For most people, Australia conjures up images of the great outdoors, beautiful beaches, surfing, barbeques and a laid-back lifestyle. With only 22 million people, the lowest population density in the world, its varying ethnicity and welcoming attitudes, Australia is an alluring place to live.

As an overseas trained doctor, Direct Medics can provide you with helpful information in assisting you and your family travel to and settle in Australia.

Direct Medics offers a detailed Welcome Pack for all our overseas doctors who are successful in gaining a position in Australia to aid you in making a new life abroad.

Facts about Australia

Land area: 7.62 million km2
Population: 22.1 million
Official Language: English
Currency: Australian dollars (A$)
Time: Australia covers 3 time zones: Eastern Standard Time: GMT + 10
Central: GMT + 9.5
West: GMT + 8

Australia is divided into 6 States and 2 Territories:

States:

New South Wales (NSW), State capital - Sydney
Victoria (VIC), State capital - Melbourne
Tasmania (TAS), State capital - Hobart
South Australia (SA), State capital - Adelaide
Western Australia (WA), State capital - Perth
Queensland (QLD), State capital - Brisbane

Territories:

Australian Capital Territory (ACT), National capital - Canberra
Northern Territory (NT), Territory capital – Darwin

Bringing your Family

In this section, you will find an array of topics designed to help you settle in Australia and important information for you and your family.

Housing

Finding appropriate housing, whether renting or buying, in Australia will be a relatively easy process depending on where you are going to live. If you are staying short term (say, less than three years), you may be better renting than buying . In any case there are restrictions on Temporary residents purchasing real estate.

Most properties to rent in Australian cities are let through agents, whose main task is to vet prospective tenants. When registering with an agent, you need two forms of identification (e.g. driving licence and passport), written references from your employer and/or previous landlord, and character references.

If you intend to buy a property, most banks, building societies and credit unions publish free booklets for homebuyers, which generally contain excellent (usually unbiased) advice. The Saturday editions of major newspapers are the best for home advertisements, and most of them have a property section.


Education

The Education Index, published with the UN's Human Development Index in 2008, lists Australian education as amongst the highest in the world, tied for first with Denmark, Finland and New Zealand.

Australia follows the three-tier model which includes primary, secondary and tertiary education. Education is compulsory up to an age which varies from state to state but is generally 15-17.

All states except Tasmania have centralized processing units for admission to undergraduate degrees for citizens of Australia and New Zealand, and for Australian permanent residents; however applications for international and postgraduate students are usually accepted by individual universities.


Taxation & Finance

There are many forms of taxation in Australia. Income taxes are the most significant form of taxation in Australia, and collected by the federal government through the Australian Taxation Office.

Non-residents are also subject to a withholding tax of 10 per cent on the income earned on bank deposits in Australia; this is deducted at source when interest is paid.

To work in Australia, you will need a tax file number, number issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to each taxpayer (individual, company, superannuation fund, partnership or trust) to identify that taxpayer's Australian tax dealings.

A new taxpayer receives a tax file number within about a month of making an application and providing proof of identity. Foreigners in Australia whose visas permit them to work can apply for a TFN online, using their passport number and visa number.

Most banks provide online Internet Banking and a facility to transfer funds between overseas bank accounts but you should see each bank’s website for details.

New arrivals can open an account during their first six weeks in Australia with just a passport.


Family Healthcare

If you are working in Australia, you are automatically covered for injury and illness as a result of an accident by compulsory workers’ compensation insurance.

Medicare eligibility is immediate upon application (and can even be backdated to your arrival in Australia) but new members may have to wait up to three months to receive refunds.

Assuming you plan to stay in Australia for more than a couple of months, you should enrol in Medicare as soon as possible after you arrive.

It is not necessary to be registered with a doctor in Australia. Doctors in the suburbs of major cities work at public clinics and medical centres, where a number of doctors have a group practice.

There is no need to register with a dentist in Australia, and the best way to find a good one is through word of mouth. General dental services are not funded by Medicare and the cost of dental treatment has risen considerably in recent years, and charges, which vary with the area and the dentist, can be very high.

In order to obtain medicines prescribed by a doctor you can take your prescription to any chemist. If you’re visiting Australia, you may bring a maximum of four weeks’ prescription medicines with you.

Certain countries have a reciprocal healthcare arrangement with Australia including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden. If you come from one of these countries, you are eligible for Medicare assistance for any necessary medical treatment.


Family Support

There are numerous online resources that families can explore for further help or information. These include: 

Australian Government Website – Includes helpful sections on services, directories and travel.

There are also Rural Medical Family Networks that operate in every state and provide support, information and assistance to rural medical families, including medical registrars and their families:

• Queensland Rural Medical Family Network 
• WA Rural Medical Family Network
• New South Wales Rural Medical Family Network 
• SA Rural Medical Family Network
• Victoria Rural Medical Family Network
• Tasmania Rural Medical Family Network

000 is Australia’s primary emergency call service number. It should be used to contact Police, Fire or Ambulance services in life threatening or time critical emergency situations.


English Language Training

There are many sources of English language training for your family members who may be migrating to Australia.

Family members with very limited English skills for whom English is not the first language, may qualify for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and be eligible for free English lessons. Tuition is also available to adult migrants aged 18 years old or over.

Adult English lessons are also available from many local secondary and community colleges, as well as colleges of Technical and Further Education (TAFE).


Employment for Family Members

It is highly recommended that you check with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) regarding the type of entry visa your family members require so that they have the right to work as they may need to apply for a different kind of visa in their own name.

The Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations website is also a good starting point for finding a job, training information, information on wages and employment conditions and other related resources.

If your family are interested in volunteering, the Australian Volunteer website enables you to search for volunteer jobs by State and Territory.

Travelling

You will no doubt want to travel in the Country and visit some of the amazing places Australia has to offer. The following is some useful travel information and advice on places to visit.


Travel Information

Australian’s drive on the left hand side of the road. In urban areas the speed limit is usually 60kph on main roads. On highways and motorways the maximum speed limit is 110kph.

Tourists and visitors staying less than three months (varies by state and territory) are permitted to drive using their home country licence. If the licence is not written in English, then an acceptable translation of the licence must be carried at all times. Visitors staying more than three months must apply for a licence in the state in which they reside.

There is an airport servicing every major city in Australia and there are 4 major airlines in Australia including:

• Qantas 
• Jetstar (a subsidiary of Qantas)
• Virgin Blue 
• Tiger Airways Australia 

Major cities in Australia with the exception of Canberra and Darwin currently operate multi-modal intra-city public transportation networks as follows:

Adelaide – Adelaide Metro
Brisbane & Gold Coast – Translink
Hobart – Metro
Melbourne – Metlink
Perth – Transperth
Sydney – State Transit Authority

Places to Visit

There is an abundance of exciting destinations, places and icons to visit in Australia from the Great Barrier Reef to the Grand Opera House.

There are numerous tourism sites available online but a good place to start is the official Australia tourism website which has information about the country, things to do and places to visit.