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Living in Australia - What you need to know


Guest The Pom Queen

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27 minutes ago, ramot said:

We call it the must be one car ahead syndrome.

We have some right pushy drivers here in Devonport.   Tailgating then swerving from lane to lane overtaking.  Don't know why they bother as we always see them at the next set of lights  just sitting there.  Idiots.

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On ‎27‎/‎10‎/‎2015 at 05:53, colettemg123 said:

dont expect a fast response or sometimes any response to job applications or interview feedback, it's also common for potential employers to ask for references before they make a job offer

Learning this one the hard way...its been 10 days and counting (unheard of in my experience in nursing)...lollol... my fingernails are nearly completely gone now...

I'm enjoying this advice thread...

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Just now, unzippy said:

You can take your old engine oil to SuperCheapAuto for disposal - genius idea?

Bin was full when we took ours yesterday after teen daughter did her first oil/filter change.  Picking up two large bottles of Bar’s Bugs for $6 was a nice bonus 

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On 13/06/2013 at 01:03, Quoll said:

Local phone calls from landlines are flat rate not timed

Americanos are long blacks (whites are flat whites or any of the other myriad of coffee choices) - that's been the hardest for me to eradicate!

Some banks charge if you use a competitor's card to withdraw cash

Car registration is called Rego

You pay through the nose for ambulance if you call one so get ambulance insurance (some states - Qld has it free but other states charge like wounded bulls)

Dont be surprised at social functions if there is a blokes space for chat and a sheilas' space for gossip - segregation is frequent and expect to see the bloke weilding the barbie tongs

Actually the "Big Four" banks have stopped charging $2 or $2,50 if you use an ATM other than your own bank.

I was suspicious until i started using the Commonwealth one opposite my flat instead of walking a kilometre to find an ANZ one.

I am not sure if the same applies to the other banks, eg St George, Bank West, etc? Perhaps someone else knows?

Using an ATM in a pub is still a rort - tax on pokie players, see them going back and forth, $2.50(?) each time.

I was at a party the other night with much mingling between men and women but at one point all the women were on the balcony and men inside around a table - just briefly mind!

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What u really need to know about Immigrating to Australia is .What really matters.It's not what many make it out to be. It is very overrated. In  My view if u have a good job and your own house in a good area. Don't leave it to come here. You  may not be any better off at all, you could be alot worse off And the prolific summer heat now in the  40's is unbearable and they say 50's will soon be the norm... Leaving your  Relatives and all u care for ,Is a big rench. Many say they are  immigrating for the kids sake. Your kids  and you could be in for a big shock. Quote  on the  TV this morning on the Today show in Qld. Bullying in schools is at  it highest ever levels Literacy and Education in general  in Schools across Australia are at their lowest level ever.Kids that leave school 48% are semi illiterate,and unemployable.According to  Employers. Many Poms that come over to Australia have got their work visas etc all sorted out and at a cost. But when they get here they may  find their  qualifications they had in the UK  are not acceptable. And remember Employers will employ Aussie's first. And there is plenty of Anti Pom around and anti immigrant in general. , when u eventually find a job.If u haven't got a job to go to.Australia  has been quoted as being Rip Off City, and the most expensive place to live. and the most violent per capita.Plus the drug capital,drugs are everywhere in schools ,even the doctors Make sure u find a doctor that bulk bills.. The country is in the grip of Floods and Fire. Be very very  careful where u Live . Even though the Government now picks the postcode where certain Immigrants with certain skills can live. Health Care in Australia is a worry. Many Medications are not on the BPS and so you pay.  People with Certain Cancers are paying $2500+ P/m for their medication Having had to sell their homes to pay for it. The Older u get the worse it gets We have  have just paid $8000 for my  wife's cataracts to be done. We used to have Private Health Care ,But it got too expensive on a state Pension. $730 For A MRI X Ray. My Wife has been waiting 8 ears to get a knee replacement . Those that do get here all the Best of British . The Old Dart id in a mess ,but it's seen a lot worse .And  is  still the  best place in the World to live. According to all my friends and relatives . Just been watching move to the country . There maybe some truth in what they say , Queensland  is Ugly. Never go by the glossy  pictures of beaches and picked country areas. It's everyday life and where you can afford that counts.

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20 minutes ago, Zack said:

What u really need to know about Immigrating to Australia is .What really matters.It's not what many make it out to be. It is very overrated. In  My view if u have a good job and your own house in a good area. Don't leave it to come here. You  may not be any better off at all, you could be alot worse off And the prolific summer heat now in the  40's is unbearable and they say 50's will soon be the norm... Leaving your  Relatives and all u care for ,Is a big rench. Many say they are  immigrating for the kids sake. Your kids  and you could be in for a big shock. Quote  on the  TV this morning on the Today show in Qld. Bullying in schools is at  it highest ever levels Literacy and Education in general  in Schools across Australia are at their lowest level ever.Kids that leave school 48% are semi illiterate,and unemployable.According to  Employers. Many Poms that come over to Australia have got their work visas etc all sorted out and at a cost. But when they get here they may  find their  qualifications they had in the UK  are not acceptable. And remember Employers will employ Aussie's first. And there is plenty of Anti Pom around and anti immigrant in general. , when u eventually find a job.If u haven't got a job to go to.Australia  has been quoted as being Rip Off City, and the most expensive place to live. and the most violent per capita.Plus the drug capital,drugs are everywhere in schools ,even the doctors Make sure u find a doctor that bulk bills.. The country is in the grip of Floods and Fire. Be very very  careful where u Live . Even though the Government now picks the postcode where certain Immigrants with certain skills can live. Health Care in Australia is a worry. Many Medications are not on the BPS and so you pay.  People with Certain Cancers are paying $2500+ P/m for their medication Having had to sell their homes to pay for it. The Older u get the worse it gets We have  have just paid $8000 for my  wife's cataracts to be done. We used to have Private Health Care ,But it got too expensive on a state Pension. $730 For A MRI X Ray. My Wife has been waiting 8 ears to get a knee replacement . Those that do get here all the Best of British . The Old Dart id in a mess ,but it's seen a lot worse .And  is  still the  best place in the World to live. According to all my friends and relatives . Just been watching move to the country . There maybe some truth in what they say , Queensland  is Ugly. Never go by the glossy  pictures of beaches and picked country areas. It's everyday life and where you can afford that counts.

Wondered when you would be popping in to see us again Zack.  🙂  A lot of what you say is true but I am no longer young either and manage to enjoy my life here.  I do wish you would quit with the anti Pom guff.  Never come across it in the 37 years I've lived here.  I've never lived in Qld but you obviously hate it.  If you can't move back to the UK try moving to another part of Australia and for goodness sake try looking on the bright side of life.  Many of us read the negative comments you made about the UK when you did move back for a while.  Lets face it, nowhere is perfect.  Here in Tasmania - the part where I live anyway - a friend waited 11 months for her knee replacement.  MRI scans are free.  Medicare will cover 100% of the cost of fully subsidised conditions if you are a public patient.  No idea why it costs $739 in Qld.

We live an affordable and happy life in Tasmania.

You need to get out of Queensland.  

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2 hours ago, Zack said:

What u really need to know about Immigrating to Australia is .What really matters.It's not what many make it out to be. It is very overrated. In  My view if u have a good job and your own house in a good area. Don't leave it to come here. You  may not be any better off at all, you could be alot worse off And the prolific summer heat now in the  40's is unbearable and they say 50's will soon be the norm... Leaving your  Relatives and all u care for ,Is a big rench. Many say they are  immigrating for the kids sake. Your kids  and you could be in for a big shock. Quote  on the  TV this morning on the Today show in Qld. Bullying in schools is at  it highest ever levels Literacy and Education in general  in Schools across Australia are at their lowest level ever.Kids that leave school 48% are semi illiterate,and unemployable.According to  Employers. Many Poms that come over to Australia have got their work visas etc all sorted out and at a cost. But when they get here they may  find their  qualifications they had in the UK  are not acceptable. And remember Employers will employ Aussie's first. And there is plenty of Anti Pom around and anti immigrant in general. , when u eventually find a job.If u haven't got a job to go to.Australia  has been quoted as being Rip Off City, and the most expensive place to live. and the most violent per capita.Plus the drug capital,drugs are everywhere in schools ,even the doctors Make sure u find a doctor that bulk bills.. The country is in the grip of Floods and Fire. Be very very  careful where u Live . Even though the Government now picks the postcode where certain Immigrants with certain skills can live. Health Care in Australia is a worry. Many Medications are not on the BPS and so you pay.  People with Certain Cancers are paying $2500+ P/m for their medication Having had to sell their homes to pay for it. The Older u get the worse it gets We have  have just paid $8000 for my  wife's cataracts to be done. We used to have Private Health Care ,But it got too expensive on a state Pension. $730 For A MRI X Ray. My Wife has been waiting 8 ears to get a knee replacement . Those that do get here all the Best of British . The Old Dart id in a mess ,but it's seen a lot worse .And  is  still the  best place in the World to live. According to all my friends and relatives . Just been watching move to the country . There maybe some truth in what they say , Queensland  is Ugly. Never go by the glossy  pictures of beaches and picked country areas. It's everyday life and where you can afford that counts.

Queensland is the problem, not Australia 

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5 hours ago, Zack said:

.Australia  has been quoted as being ....... the most expensive place to live. and the most violent per capita.

Sorry - you're confused again (or still).       Australia isn't in even the top 100 most violent per capita countries.   And the last ranking I saw had 15 other countries more expensive to live in - including the UK.

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i havn"t been on this forum for a long time i have just read Zacks post and i have to say it i call bull----- , i spend half my time now in thailand and am on a similar forum there and surprise surprise i read the same complaints as I'm reading on poms in oz made by expats there, driving well they have a point there as it has the highest death toll in the world, but the rest is same ,same.The old catch cry was the shops are no good no tescos,houses are poor quality no double glazing,posties don't deliver on the weekends and the rest, well surprise your living in a different country things are different.There is tescos in thailand and its no better than the local shops" big c" ect, when i lived in london in one of those victorian houses i don't remember double glazing or insulation i just remember being cold.everybody is different so have a winge but make sure its a truthful account and not stuff plucked from mid air and a romantic view of what maybe never was.

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16 minutes ago, heyyu said:

i havn"t been on this forum for a long time i have just read Zacks post and i have to say it i call bull----- , i spend half my time now in thailand and am on a similar forum there and surprise surprise i read the same complaints as I'm reading on poms in oz made by expats there, driving well they have a point there as it has the highest death toll in the world, but the rest is same ,same.The old catch cry was the shops are no good no tescos,houses are poor quality no double glazing,posties don't deliver on the weekends and the rest, well surprise your living in a different country things are different.There is tescos in thailand and its no better than the local shops" big c" ect, when i lived in london in one of those victorian houses i don't remember double glazing or insulation i just remember being cold.everybody is different so have a winge but make sure its a truthful account and not stuff plucked from mid air and a romantic view of what maybe never was.

I am old enough to remember when most houses in the UK didn't have double glazing and central heating.  Our first house didn't so guess what?  We saved up and and had them installed.  We have done the same here.  Not the central heating but good insulation and double glazing.  People who are building a new home need to get all that done when the place is being built.  Common sense really.   I would rather have that done than drive a fancy car or have overseas holidays.  I read somewhere on the forum people can spend up to $300 at the hairdressers but probably shriek in shock when they receive their electricity bill for an amount not much higher than they spent on a hairdo.  😐

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19 minutes ago, Toots said:

I am old enough to remember when most houses in the UK didn't have double glazing and central heating.  Our first house didn't so guess what?  We saved up and and had them installed.  We have done the same here.  Not the central heating but good insulation and double glazing.  People who are building a new home need to get all that done when the place is being built.  Common sense really.   I would rather have that done than drive a fancy car or have overseas holidays.  I read somewhere on the forum people can spend up to $300 at the hairdressers but probably shriek in shock when they receive their electricity bill for an amount not much higher than they spent on a hairdo.  😐

You keep hearing that double/triple glazing not available here.  Funny then, that a company here advertises exactly that, on the radio.  The reality is that Australians given the choice between say installing double glazing throughout their house, or buying a ski boat, will always buy the ski boat.  I’m a Pom and I know I would!

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5 hours ago, Bulya said:

You keep hearing that double/triple glazing not available here.  Funny then, that a company here advertises exactly that, on the radio.  The reality is that Australians given the choice between say installing double glazing throughout their house, or buying a ski boat, will always buy the ski boat.  I’m a Pom and I know I would!

We replaced our windows with solar glass 

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On 28/01/2018 at 14:14, unzippy said:

Driving - not very courteous, hardly anyone gives way.

Now that I've been here a year, I'd like to revisit this.

• Lane hogging (not moving left) is rife, because apparently drivers think that moving to the left and letting someone past is some sort of affront to their driving prowess.
• Undertaking (passing on the left) is rife, because of the lane hogging. 
• No-one lets you into lane 1 when you joining the motorway, because that's pushing in.
• No-one lets you out of a T-junction , that's considered queue jumping.
• No-one lets you in when merging, that's more queue jumping.
• If you don't move off within a 1/10th of a second of the light changing green you will be punished audibly. 
• If you stop when the light is amber, god help you.
• Everyone is so paranoid about speeding that they pay more attention to their speedo and not enough attention to the hazards ahead - you see so many rear end shunts its not even funny.

Yet speed limits continue to go down.  Brand new motorways (hopefully) designed with safety in mind - 4 lanes, central reservations, hard shoulders, no sharp corners, nowhere near schools for kid to run onto etc are being opened with permanent 80kmh limits.  That's 50mph!

I think the poor driving stems from two main issues:

Auto - nearly everyone drives auto, it leaves them too much free time with the left hand to use the phone. Wouldn't be so bad if they had a phone holder near eye level, but most drivers keep it down by the shifter or between their legs and use it down there because they think they can't be seen. Results in their head down and not looking where they are going or what's happening around them.

Aussie competitiveness* - 'that my gap, you're not having it!  Therefore I need drive as close as possible so there is no gap for people to get in to.' 
*Also see the lack of waiting to let people out of lift and letting people exit a train carriage before getting on.

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