Living in Australia

Smart Knowledge and ability for a brighter career

Living in Australia

People, Culture, Lifestyle and Food

Melbourne: one of the most livable places in the world. You with EIA makes Melbourne part of your story.
Australia is enthusiastic. Our cities are diverse and multicultural. Melbourne is one of the world’s most vibrant cities. In the state of Victoria, 45% of people were either born overseas or had parents from overseas. Residents speak more than 150 different languages throughout the city, and you can meet people from different countries around the world. Melbourne is filled with exciting events and activities, including:

  • Numerous dynamic, international festivals and events such as international arts, films and comedy festivals;
  • A multitude of sporting events including the Australian Open (Tennis), Spring Racing Carnival, the Boxing Day Test Cricket Match. Formula One Australian Grand Prix and Australian Football League;
  • Melbourne is a shopper’s delight with something for everyone including major department stores, outlet centres, fashion houses and international retail giants like H&M, Zara and Topshop (permanently closed), large shopping centres like Chadstone and outdoor markets including Queen Victoria Market, South Melbourne Market and Prahran Market;
  • Melbourne offers a wealth of entertainment from museums, galleries, exhibitions, zoos, beaches, theme parks and gardens. Venture outside the city to discover the diversity and beauty of regional Victoria, from wineries like the Yarra Valley to coastal villages such as the Great Ocean Road and Mornington Peninsula and alpine towns like Mount Buller and Falls Creek;
  • Living in Melbourne, you can enjoy a meal from countries and community groups all over the globe. Thanks to the cultural diversity of the city, you can find restaurants serving dishes from cuisines such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Italian, French, Mexican, Greek, European and other International cuisines.
  • Melbourne is fast becoming a 24-hour city, and there is always something to do when the sun goes down.

Cost of Living

Students relocating to Australia should keep in mind the following costs when they undertake studies. When calculating the cost of living in Australia, students must also budget for student fees, textbooks and photocopying, rent, household expenses, utilities and telephone, food, travel, spending money, healthcare and medical insurance. The following annual living costs and expenses are anticipated to mitigate the risk of students falling into financial hardship during their stay in Australia: (information updated by the Department of Home Affairs as of 23/10/2019).

  • Single student: AUD 21,041
  • For a spouse or de facto partner of the student: AUD 7,362
  • For a dependent child: AUD 3,152
  • Annual school costs for one child: AUD 8,296

The following should only be used as a guide as spending may differ depending on the student’s lifestyle. Cheaper no-frills brands can reduce food costs for students, as can shopping at markets.

Student Studio Apartment (weekly): $180-250
Share House rental (weekly): $120 -160
Overseas Student Health Cover (OHSC) per   year: $480 per year
Public transport (PTV): (28 days) $176
Movie ticket: $12 – 16
Food – bread (700grs): $3.5 – 5
Milk (2 l itters): $2.5 – 4
Cheese (500 grams): $4.50
Rice (1kg): $2
Big Mac meal (medium): $12
Mobile: (pre-paid monthly): $15 – so

For further information on Living in Australia including planning your departure, arriving in Australia, accessing support services, remaining visa compliant, working while you study, living costs and finding accommodation, health and safety, visit the following links provided by the Australian Government sites.

Study in Australia http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/
Live in Australia http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/

Study Melbourne (government site) This includes information on Study options, before you arrive, where to live, work, money, transport (including flights and airports), entertainment, help and advice for students. The law and your rights, visas, accidents and emergencies, safety, health service, consulates and embassies and support services.

http://www. studymelbourne.vic.gov.au/
https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/

Accommodation

There are many types of accommodation options available to international students. If you would like EIA to arrange a homestay service, please indicate on the Student application for an enrolment form or contact our Welfare Officer at (03)90413050

Homestay

Homestay is an arrangement where students live with a local family or resident host in a private home. Homestay costs can range from $300 – 400 per week. Homestays are an affordable way for international students to improve their English and experience Australian culture and lifestyle up close. Note: International students under 18 years of age must live in either a homestay, on-campus accommodation or with a relative approved by the Department of Home Affairs.

Homestay students can be any age, but if you’re under 18, your booking process will be more detailed. Our partner, Student Accommodation Services, will match you with an appropriate homestay host. Homestay arrangements include:

• A single room: furnished (bed and study desk are a must)
• Provide three (3) meals per day: breakfast: a choice of cereal, toast etc. prepared by the student; lunch prepared by the student; dinner cooked different foods provided by the host family
• The homestay fee also covers all costs for electricity, gas and water
• The student pays for all telephone calls
• Various house rules applicable within the host family

Lease and shared accommodation

It is essential to consider the full range of costs and responsibilities with leased accommodation. The demand is usually high and generally ranges from $150 –$250 per week unfurnished or $200 – $300 per week furnished depending on the size, condition and location of the house/apartment. Shared accommodation also varies greatly in price.
https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/
https://www.domain.com.au/?mode=rent
https://flatmates.com.au/
https://ozflatmates.com

EIA accommodations

EIA works with Dwell Student Living to provide a variety of options for EIA students.

Rooms

From 1 bedroom studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms to 5 bedrooms
All rooms include refrigerator, wardrobe, study desk and chair, unlimited wireless internet and swipe card.
Selected rooms include celling fan, oven, heater and TV.

Prices

Start from $310/week, multiple promotions apply!
2021 booking now open, up to 4 weeks free! Contact us for details.
Inquiry, inspection and booking
Please contact our student support team.

Dwell Village Melbourne City

5-17 Flemington Road, North Melbourne, VIC 3051 Australia
15-minute walk to EIA and Melbourne CBD

Public Transport Victoria (PTV)

  • Buy a Myki card as your ticket for public transport including train, tram and bus services
  • Cost up to $9 daily (price adjusted annually), or buy a myki pass
  • Access tram service for free within Free Tram Zone
  • Plan your journey by using PTV application on your mobile
  • For more information: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/

Health, Wellbeing and Safety

A significant element of Edvantage Institute Australia is the provision of a healthy, supportive and safe environment for our students and staff, and all people involved in our activities. The first point of contact for international students experiencing personal difficulties of a non-academic nature (financial problems, health problems, and all matters related to the wellbeing, safety, visa and emergencies) is the EIA Welfare Team.
Please contact EIA Welfare Team via (03)90413050.

Your Health

Students experiencing health and/ or psychological-emotional problems will be referred to professional medical services and counsellors by Welfare Officer who is responsible for handling initial inquiries, assessing the situation and, when necessary, guiding students to appropriate professional help.

What do I do if I’m sick?

Use the Yellow Pages and phone the GP’s surgery or medical centre to make an appointment. If you have woken in the morning feeling unwell and would like to see a doctor that day, you will need to phone the doctor’s surgery early in the morning (8:00 am – 8:30 am) for an appointment. Please note, however, that it may not be possible to get an appointment on the same day – you may have to wait one or two days before you can see a doctor.

Seeing a doctor/medical certificate

When you attend your appointment, the doctor will ask you questions about your health and may give you a brief physical examination, such as checking your breathing, your throat, ears etc. The doctor will then give you some advice regarding the management of your illness and may provide you with a prescription for some medication. If you have had, or need to take time off studies, you will need to get a medical certificate from the doctor to provide to your education provider. If your illness is more serious or the doctor is unsure of a diagnosis, she or he may refer you for further tests, e.g., blood tests or x-rays, or to see a specialist Doctor.

Websites

www.mychemist.com.au/
www.melbournecentralpharmacy.com.au
www.priceline.com.au

Your Wellbeing

Students experiencing problems of discrimination, harassment, bullying, violence and maliciousness will be referred by Welfare officer to appropriate bodies for assistance. Where appropriate, the Welfare Officer will be available to accompany the student to such services if requested to do so by the student.

Access and equity

The Access and Equity Policy outlines a set of principles for providing all staff and students with equal opportunities, and maintaining a learning environment which:

  • is free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, violence and maliciousness;
  • accommodates student diversity including under-represented and disadvantaged groups; and
  • creates equivalent opportunities for academic success regardless of the background of the student.

Access and equity: EIA is responsive to the individual needs of people, whose age, gender, cultural, religious or ethnic background, disability, sexuality, academic and intellectual level, employment status or location may deter their access and participation in the activities of their study at EIA and achievement of expected outcomes.

Under-represented and disadvantaged groups: include but not limited to the following

  • People with disability
  • Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders
  • People from the non-English speaking background
  • People located in rural and remote areas
  • People who are long-term unemployed
  • Mature-aged students

Discrimination: According to the EIA Bullying, Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Prevention Policy and Procedure, discrimination takes place when a person is vilified or treated less favourably than others due to their race, circumstances, religious beliefs, characteristics or industrial activities.

Workplace Harassment: Harassment is any belittling behaviour which offends, humiliates, threatens or intimidates an individual or a group of persons and causes an unfriendly or unpleasant workplace. When a person is a subject of harassment, their ability to perform their duties is affected as they are stressed and suffer from consequential health problems. Harassment is not limit to intentional behaviours only but may result from behaviours which are not intended to cause any harm, such as jokes or unsolicited attention, which does not require a genuine harmful intention to constitute harassment.

Please refer to EIA Access and Equity Policy and Procedure for more details.

Bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct

Bullying, Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Prevention Policy and Procedure provides a structure for the promotion of ethical standards and professional behaviour within the Edvantage Institute Australia (EIA) community and procedures for dealing with bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct. Bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct and/or failure to prevent it can have a damaging impact.

Bullying: repeated unreasonable action/s directed towards a student, or a group of students, or staff member. Unreasonable such as incessantly denying the person equal respect, verbal attacks or isolating them. It is not confined to these examples only. See the Bullying section within this document for more.

Harassment: Unwanted, unwelcomed and uninvited conduct which annoys, intimidates, threatens, demeans or put a person in fear. The behavior may include derogatory comments, intimating actions, physical conduct or contact and visual insults.

Discrimination: an unfavourable treatment based on individual characteristics, including race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, culture, religion, marital status, parental responsibilities or community associations. Harassment can be displayed in various forms including but not limited to conversations, comments, jokes, electronic messages, printed materials and social media.

Sexual harassment: any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. It is not an interaction, flirtation or friendship which is mutual or consensual.

Any form of bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct in or outside class and workplace is strictly forbidden. Bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct amongst students or between students and staff or between staff will not be tolerated.

Please refer to EIA Bullying, Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Prevention Policy and Procedure for more details.

Your Safety

EIA is committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment for all staff, contractors and visitors and also a healthy and safe learning environment for our students.
EIA will endeavour to provide and maintain, so far as is reasonable and practicable, such a healthy and safe workplace as well as learning environment for our students.
EIA will also take all reasonable steps to identify, evaluate and minimise those factors in the working as well as learning environment, which cause or have the potential to cause injury or illness.

Student safety and campus security

EIA is committed to ensuring reasonable and practicable security and safety of all students, staff, visitors and contractors with the Student Safety and Campus Security Policy and Procedure. All students will be informed of the actions that can be taken, the key contacts of EIA and the student support services available, to satisfy the needs of different student cohorts. (refer to Student Support Services Policy)
All students, staff, contractors and visitors are required to:

  • comply with the Student Safety and Campus Security Policy and Procedure
  • conduct all learning, teaching and research activities in a safe and controlled manner that ensures no harm can come to other persons, property or the environment
  • cooperate with EIA in the development, implementation and maintenance of safety procedures and practices
  • participate in all levels of training programs
  • immediately report hazards and incidents
  • actively participate in sustaining the desired safety culture at EIA

First aid

Numerous staff members are trained as First Aid Officers and can be called upon for assistance in the event of an injury. The nominated First Aid Officers keeps first aid equipment. The first aid kit should not be misused and not subject to abuse and pilfering.
In the case of a Medical Emergency, the student’s guardian or next of kin may need to be contacted. Students are required to update their emergency contact number promptly as stated in this student handbook.

Evacuation procedure

  • Evacuate the building immediately once the siren sounds;
  • Act by the emergency evacuation plan and gather at the designated assembly area;
  • Obey all directions and instructions from the fire wardens;
  • Do not take personal belongings as this may slow or delay the departure from the fire site;
  • Do not use lifts;
  • Do not run, push or overtake; and
  • No one should return until the fire brigade personnel declare the building is safe.

Privacy

EIA recognises the right to privacy of students. Privacy Policy and Procedure outlines EIA’s privacy obligations and the responsibilities of all staff when collecting, using and disclosing personal information. The procedure sets the guidelines for EIA to handle the information in a lawful and responsible manner. EIA complies with the privacy requirements of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988. EIA designates the IT Manager as the Principal Privacy Officer (PPO), responsible for EIA’s overall compliance with its privacy obligations.
For more information, please refer to EIA Privacy Policy and Procedure.

Reporting critical incidents to Edvantage Institute Australia

Students are also encouraged to report all incidents of crime such as bullying, discrimination, sexual misconduct, violence, harassment, fire, medical emergency, accident and assault to Student Support, so the Institute may provide support as required and understand any area of risk to staff and other students. All reports will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Critical incidents could include all or some of the following:

  • Death, Serious injury any threat of death or serious injury;
  • Missing student;
  • Natural disaster in Australia and student’s home country;
  • Acts of terrorism;
  • Fire, bomb threat, explosion;
  • Issues of domestic violence, physical, sexual or other abuse;
  • Drug or alcohol abuse;
  • Severe verbal aggression;
  • Psychological aggression;
  • Serious injury or any threat of such; or
  • Other non-life-threatening events.

If any of the above were to affect a student or their family while they are living in Australia, this would be categorised as a critical incident.

Relevant documents for the detailed information that can be found at the EIA website, including:

  • Student Safety and Campus Security Policy and Procedure;
  • Student Wellbeing and Safety Policy and Procedure;
  • Privacy Policy and Procedure;
  • Critical Incidents Policy and Procedure;
  • OHS Risk Management Forms;
  • Accident and Injury Report Form;
  • Incident Report.

The above policies can be found at Policy and Procedures

Overseas Student Health Cover (OHSC)

EIA can arrange health cover for its students on request. Below are several health insurance companies that provide health insurance for overseas students:

Medibank Private: www.medibank.com.au
OSHC Worldcare: www.oshcworldcare.com.au
BUPA OSHC: www.bupa.com.au
Australian Health Management: www.ahm.com.au
OHSC Australia: www.ohscaustralia.com.au

Students may also take out additional cover in the form of Extra OSHC and students who could not previously access OSHC may now be able to access Optional OSHC. Some students may be exempt from enrolling in the OSHC such as students from countries whose Governments may have Reciprocal Health Agreements for students in Australia. Note: only some reciprocal health agreements cover students in Australia, some will only cover visitors. You should determine if you are eligible before you apply for your visa to come to Australia.

If you come to Australia on a visa other than a student visa and undertake a short course of study of three months duration or less you will not be eligible for OSHC. It is wise to purchase travel or private medical insurance in this case.

What am I covered for?

OSHC provides a safety net for medical expenses for international students, similar to that offered to Australians through Medicare. Additionally, OSHC includes access to some private hospitals and day surgeries, ambulance cover and benefits for pharmaceuticals.

How do I use my OSHC card?

If you need to visit a doctor or medical centre, show your card at the end of the visit. You will be charged the doctor’s fee and the medical centre may process the government fee component of that. If the medical centre is not able to process the government fee, pay the total amount, keep the receipt and you can claim the government fee back from your OSHC provider.

Healthy and Safe Learning and Working Environment

It is EIA’s responsibility to keep you in a safe learning and working environment, and you must not be allowed any work to be done that is unsafe. EIA ensures that the work and learning environment under their control is safe and without risks to health and safety, which complies with the Higher Education Standards (Threshold Standards) Framework 2015 in the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 by the Commonwealth of Australia, specifically to Standard 2.3. Therefore, EIA’s staff and students has the obligations to comply with safety, health and environmental legislation to ensure EIA’s activities do not put anyone at risk; and adhere to safe work and learning practices, policies, procedures, instructions and rules issued by EIA.
For more information, please refer to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Manual.

Emergencies – Dial 000

The Triple Zero (000) service is the quickest way to get the right emergency service to help you. It should be used to contact Police, Fire or Ambulance services in life-threatening or emergency situations only. Emergency 000 lines should not be used for general medical assistance.

Police

In Australia, police protect people and properties, detect and prevent crime, and preserve peace for everyone. They are not connected to the military or politics. The police can help you feel safe. In a non-emergency situation, you can contact the local police station directly on (03) 9637 1100 or 226 Flinders Lane, Melbourne East 3000.

Fire – Dial 000

The fire brigade extinguishes fires, rescues people from fires in cars and buildings, and helps in situations where gas or chemicals become a danger. As soon as a fire starts to call 000 no matter how small or large the fire may be. See attached for the fire evacuation plans for all the levels of both La Trobe St Campus and Queen St Campus. Fire evacuation plans will be displayed clearly on each level.

Ambulance

Ambulances provide immediate medical attention and emergency transportation to the hospital. In the case of a medical emergency call Triple Zero (000) and ask for ambulance.

State emergency service

The State Emergency Service (SES) is an emergency and rescue service dedicated to assisting in natural disasters, rescues, road crashes and extreme weather conditions. It is made up almost entirely of volunteers and operates in all States and Territories in Australia. For emergency assistance in a FLOOD or STORM dial 132500.

Lifeline – Dial 131 114

Lifeline’s 131114 services is staffed by trained volunteer telephone counsellors who are ready to take calls 24-hour a day, any day of the week from anywhere in Australia. These volunteers operate from Lifeline Centres in every State and Territory around Australia.

Anyone can call Lifeline. The service offers a counselling service that respects everyone’s right to be heard, understood and cared for. They also provide information about other support services that are available in communities around Australia. Lifeline telephone counsellors are ready to talk and listen no matter how big or how small the problem might seem. They are trained to offer emotional support in times of crisis or when callers may be feeling low or in need of advice.

Poisons information line – Dial 131 126

Poisons Information Line is for appropriate information and advice to assist in the management of poisonings and suspected poisonings. The seriousness of a poisoning situation is assessed after a detailed history is obtained from the caller. Members of the public may be then given first aid instructions, information on possible symptoms, and advised on the need for assessment by a doctor or referral to hospital. The Australia-wide Poisons Information Centres have a common telephone number: 131 126.

Emergency translation – Dial 1300 655 010

For translation service in an emergency situation, please dial 1300 655 010.