Living in Perth - Alexander Education Group

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Religion in Australia Banking & Money Christian Churches Anglican St George’s Cathedral 38 St George’s Tce, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9325 5766 Catholic Mass and Services in Chinese Further information phone: 9478 1038 Banking Facilities Business hours for most banks are: Monday – Friday 09:30 a.m. - 16:00 p.m. Saturday Most are closed. Most banks have branches within easy walking distance of the Alexander Centre. There are a number of alternatives open to you for your banking needs. You should enquire about the bank charges and rates of interest before opening an account. The most popular account used by students is the access type using the ATM (Automatic Telling Machine) card - this type of account does not incur associated fees. Money can be deposited in a conventional bank or a credit society. A cheque account with a bank is convenient because you can pay your accounts by cheque, however if the amount in your account falls below a minimum, the bank will levy a monthly charge for keeping the account open. A savings account is a convenient way for you to keep your money and you will receive interest on your money in some accounts. There are branches of savings banks and credit societies in the Perth central business district. A Cashcard Account has the convenience of after-hours banking. The bank issues you with a plastic card and a Personal Identification Number (P.I.N. number) with which you need to activate the account. With it, you are able to deposit or withdraw money over the Bank counter or from automatic teller machine (ATM) outside the bank. If you lose your Cashcard you must notify the Bank immediately. To open a new account you will need to produce your passport showing your visa entry date. You will need to apply for a Tax File Number, otherwise your bank may be required to withhold part of your interest and send it to the Australian Tax Department. You cannot have that money refunded until you lodge a tax return at the end of the financial year (June 31or when you leave Australia permanently at the completion of your studies). Application forms for a Tax File Number are available from the Student Administration Officer. Please keep your passbook or cheque book in a safe place and immediately notify your bank should you lose it Memorise your P.I.N. Number and do not write it on a piece of paper. Never tell anyone else your P.I.N. number, not even your best friend. If money is being sent to you from home, a telegraphic bank transfer is the best method. A personal cheque from your parents could take up to forty days to clear. Please inform your parents of your new bank, branch address and account number to avoid any problems when your allowance is sent to the bank. Similarly, your parents should let you know the bank from which the payment is coming. It is safer to get your allowance from home in small amounts, for example in monthly installments, rather than annually, as then there is less temptation to waste your money or to gamble. If you need a student loan or line of credit, talk to your bank. ALEXANDER EDUCATION GROUP•LIVING IN PERTH St. Peter Anglican Church 11 Leonard St, Victoria Park 6100 Tel: (08) 9361 1233 St. Barnabas Church 104 Woolwich St, Leederville 6007 Tel: (08) 9381 9824 Perth Christian Fellowship - Assemblies of God Riverword City Church, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9471 7118 Christian City International 233 South Terrace, Fremantle 6158 Tel: (08) 9336 3317 Baptist Church 10 James Street, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9328 6507 Baptist Church 59 Chapman Road, Bentley 6102 Tel: (08) 9458 1628 St. Mary’s Cathedral - Catholic Victoria Square, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9221 7238 Churches of Christ 142 Beaufort Street, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9328 1499 Churches of Christ 29 Darnell Ave, Mt Pleasant 6153 Tel: (08) 9364 8637 Full Gospel Assembly Perth 32 Dumond St, Bentley 6102 Tel: (08) 9451 5788 Lutheran Church of Australia 16 Aberdeen Street, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9227 8072 Perth Chinese Christian Church 146 Flamborough Street, Doubleview 6018 Tel: (08) 9244 2364 Riverview Church 1 Thorogood Street, Burswood, 6100 Tel: (08) 9416 0000 Uniting Church in Australia 93 William Street, Wesley Mission, Perth 6000 Tel: (08) 9321 9711 Westminster Presbyterian Church 32 Bullcreek Drive, Bullcreek (Indonesian Services) Tel: (08) 9332 6300 If you bring a large amount of cash with you, open a bank account and deposit it IMMEDIATELY. Do not keep large amounts of cash with you or even in your room. The only safe place is your bank account
Transport Driving You need have a valid licence to drive in Australia. The Student Services Manager has information booklets detailing how to get a licence and from where. Remember when you register your car, you are only getting 3rd party insurance, which means if you collide with someone else’s car and it is your fault, you will pay for all damages unless you’ve taken out full insurance. Insurance Many different types of insurance are available to protect people against possible financial hardship. The two types most relevant to international students are (a) insurance of personal possessions against all risks, and (b) insurance to cover you whilst driving a vehicle. (a) Insurance of Personal Possessions You should consider insuring all the valuable possessions that you own, such as cameras, radios, jewellery, sound equipment and watches against any loss or damage. Living in shared accommodation means you may be exposed to more risk of theft than if you were living with your family and will be covered if the stolen things are insured. Wherever you live, your possessions are your responsibility and are not covered by Alexander Education Group, your homestay or the hostel. It is your responsibility to insure them. (b) Vehicle Insurance Third Party Property Insurance This insurance is the least expensive to purchase. It will help pay for damages to other peoples cars or property if there is an accident which is deemed to be your fault by the police or magistrate. If you do not have any insurance, you will have to pay the cost of repairing your own vehicle and the other person’s car as well. This can be very expensive, possibly thousands of dollars. Third Party Insurance does not cover the cost of repairing your own vehicle only the driver of the other vehicle. Comprehensive Insurance This is more expensive, but it covers the cost of damages to all vehicles in a crash. The insurance company will pay for most of the repairs though you may still have to pay excess (the first part of any claim). This varies with age. Contact any insurance company for further details. Car Parking There is no student parking facilities at the Alexander Centre. The nearest parking areas are the Bus Station and the public car park under Central Park. All public car parks in the central city area require you to pay by the hour. Car Hire Western Australia is a large state and you may wish to hire a car during the vacations to explore the countryside. At the car hire firm make sure that you read all the small print on the hire agreement form and that you full understand all the conditions of hire before signing the form. An example of a condition of hire is that only the person(s) whose name(s) appear on the agreement are authorised to drive the car. Also take special note of what excess (Insurance) you are being charged. Some of the cheaper hire companies charge up to $5000 excess. We advise that you ask if there is extra insurance you can buy to lower the excess. To rent a car, you need a valid driving licence and to be over 21 years of age. Public Transport Perth has a coordinated transport system called TRANSPERTH, which provides train, bus and ferry services. Many different types of fares apply. 1. Multi-rider – The ticket allows you 10 trips with a saving of 15% over cash fares. Multi-rider Plus gives you 40 trips with a saving of 25% over cash fares. You can buy Multi-rider/Plus tickets from your local newsagent or Transperth InfoCentre. Infocentres are located in Plaza Arcade, Wellington Street Bus Station, the City Busport and Perth Train Station in the City. 2. The minimum adult fare applies for up to two zones (approx. 2 km). After two zones, various fares apply according to the distance traveled. The transfer time for travel over one to four zones is 1 hour and 30 minutes, travel over five to eight zones is 2 hours. You may transfer as many times as you wish between bus, rail and ferry, provided the travel is within the nominated fare zones and time limit. 3. 50c student fare Primary and secondary school will pay a maximum of 50c when travelling to or from school on a Transperth bus, train or ferry or on any regional bus service, regardless of how many zones they travel. Ticket is valid: • Available from Monday to Friday from the first gazetted school day of the year to the last gazetted school day of the year. • Available during the mid-year school term holiday and on any public holidays that fall from a Monday to Friday during the school year. • Not available on weekends and on any day during the summer school holiday period. Can be purchased as a: • 10 trip ticket costing $5.00 or a 40 trip ticket costing $20.00 from Newspower Newsagents or Transperth InfoCentres. • Not available as a cash ticket. 4. Student SmartRider As part of the new SmartRider ticketing system being impletmented in 2006, the Transperth student travel permit currently carried by secondary students will be replaced by the new Student SmartRider card. The Student SmartRider card also acts as your student identification card because information such as your name, date of birth and student number is printed on the reverse of the card. Some schools have elected to use the Student SmartRider card for school purposes too. These cards may have other information included on the back such as a student photo and school name. Student SmartRider are issued at the library on campus. There are Central Area Transit (C.A.T.) buses which can be used free of charge around Perth City. For further information regarding timetables, concessions and to purchase tickets contact Transperth’s information offices at Plaza Arcade, the Busport and Wellington Street Bus Station. Alternatively, you can telephone them on 132213 or visit their website at www.transperth.wa,gov.au Taxis Travel by taxi can be expensive in Perth. Charges are fixed, meters are used at all times and the fare is NOT negotiable between passenger and driver. There is an extra charge after 6.00 p.m and on weekends and on public holidays. There is no extra charge for luggage. Telephone numbers for taxi service in Perth are: Swan Taxis Tel: 131330 of Black & White Taxi Tel: 131008 ALEXANDER EDUCATION GROUP•LIVING IN PERTH
Page 1 and 2: Living in Perth Pre-departure infor
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Welcome to Perth!
Page 5: Safety and Crime Religion in Austra
Page 9 and 10: Communication Postal Information Po
Page 11 and 12: The Alexander Education Group M U R

Living in Perth - Alexander Education Group

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