| Cars in general
are more expensive than Europe, for example a small basic (air con &
radio but manual gears and no electric locks/windows) second hand but decent
is roughly 7000$ USD, if bought direct from the owner.
Mechanics
and tradesman vary in price greatly and are known to charge through
the roof if you’re unaware of the going rate. Decent tradesmen who want
to build a good reputation and client base do so very quickly! Like anywhere
being new makes us an easy target. I guess we’ve accepted that on some
things such as repairs to our camper and air conditioning in our car, we’ve
paid through the nose due to time restraints. We now take the time to ask
around, ask for several quotes before booking our car in for repairs and
seek after sales service.
With the
increasing number of families moving to Brisbane, Australia’s largest growing
city, there are several systems that are struggling to cope with the
population. To our horror we’ve found waiting lists for childcare are 18
months long. This is a relatively new situation for Brisbane and for us
it’s a case of begging our need to be recognised, to try and jump the list
a little.
The child care
centres and carers I’ve met are registered, strict with their safety standards
and accommodating. Whether I would like one, two or three days a week is
fine, the price isn’t bad either (roughly 35$ USD per full day). Both family
day care, which is held at registered homes and full centres which has
larger groups of children from babies to pre-school, have a high ratio
of carers to children. The facilities are often fantastic and many centres
are modern and specifically designed with car parking space and are positioned
off main roads. Given that Australians are known for their large families,
4 children per couple can be normal, the need for assistance outside the
immediate family is high and kindergarten attendance whilst not mandatory
is also becoming increasingly popular.
Part of the
Childcare fee can be claimed back at the end of the tax year. In addition,
like Australians, new immigrants are entitled to a family allowance which
is calculated according to the number of dependant children and household
salary.The allowance paid per fortnight just about covers the cost
of nappies! There is also a baby bonus which is at present 2200$ USD, and
is given at birth as a payment by the government. Vaccinations for children
are free and there is a small financial reward of 73$ USD for completing
the first year vaccination programme- Australia is keen to illuminate childhood
diseases.
In contrast
to day care facilities, state schools can’t refuse children and most have
at least one classroom assistant per class of 25. In Queensland pre-school
is currently being debated and reorganised to decide if it is compulsory
or not and if there will be a biannual in take of students. Generally children
start school at around their 5th birthday. Alternatives to state school
is of course private; religious, single gender, academic or of a specific
philosophy.
Like any where
schools vary in facilities (air conditioning or not!), reputation, and
attitude toward discipline. Surprisingly bright children don’t get to jump
ahead in state schools but fortunately children with learning difficulties,
from what I’ve heard are accommodated. Interestingly, bullying and disruptive
behaviour of children can lead to ‘back to school’ classes for their
parents, a scheme which puts the emphasis on the parents to be responsible
and accountable for their child’s social education.
Alongside childcare,
the transport infrastructure whilst high on the council agenda, is also
struggling to keep up with the influx of new people. Most residential suburbs
are 20 km from the city centre. The current train line is good, buses do
cover most areas and there are now bus lanes in and out of the city. There
isn’t a metro or subway in the city centre though but driving and parking
in is possible. City centre car parks cost between 7-11$ USD per day depending
on how early (early birds have a cheaper rate) you park.
Everyone
living in Australia has to complete a self assessed tax declaration.
An Accountant costs from 44 $USD an hour upwards but it is possible to
complete a form yourself. If you are an employee it is fairly straight
forward. Tax kits are free from newsagents and the end of the financial
year is July.
Rental agents,
we’ve found are not exactly in a hurry with repairs and don’t always send
reliable tradesmen. There is an organisation who mediates on behalf
of renters to push to get results, and will negotiate a reduction in
rent if the jobs are left undone or dissatisfactory.
More importantly
though, there are BBQ’s to be had, Australian wine and cheese to be
sampled, tropical fruit in season and an active baby to be chased after.
A vacation up to the barrier reef to the Whitsunday Islands and Airlie
beach is a definite must on the agenda for next year.
The following
article is the first article Sarah wrote for the magazine:
To contact Sarah
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