out of u and me Anyway, all good.