mashiraz

The forums so quiet tonight, I've done all my jobs, nothing on telly, so what can I research now before I get bored and restless waiting for my visa.

What is everyone else researching?

Mash..

Paul and Steph

Hi Mash

one of the things I keep putting off because I know it's going to be a pain is the taxation side of things, ie. transferring pensions from UK to Oz.

Not looking forward to it but it has to be done. Suppose I could do it tonight..... but then again a glass of wine or two sounds good as an alternative.

Steph

tinaj

Just watched 'No going back' which was about a couple who moved to Catalonia 3 years ago. It followed their new lives running a 9 acre farm. Quite interesting, I just kept watching the children's happy faces and thinking 'my kids will have that amount of freedom one day'
I have never seen one on Aus, maybe one day one of us forum users will be on there!

Ginny

Hi there,

I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off researching. I've just about sickened myself after all the research I've had to do for my MSc in IT.

Saying that I start a new part time job next week as a research nurse co-ordinator so I shall be screaming again!

Apart from all that crap I keep surfing and searching for any little snippets for our validation trip later on in the year. Somethings got to keep me going.

Take care

Ginny

Dudley

Hi Steph,

How about leaving your UK pension where it is - provided it's good and well invested?

In Australia, your employer must contribute an additional 9% superannuation above and beyond your agreed gross salary.

It makes sense to have reasonably diverse investments so investments in the UK make sense.

As far as I know, there are no tax difficulties like having to account annually in Australia for your UK pension - at least until you retire and start to recieve a personal income from your UK pension.

pread

Dudley,

I consider myself a financial dunce, but I seem to recall something about UK pensions not being index-linked once you were resident in Australia ? Or something to that effect ?

Cheers,
Paul.

Kiwipaul

I believe

that applies to state pensions and it applies when you first draw the pension. Once you draw the pension from UK in Oz or NZ you will only get the same amount for as long as you live their is no indexiation once you start drawing it.

But if you have a private pension that would be different, as it has a value, as you have payed into it and can expect the benefits where ever you live. This you would be able to transfer, but I believe it would be better to leave it in the UK as previous poster suggested.

I don't belive you would be able to transfer the value of the state pension to a pension company here as the state pension is different as everyone gets the same amount when they retire, and it depends on how many years they have contributed not how much they have contributed.

But their agin I could be wrong as I'm no expert.

pommie bastard

Go down the video shop and get a few Aussie made flims out try Chopper , The Rabbit Proof Fence (maybe out now?),The Castle , Australian Rules , Romper Stomper to name a few it will give you a insight to what an Australian is , the Aussie soaps are pure lah lah land .
The Aussies do not make the worlds best films but they are quite watchable and having lived here a while I can relate to some of them.

Dudley

Yes - a very useful suggestion from PB.

If you just get one I'd recommend "The Castle". It is as accurate a depiction of how the city working poor live in Australia as any film I can think of - and a touching comedy as well. If you see yourself in the frame, I suggest you think extra hard about emigrating. You might be better off spending the same energy on a better education and / or an invigorating adventure.

The Rabbit Proof Fence is a film about British Colonial treatment of the West Australian Aboriginies - well worth a look but not relevant to the intending immigrant except from an educational point of view.

The others I personally would not watch.

Inked

Have you actually watched the Castle, its funny and heart warming.. if life is guaranteed to be like that in Australia… then it’s a lot better than a lot of folk have in the uk..

If you recall, the family were hard working, and succeeding. They had a main home and a holiday home and by the end of the film they have a successful business and a happy family - always willing to help the neighbours and relating well with those living round them

Sounds to me like you considered the family rather low - not having the best of everything - , almost a middle class English snobbery outlook on them.

pommie bastard

The Castle is a feel good flim , as the guy said its about a lower working class family if thats all you aspire to great.
Try Chopper its about a real life Melbourne guy basied on his life , see how smug you feel then? this is about the real working class look up Chopper Reid on the internet.


http://www.bigirishgit.com/Movies/chopper.htm

Inked

'Lower working class family'.... lol
I don’t know you PB, but was expecting your reply to be of this form

Kind of sums you up from what I have read in the past…


and re.. chopper.. you hold that up as real melbourne folk... and yet the web site you offer states....


'Chopper, the movie, is a screen dramatisation based on the life of Mark 'Chopper' Reid. Some literary and dramatic license has been taken by director Andrew Dominik and the movie is not intended to be biographical.
But it does tell a story of a very sick and twisted individual '

you realy trying to say that this it the typical Melboure model of a man????

get real mate..

pommie bastard

Chopper is based on a real life guy and Melbourne in general , the number one bad guy in Perth has Melbourne friends shares the same hobbies so maybe the place breds this kind of jolly guy.

http://www.melbournecrime.bizhosting.com/jkizon.htm


As a teenager, John Kizon was a star boxer. He grew up in Perth's northern suburbs, training with many of his current business associates.

Kizon later became one of Australia's most colourful crime identities. Kizon, a nightclub owner and entertainment promoter, was a close friend of Alphonse Gangitano, the Melbourne crime figure gunned down in his Templestowe home in January 1998.

Inked

And your point is????

pommie bastard

None at all as I said in the first post get a few videos out made by Austrailian flim makers ,and you may pick something up reguarding what an Australian is and the way of life here.
You may even met Mr Kizon very nice hes always around Northbridge try and walk the way he does hit anyone but his minders have been known to slap people around for looking at the guy.
Another Melbourne flim worth a look is Romper Stomper , young boys having fun could even been set in the UK stars that nice Kiwi Mr Crow now an aussie and behaves like one to.

http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=7835