ProudVIC

Heaps of places in Australia are temperate. In fact SE Australia, NZ and the UK fall into the same climate classification under the Koppen system, i.e. Oceanic (Cfb)

Melbourne and Victoria has great coffee widely available and is actually noted for it. Adelaide and Sydney also do alright with this pursuit.

bourbon-biscuit

Can't one make a few observations (reasonably balanced I thought) without the whole "we've got that here" game.

SE Australia may well be temperate (and actually, yes I prefer the climate there to most, but not all, of NZ) but the summers are longer and hotter than anywhere in NZ and for some that's not a good thing. That's OK. It's OK for NZ to have some pluses over Oz for some ppl.

I don't doubt the big cities you mention have great coffee and even the entire of Victoria for all I know. However, every time I've visited Australia (for trips between 2 weeks and 7 months in three states) I've not found excellent coffee as readily available from independent outlets so widely available outside of the cities as in NZ.

walshy

Hi, thanks for the reply, we were told by the employer offering my wife the job that residency happens automatically after 2 years, they must be wrong, with this 676 visa, is it subject to medicals etc as my father way old!!!!

Dorothy

The employer was incorrect. He/she may sponsor you for permanent residence any time so long as the job fits the criteria. If after 2 years on a 457 you want to apply for PR you can do so. www.immi.gov.au

As for the 676 visa, I do not believe it has a medical attached, but bear in mind that your father would only be able to access Medicare for urgent/emergent care, and that is only if he is from one of the countries which participate in the reciprocal agreement and he is is an eligible resident. He would be required to have private medical insurance for anything else, including things like flu shots, prescription renewals, etc. I work in a cardiology department at a public hospital in Perth and part of my job is booking procedures. I have seen firsthand more than one person here on a temporary visa have to either pay for their elective angiogram and/or angioplasty, pacemaker, etc or go back to UK to have it done. Others may tell you that they were here on temp visas and got full Medicare, but that is the exception, not the norm.

arigold

Hi, im pretty sure my wifes job ( recruitment) is not on the skills shortage list, so how come they can sponsor her?

With my father, he is more than happy to pay for a bupa type thing in oz, can he as a non resident? as he cant here in nz...