Search the Community

Some boring facts, quite frankly these seem to be more interesting? The entire World population could be squeezed onto the Isle of Wight. Bill Oddie's religion forbids him from eating glass. Some people think there really is a place called, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwerndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch" You need a 13 mm spanner to undo an M8 bolt. The circumference of the rim of a standard pint glass is just less than twice its height. There are more water molecules in a glass of water than there are glasses of water on earth An elephant's penis weighs half a hundredweight. Pacific Standard Time began last Sunday 50 kilograms = 110.2311 pounds <LI value=10>8 stone = 1 hundredweight 1 hundredweight = 112 pounds 20 hundredweight = 1 ton The genus Dryandra should really be classified under Banksia according to some recent genetic research. I have two shoulders. This is about average. Diesel engines have not yet been tried in toothbrushes. Fat neighbours are known as `weighbours'. Water is actually very slightly blue. Insurance companies cover damage to pipes from freezing and any subsequent water damage under two seperate insured perils. Frozen Pipes and Escape of Water. But they don't cover frost damage because it's a gradually operating cause. If snow gats blown inside the roof cavity of your house then melts and causes the ceilings to collapse , your insurance company won't cough up unless you are covered for flood damage. There is no VAT on cakes. Banana plants bears only one stem of fruit. To produce a new stem, only two shoots - known as the daughter and the granddaughter - are allowed to grow and be cultivated from the main plant. 3% of all mammals are monogamous. Technically speaking, the whale is not actually a fish. If a sardine is more than four inches long then technically it's a pilchard. Women lose more calories faking an orgasm than actually having an orgasm. In the US there is a bit of legislation officially listing lobsters as insects, to allow restaurants to cook them alive. This despite lobsters being genetically closer to humans then they are to insects. Although 95% of the human genome is also shared with chimpanzees, we have 50% in common with a banana. Except, according to recent research, for Manchester United supporters where the figure is near 65% In the 6th century, the Three Chapters were an an attempt to reconcile the Monophysites with the Dyphysites following the failure of the Henotikon. The Three Chapters anathematised Theodore of Mopsuestia and Theodoret of Cyrus, as well as condemning the letter of Ibas to Maris. The Great Wall of China is not visible from space. Lemmings do not hurl themselves to their deaths in their thousands - nor even singly. Velcro, Teflon, Carbon Fibre, and whole long list of things were not space spin-offs. Every 4 years, monthly-paid staff have to work an extra day - for NOTHING! A guyed tubular steel mast, which at 1,265 feet (385 m) is the tallest structure in the UK (and in the European Union) is in Lincolnshire. Tallest freestanding structure in the EU, at 368.5 m (1209 ft) is in Riga. The municipal borough of Richmond, Surrey, was the first local authority in England and Wales to commence a programme of municipal housing provision under the 1890 Housing Act. Astronaut William Pogue thought he had seen the Great Wall of China from Skylab but discovered he was actually looking at the Grand Canal of China near Beijing. He spotted the Great Wall with binoculars, but said that "it wasn't visible to the unaided eye." US Senator Jake Garn claimed to be able to see the Great Wall with the naked eye from a space shuttle orbit in the early 1980s, but his claim has been disputed by several US astronauts. Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said he could not see it at all. Extremely low frequency (ELF) is the band of radio frequencies from 3 to 3000 Hz. ELF was used by the U.S. Navy and Soviet/Russian Navy to communicate with submerged submarines. This is because water over 20 metres deep is opaque to radio waves with higher frequencies. If you didn't have knees, you wouldn't be able to sit down. The barcode number for this bottle of vodka is 4 603400 000203 An aerial outdoors is known as an outdoor aerial. The smallest penis ever recorded actually belonged to a guy called Aldo, it measured 3/8ths of an inch, which was mainly made up from foreskin. More people in the UK own two cars than own two novels. Bananas are very difficult to grow in Canada, which has nothing to do with nibbling beavers. The hairs that grow on your bum are 50% wider than the ones that grow on your arm. There is a part of your body that only exists if you are doing something. Sir Francis Drake was NOT the admiral of the fleet that chased off the Spanish. That was in fact Charles Howard of Effingham. Banana trees are not trees. Peanuts are not nuts. Tomatoes are not vegetables. A cucumber is also a fruit. I own my own pen. Using hexadecimal(base 16) numbers you can represent the top and bottom 4 bits of an 8 bit number using 2 hexadecimal digits Porridge exists. The serial number of my left hand flange bracket is 345211-B There are many colours in the world and I am just some of them. There is not a Man in the Moon. Gently cradling a strangers testicles is not an acceptable greeting anywhere in the European Union. Female praying mantises can't fly. Fly paper is hard write on. The spadefoot toad is the only amphibian that has a penis. Homo sapiens is the only primate that does not have a bone in its penis. A guy called Earlswood won a vote on PIO so that he could stay as a member and annoy people Cats abhor vacuums. Field Marshal Montgomery's grandfather wrote Eric, Or Little By Little Michael Heseltine has become doddery. The oldest known fossil penguin species is Waimanu manneringi which lived in New Zealand during the early Paleocene, about 62 million years ago. Mrs Waimanu Manneringi says that rumours of her fossilization, are greatly exaggerated. Despite all the westerns in which he appeared, Henry Fonda hated horses. The Lybian flag is green. That's it. Just green. The state flag of Ohio is a swallow-tailed pennant.

Ok straight out of the hourse's mouth... Just got off the phone with DIAC to clear some doubts; thought might be useful to some there as well. Some of you might have already know this but for the benifit of others; 1. After a GSM application (i.e. 485, 885, 886) is lodged, do I need to apply for a Bridging VISA B to leave the country? A: No. You can leave the country without having to apply a Bridging VISA B however you need the Bridging visa B to RE-ENTER Australia. You can apply for this at an Australian Counsulate overseas, but the risk is that if its not granted for any reason, then you cannot re-enter the country; So its advisable to apply for a Bridging VISA B BEFORE you leave for overseas. 2. How long is Bridging VISA B valid? A: The Bridging VISA B is usually valid for 3 months and you need to return to the country before the expiry date, else it will be invalid, and you will need to apply for another bridging visa at an Australian counsulate overseas (subject to approval). 3. What are the 'acceptable reasons' for applying for Bridging VISA B? A: Visiting family, family wedding, sick relatives etc.. 4. Will my GSP application be put on 'hold' or be stopped processing during my time outside of the country? A: No. The VISA will still be processed according to the Ministerial Direction as set out. However the VISA cannot be granted if the applicant is overseas. If you are on Bridging VISA B, a pre-grant letter will be sent out and you will need to return to the country to get approval. If you need to go out of the country for more than 3 months (i.e. job oppourtunity..) and Bridging VISA B has expired, you can apply for a tourist VISA to enter the country and get your PR validated. Hope it helps....

Here are some things that you might not know which may interest you.... - Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution! -The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye! -A lightning bolt generates temperatures five times hotter than those found at the sun's surface! -Most lipstick contains fish scales! -Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people! -A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second! Everyone add their own if you want you can always add an 'odd' fact about yourself to make things interesting

Here is a link that shows facts and stories people struggling against unfairness. http://g4online.org/ http://g4online.org/letter

To all those blokes who want to do some fishing in Australia, a few facts on the types of fish and their habitats. Freshwater: Very little freshwater fishing in Western Australia in the SW, there are no native fish save for the bream, trevally and cobbler (catfish) in the relatively few estuaries. There are some creeks that hold redfin perch(Perca Fluviatilis), a few carp and trout. In the north of the state, there are barramundi, big catfish, longtoms, sooty grunter, tarpon, sharks sawfish and other ooglies. South Australia has the mighty murray cod and callop (yellowbelly) in the Murray River. The Torrens (Adelaide) has a few redfin and trout in the Adelaide hills. Victoria has the cod and callop in the Murray system trout and redfin in most of the dams and lakes. New South Wales has the cod, yellowbelly, catfish (both forky and round tail), silver perch,redfin and carp in the western flowing creeks, rivers and dams and bass and macquarie perch in the eastern flowing creeks and rivers. Tasmania is noted for the quality trout and salmon. There are also redfin in most of the waterways. Queensland, in the south, has murray cod, silver perch and yellowbelly in the western flowing Murray/Darling system along with redfin and carp. North of, say, Maroochydore, barramundi, sooty grunter, saratoga are present in most river systems and a few dams. The further north, all the river systems hold some sharks, stingrays and sawfish. The Northern Territory is world famous for the quality of the barramundi fishing. There are also good quantities of catfish, longtoms, sooty grunter and saratoga. Sizes: Redfin to 6lbs. Trout to 25lbs. Murray cod to 100lbs, but usually to 25lbs. Yellowbelly (callop) to 40lbs but usually to 15lbs. Silver perch to 6lbs. Forky tail catfish to 60lbs, but usually to 6 lbs, round tailed catfish to 6lbs. Barramundi to 85lbs but usually to 60lbs. Saratoga (southern variety) to 10lbs, northern variety to 20lbs. Sooty grunter to 8lbs and longtoms to 4lbs. A few areas in Victoria hold tench and roach, but not too sure if they are targetted. Any questions will be answered...If I know, that is.:laugh: Cheers, Bobj.

Interesting article clarifiying how population is defined: "A few facts would be useful in the migration debate. IF WE'RE going to have great debate about whether we want a Big Australia, people will need a much stronger grasp on the factors driving population growth and immigration than they've shown so far. This is the rationale for a useful booklet, Population and Immigration: Understanding the Numbers, issued by the Productivity Commission this week.... ..... But the government has recently more than halved its list of skilled occupations in short supply and tightened up on the overseas student category. Combine this with the high dollar and the troubles of Indian students in Melbourne and it seems likely the number of overseas students will now fall quite heavily. It's a safe bet net migration won't grow nearly as fast in the next few years.

OK I don’t want to start a UK vs Australia war because this thread is not about that, but what I’m interested in is........ How do you get your facts and figures, and really does it matter what is cheaper in what country? Surely it should come down to your standard of living. For example, It maybe cheaper to insure your car in the UK but the cost of fuel and low wages means you can’t afford to use it. So does the low cost of insurance really matter? Or food..... OK so in the UK you can get 2 for 1 meals or 2 meals for £10, great value for money if you like that type of thing, but how many people could afford to pay that more than once a week/month? I’m sure most people go out the same amount in Australia as they did the UK, it may cost more but you can afford to do it just the same, so really is it anymore expensive to live in Australia when your standard of living is the same or better? Some work on a conversion rate of 2.2 and others on the exchange rate of the day but surely it should be done on what your wages can buy?!

As we all know the government is HAVING to make cuts, I agree totally that this is the only way to go, cuts are inevitable, I may not agree with some of them but cuts at the end of the day are needed, BUT, (sorry Dom:wubclub::wink:). How about this for an equation. I am not getting on my high horse about wars etc, but I will say this. At present the Iraq/Afghanistan wars/conflicts have cost this country somewhere between 16 BILLION and 23 BILLION pounds, the costs are rising every day, and these figures do not take into account the salaries of the service personal involved. As I said, I am not going to get involved in the debate about the rights and wrongs of either wars, suffice to say NO MATTER what we and the USA do Iraq and Afghanistan will return to the tribal warfare that has been part of their historic since time began. Again, I'm not having a go at TRIBAL wars, that is the way these countries operate, they have done for thousands of years and they will continue to do so in the future no matter what we say or do. It doesn't matter what your views are on the war, at the end of the day the war was based on purely speculative 'information' and once again we as a country decided that OUR way of life should be inflicted on yet another country. Any excuse and reason can be put forward but IMO the war is and was based on the need to show the 'locals' that as a western nation we have the god given right to inflict our culture on them. Not for one second am I having a go at the service personal, I admire them greatly and are indeed my real heroes and icons. But at this time, when the country is up sh7t creek without a paddle it would do us all to remember that the cost of the wars are indeed massive and ongoing. Our debt could be cleared with one easy sweep if some numptie(s) sitting in Whitehall had the worries and concerns of its population been at the forefront of their minds. Another rant, I'm sorry. Over the weekend The X Factor received over 148,000 complaints because some wannabe was voted out of the show. Do you know how many complaints were made to ITV news when one of our soldiers deaths was relegated to sixth on the news, I will tell you, a mere 128. The world and its people have gone mad folks, and I am no longer sure I want to be part of it. Cheers Tony:mad:

Few Facts regarding the cost of ielts in Australia: · Almost twice the cost of the ielts test in U.K, US, India. · Over than twice the cost of the ielts test in south Africa · Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Further Information can be obtained over their website. In Australian dollars. Exchange rate as of 27 of August 2010. United Kingdom 192$ Australia: 317$ United States 208$ India : 173 $ South Africa 138$ China (south East China) 242$ New Zealand 270$ France 250$ Canada 265$ Enjoy :biggrin:

Something I have noticed since being on here is that their appears to be 2 very different sides to how people perceive both the UK and Australia, sometimes it is hard to believe they are talking about the same places. Some seem to see the UK as going down the drain, no-one has a job and everything is very expensive, the facts don't seem to back up that view but that doesn't appear to stop people believing it. Some view living in this country as a living hell and others as a paradise. Obviously for the right person with the right attitude both countries are great places to live with many opportunities. My personal opinion after reading many posts is that those in the 'I love it here' camp seem to want to see only the bad side of the UK and seem unable or unwilling to see the wood for the trees. Those firmly in the 'What the hell have I done' camp equally cannot see the good things here OR they don't think they are worth moving halfway around the world for. Opinions are all well and good and we are repeatedly told that everyone is entitled to them and they are valid as they are the view of that individual, my argument is that if I said in my opinion there are no snakes in Australia that clearly is not a valid opinion, facts show otherwise. When confronted by something equally untrue and I or someone else questions it we are told it is that persons opinion. My point is that surely an opinion must be to some degree factual, is that unreasonable ?

Hi all, just wanting to check I've got my facts straight about which visa to go for and when to apply. I am currently on a working holiday visa which expires in Feb 2011 I have a job offer (50 point occupation on the new SOL) starting in Feb, two days after my WHV expires. (I am currently working on short term contracts for this company and will continue to do so until the 6months WHV limitation kicks in). The company have said they will sponsor me for a long stay business visa if I need one. However, my partner is an australian citizen, so I can also apply for an onshore DeFacto partner visa. We have been in a serious relationship since Feb 2009, but unfortunately were stuck in a long distance relationship until I finished my PhD (We spent as much time together as our jobs allowed, skyped for several hours a day, have both met each other's parents/family etc, and have evidence of all this - flight tickets, join finances while travelling, photos, skype records, stat decs etc). So I finally defended my PhD in Feb 2010 and got on a plane the next day and we have been living together ever since (again have plenty evidence, both our names on the lease, official post to same address, joint health, car, contents insurances, joint finances etc). From reading various posts on this forum, it sounds like I should be applying for the partner visa the week my WHV runs out in Feb 2011, such that there's no question about the 12month defacto requirement. I would then be put on a bridging visa A, which would mean I have the same work allowances as on the WHV (i.e. the 6months with my employer would restart) and I could start work as per the job offer while I wait for the partner visa to come through. Does that sound reasonable? have I missed anything obvious? would I be better to apply for a long term business visa anyway? Have already started the prelims, passport is off being renewed, and have sent off for the police checks. thanks, RockDr Oh and one more question: is it true that they don't do interviews at the Adelaide office anymore? so we can't put in the application in person? Where are the defacto visas processed - would it be worth going there to put in the application in person?

Some facts, figures & stats for April 2010 877 new users joined the forum 24,968 posts were made Top posters last month: Nigelinoz - 592 siamsusie -556 yorkshirepom - 525 tracy123 - 504 Some stats for the year to date: Most active forum: Migration Issues (28,987 posts) New Registrations so far this year: 4,151 Some all time stats are below: Most viewed Thread: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/61412-wa-state-sponser-update-where-you-now.html (161,343 views) Most replied to Thread: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/61412-wa-state-sponser-update-where-you-now.html (6633 replies) Top thread starter: Nigelinoz (1094) EDIT: This stat was asked for last month and we've now found out how to generate it: Top Thanked Users: gollywobbler - 6267 nigelinoz - 5273 pablo - 3494

Hello one and all. As alot of us are trying to gain employer sponsorship i was wondering if one of the knowledgable members on here could please please please in black and white bullet points give us the requirements for both 121 and 457/75 (always get mixed up). One of main questions i need answered is if we arrive over there on a student visa, im studying and Jamie is already qualiifed with positive skills assessment in youth work, how does he go about obtaining an employer to sponsor him for PR? I will really appreciate someone telling us exactly where we stand thanks xx:hug:

Hi everyone Our situation is not straightforward, and we would appreciate any advice. I applied for a (non CSL) 475 SS visa earlier this year, and in line with advice from our agent, I tried to add my partner to the visa application at the Med/Police check stage (to give us time to get the full 12 months defacto info required). DIAC said this was not possible and that we would have to wait till my visa was granted then lodge a new 475 application (with further visa fee!) as a subsequent entrant. My SS 475 visa was granted in July, and we immediately lodged my partners 475 subsequent entrant visa. We were advised by agent and DIAC that my partners application is exempt from the usual occupation criteria, and all that is being assessed is the meds, police checks and defacto evidence, which is all in place. We were literally waiting for the phone to ring to let us know it has been approved. If my partners visa is affected by the new processing times, effectively DIAC will be invalidating my visa as I will not be able to meet the criteria of my granted visa by way of entry date and to live for 2 years and work for 12 months in the regional area. Now, with the priority processing changes, we are unsure if this will affect my partners application, and our future. We have contacted our agent who have advised they have emailed DIAC for clarification, but it could be some time before we get any response. Naturally, we are beside ourselves with worry. Thanks in advance for any replies. KC

Holiday man "declared dead" A man has returned from an extended holiday to find that loads of his mates have been mourning his death. The confusion began in June when Michael O'Neill, from Middlesbrough, set-off for Australia to stay with a friend. It was a last minute decision, so he forgot to let people know. Mr O'Neill's neighbours grew worried about his disappearance, reports the Daily Telegraph, so eventually they contacted the police. Officers broke into the 49-year-old's flat, but could find no evidence of his whereabouts. Then, last week, his friends thought their fears had been confirmed when a family announcement was made in a local newspaper. By coincidence, it reported the death of another Michael O'Neill from Middlesbrough. Both men were a similar age - the late Mr O'Neill was 50 - and both have brothers named Kevin and Terry. The living Mr O'Neill said: "I went out on June 2 to stay with a friend and when I got back last Monday I found my door had been smashed in! "My neighbours thought I had died so they got in touch with police who came and broke the door down. "Everywhere I am going, people I know are grabbing hold of my hand, saying 'I thought you were dead! They can't believe it's me and I'm still alive."

I know the History of Chelsea but can't say I know much about the other 91 teams in the league. So this is your chance to educate the rest of us about your Football Team. Anything you want. Fact Stamford Bridge was built for Fulham FC. But when they decided to stay at Craven Cottage. A star was born Chelsea FC. Formed 1905

Population clock

Hi everyone I've had some really useful information recently from members on this site so thank you. I do have some concerns as I keep reading contradictory information so I was hoping that someone who has lived in Brisbane for at least 2 years can provide me with some factual information on the following points (no offence to anybody who hasn't lived there for that period of time but we want someone who knows the facts). We originally started to consider Australia as we were told and read that in comparison to the UK it had low crime rate, a worldclass education system and a worldclass healthcare system. I have recently read forums and articles that suggest quite the opposite. Obviously all countries have crime and problems with healthcare and education because that's life (nowhere is perfect) but the whole point of us moving is to hopefully have a better standard of living in the SUN! Please could you comment on the below and advise of any websites that state the true facts of the following points. 1. Crime rate? 2. Education? What is it like and is it true that the classrooms are unbearably hot and don't have aircon? 3. Healthcare 4. Recession - I've read it is hitting WA already and quite badly. Has there been any evidence to suggest it will hit the whole of Australia (is this a stupid question? Probably!!) Look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks Joanna:arghh:

Thought I would start this thread for people to outline what cities are good/bad and why from people actually living there so that people can make a judgement for themselves.

Hi My wife and I together with our two children aged 5 and 3 are seriously considering migrating to OZ. Before making this huge commitment, we would like to find out a few facts on the current economical situation. Can anyone answer the following? Has the credit crunch affected OZ - jobs, borrowing etc?? I am a fully qualified Construction Manager, currently working within the residential sector – are there still opportunities within this sector and if so where are the best prospects to be found e.g Perth, Sydney, etc... In very general terms how does the cost living compare to the UK? Petrol Income tax Electric Food Gas Lastly, I have heard that there are serious water shortages – which area(s) does this currently affect? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Simon:idea:

Hi there, we cant sell so have no choice but to turn to the rental market. Not ideal as we will be going to Oz broke, virtually! Please could someone who is already taking this route or embarking on it advise me on what tax I am likely to have to pay? I really need some help with this guy's. And what forms if any do I need. Who do I inform? Obviously I need to see the bank. We have a mortgage on the house. Please help, really worried! :unsure:

Hi all Some useful info about Ozzie Spiders (link below) I like this bit.............. "But there is no need to panic. Nobody has died from a Sydney Funnel-web Spider bite since an antivenom was introduced in 1980" Australian Spiders, Venomous Redback Spider, Poisonous Funnel Web Spider Lisa:chatterbox:

Redback Spider Latrodectus hasselti Redback Spiders are found throughout Australia. They are common in disturbed and urban areas. They belong to the Family Theridiidae, which is found worldwide. The notorious Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus sp) of the United States is a close relative of the Redback Spider, and only differs in appearance by the absence of a red dorsal stripe. Other species of Latrodectus occur in the Africa Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Europe and North and South America. Habitat and Biology Webs consist of a tangled, funnel-like upper retreat area from which vertical, sticky catching threads run to ground attachments. The Redback Spider favours proximity to human habitation, with webs being built in dry, sheltered sites, such as among rocks, in logs, shrubs, junk-piles, sheds, or toilets. Redback Spiders are less common in winter months. Daddy-long-legs Spiders and White-tailed Spiders are known to catch and kill Redback Spiders. Insects are the usual prey of Redback Spiders, but they are capable of capturing quite large animals, such as male trapdoor spiders, king crickets and small lizards, if they become entangled in the web. Prey-stealing is also common, with large females taking stored food items from others' webs. Identification Female Red back with egg sacs. Photo: M Gray © Australian Museum. Juvenile female Red back Spider. Photo: M Gray © Australian Museum. Female Redback Spiders are black (occasionally brownish) with an obvious orange to red longitudinal stripe on the upper abdomen, with the red stripe sometimes being broken, and an "hourglass" shaped red/orange spot on the underside of the abdomen. Juveniles have additional white markings on the abdomen. Females have a body about the size of a large pea (1cm long) and slender legs. The males are only about 3-4 mm long and its red markings are often less distinct. The body is light brown with white markings on the upper side of the abdomen, and a pale hour-glass marking on the underside. Spiders commonly mistaken for Redbacks include their close relatives, the Cupboard Spider (Steatoda sp), the Grey House Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) and other members of the Family Theridiidae. Many of these spiders have a similar life history and habits to the Redback Spider. Habits, Mating and Reproduction Male Redback Spiders do not produce a web, but may be found on the fringe of a female's web, especially during the summer mating season. The male has to make overtures to the female to discover whether she is ready to mate, which can prove fatal if she mistakes him for prey. It has been found that in order to occupy the female's attention during mating, the male spider offers her his abdomen by standing on his head and 'somersaulting' his abdomen towards her mouthparts. The female begins to squirt digestive juices onto the male's abdomen while the first palp is inserted. If he is not too weak, he will manage to withdraw, and then insert the second palp. She will continue to 'digest' his abdomen. Most males do not survive this process, which seems to be unique to Latrodectus hasselti. Once the female has mated, she can store sperm and use it over a period of up to two years to lay several batches of eggs. She spends much time producing up to ten round egg sacs (1cm diameter), which are white, weathering to brown over time. Each egg sac contains approximately 250 eggs and only one to three weeks need to pass before more eggs can be laid. These sacs are suspended within the web. Sometimes small ichneumonid wasps parasitise them, puncturing each sac with tiny holes. When the tiny pale-green spiderlings hatch, they disperse by ballooning to another suitable nest site. Females mature on average in about four months. The smaller male matures on average in about 90 days. Females may live for two to three years, whereas males only live for about six or seven months. Toxicity Redback bites occur frequently, particularly over the summer months. More than 250 cases receive antivenom each year, with several milder envenomations probably going unreported. Only the female bite is dangerous. They can cause serious illness and have caused deaths. However, since Redback Spiders rarely leave their webs, humans are not likely to be bitten unless a body part such as a hand is put directly into the web, and because of their small jaws many bites are ineffective. The venom acts directly on the nerves, resulting in release and subsequent depletion of neurotransmitters. Common early symptoms are pain (which can become severe), sweating (always including local sweating at bite site), muscular weakness, nausea and vomiting. Antivenom is available. No deaths have occurred since its introduction. First Aid Apply an ice pack to the bitten area to relieve pain. Do not apply a pressure bandage (venom movement is slow and pressure worsens pain). Collect the spider for positive identification. Seek medical attention. St John Ambulance Emergency First Aid pages Control For advice on how to minimise the risk of Redback Spider bites, see Spiders in the House and Garden factsheet.

Hiya I am trying to figure out ways of getting to Oz quicker. If we were sponsored by an employer would we get free education. What exactly does it include? 3months-4 years? Any pros and cons? Family sponsored skilled visa? Would you still need to pass the skilled assessment. i,e qualifications and job description. The reason I ask is because my husband is studying, but does have his CIMA yet? Could he still go out there without this with a family sponsor? I am really confused as to what exactly the advantages are of these sponsored? Is the family one permenant? Sorry to ask so many questions? I am a little baffled at the different type of visas there are. Many thanks