Must disagree with you on all counts here. Firstly its actually unlawful to pass personal data outside the EU without your consent. Australia is about as far away from the EU as you can get. International banks are run as seperate entities throughout the world although under the same trading names. There is no "global customer database situation".

Professional investigators are used to trace people with massive debts where its considered economic to do so. You must understand the cost of tracing someone can run into 1000's when you are dealing with matters overseas. Then there is the none too small issue of trying to enforce a debts in the UK using the UK legal system when your respondent is in Australia. Because we are dealing with civil debts there are only a few options available and most involve county court judgements, high court writs and bankruptcy. All of which are pretty useless when you have someone living in Australia.

The fact is people do get away with it. However, that is not to say that everyone does - circumstances are all very different and its impossible to generalise but it can be done. I dont suggest it for a second by the way but at the same time I am certainly not judgemental about people who do. Its a matter of whether you can live with the possibility of the next 6 years someone looking for you. After that time its largely irrelevant anyway due to the statute of limitations.

As to going to prison - thats rubbish. You cannot have criminal actions brought against you for a civil debt unless its fraud and by that it means you diliberately went out to decieve someone with the intent of never paying it back. The only exception in England and Wales is Council Tax and other Taxes which are provided for in legislation.

I wouldn't dare even comment on the ethics of either. Its been done many times over on this board

Thanks for the info everyone and it made interesting reading.
Not being judgmental or moral, don't have any idea the amounts outstanding for some guys and don't want to know. I know in my case that I will be regularly coming back so would not want any complications.
Good luck everyone else with your moves to Oz.

Look into Homestart...... They offer 100% mortgages and coupled with the first time buyer grant you only need around $3000 to get on the ladder, although I gather they charge high interest rates.

My bank have already talked to us about a mortgage and have been very helpful - we've been in Aus for 5 weeks.
They deal with people who emigrate all the time so they're used to this lack of history thing. All you need is a job and go and visit a few mortgage providers. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. We already have an 'offer' from them and know exactly how much they'll give us.
There's no need to build up a huge history at all. They want the business after all.

Thanks for that makes me feel so much better.

looks like there could be a few miles in this. do you rekon that they could get their hands on any investments/endowments that you have tucked away while your waiting for them to mature?