The information on this page is aimed at giving you an idea of what you will spend on bills, what you will need to set up a bank account in Australia and what medical cover Australia offers.


Bills
Type Time Average Price Website
Electricity 3 Months Approx $100 for 2 people Energex
  FYI: The Electricity system used in Australia is AC 240 Volts 50 cycle.
Gas 3 Months Approx $40 for 2 people
Phone 3 Months Approx $50 for 2 people (There are a number of companies who provide phone connection services - each have their own rates for local/interstate and international calls) Telstra
Primus Telecom
Dingo Blue
Optus



Bank Account Details
When starting up a new bank account in Austalia, all banks will require one hundred points worth of Identification. This means that certain ID is worth a certain amount of points, for example photo ID is worth more than documentation ID.

Immigrants come under a special 6 week Special Provisions Act. They are awarded an automatic 100 points with their passport which will allow them to open a bank account immediately.

After the 6 week period has expired they will need to prove their 100 points.

· Passport = 80 points

· Overseas Bank Statement = 25 points

· Employer Reference = 25 points


There are many options to select from when choosing who to bank with. Here are the websites of some of your choices:

ANZ (phone: 13 1314)

Westpac (phone: 13 2032)

National (phone: 13 2265)

Australian Credit Union Network - with links to a varity of Credit Union options

Commonwealth Bank (phone: 13 2221)

St George (phone: 13 3555)

Suncorp Metway (phone: 13 1155)