Limeuu pretty much said it. They choose you. and no, it's not as easy as getting into med in ITPS in msia. have you done your SAM/Alvl/IB/form6/matrik/etc etc? I don't know which is better but I'm loving my uni. It's really an objective thing. so my advice is to apply everywhere, and have a backup course/uni if all goes wrong. I'm sure the academic adviser tells you that as well.

hey guys, recently i lost my identification card and driving license in perth. May i know can i get a replacement here in the Malaysian Consulate here in Perth? or i got to go back to mas to get redo it? Thanks!

http://www.malaysia.org.au/faq.html#ic

If you can't do it at the High Commission, I doubt you can do so at the Consulate.

Thanks Hikari, i did searched for that site as well, so thats mean i need to go back mas to redo my ic and driving license? =( Damn complicated...

Hi there forumers . I'm a college student looking to apply to melbourne u for bachelor of commerce . The problem is
1) I don't understand what they mean by the course subjects . When I checked online, they have different subjects for finance , econs , actuarial . Am I allowed to pick what subjects what I want ? Can someone explain to me clearly how the majors/subjects are supposed to work ?

2) what is meant by breadth subjects ?

3) how much does it cost rent a room / apartment in Melbourne ? Is it cheaper to rent a room or an apartment by itself ?

Thank you very much your answers will be appreciated.

1) Finance, Economics, Actuarial Studies are majors in the BEcons undergraduate degree. Yes, you can choose your subjects, as long as they correspond to a particular major.

2) Electives. Say you decide to major in Finance, but you would like to know a bit of the basics of Management. You can pick some subjects meant for Management major students as your breadth subjects. It not need be BCom related: if you want to get a feel of Computer Science you could enrol in INFO10001: Informatics 1: Data on the Web as your breadth.

3) Generally, it is cheaper to find a apartment/place and rent out, vs finding a single room. Of course, this is predicated that a) you have the funds to start up a brand new rental apartment b) you can find other people to share your place.

As for costs, they can be found of University of Melbourne's website. This is not spoon feeding land.

I think each semester (each term, of which there are 2 per year) consists of 4 courses/units. If you choose to do the Bachelor of Commerce degree you can then major in one or more of Actuarial Science, Economics, or Finance, as well as Accounting, Business, Management, and Marketing.

If your degree lasts 3 years you would do 24 courses; 32 if your degree lasts 4 years.

In order to qualify for one or more majors you would need to pass or achieve a high grade in a certain set of courses relating to that major. Obviously to attain the overall degree you must also have passed/completed 24 or 32 courses, a certain number of which must be related to Commerce.

For example, if you chose/desired the Actuarial major, you might need to do Statistics, Economics, and Accounting, Financial Management and Mathematics. An Economics major would have to do Econometrics in addition to Economics and Statistics (and perhaps Economic History). A Finance major may have to do all of the above, or might only need to do Economics, Accounting, Finance, and Marketing.

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Added on August 9, 2011, 7:59 pmAustralian temporary residents from Malaysia: Do you need a Tax File Number, and do you have to pay tax on interest?

This post has been edited by LightningFist: Aug 9 2011, 07:59 PM

Please help! Is it possible to change from a Sim only plan (0 mths) to a phone plan (12/24months bb plan) on voda? BB phone drowned, and is dead. Wants to keep number. Advice appreciated. Thank you.

why not? you can go for either 12/24 months BB plan(new phone) and keep your same number too.
http://vodafone.com.au/personal/blackberry...biles/index.htm

if you are working in Australia(PR,TR,students,etc) then yes you need TFN to avoid higher tax(45% i think?) deduction from your income.

Thanks!

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Added on August 10, 2011, 9:33 pmDon't forget to look up ISAT and UMAT requirements too. Most unis conduct interviews for applicants based on ISAT/UMAT and available results. And even if you have brilliant results for both, and flunk interview, it's a no-go too. Try UK? Currency is better, and I believe there are more places for international students as there are more unis in the UK.

This post has been edited by podrunner: Aug 10 2011, 09:33 PM

Thanks for the reply. I think I need to file a tax return... does anyone here do this? Damn, I would rather be an FR and be taxed 0%-10% than have to deal with this.

Foreign Residents are taxed even higher: 30%. People who are a Australian resident for tax purposes are tax free for the first $6000 they earn every financial year, and between $6,001 - $37,000 its 15% as the starting rate. What made you think foreign residents are taxed lower compared with Australian residents?

All international students are considered Australian residents for tax purposes, as long as they have applied for a Tax File Number (TFN). If you do not provide your TFN to your bank/employer, they are obliged to withhold 45%, the maximum tax rate of what you earn.

This means if you do not give your bank your TFR, 45% of any interest you earn will be withheld. Similar with employment. Everyone who is in Australia needs a TFN. And you can apply for one from the ATO.

You only need to file a tax return if you have tax withheld from you. Usually there will be a PAYG slip given to you detailing how much of your income was withheld. You can file your tax returns online, and usually any refunds will be paid to you within 2 weeks. Paper tax returns take longer.

I know the tax return forms can be intimidating. Which is why I recommend that people use the e-Tax filing, which has build-in checks to ensure your file them correctly (as much as possible). See also the extremely helpful introduction on the front page by member Caspersky.

My only gripe with e-Tax is that it is a Windows application. It is useless under WINE, and Mac users have to bootcamp just to file their tax returns.

If you do provide your TFN to your bank, you only pay tax on interest if your interest has returns of >$500/month.

I earn interest, which is only taxable for up to 10% IF I were an FR...

Plus, FRs don't have to file tax returns for interest if it is correctly withheld, while I believe I have to file a tax return annually regardless of payable tax on interest.

Only if you only earn interest, dividends and royalties in Australia. Anything else would be withheld at the rate of 45%.

Not quite. If you are a Australian resident for tax purposes, and the only source of income is your bank interest, and your bank interest earned is less than $6000/financial year, and you have not had tax withheld from payments made to you (usually that would happen if you have given your bank your TFN), one does not need to file a tax return.

1. Yes, interest would also be withheld at just over 45% (bank's calculations... zzz) unless I submitted a TFN. Which was great, until I realised I wasn't an FR.

2. I will need to check on this one later, as the Taxation Office site says You use your tax return to tell us about (declare) the income you received during the financial year, and goes on to say If you are an Australian resident and you receive, or you are credited with, interest from any source within Australia, you must declare the interest as income.

According to the site, I need a TFN because my interest should be more than the $420/year threshold. I assume requiring a TFN also means having to file a tax return.

Since I got here after the end of the financial year (30 June 2011 I think), it means I won't have to file a tax return until October 2012!

1) Having a TFN does not mean one is a Australian resident for tax purposes. Neither does it mean you need to file a tax return. If you do not earn any income in a financial year, you do not have to file a tax return. You, of course, can only file a tax return if you have a TFN. (Strictly speaking you can file a tax return even without a TFN, but it would be hell tracing everything that you have earned and/or had withheld)

2) The ATO does say "[If] you receive, or you are credited with, interest from any source within Australia, you must declare the interest as income.". Simply put, it means any interest you earn (even if it is $1), is considered part of your income, and you need to declare it. Some people do not consider bank interest as "income" (you didn't do much work to earn it anyway).

It does not say "If you earn any bank interest, you need to file a tax return".

3) Your first $6000 you earn as interest in a year is tax free.

Assuming you are a Australian resident for tax purposes, if you do not work, have no income, and only "earn" bank interest less than $6000/financial year, one does not need to file a tax return.

If you do not work, have no income, but your bank interest nets you more than $6000/financial year, you will need to file a tax return, even if your math indicates that they have taken the correct rate from you. It is very possible that the ATO sends you a bill for $0.

If you do work, you will need to put in a tax return, even if you have earned less than $6000/financial year.

For instance, if during a financial year, your part-time job paid you $2500, and your bank interest made you $100 better off, the assessable income is $3000, far below the $6000 tax free limit. You still need to file a tax return.

If your part time job paid you $5900 that financial year, and you got $101 in bank interest, your assessable income will be $6001. You will need to file a tax return. However, only the $1 over the $6000 is taxed.

The general rule is, if you do not have tax withheld from income, or PAYG withheld, you don't need to file a tax return.

But doesn't the ATO say I (as a resident) need to declare any interest paid by financial institutions, and that filing a tax return is the means of doing so, regardless of the actual tax payable?

Would I be breaking any laws or rules if I failed to do so, even if there is no actual tax or penalty payable?

Conversely an FR does not need to file a tax return if interest is correctly withheld (which would be 0% or 10%).

hello guys, im going to Australia (god's will) to further my studies for degree next year.

thru IDP Australia, I was offered Bac. of Commerce in UniSydney, ANU, UQ,UniMelbourne and Adelaide. i got 7.5 for IELTS, so english requirement will not be an issue.im planning to be majoring in accounting. they expect me to give the final answer before 15th August( this monday).

shortlisting the choices i had, now i have my eyes on University of Melbourne and University of Queensland, ANU for 3rd choice if needed.

i already googled here and there on some infos on the university and the city ill be living, but there's something i need to ask. Is anyone studying for bac of commerce in one of the unis? i got a few tons of questions to ask..


thanks in advance

This post has been edited by apsidewatch: Aug 12 2011, 10:19 PM

You've waited until the deadline... you have 0 working days until your decision must be made...

I have to ask, why is UQ your second choice for Commerce/Accounting?

PM me if you have questions.