Moving to Australia

Everything that’s true wherever you land — explained once, properly

Medicare, registration, visas, pay, schools and settling in — written for healthcare professionals, by the team who help them move.

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19 chapters Updated August 2026 Free

Welcome

One country’s rules, explained once.

Almost everything that decides whether Australia works for you is national. Medicare and how the health system is funded. Ahpra and the national boards that register most health professions. The visa system. Tax and superannuation. How schools work — and what they charge on a temporary visa.

So this guide explains each of those once, properly, and every state and city page links back here instead of repeating it. What the state pages own is what differs: their hospitals and health services, where clinicians live, local costs, and what the weekends look like.

One caveat runs through everything: public-sector pay and conditions are set state by state, under each state’s agreements. Where pay comes up we describe how the system works rather than quoting figures — and where a number matters, we verify it against the relevant agreement before we put it in writing.

Welcome to Australia.

The Ethicare team

A tent pitched on the grass above a beach at sunset — The life the move is for

Australia, in short

The five-second version

States & territories

National regulator for most professions

Medicare

Universal public healthcare

State by state

Public pay & agreements

The health system

Medicare-funded public care alongside a large private sector — chapter 04 explains how the two fit together

Registration

Ahpra and the national boards cover most professions once, for every state — chapter 05

Visas

Skilled and employer-sponsored routes, explained in plain English — chapter 06

Pay

Set under state agreements. We explain the system, and verify figures before quoting them — chapter 07

Contents

What’s inside

Nineteen chapters in five parts — every national topic once. Your state or city guide covers only what’s true there, and links back here for the rest.

Part one · Deciding

01 About AustraliaThe country in orientation — the states, the seasons, the distances and the way the place works Read now → 02 Is it right for me & my family?The first questions, before any paperwork Read now → 03 Australia vs New ZealandThe two countries compared, for clinicians weighing both Both countries →

Part two · The system

04 How the health system worksMedicare, public and private, and what it means to work inside it Read now → 05 Eligibility & registrationAhpra, the national boards, and the pathway for your profession Read now → 06 Immigration & visasSkilled and sponsored routes, and the order things happen in Read now →

Part three · Work & money

07 Pay & conditionsHow state agreements and awards work — and what to check before you sign Read now → 08 CVs & interviewsWhat Australian employers look for, and how to prepare Read now → 09 The cost of relocatingWhat the move itself costs, and where the money goes Both countries →

Part four · Everyday life

10 Living in AustraliaSettling into working life, and building a life beyond it Read now → 11 Renting in AustraliaApplications with no rental history, how bond is held, your state’s rulebook Read now → 12 Money, tax & bankingYour TFN, superannuation, the Medicare levy and tax residency Read now → 13 Driving & licencesConverting your licence, your state’s deadline, and CTP insurance Read now → 14 Schools & educationHow the system works, and how to choose from overseas Read now → 15 School fees on a visaThe cost that surprises visa holders — state by state, explained Read now →

Part five · Belonging

16 Moving with petsBiosecurity, quarantine at Mickleham, costs and the flight itself — Australia-specific, start early Read now → 17 Family lifePartners, children and the family side of the move Read now → 18 Community & belongingFinding your people, from the cities to regional Australia Read now → 19 Contacts & first stepsThe official bodies, the checklists, and where to start Read now →

Sophie’s insight

Australia rewards people who understand that it’s one registration system and eight employment systems. Registration opens the whole country; pay, conditions and the feel of the work change at every state line. Read this guide once, then choose your state with clear eyes — that order, not the reverse.

Sophie Careem

Founder, Ethicare Resourcing

When you’re ready

Ready to explore opportunities?

Read the guide, save it to your pack, and plan the move at your own pace — even if that’s a year from now.

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