15

True, but my kids were born in Oz, moved back to the UK as small kids, then back to Oz as adults, so they had Medicare numbers from previously. They didn't have to prove they were permanent residents when one of them was without a job and needed temporary help.

16

@ libbyh. Sorry building up stamps that must be an Irish saying. It means that you will have to work for a certain period to be able to claim benefits. I.e. you put in you take out.

@gerardkenny. I see where you are coming from about the Australian permanent resident, but how does someone prove they are going to stay in a place???

For people's information on my commient about staying in Australia, I have sold everything thing back home: tv, car, kitchen, couch, my cloths... Absolutely everything as there is nothing for me back home.
I am not going to Australia for no reason. I am a highly qualified person in what I do but there is no work where I'm from and there are more oppertunities in Australia.
So how do I prove I'm going to stay?

17

What do you do stewy?

18

I'm a freshwater and marine biologist

19

That's specialised, gotta cousin does that, growing abelone in tanks in France , was trying to farm oysters in galway before that

20

Yeah I'm hoping to be in the aquaculture.
I hear there are availablitlty of aquaculture jobs in Australia but not advertise as much as other professions.

21

The south west of WA used to be good for trout farming, you could see if it still is!

Good luck!

22

Just wait till they make you go go for a Job Search Network partner, and job search training.

23

Though I must admit, there must be ways to best the system by seeing the regulars at ny public transport interchanges.

24

It would seem you won't have any probably claiming if you have to.

Question. Is there an assets test? If OP has sold up and is cash rich, will this affect his ability to claim if he cannot find work in the first month or so?

I'm pleased to see (but surprised based on reactions described by one poster above which seems the norm) that we are all taking OP at his word on not planning to claim.

25

^Yep, might have been the way I asked exactly how much I would be getting and the nearest social security office to heathrow that mighta led to the torrent of indignant abuse though..

26

A friend is Australian, married to an Englishman, and living in England. Their 3 children in their 20s, 2 born in the UK, one in Africa, have dual citizenship. They have visited, but not lived in, Australia. Their mother told me that even as citizens, they have to live here for a qualifying period to qualify for Government benefits.
Ray, traveling the country centerlink office to centrelink office and explaining every two weeks why you have come to this new town and how you still need money is Aussie tradition I'd ha thought
Ah, but even if you lived here all your life, you lose your benefits if you move from an area of lower unemployment to one of higher unemployment.

27

Guess I'll have to wait till I'm in OZ in a few weeks and find out for certain. I wouldn't say contradiction but there is a lot of variations to entitlement rights and criteria.
Hopefully I won't need any and find work fairly prompt.

I do have one question with was brought up a few post ago.
How do you prove you intend to stay on a permanent basis??
As I said I have sold nearly everything back home and all I have entering Australia is my 2 passports, bag of cloths etc. and a limited fund that will get my by for a while. Other than that nothing.

28

Normally you could cough up a lease agreement, bills, bank statements and etc. The issue may not come up (get Crocodile Dundee on DVD and practice your accent; Home and Away?) you would likely get away with just saying you are moving to Oz permanently. There might still be assets question.

I've been unemployed in Oz twice, never had to draw benefits but went through the process to within a bee's dick. It was depressing, particularly the second time. However, with unemployment so low in Oz it may be that, since you are a non-knuckle-dragger and not a Collingwood supporter, you may not have any problem.

29

You enter Aust only on your Aust passport, NOT your other one.

You will want to have the passport stamped, explain your case at the counter, they might make a notation for you, as Aust passports tend NOT to be stamped on departures or arrivals unless you ask for it.

As an Aust citizen, you have the right to come and go as you please, so no one can say/ask, are you going to stay in Aust permanently.

Limited funds should not make too much of trouble on your entry, as you are an Aust citizen by the Aust passport you hold.

Go to Centrelink asap as you arrive, and tell them your case.

With the Newstart payment, you will be expected to go and join a JobNetwork Partner first, and then start door knocking for work.

30 hours a week of work, will see your job seeking efforts halfed, 60 hours a fortnight of work.

Under that, you will still be expected to go door knocking to look for work, ideally, you will be working sooner or later 75/76/80 hours a fortnight.

But I am told on here I am a bullshit artist, so, am not an expert.

On your entry, don't use Smartgate, and at the counter, ask for your passport to be stamped. As I mentioned, they don't stamp as a rule of thumb, but will do so, (I guess, if you ask/explain).

Hey, they might even have "special" treatement for you. Who knows though.

As I said on another post, I don't work for the Aust fed govt.

Just that I am pinged nearly everytime I come back to Aust, because of my travel movements.

On your check in for your flight to Aust, at the airline counter, show your Aust passport, but use your other one to actually exit your other country, if at all possible.

OR use your Aust passport all the way from airline check in, to passport control in your other country, to arrival in Aust.

Whats your other country, does it recognise dual?