Australia is a stunningly beautiful continent with unique animal and plant life. So unique that scientists could not initially believe that they really existed.  European settlers first landed in the 18th century, and most were British convicts. By the 19th century the discovery of gold had accelerated the arrival of new, free settlers. Although the first settlers claimed that the continent was uninhabited, hundreds of thousands of indigenous people were already present when the settlers arrived. They were the First People of Australia. 

Climate in Australia | Government in Australia | Tax System in Australia | Medical Care in Australia | Real Estate in Australia | Shopping in Australia | Cost of Living in Australia

A New Life in Australia

In 1993-94, 240 people were granted self-supporting retirement visas by the Australian government. By 2000-01, this has increased almost ten times to 2,061 people. Unfortunately it is hard to get this visa.  You have to be 55 years old+ and must bring to Australia the amount of $Aus360, 000 or what will amount to Aus$25,000 in income per year.  You also have to acquire a good medical insurance policy with an Australian company plus fulfill health and character requirements. In addition the retirement visa only lasts for four years although there are steps being taken to change this.

Climate in Australia

Australia has four seasons: summer from December to February, autumn from March to May,  winter from June to August and spring from September to November. Though evenings are generally cooler, summer is exceedingly hot, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees C. This is why skin cancers are so prevalent among Australians who tend to ‘bake’ in the sun to get that attractive tan. If you want to settle in Australia, you will have to observe certain precautions such as the regular use of sunscreens; time out from the sun during the hottest times of the day; drinking lots of water; wearing protective clothing; and the like. In contrast, the problem in winter is to stay warm and properly protected.

Government in Australia

The past ten years have been called John Howard’s decade. John Howard is the Australian Prime Minister and head of a conservative coalition in power since 1996. There have been serious criticisms from without and within the country of Australia’s treatment of the First Peoples, the White Australia policy that discriminated against non-white immigrants, and its 2007 Work Choices legislation. The latter has in effect reduced the minimum set of benefits, which almost all Australian labor used to enjoy. Although the country has portrayed itself as part of the Asia-Pacific region it is still tied to the British Commonwealth.

Australia is a federal democracy composed of six states and two territories. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General. Australia’s national Parliament is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. States and territories have their own legislatures.

Tax System in Australia

People thinking of retiring in Australia should have a long look at its tax system, which has been called as “incredibly high.”  People who work in Australia are assigned a unique TFN or number, which is used to help determine how much tax will be withheld from their earnings. Taxes are withheld based on your tax bracket.  Individual taxpayers pay taxes on their salaries and wages, business income, and capital gains.

Medical Care in Australia

Medicare was introduced in the 1970s by the Labor government. Its principal functions were to meet the cost of medical treatment, medicine and services provided by public hospitals. Australians can be treated either as public patients in public hospitals, private patients in public hospitals or private patients in private hospitals. The federal government supplies the bulk of public health expenditure (two-thirds) while about one third comes from state, territory and local levels. Half the Australian population has private health insurance.  The Howard government wants to encourage the growth of private health insurance used in tandem with Medicare to cover the entire population.

A study discovered that the quality of health care in Australia and New Zealand was the best compared to the UK and US. Australian also ranked fifth among 30 top destinations for retirees. One advantage is the fact that people speak English. Another is Australia’s weak currency, which favors someone with US dollars.

Real Estate in Australia

If you intend to stay more than three years or longer in Australia, it is better if you buy, not rent, since this would be more profitable from a strategic point of view. About 70 percent of the local real estate market consists of purchases and prices of houses have gone up since last year in most areas (about 8%) except for a slight dip in Sydney (0.1%).  Sydney is a target area for many expatriates who want to move to and retire in Australia. There are signs that the real estate market might improve this year for those who are thinking of investing in properties. A two bedroom apartment in Airlie Beach with a balcony, near the Barrier Reef and tropical islands, for Aus$37,000 is quite an attractive buy.

Shopping in Australia

Australians patronize Target, Big W and K-mart as they offer the best value, that is, good quality for low prices. This covers both ordinary items for the home and the family. Also in this category are leading supermarkets Coles and Woolworths.

More high-end are the Bayswiss stores, which feature attractive furniture and accessories still at affordable prices, as well as David Jones and Myer department stores. You can get fresh produce in great variety from the former.

For those who want to economize even further, you can resort to buying previously used goods through garage sales, ads in the Internet and newspapers, and The Trading Post, a national paper that advertises used and new items.

Cost of Living in Australia

The cost of living in Australia seems to be similar to the COL in the UK or even higher than that. Even ordinary items such as bread, potatoes and tomatoes seem to be more expensive in Australia. Food prices are quite high because many food products are imported from Europe or other countries. It seems better to buy at small local stores since the food is more varied, of better quality, and often cheaper than in the big supermarkets. Books are expensive but electricity is not.

Australians about to retire seem to have realized that the cost of living as a retiree is on the increase because of the higher cost of health care and the longer life spans of Australians.  As a result they are pushing for later retirement, postponing it for five years or so.