No overseas travel without a return visa

You have to be careful. Don’t go on holidays or visit your relatives abroad and then realize when checking in for the return flight that you are no longer allowed to fly back to Australia. At the latest, after the Australian federal government refused to let its own citizens into the country during the Covid 19 pandemic, we know that Australia’s immigration regulations are not to be trifled with.

However, both my Outlook calendar and an email from the Department of Home Affairs alerted me in good time that if I intend to re-enter Australia after 22 March 2023 and retain my right to work and permanent residence, I should be in possession of a Resident Return Visa.

Application is straightforward

The application was done online and was not particularly difficult to complete. Again, you had to answer various questions, but the core question was “Has the applicant stayed in Australia for a total of at least 2 years in the last 5 years?“. You also had to answer various questions about a possible criminal past (as I already did for the partner visa) and about any military training (e.g. basic military service with the German armed forces). Any supporting documents must be enclosed, whereby I attached the same documents as 5 years ago, as nothing had changed.

However, one was told several times that you had three days to pay the visa fee of AUD 425. Before that, the application would not be processed, and if the application was rejected, you would not get your money back.

How this high fee of AUD 425 is made up (it is even more expensive with a paper application) or why it is so high is beyond me. If you can’t or don’t want to pay it, you have to stay in the country. I then better paid for it online as well.

After only one day, I received written notification that the Resident Return Visa had been granted. At least it was quick. But it can also take 4 months if questions arise during the processing.

But why the Australian federal government requires such a visa in the first place makes no sense to me. You already have a permanent residence permit, your personal data is stored with the Australian federal government and every entry and exit is registered. Only for a holiday in New Zealand, for example, do you need such a return permit. Incomprehensible!

Understanding the background of the Resident Return Visa

I spent a lot of time researching the meaning and purpose of this visa on the internet. In vain. The Australian Federal Government is very cagey when it comes to the rationale behind government rules and actions. Yet we hear time and again that rules and regulations are more likely to be accepted and followed if they are understood. But that doesn’t seem to have sunk in everywhere yet.

I have only found general blah-blah about the background:

“The Australian government’s immigration policies are designed to control the movement of people into and out of the country. The Resident Return Visa is one way the government can regulate the entry of permanent residents who have been away from the country for an extended period of time.

By requiring a Resident Return Visa, the government can ensure that permanent residents have maintained a close and continuing relationship with Australia during their absence. This helps to protect the integrity of the country’s immigration system and prevent fraud or abuse.

Additionally, the Resident Return Visa is designed to protect the rights of permanent residents who have established a life in Australia. It ensures that they can return to the country and continue to live and work as a permanent resident, even if they have been away for more than five years.”

Well, the ways of government are unfathomable. Nothing happens by chance, everything makes sense one day … or not.

The post Resident Return Visa – another expensive Visa appeared first on GoAustralia.

Do you know where Abbotsbury, Berala or Tempe are? Or Greenwich, Balmoral, Waterloo, San Souci and Pyrmont? No? They are suburbs of the same city that also has Bondi, Botany, Manly and The Rocks. But you won’t find the name of the city in the postal address of Australia. You write a letter to Abbotsbury NSW 2176, Berala NSW 2141 or Tempe NSW 2044. Unless you are very familiar with the postcodes of Australia you wouldn’t have a clue that you are actually writing to an address in Sydney. And the postcodes themselves also don’t give you much reference. For example, Gosford, which is about 75 km North of Sydney has the postcode 2250 while Bangor, a Sydney suburb, has the postcode 2234.

Same name, different suburbs, different state

So it pays off to know a bit about the postcodes of a postal address in Australia and where the connected suburbs approximately are. Australia’s early settlers liked to name their towns and suburbs for connections in the Old Country (Britain). Thus, Australia is sprinkled with Richmonds, Kensingtons, Windsors and Brightons. Mistaking one for the other could cost you the price of your letter or parcel never arriving or of booking your holiday accommodation in the wrong town.

Richmond

E.g. Richmond was clearly a favourite of the founding fathers – there’s one in almost every state! Just 3kms from the Melbourne CBD, Victoria’s Richmond (Postcode 3121) it’s only a short stroll from the famous old Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). NSW’s Richmond (Postcode 2753) is a little town 63kms north-west of Sydney in the greater Sydney area at the foot of the Blue Mountains and the nearby town of Windsor. Richmond (Postcode 5033) in South Australia is an inner suburb of Adelaide. There are also two Richmonds in Queensland. One is a small town in the west of the state with wide streets and big skies and the other is a suburb of Mackay.

Kensington

Kensington is another well-loved name across the country. The NSW Kensington (Postcode 2033) is located midway between the Sydney CBD and Bondi Beach. Just 4kms from Melbourne CBD, Victoria’s Kensington (Postcode 3031) is a leafy village with beautiful period houses (Victorian and Edwardian), while South Australia’s Kensington (postcode 5068) is a suburb 5kms east of Adelaide with a population of 1,769.

Manly

While Manly in Sydney might be famous, it has a lesser-known cousin in Queensland too. A beachside suburb 17 km north-east of Sydney, NSW’s Manly (Postcode 2095) has some of the most expensive houses in the country. Not surprising when you consider the beautiful sandy beaches and the fact that you can cruise across the bay to work in the CBD. The Queensland Manly (Postcode 4179) is 19kms east of the Brisbane CBD and features Australia’s biggest boat harbour.

Brighton

Just like the original in the United Kingdom, Australia’s Brightons are all located by the water. Victoria’s Brighton (Postcode 3186) is a bayside suburb 11kms from the Melbourne CBD while South Australia’s Brighton (Postcode 5048) is a coastal suburb with a great beach and famous jetty. 19kms from Brisbane CBD, Queensland’s Brighton (Postcode 4017) is a sleepy seaside suburb with cycling tracks, wetlands and paths.

Postcodes by state

You might have noticed, that the postcodes of Sydney all start with a “2” while Brisbane postcodes starts with “4”. The first one or two numbers usually show the state or territory that the postcode belongs to:

While the first number of a postcode usually shows the state or territory, the second number normally shows a region within the state. However, postcodes with the same second number are not always next to each other. For example, postcodes in the range 2200–2299 are split between the southern suburbs of Sydney and the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie regions of New South Wales. Postcodes with a second number of “0” or “1” are almost always located within the metropolitan area of the state’s capital city.

Postcode-system can be complex

Postcodes in Australia can be quite complex, especially in country areas. E.g. 2570 belongs to twenty-two towns and suburbs around Camden, New South Wales, and all have different names (BELIMBLA PARK 2570, CAMDEN 2570, CAWDOR 2570, GLENMORE 2570, ORANGEVILLE 2570, WEROMBI 2570 etc. etc.). Some postcodes cover large populations (e.g., postcode 4350 serving some 100,000 people in Toowoomba and the surrounding area) while other postcodes comprise only a very small population. And some places do not have a postcode at all. These are typically remote areas with little or no population, e.g. Wyuna in Queensland does not have a postcode.

The correct address number and street is essential

Now we learned that using the correct postcode in combination with the matching state or territory in Australia is essential. But equally important is the right street address which is the house or building number followed by the name of the street. If you live in an apartment building you have to add the unit/letter-box number followed by a slash before the street number. For example “217/3 Smith Street”.

A complete postal address in Australia requires the name, an address number, a road name, a locality (suburb) name and a state or territory name:

Since it is unusual in Australia to put your name on the letter box or anywhere else on your property, Australia Post (and other delivery services) won’t have a clue who actually lives there. So if there is not the correct street address on the mailing it won’t reach you. Furthermore, it will end up in a wrong letterbox. Since we moved to Australia we have received a lot of mail for people totally unknown to us. Or for people who once lived at our address and had their mail only forwarded for 3 months, since forwarding mail with Australia Post is really expensive. In addition, some of that mail seemed to be important i.e. from financial institutions, insurances and government departments.

And such mail often doesn’t get returned to the sender and simply ends up in the bin.

So make sure that your postal address in Australia is 100% correct. In addition, you can check online with Australia Post, if your address combination does exist.

The system of house numbering

The system of numbering the houses in Australia follows the Australia/New Zealand standard (AS/NZS 4819:2011) for Rural & Urban Addressing. It calls for lots and buildings on newly created streets to be assigned odd numbers (on the left) and even numbers (on the right) when facing in the direction of increasing numbers (the European system).

The rural addressing numbers are generally based on a distance from the starting point – usually a road intersection – with odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. For example the address “435 Logan Road” will be 4.35 km from the starting point of the road or an intersection with a major road. This system has the advantage that it is readily locatable by emergency service responders and service delivery providers.

The post Postal address in Australia – you have to get it right appeared first on GoAustralia.

E.g. according to WIKIPEDIA
“An avenue is traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each side” and
“A boulevard is a type of large road, usually running through a city”.

But since Australia is a far far away from Europe so is the practical use of the street designations. There are many avenues without any trees or shrubs or boulevards which are just a few hundred metres long and not very large. In short, the street designations don’t mean much in Australia.

But Australia wouldn’t be Australia, if there weren’t an Australian standard 4819-2011 Appendix A ‘Road Types – Australia’ for rural and urban addressing. The standard establishes requirements and guidance for – amongst others – naming roads. That standard gives a description for the most road types in use in Australia, even though it hasn’t been accurately observed by the local governments and some other addressing authorities.

Using widely accessible address databases (based on information from Australia Post and the Australia Bureau of Statistics) I have compiled a list of street designations in use in Australia. There is the astonishing number of 148 urban address designations in Australia, and I don’t think I have listed all of them. I am also happy about any addition/remarks about the list.

I have also added – when available – the description of each street designation according to standard 4819-2011. Find out yourself if your local street names comply with it ….

The post Avenues, Boulevards and Parades appeared first on GoAustralia.

Restrictions on provisional/probationary drivers

But it actually shows that the driver is on a provisional/probationary licence (or learner’s licence) and carries restrictions. It also indicates other drivers this is an inexperienced driver, and they should make allowances for him.

In reality P-Platers also seem to get a bad name because the P-Plate is easily identifiable and memorable. A prejudice is, if one sees a P-Plater on the road one might expect they will engage in some form of hooning. Some drivers will even target P-Platers.

Also, since P-platers have more restrictions than other drivers, a P-Plate makes it easier for police to enforce the law.

Only a few other countries have a sign-system which shows abilities of drivers

Australia is one of very few countries, where it is compulsory to display P-Plates (or similar plates, like a Japanese shoshinsha mark for new drivers). A new driver holds a Learner licence/permit which has a minimum age of 16 or 15 and 9 months in some areas. This must then be held for a certain amount of time before a driving examination can be undertaken usually 12 months later. The driver must display ‘P’ plates after he passed the test.

Holders of a provisional/probationary licence may be restricted compared to fully licensed drivers in speed, blood alcohol limits, limits on the type and power of their car’s engine (i.e., no more than 6 cylinders, no forced induction), and number of demerit points that can be accrued. Typically, a single serious traffic offence is sufficient to lead to a licence suspension.

While P plate laws in Australia vary by state and territory, there are a few restrictions that apply to provisional drivers throughout Australia:

• A requirement that all provisional licence holders must maintain a 0% blood alcohol level whenever operating a vehicle
• P-plate drivers are required to have their provisional licences on their person whenever driving, and display these to authorities on request
• During the first stage of provisional licensing (P1), or where provisional licensing is not split into two stages, novice drivers are required to prominently display red and white P plates on or in their vehicles

Different rules in all states and territories

So if a P-Plater wants to drive across the several states, he is better to know the different “must” and “must nots” for P-Platers, since they can vary quite a bit. And not knowing may result in fine, even if you are from another state …

For example, already the required design of the Plates to be displayed deviates from state to state.

The post P-Plates appeared first on GoAustralia.

For this reason, the security features have now been improved so significantly. The $ 50-dollar note is a marvel of modern technology.

It’s light. It’s tough. It is incredibly hard to fake.

And it has a typo.

And nobody has noticed it before.

The typographical error is in the word “Responsibility”, which was discovered only months after the distribution of 46 million banknotes.

Under a magnifying glass you can see the typo in microscopic text on the note just above the shoulder of the depicted woman (Edith Cowan) on one side of the note.

In the text taken from Edith Cowan’s first speech to the Western Australian Parliament in 1921, the word “responsibility” lacks the third “i” and is “Responsibilty”.

The excerpt appears three times on the banknote, each misspelled in the same way:

“It is a great responsibilty to be the only woman here, and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here. …”

A spokesman for the Royal Bank of Australia said the mistake would be corrected in the next edition of the notes and put into circulation around the end of 2019.

46 million notes with typos

The new $ 50 note was introduced in February 2018 and went in circulation in October 2018. The edition amounted to 46 million (!) Banknotes worth 2.3 billion US dollars.

Concentrating on all the new security features, one probably forgot to run the spell checker over the text, or had no money left for it.

Or nobody had the responsibilty …

Given that there are more notes in circulation than the country of almost 25 million has citizens, it is less likely that the banknote will be sought after by collectors. At least the typo is almost certain to secure Australia a spot in the hall of fame of currency blunders.

The post $ 50 note with typo appeared first on GoAustralia.

The origin of Justices of the Peace nevertheless has been traced back to Britain in 1195, when Richard I “The Lionheart” commissioned certain knights to preserve the peace in unruly areas. They were responsible to the King for ensuring that the law was upheld, and they were known as Custodes Pacis (Keepers of the Peace). The Custodes Pacis were the forefathers of Justices of the Peace.

Over time, Justices of the Peace in Britain were authorised to perform functions ranging from hearing and determining offences to licensing public houses.

Justices of the Peace (JPS) in Australia today though play a more limited role and have little in common with their earlier British counterparts. Justices of the Peace were recognised in the Australian colonies from 1788, and the first Justice of the Peace was appointed after the settlement of South Australia in 1836.

The role of the Justice of the Peace (JP) is to act as an independent and objective witness to documents people use for official or legal purposes, such as witnessing and certifying routine legal documents including wills, affidavits, statutory declarations and passport applications. JPs can serve different roles in different jurisdictions.

The Justices of the Peace are volunteers and the services are free. This is very convenient, as it spares you the cumbersome and usually not cheap way to visit a notary, etc.

There are no national Justices of the Peace in Australia. Each state and territory has its own legislation to regulate the appointment and powers of Justices of the Peace. The functions of the office are different from state to state and witnessing requirements also differ between jurisdictions.

Justice of the Peace can be found at court registries, as well as shopping centres and other locations. Most states include a search to find a JP near you.

We have already used the services of JPs, which is easy and not complicated. The JP are normally also very friendly and helpful.

By the way, in the state of Queensland, a JP has the additional powers to issue search warrants and arrest warrants and, in conjunction with another JP constitute a magistrates’ court for exercising powers to remand defendants in custody, grant bail, and adjourn court hearings

And that reminds one a little bit of Roy Bean …

Links

• ACT
• NSW
• NT
• Qld
• SA
• Tas
• Vic
• WA

The post Justice of the Peace – a useful institution appeared first on GoAustralia.

That was a good thing, because when I inquired about what Australia Post charges for re-directing private mail, it just overwhelmed me.

Getting your letters redirected to your new address for only one month within Australia costs AUD 30.80 and up to 3 months AUD 53.10 ….

Worldwide it is AUD 115 for one month and AUD 297.55 (!!!) for 3 months. For one year it would be a stunning AUD 1,124.85. Two years would then cost AUD 2,249.70. Remember, I paid AUD 55.00 for two years from Europe to Australia.

Now I understand why we regularly have been receiving letters addressed to people who previously had lived at our current address. Understandably, considering the mail redirection prices of Australia Post, people are reluctant to redirect the mail for more than 1 to 3 months.

The post Redirecting mail – Australia Post 40 times more expensive appeared first on GoAustralia.

Now one could actually celebrate, but the whole process up to here was just as bureaucratic as the issue of the grant. So somehow I do not feel like celebrating. After all, we can now look for a house / apartment to buy, without having to pay additional foreigners taxes.

A temporary visa was granted first in order to facilitate grant of the permanent one (which was done immediately after). So now I do not need to wait another 2 years on the basis of a temporary visa until I finally get the permanent one. That’s good.

Permanent has a different meaning in Australia at least in connection with visas.

If I want to leave the country after 22.03.2023 (after 5 years), I have to apply for a new visa to re-enter, a so-called “Resident Return Visa”. Otherwise it can happen that I will not be admitted again. In this respect, the permanent visa is not permanent.

The Resident Return Visa then is usually issued again for 5 years. During this 5-year period you may travel in and out as often as you like. You only have to spend a total of at least 2 years or 730 days in Australia.

Also on the grant paper one is warned:

“You are required to tell us about any changes to your details as soon as possible. These changes may include your name, passport, contact details, address or family
members. If you do not notify us of your new details, this can have serious consequences for you.”

With 120 pages of completed forms, this can be all kinds of information.

Now I have to read the details again.

The post The permanent visa granted appeared first on GoAustralia.

Expensive health check

In addition to the general medical examination (AUD 222.50), it includes a chest X-ray (AUD 109.00) and an HIV blood test (AUD 47.90). Before you come to the examination date, you have to answer various health questions online. Then you get a so-called “referral letter”. You then have to enter data from this referral letter online to make an appointment on the website of “Bupa Medical Visa Services”. Then you are asked to make an appointment by phone (as usual in Australia) directly with the desired clinic. On the phone then again the same data were requested, which I had already given on the Internet …

When I arrived at the appointment, I was handed a form in which I had to give a third time the same data (name, address, phone number, etc.). In addition, I was photographed for “identity reasons”. After 25 minutes the necessary bureaucratic work was done by the clerk, and I was allowed to pay the fee of AUD 379.40. For that price I expected a substantial medical examination.

Not much of a thorough medical examination for the money

After another waiting time of about 20 minutes, a medical assistant or nurse guided me in a small room. There my height and weight were measured, my vision tested with a chart hanging at a wall, urine sample taken (which served the only purpose to determine if I would take drugs) and blood pressure measured. The whole process took barely more than 8 minutes. Then another assistant in another room took blood from me (for the HIV test and only for that) before I was sent back to the waiting room.

When I was asked in to the actual doctor after a short time, I thought that the thorough examination would commence. But the doctor needed barely more than 5 minutes to measure the reflexes (hitting the kneecaps with the hammer), listening to the respiratory tract through the shirt and looking into the ears, eyes and throat. He asked me if I was alright, if I had any specific medical background and if I was taking medication. Finished.

Then waiting again until I was taken to an X-ray room for the chest X-ray. Again, I did not have to take off anything and it took only 5 minutes.

All done within an hour for AUD 379.40 and the results I will not get, only the immigration authority….

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