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Beginning a Life in Australia

The Department of Social Services (DSS) has produced a resource called Beginning a Life in Australia which is a must-read for new migrants.

The book lists the wide range of services Government and community organisations provide to Australian residents. The booklet will give you an introduction to the services and assistance that you can access and where you can go for advice.

It is important to note that some permanent migrants and most temporary visa holders may not be eligible for all the services mentioned in this booklet.

Based on the advice in the booklet (and own personal experience), the following are the four priorities, in no particular order, that we recommend you attend to immediately as part of your settlement in Australia.

1) Register with Medicare

Medicare is the Government subsidised assistance for medical expenses. Joining Medicare will enable you to gain immediate access to health care services and programs, such as free public hospital care, assistance with out-of-pocket expenses for hospitalisation and subsidised medicines.

You cannot apply for Medicare online as you will need to present personally at one of the Medicare offices with your passport and visa grant documents.

MEDICARE AUSTRALIA CONTACT DETAILS
Telephone 13 2011
Visit an office Medicare office locations
Medicare Information Kit – available in languages other than English Information Kit
Website www.medicareaustralia.gov.au

2) Register with Centrelink

Medicare and Centrelink offices are usually co-located so you should register with Centrelink as soon as you have registered with Medicare. By registering with Centrelink, you can get help with looking for work, have your overseas skills recognised for employment purposes and access relevant courses.

Note that many of the entitlements such as Family Assistance may be subject to waiting periods before you can receive any payments.

CENTRELINK SERVICES  CONTACT DETAILS
Multilingual Call – for Centrelink and Family Assistance Office enquiries only – help in languages other than English 13 1202
Self Service 13 6240
Employment Services 13 2850
Disability, Sickness and Carers 13 2717
Youth and Student Services 13 2490
Online Services Support 13 2307
Customer Relations 1800 050 004
Australian Apprenticeships 13 3633
Family Assistance Office 13 6150

For a complete list of Centrelink telephone numbers go to the Centrelink website.

3) Apply for a tax file number

All employees require a tax file number (TFN) to receive income as well as pay taxes in Australia. The TFN is a unique number issued to individuals for Australian taxation purposes.

You can apply for a TFN  in a number of different ways:

AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS
Telephone 13 2861
Translating and Interpreting Service 13 1450 – 24 Hour
Apply for a tax file number online Online individuals TFN
Visit an office ATO shopfront locations
Information in languages other than English Taxation information in languages other than English
Website www.ato.gov.au

4) Open a bank account

If you haven’t already opened an Australian bank account while overseas, you should visit one of the many banks that operate in Australia to open a personal bank account.

AUSTRALIAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION

Bank Account Basics web pages          www.bankers.asn.au

The ‘Big Four’ banks of Australia are Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) and National Australia Bank (NAB).