Wendy

Yes Margaret you are entitled to it. You should get Family Tax Benefit, Rent Assistance and Help with Child Care costs (obviously how much you earn determines how much you get. )

FTB Part A- http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...5odG0!#7_0_6IF

FTB Part B (for single income families or single parents) - http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...IuaHRt#7_0_6IF

Child Care benefit - http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...5odG0!#7_0_6IF

Child Care Tax Rebate - http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...IuaHRt#7_0_6IF

Rent Assistance - http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...h0bQ!!#7_0_6I6

(Rent assistance is only paid when FTB is being paid fortnightly and not for those that claim yearly through their tax return)

Baby Bonus $4187 (from 1 July 2008 the Baby Bonus will be increased to $5000) - http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...kuaHRt#7_0_6II

Rach, I suggest you download all that info and go down to Centrelink with it, as you ARE entitled to all the above if that's all the wage you have coming in.

Margaret3

TFFT, Thought i was in serious dept for a min

OzzieNurse

All I know is what the guy at centrelink told me and that there is a two year qualifying period for new residents and some benefits. I dont know if it is a new thing they have brought in but when I asked the guy calculated that I would get $400 a month assistance and that was that. I may have had bad advice. I am only going off what he said and that after two years I am entitled to all the help but at the moment I will only get child care help and I am not entitled to family assistance.

Also I dont get anything at the moment as I earn too much as at the moment I am working full time. I asked what I would be entitled to when I was on maternity leave and they said $400 a month total.
Also I am not sure if I will get maternity pay from work or not either. But as far as centrelink goes I am not entitled to maternity payment. All I get is $7 off my childcare per week and I would get $400 per month help thats it on maternity leave. I get the $4000 baby bond but truthfully how long would that last??

Dorothy

If you are here on a 136 visa then you should be able to get a 100% mortgage. We were only in Adelaide about 6 weeks when we were approved for a 100% mortgage to build. We didn't end up buying the land, but again in Perth we had only been here a couple of months when we looked into buying again and were approved. The banks are more than happy to lend you money.
For real estate advice I would PM Bobcat. He's helped a few people here out. He may be able to help you with rentals if the one you're going for doesn't pan out.
Good luck with everything. I can't imagine how difficult it is for you right now. I think I sent you my mobile number, so if you want to meet for a cuppa sometime just give me a shout.

JAJ

I really cannot believe you are still calling the so-called "helpline" after all you have been told about the wrong advice that people get.

Use the website. It's much better.

And once again. The newly arrived residents waiting period (not a new idea) only applies to some benefits, not others. These are the only ones to which it applies:
http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/w...5odG0!#7_0_5RT

Also, your child when it arrives will be an Australian citizen and even if the waiting period applies, that may well be a basis for waiver.

We can all give you good advice here but it's not going to help you a great deal if you want to try and confirm everything with the "helpline" as many of the people on government helplines in general are not properly trained in the rules and just read from the same website as the one you can look at yourself.

OzzieNurse

Ok JAJ thanks for that. The main problem is whether or not I am strong enough to stay here on my own with one 4 year old and another on the way. Whether I am strong enough to even want to fight or argue anymore. At the moment I am just so worn out emotionally and physically that I just go with the flow. Looked at a rental today hope we get it. Once we have somewhere to call our own we can at least discuss it further. I have some medical problems with the pregnancy which makes me high risk for miscarriage so I really don't want to be stressing or flying at the moment.
Anyway just taking every day as it comes and trying to just stay positive. Getting harder but helps to have good support on here. Thanks

Nu-Shooz

Rachel, does your hubby still want to go home?

martin davidson

i think that you have to do what is best for you,life is very short,and i think that you must follow your heart sometimes that is not easy.like we said at the beginning of this topic we tryed twice living in perth,met some fantastic people but it just was not for us, i think with having the 4571e visa it proved too hard as we did not want to do what most people did, and that was to buy a cafe, all i can say looking back now what a great experience, it has taken us a while to settle down,we are getting there. I just hope that you make the right decision for you and your familly,everyday i come home and look forward to catching up on this topic great read and quite emotional,all i can say if you decide to stay with the amount of support that you have got on this forum you will be ok. just got to focus on you and the baby and yourself.keep your chin up.

daunted

Rachie i have rung loads - PM me. Im going to be starting work on MOnday but free all this week if you wanna meet up and kick the s*** out of a koala!!!!!!!!! (only kidding before anyone panics!!)

I got a fit aussie guy called kevin now - he takes me anywhere i wanna go and he doesnt leave the toilet seat up! so could meet up

TiddlyPom

What sort of bloke does that?!? A robotic one?

daunted

nope - he sits in the car and gives me directions in a gently australian twang! his name is kevin accordin to the box and if i take a wrong turning he doesnt go on about it for days he just gets me straight back onto the right path

TiddlyPom

Forget it. Don't need no man to give me directions!

daunted

ok - but he does have a pretty sexy voice and its good sometimes to take a wrong turn just to P**** him off

TiddlyPom

Mmmm, almost worth the money....!

manc1

Could save a few arguments.