Drumbeat

On 18/04/2024 at 10:06, Jon the Hat said:

I think there is certainly familiarity factor, and the fact that a lot of the suburbs when you get away from the city are pretty similar.  Also the land estate type development has meant a lot of people could buy / build in the same area at roughly the same time.  

I know of a lot of UK migrants who live in the Northern Suburbs in the newer areas. I believe the opportunity to build a large, new house close to the beach is the attraction rather than living close to other Poms.

57 minutes ago, rammygirl said:

Yes but people still use a conveyancer to check over the contract and do due diligence with searches etc. you can bet an estate agent won’t suggest making a contract subject to survey results, as they are working for the seller not the buyer.  You don’t need an agent to buy and sell if you use a conveyancer. 
 

Yes, I'm aware of that. We have always added the condition of subject to building inspection. 

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

The real estate agent doesn't draw up the contracts, they just print copies to hand over.  The contracts are drawn up by the seller's conveyancer or solicitor.   If there's no real estate agent involved, the seller's conveyancer/solicitor also holds the deposit.

Actually in both WA and SA the real estate agent organises the offer to purchase and sends to the vender and purchaser to complete. These are then forwarded to the settlement agents/conveyancer who arranges the land transfer etc, they don't draw up another contract.

12 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

And neither do you, but at least @Tulip1 has tried to address the issues that the OP might face.

 Telling someone their partner is being selfish is addressing potential issues - yeah whatever you say.

1 hour ago, Tulip1 said:

Some really good comments on here.  Your wife did chose to marry and raise a family in the UK.  Now she wants to uproot everyone because she wants to move.  I get it, she has a desire to return home.  But it’s not all about her now, she has a husband and children to consider.  If she knows the rest of her family don’t want to move yet she is still pushing for it then she is clearly putting her needs before everyone else’s.  You have much to consider but don’t go and drag your kids there if it’s not for you.  It could be life changing for them and not in a good way.  If you really want to go too then go.  In the end kids have to go where the parents take them.  From what you are saying though it sounds like the whole family has to go somewhere they don’t want to just to please your wife.  That’s not good. 

That's a big assumption, you have no idea of the full story here 

On 20/12/2023 at 08:10, Quoll said:

I keep thinking of going business class but my miserly attitude won't let me. I reckon you can put up with anything for 24 hours and business class doesn't get you there any faster so I stick with sardines. My son arrived yesterday and door to door was 39 hours 52 minutes - getting to the airport, going via San Francisco then bus down to Canberra. 

Business class doesn't get you there faster but you arrive a lot more rested. My husband sleeps for the majority of the flights and even I sleep for long periods. Plus we're not in pain from being squashed in an upright seat for hours on end. Qatar airways Q suites shut out a lot of the noise and lights from other passengers.

What are the reasons you applied for the visa and do they still apply? I would wait and see how you both feel when you visit - you might decide to come for a few years as an adventure.

If you do decide to move could you leave your dog with family for a while until you are settled? And with regards to care for your dog when you go on holiday many Australians (ourselves included) have housesitters stay to care for the pets and house while they travel at no cost.

Try to keep an open mind until you have visited.

1 hour ago, Jon the Hat said:

When the packer come they are like a whirlwind - so make sure anything you are not bringing is already gone or locked away somewhere else it ends up packed before you can say DONT PACK THAT!  Or even after you have.

We've recently moved interstate and had the removal company pack up the house. We thought it was crazy that they packed the plugs from the kitchen sink but today hubby unpacked the bag from the kitchen rubbish bin, carefully wrapped in paper .

2 hours ago, Homesick1 said:

He wants treatment in Oz but said he’ll go alone if needed. It’s not an option really as he needs major surgery so I won’t let him go through it alone. I know on balance, we need to go back, but I’m worried about my daughter.

Are you 100% sure he can access the treatment he requires in Australia with no waiting period (it would be dreadful to arrive here and discover there was a long wait )?

17 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

It's a city not a town and good for young families by all accounts. My niece sent almost her whole WHV year in Sydney because she loved it so much and she didn't want to go home. When she got a chance to spend a few months in Perth with her work, she jumped at the chance to be in Australia again. She didn't like it, felt it was 'dead' compared to Sydney. She was about 30 at the time. 

What year was that? There is plenty going on in Perth but I'm sure anywhere would be less lively than Sydney - on the other hand it's far more affordable and not everyone wants to live in a huge, bustling city.

3 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

I got the impression that Mark McGowan is a bit of a fruit-loop, not that I'm any fan of Daniel Andrews!

Thanks for that - you've made it sound appealing. I like to see a few hills here and there and we have that over here on the East Coast, but my recollection of Perth is that it's rather flat and a bit dry. I like the fact that it's much closer to Asia and going on holidays to the rest of the world is easier, and a bit cheaper. However, that doesn't seem to be a good enough reason in itself to move there, and is probably a bit like saying one likes the UK because it's close to Europe.

Perth has a lovely hills area, we loved living there - it’d definitely not all flat

26 minutes ago, MarkLdownunder said:

So stay clear of Leederville! 

 

I was looking at Hilary's, Woodvale and Mullaloo anyone familar with those areas if not Coogee or Rockingham! But Rockinham is so cheap something has to be wrong with that place! 

There is nothing wrong with Leederville, it’s a very expensive area. Hilary’s and surrounding suburbs are lovely, family areas - I’ve never seen the attraction in Rockingham and Mandurah, too far from the city for me. Take no notice of the critics on here, decide what’s best for your family and if it’s Perth give it a go.

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

But was that actual salary sacrifice, or did you just have an expenses allowance? That sounds like you negotiated to take a lower salary plus expense allowance.  There is a difference.

No it was salary sacrifice, I worked for WA Health so no expenses for me . You could also put money on an Entertainment Card for dining out, my friends did this but I never bothered.

39 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

 

 

When you salary sacrifice you don't get any money back - at least I never have. The sacrificed amount is directed towards superannuation contributions, motor vehicles, laptops etc, depending on what your employer offers. It reduces an employee's taxable income and there's a point where you can effectively 'break even' by ending up with the same net pay, whilst having made a contribution towards one of the aforementioned. It's a nice arrangement because you never miss the money, but for most people the end result is not much different than claiming legitimate expenses at the end of the financial year and receiving a tax refund. You also have to pay a small fee every month to the company that handles the sacrificing. I use Remserv, who charge the princely sum of $1.35/fortnight.

As you say it depends on what you're employer offers. The package I used I was able to claim living expenses so I submitted my credit card statements up to the annual limit and a monthly payment was made into my bank account so I actually did get money back.

I’m assuming you’re not in the UK in which case there is info here and a form to complete :

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/deadlines

35 minutes ago, Ken said:

No, I only want to backpay missing years, and I can see on the forecast exactly which years they are and how much the cost is (including one that is partly paid). There is however no information about how to pay other than a phone number (there is a payment link but that requires an 18-digit number starting with 60 which is not provided on the forecast). How did you get them to send you a letter?

I did this a couple of years ago, I think you need to fill a form in and they send you the details. I’ll see if I can find it on their website.

It sounds like they may require Silver Chain services after discharge so it may be worth looking into how that works in your State.

41 minutes ago, palmtrees said:

Ausvisitor, thank you for your advice with the demand for DP roles at the moment, it has been on my mind as I’ve heard this from others- apologies if I’m asking for too much information but a big blocker for me in getting on board with the move is fear of giving up my UK job that pays pretty well and has progression for the uncertainty. I have an unrelated degree and no masters (although I am looking at cybersecurity or law, probably cybersecurity) masters, this will take a while though so I’d hope to find a DP role beforehand. I have about 4 years DP exp but well distributed across NHS, government agencies and private companies so like to think I’m ‘relatively’ in the know, obviously no where near at the top of my game though! 
I know you said a lot of ads aren’t online- but all the ones I do see want 10+ years experience, or law degrees etc. which I don’t have.  I’ve seen the proposed reforms and the plan to introduce data subject rights amongst other changes which is exactly what I do here.

With the headhunting would you suggest just calling around agencies on arrival if we make the jump? Just really unsure where I’d start as all my contacts are in the UK, I’ve never done DP while in Oz unfortunately.

And thanks again everyone for all of your advice so far, we are leaning towards going I think! Even though yesterday it was the opposite. It will probably change tomorrow- oh the joys!

https://search.jobs.wa.gov.au/page.php?pageID=160&windowUID=0&AdvertID=322109

This link is for a position with WA health, hope it helps to give you an idea of what’s around

1 hour ago, palmtrees said:

A question I do have which I’ve read mixed answers for is is it harder to get a mortgage when on PR than when you are a citizen, and would it likely affect maternity leave etc. not being a citizen? I’ve done lots of googling but have read mixed answers! This would be a big decider for us I think.

No different for a mortgage and I don’t believe there is any difference for maternity leave as long as you have been employed for the qualifying period. 
I have a friend who’s country of birth doesn’t allow dual nationality so she has been PR for over 30 years.

I’m surprised you say that data protection isn’t a big thing in Australia yet. I recently retired from the Health IT sector in WA and it’s definitely an expanding department there. 
A former colleague of mine completed a Masters in Cyber Security about a year ago so I’m guessing she saw an increasing need in that area of Project Management.

21 minutes ago, walshy2504 said:

Thanks for your reply 

im living in WA

Have you actually viewed the property?

We were planning to retire in Tasmania from Perth but on our last visit I really felt I wouldn’t enjoy the longer winters. We were there at the beginning of May and it was already dropping to 2 degrees in Launceston at night. We love the Huon valley and Hobart area so will continue to enjoy holidays there instead.

4 hours ago, mxh said:

Thanks - I'm assuming then that once approved, you see the new option (of being able to pay Class 2) in the on-line portal, and pay through there?

Also, another quick question. The form seems to be set up for someone living in the UK who is about to move abroad. So it asks what is your UK address. Did you just leave this blank, or put in your last UK address? As it's a postal process rather than e-mail, I don't want to have to go back and forward with them.

It's easier to call them. I sent a form requesting a pension forecast and they sent me an e-mail saying I hadn't provided enough information and asked me to complete a form with the information I'd already provided! I phoned them up and they were very helpful and sorted it out for me.

For the yearly payments they post out a letter with the amount required and instructions on how to pay it electronically.

36 minutes ago, mxh said:

OK, thanks. Has anyone tried this? Any success?

Yes. I have. I was able to  back pay 6 years and commence yearly payments. The Dept sent me the required amounts and making the payments can be done online.

Unfortunately January is an expensive month, you could look at Apex but pick up and drop off is only available during office hours