Latest Posts

Britzinoz, an information site for British Migrants to Australia, providing information since October 2005.

It is Father’s Day in the UK on Sunday 17th June 2018

You can now have a card printed and posted from the UK, for not much more than the cost of a card plus postage from Australia.

  • GBP at 3 year high against AUD.
    British Pound hits 3-year high against Australian Dollar. GBP to AUD is almost A$2 to the £ in August 2023. Will it go above $2 before the 12th August? Register with XE Money Transfer using this link and when you transfer $1,000 or more, we'll both get a $25 Mastercard gift card.
  • Minimum Wage in Australia 2023-24
    2023/2024 Australian Minimum Wage. The Australian government has announced an increase in the minimum wage from July 2023. (Minimum Wage in Australia 2023-24) Australia's minimum wage will rise to $23.23 an hour from 1 July 2023. This will be an extra $69.80 per week, taking the weekly pay to $882.40 a week for full-time workers. Casual employees covered by ...
  • Australian Interest Rates – Reserve Bank of Australia
    The Australian Reserve Bank Cash Rate. The Australian cash rate is the overnight money market interest rate. It is used as the interest rate on unsecured overnight loans between banks. Home Loan Interest rates are often affected by any changes in this rate, but not always. 6th June 2023 RBA Decision. At its meeting on 6 July 2023, the Board ...
  • GBP-AUD FX rate for UK Pension to Australia
    How Much is a UK Pension worth in Australia? How Much is a UK Pension worth in Australia? For every British Pound of Pension, the following figures show what you would receive in an Australian bank account: GBP-AUD Exchange Rates History 2023. $1.8600785 - Mon, 15 May 23 $1.8466867 - Tue, 18 Apr 23 $1.8088201 - Tue, 21 ...
  • Pancake Tuesday 2023.
    2023 Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day, also called Pancake Tuesday, is the common name for Shrove Tuesday. In 2023, Pancake Day is celebrated on Tuesday, 21 February 2023. The date is always calculated as 47 days before Easter, and is the day before Ash Wednesday. Why do we eat pancakes 47 days before Easter? Ash Wednesday marks the ...
  • Doctors & Prescriptions Costs
    Costs for Doctors & Prescriptions in Australia Doctors and Prescriptions Costs seem to increase every year in Australia. Prescription costs generally rise every January, and the doctors charges can vary between different doctors practices. Some abiding by the government recommended figures and others charging more. Prescription Costs in Australia A standard Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription cost from ...
  • Minimum Wage in Australia 2022-23
    2022/2023 Australian Minimum Wage. The Australian government has announced an increase in the minimum wage from July 2022. (Minimum Wage in Australia 2022-23) Australia's minimum wage will rise to $21.38 an hour from 1 July 2022. This will be an extra $40.00 per week, taking the weekly pay to $812.60 a week for full-time workers. Casual employees covered by ...
  • Income Tax rates 2022-2023 in Australia
    Australian Income Tax 2022-2023. The Australian Income Tax rates for 2022-2023 are shown below.  The Australian 2022-2023 Income Tax year runs from 1st July 2022 to 30 June 2023. Proposed 2022-23 Tax Rates These are the proposed Australian Income Tax rates for the 2022-23 tax year. They are subject to any changes brought in by the new government. Taxable ...
  • Subclass 309 Processing Times in London
    Processing times for the Subclass 309 Offshore Partner visas in London processing office. These are some processing times for the Australian subclass 309 offshore partner visa applications that have been processed in the London, United Kingdom office.  The majority may be UK Citizens, but some will be other Nationalities, where their applications are transferred to the ...
  • Subclass 309 Processing times for citizens of United Kingdom
    Processing times for the Subclass 309 Offshore Partner visas for citizens of United Kingdom. These are some processing times for the Australian subclass 309 offshore partner visa for UK citizens, no matter which processing office finalised the visa application. December 2021 Processing Times 25% were finalised in under 2 months, during December 2021. 25% were finalised between ...
  • Subclass 482 Medium Term Visa Processing Times
    Subclass 482 Medium-term visa processing times in January 2022. Median average processing time for Subclass 482 Medium-term visas, that were finalised in January 2022, was 49 days. 25% took under 33 days 25% took between 33 days and 49 days 25% took between 49 days and 3 months 15% took between 3 months and 7 months ...
  • Subclass 482 Short Term visa processing times.
    Subclass 482 Short Term visa processing times in February 2022. Median average processing time for Subclass 482 Short Term visas, that were finalised in February 2022, was 4 months. 25% took under 62 days. 25% took between 62 days and 4 months. 25% took between 4 months and 9 months. 15% took between 9 months and ...
  • BBC on UK Expats in Australia.
    Covid: UK expats struggle with Australia lockdowns. An interesting article on the BBC website. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-58434251 Asking how are British expats coping as Australia's borders continue to be closed?
  • Australian Aged Pension Eligibility – Income
    Income Requirement to be eligible for the Australian Aged Pension. Services Australia (Centrelink) have income limit requirements, for someone to be eligible for the Australian Aged pension. It is called the "Income test for pensions". Centrelink assess your and your partner’s income from all sources, to carry out this Income test. Single Pensioner Aged Pension Income Limit Basically a Single ...
  • Australian Aged Pension Eligibility – Residence
    Residence Requirement to be eligible for the Australian Aged Pension. Services Australia (Centrelink) state the following rules for the Residency Requirement, to be eligible for the Australian Aged pension. To get Age Pension you generally need to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years in total. For at least 5 of these years, there ...


Need a Visa for Australia ?

Not sure which visa to apply for ? The Australian Government immigration website now has the FIND A VISA WIZARD at: www.immi.gov.au/visawizard Answer the questions and the wizard will point you in the right direction…

Immigration Rule Changes

Updates and changes can be seen at:

Family Tax Benefits stopped for non lodgement of Tax Returns
Changes to the Building Trade Licence Legislation – QUEENSLAND

From 1 December 2009, there was a change to building licensing regulations in Queensland. Most work valued at $3,300 or less is now exempt from BSA’s licensing requirements. The previous threshold was $1,100.

Books about Australia

There are many books about Australia, and Amazon have an excellent choice. Some of these are a must read for people wanting to find out more about Australia.

Driving in Queensland

Most speed limits in built up areas in Brisbane are 60kph (37.5mph), but this reduces to 50kph (31.25mph) in many residential areas. Other roads may be 80kph (50mph), with 100 kph (62.5mph) or 110 kph (68.75mph) on the Freeways/Motorways.

More…. Driving in Queensland