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Archive for the ‘Arrival in Sydney’ Category

Coming to Australia guideline – TV

28 Mar

Australian Immigration has provided an interactive guide prior your departure to Australia via YouTube.

It’s available in many languages, which allow you to select one before it started. Enjoy.

URL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ImmiTV#p/c/F4EFEEE1C3DD40C2/0/AVM0JriJ_p8

 

Beginning a life in Australia booklet

04 Nov

Australian Immigration has provided a free booklet in 37 community languages. It provides useful national, state/territory and local settlement information for migrants, humanitarian entrants, their sponsors and service providers.

Here is the list of the booklet with its language:

 

Paid Parental Leave scheme

27 Oct

Good news for all Australian families that Australian Government will give additional paid parental leave on the top of what company provides for maternity leave for those who have baby on or after 1 January 2011.

It’s a common practice for big company in Australia to give their fulltime employee 3 months paid maternity leave. However

Australian Government will provide additional maximum 18 weeks for paid parental leave, whatever type of employment it is (casual, fulltime, partime etc…)

So, the Paid Parental Leave scheme:

  • is government funded
  • is for eligible working parents of children born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011
  • can be transferred to the other parent
  • is paid at the National Minimum Wage – currently $570 a week before tax
  • is for up to 18 weeks
  • can be taken any time within the first year after birth.

For any further information, you can find out on Family Assistance Office website, which is at http://www.familyassist.gov.au/payments/family-assistance-payments/paid-parental-leave-scheme/index.html

To check whether you’re eligible or not for Paid Parental Leave scheme, you can find out on http://www.familyassist.gov.au/payments/family-assistance-payments/paid-parental-leave-scheme/working-parents—eligibility/

 

To-do-list if you have a baby in Australia

10 Sep

If you’re an Australian resident (holding Permanent Resident or Citizenship) and you’re about to have a baby in Australia, usually you will receive Parent Pack provided by your local hospital from Australian Government after your baby born. It will provide you with information about the family assistance that may be available to you.

If you haven’t given the Parent Pack, you need to remember to ask for your Parent Pack before you leave your local hospital or health care provider following the birth of your child.

The purpose of the pack is to relieve some of the stress of having a new baby by providing you with important information all in one place.

In the Parent Pack, you will find:

  • a congratulatory letter
  • The claiming family assistance online help flyer
  • The Newborn Child Claim for Family assistance and Medicare form
  • a pre-paid envelope to return your form
  • Family assistance – the what, why and how booklet
  • a growth chart – which enables you to keep track of your child’s growth, when to immunise your child and when to claim Baby Bonus and Maternity Immunisation Allowance
  • a checklist – with a list of important list to remember
  • a Raising Children DVD – provides practical advice and information about parenting.

Your hospital may also include other information in your Parent Pack.

Please bear in mind that it will take up to 14 days to get Medicare for your baby to be included and it also will take around 14 days to have Birth Certificate ready for your love one. You might need to apply for Australian passport for your baby but you will need Birth Certificate to completed the application. You will also need to completed an online form for Family Assistance and Baby Bonus, however you will also need to show the proof of your residency as well as the Birth Certificate.

Looking from those scenarios above, Birth Certificate is pretty crucial factor to apply some other documents for your baby. If you need to have Medicare a.s.a.p, then you can go to your nearest Medicare office to get paper-based official Medicare card to be shown for the doctor visit.

 

Children schooling in New South Wales

07 May

Like any other countries, Australia has 2 kind of schools. They are public and private schools.

Starting school is an important step in a young child’s life and many parents has asked question ‘Is my child ready for school?” Children develop at different rates and learn skills in different ways.

Parent / caretakers of students starting kindergarten often want further information and advice about whether their child is ready to start school. Parent / caretakers are encouraged to speak to their child’s pre-school or day care teacher, the school principal, school counsellor, school K-2 supervisor and the Kindergarten teacher at school.

Most school have orientation days towards the end of the previous year to welcome children to Kindergarten. Many schools also have transition to Kindergartens programs over several weeks in the second part of the year.

Here is the step-by-step of how to enrol at a Public School:

  1. Find your local public school
    Each New South Wales public school has a defined local enrolment area. This means you have to find the designated school based of your permanent residential address. Every public school priorities for student at their nearest area. To find out the name and location of your local public school, call 131 536 or contact the nearest Department of Education and Training regional office.
  2. Research
    You may want to find out more information to help you to make decision about your child’s education. Public schools host information sessions and have printed material available for you to find out more. You might want to give the principal a call to make an appointment to help you to discuss and demonstrate their school’s achievement, activities and features.
  3. Apply to enrol
    Once you have made your decision to enrol your child, you will be asked to fill out an Application to enrol in a NSW Government school form and submit it to your local school. Forms are available also from your local public school or via online at their site (http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au). You’ll need to provide proof of identity (e.g. birth certificate), an immunisation certificate (for primary school enrolment) and proof of address for your child. Do not purchase items such as uniforms until the enrolment of your child is confirmed.

    You can get help to have assistance for enrol a child with a special needs. You will have access to a team of people from your local regional office who will assist you with your child’s enrolment.

  4. Get to know your new school
    Your new school will host an orientation day for children starting at the school the following year.

A lot of areas especially in Sydney that has many good public school such as Baulkham Hills (Sydney west), Chatswood (Sydney north) etc… Make sure you find the location that good for public school before you moved to Sydney. For more information about Public School, go to http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au

It would be worth to visit an independent Australian owned publishing company based in Sydney since 1986 which specialise for online resource that complements Choosing a School for Your Child magazine. Here is their url: http://www.choosingaschool.com.au/
Private school definitely another option for your child if you can’t find the quality you’re after. Of course they are more expensive compares with public school and usually they provides more facilities such as labs, sports equipment etc. They are non-Government school and most of them have a religious affliction, but some are non-denominational. Many of private schools are combined Primary and Secondary schools. So they are a couple differences between private and public schools. To find out more information about private school such as location and contact number, here is an online resources: http://www.privateschoolsdirectory.com.au/

 

Sydney airport

21 Apr

If you want to see the schedule of your friend’s arrival or check the airline status (on schedule / landed / gate open etc…), you can check them on Sydney airport website.

URL: http://www.sydneyairport.com.au

Ph: +61 2 9667 9111

It covers:

  • International Arrivals
  • International Departures
  • Domestic Arrivals
  • Domestic Departures
  • Flight Information
  • Parking
  • Terminal Information
  • To and From the Airport

 

Sydney Activities

03 Apr

Living in Sydney could be really exciting things as there heaps of activities you could do. You can just spend the weekend away in a mountain which offers an excited bushwalking activities as well as many other things.

I will post an article about where you can go on separate article for each activity listed on below.

Here is the list of the activities you would want to do in Sydney on your leasure time:

  • Bushwalking
  • Canyoning
  • Cycling
  • Diving
  • Snorkelling
  • In-line skating
  • Sailing
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Surfing
  • Swimming
  • Whale & Dolphin watching
  • Horse riding
  • White-water rafting
  • Kayaking
  • Canoeing

 

Sydney Prices Guide

02 Apr

Here is the prices guide list of Sydney living cost (prices as per 2009-2010):

  • Accomodation: AUD 20 (hostel – average dorm bed) – AUD 190 (4 star hotel – standard room)
  • Transportation: AUD 1.9 (bus single – short distance) – AUD 58 (weekly ticket for bus/ferry/train)
  • Entertainment: AUD 3 (DVD rental), AUD 8 – AUD 15 (Cinema ticket)
  • Groceries: AUD 1.52 (Milk), AUD 6 (Ice Cream – Cadbury), AUD 2.5 (Large Eggs x 12), AUD 4.98 (Red Onion – 1 kg), AUD 7.49 (Whole chicken), AUD 23 (Sirloin Steak), AUD 4.02 (Orange Juice), AUD 2 (Soap), AUD 4.36 (Shower Gel), AUD 17 (Sunscreen – Nivea), AUD 7.48 (Shampoo), AUD 4.35 (Deodorant – Dove, 50ml), AUD 2.71 (Toothpaste – Colgate), AUD 3.26 (Toothbrush – Colgate)
  • Snack: AUD 1.9 (Water – Evian, 500ml), AUD 1.2 (Coke can)
  • Liquor: AUD 40.32 (Bundaberg Rum – 700ml), AUD 50.13 (Jack Daniels Whiskey), AUD 40.32 (Malibu)
  • Tobacco Products: AUD 12.59 (Marlboro 25 pack), AUD 11.17 (Cigar)
  • Fast Food: AUD 4 – AUD 15 (MacDonalds/Burger Kings/KFC - average meal/drink)

 

To-do-list before you moving into your new place

13 Mar

Here is the to-do-list you need to settled before moving into your new place. It’s wiseable to do it 1-2 weeks before as sometimes it takes around 1-2 weeks for some providers to do connection.

Here they are:

  • Gas & Electricity
    There are 2 providers of Sydney gas, they are:

    • Energy Australia
      URL: http://www.energyaustralia.com.au
    • AGL
      URL: http://www.agl.com.au
  • Phone
    There are lots of phone providers, the most famous ones are:

    • Telstra
      URL: http://www.telstra.com.au
    • Optus
      URL: http://www.optus.com.au
    • AAPT
      URL: http://www.aapt.com.au
    • Westnet
      URL: http://www.westnet.com.au
    • Dodo
      URL: http://www.dodo.com.au
    • iiNet
      URL: http://www.iinet.com.au
  • Internet
    • TPG
      URL: http://www.tpg.com.au
    • Dodo
      URL: http://www.dodo.com.au
    • Bigpond
      URL: http://www.bigpond.com.au
    • Optus
      URL: http://www.optus.com.au
    • iiNet
      URL: http://www.iinet.com.au