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Comment on LAFHA – Living Away From Home Allowance by ABCDiamond

ABCDiamond — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:39:00 +0000

From what I know about this, the LAFHA is payable at the discretion of each employer. If the contract states you get it for 6 months, then that is all you should have received. They appear to have forgotten to cancel it.
No one but the employer is able decide who gets LAFHA.

Comment on LAFHA – Living Away From Home Allowance by Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:02:15 +0000

Dear Sir,
I have a 457 Long Stay Visa and a property in the UK being rented out.In my contract of employment with the company it states that LAFHA will be paid for the 1st 6 month period.They have paid it for 10 months and then ceased it in January 2012.
My employment terms have not changed.
Should I still be recieving LAFHA ? irrespective of what it states in my contract of employment with my employer.
Could you confirm ABC DIAMOND

Comment on UK and Australian Passports by ABCDiamond

ABCDiamond — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:15:19 +0000

Information from the relevant official websites:

Normal Passport times:

We aim to process the new passport within four weeks from the date the fee is taken and the application contains all of the information we need. Failure to provide all of the required documentation will result in your application being delayed or returned.
If it is a first time application, or you are replacing a lost or stolen passport, you should allow at least six weeks.
http://ukinnewzealand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/how-to-apply/australia#timing

Emergency Travel Document
From July 2009 the United Kingdom will start to introduce a new emergency passport.
The new document reflects the increased focus on security and the need to continue to enhance the integrity of UK travel documentation.
The new passports are digitally imaged, machine readable and compliant with ICAO 9303. They feature the latest thin film laminate technology.
They will be issued for emergency purposes to UK citizens overseas in circumstances where their full validity passport is not available e.g. where it has been lost or stolen.
They can also be issued to unrepresented EU or Commonwealth citizens with the permission of their national governments.
This is an emergency travel document which will be valid for less than one year, does not contain a chip
and has a limited number of pages for visas.
We expect the document to be widely used by mid-2010.

Within Australia, please call your nearest Consular Section in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne or Perth.
http://ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/

Comment on UK and Australian Passports by Janet Knight

Janet Knight — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:49:20 +0000

I am travelling on 3 April to the US – I am still waiting for my birth cert. to arrive before I can apply for the passport – can I get a passport any faster than 10 weeks?

Comment on Importing Your Car into Australia by ELAINE

ELAINE — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:52:11 +0000

£2000 shipping don’t bother having it steam cleaned because you will still have to have it done in OZ
cost $550
£120 for the car to be picked up from you home.
import duty and GST depends on the valuation here ours is a Vauxhall Vectra 2007 valuation in UK £3500 here $9000 we had to pay $1550.15
Inspection $90
Import plate $86
car plates $24
Rego (this depends on the weight of the car) our is about $600
Imported cars. The only company I can find to insure it is Just Cars and it is $750
NO DOUBT THERE WAS MORE COSTS THAT I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT

Comment on Importing Your Car into Australia by ELAINE

ELAINE — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:39:29 +0000

DON’T DO IT.
It’s not worth it, it’s a nightmare. We are just going through it now, just got the car after 20 weeks, but this did include 7 weeks waiting for an import licence.
Nothing but trouble and EXTRA expence from day one.
If shipping company tell you the import duty is one the valuation of the car in the UK it’s not true, the valuation is on the value that they decide here, which in our case was double!!!
Also when you get it here and have it inspected and passed you then have to send off for an import plate before you can get it register and at this time you can’t get in insured because it is not registered in Australia.
As I say AGAIN don’t do it, just get what you can in the UK and buy another on here.
‘what the saying YOU ARE ALWAYS WISER AFTER THE EVENT’

Comment on Importing Your Car into Australia by Trev

Trev — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:49:43 +0000

Hi Jeremy,

Sounds like good advice after all the research I have done . I’m looking to import a €20k pre1989 , 911. All up , I guess $8k aus costs. And keeping and improving it as a hobby.

I have looked at tauras logistics , whom claim to take care of everything, any advice on these guys or a similar company. I have some one in either ireland or England to sort that side, thanks for the help in advance, cheers t

Comment on Home Schooling in Australia by G Toye

G Toye — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:11:19 +0000

Dear Sirs

My parterner may be offered a role in Sydney for 2 years, however my middle daughter aged 14 will start her GCSE’s next year and I have noticed that there is no where availble for her to do her GCSE which she will need to do as we will be returning to the UK. Therefore we are considering home schooling her, is this possible and is there a tutor that can teach her the GCSE’s

Kind regards

Gina

Comment on Credit Cards by ABCDiamond

ABCDiamond — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:51:05 +0000

Commonwealth bank and the ANZ charge $20 for late payment fees, but you have to watch out for their annual fees, which HSBC do not have.

All credit cards will sting you for the Interest if an account isn’t paid on time, and that includes all the free days that are NOT interest free if it isn’t paid on time.

An automatic payment is the best plan to avoid these problems, which do happen on just about all Credit Cards.

My own HSBC credit card has never been a problem, but our ANZ one has. I am sure that other readers will have similar problems with their credit cards. We got hit with $139 in interest for being late by one day on one month. Fortunately we didn’t get hit with the late payment fee, as we set up an auto payment of 5% of our limit half way through each month, to safeguard just that.

NAB recently reduced their late payment fee from $30 to only $5…. Worth looking at, although other banks will probably follow.

Comment on Credit Cards by Disappointed

Disappointed — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:10:53 +0000

HSBC are appalling. Whatever you do, don’t get one of their credit cards. If you have the misfortune to forget to pay they call and call and then the charges are horrendous. I missed a $74 payment because of holidays ( yes I should have been better organised) and they charged a $30 late fee reminder ( the pleasure of being hounded and then the painful call with the 3 minutes of checking who you are and slowly getting to the point). I ended up hanging up after stating pleasantly that I would pay the full amount that day and because I hung up they cancelled the card. I have also been charged interest for last month and then everyday this month it is overdue. Disgusting. Go elsewhere!