Use the "Finding a Visa" wizard on the home page: http://www.immi.gov.au

Assuming you are just a degree student, eventually you will be directed to this link: http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/students.htm. Read up everything. When you are done reading, you will understand where and how to start your application.

To give you some heads up:
1. Start applying now -> you can stop halfway through and resume later.
2. When you have your eCOE letter, you can continue with your application.
3. After answering all the questions, make payment via credit card
4. Upon completion, an email will be sent to you (your first and last reminder...haha), requesting that you conduct a medical checkup.
5. Once the medical checkup is complete, the clinic/hospital will submit your medical results to the aussie immigration department.
6. You will be notified via email if your application is successful (you can check online via VEVO too).

you don't actually have to wait for an email telling you to do the medical check up.
Once your done filling all your details on the online application and paid for the visa processing fee online via credit card,it will display that you need to perform a medical check up and chest x-ray at one of their panel clinics to complete your visa application.

The medical checkup CAN'T be done prior to the issuance of eCoE.
You can only do the medical checkup for the student visa when they tell you to do so which is after you're done filling in info and paying for the online visa application and the online visa application can not be completed without your eCoE.

I did my medical checkup in PJ (LifeCare Diagnostics) on a Saturday morning, and by the following Monday noon, it was already up in VEVO. But I did all these back in November, and as Hikari0307 has pointed out, there will probably be a queue of students doing their visa now...so probably it won't be that fast now.

A word of advice - do call up the medical centers/hospitals you intend to have your medical checkup done, before actually doing it. I called up about 5 clinics/hospitals/medical centers and a few of them said that they're no longer allowed to do medical checkups for aussie visa application. And all these 5 places were listed on the visa application page

well then.. I guess I'll be bringing some food in my hand luggage. 
still have one week before I can apply for visa.. gonna be a bit hectic in early Jan i supposed.. 

Good question.

International students with A levels is easier than International/Local or PR students that holds year 12 qualification. However, I can't guarantee which quota is larger, you'll have to ask the university personally.

I would like to know, are we allowed to bring sweets eg. jelly beans and skittles to australia? I know I will have to declare them, but is there any chance whereby the officers will not allow it?

lets say the officer does not allow you to bring in the sweets, can we just leave it at the airport for a few days and my dad will just collect from them and bring back to malaysia as he will be travelling with me to australia?

Hi. podrunner. It's not that Australian universities preferred international students with A levels over Australia's year 12 qualification. Let's take University X as an example. The minimum requirement for Medicine undergraduate with A levels is 15 points [ 3A's for 3 subjects] and to get 3A's are all depends on your effort during examinations. As long as you have 3A's or points that fulfill the minimum requirement, you're eligible to get an offer. For someone who holds an Australian year 12 qualification, he/she has to achieve the cut-off of let's say ATAR 98. Again, to get 98 means you have to be the top 2%. The problem with Australian year 12 qualification is that your final results are always unpredictable, depending on the entire batch's performance. To get A's in all subjects does not guarantee you to be in top 2%, assuming majority of the students are doing really well and vice versa. That's why most of my friends from the college who're pursuing for medicine in future would rather spend another 6 months sitting A-lvls exams. Australian year 12 qualification is good in developing soft skills and if you want a quick transition to universities. But as a former Aussie year 12 student, I seriously wouldn't recommend this for prospective lawyers, physiotherapist, doctors, dentists and any other courses that requires high-end 90's atar.

I hope that pretty much explains everything. It's all about eligibility. =D

What are you talking about ?! Monash Clayton (MBBS) went from 52000 AUD in 2010 to 56800 AUD this year - how about that for inflation !!!!

I'd say if you have the money and the grades, might as well try UK first before Australia.

Oh and by the way, it's still cheaper than Perdana University 

the process of applying for uk med school starts 1 full year before, and includes sitting for ukcat/bmat tests.........

while i have known many with oz year 12 qualifications being accepted into many courses, i have not know anyone being admitted into medicine.....in any case, it makes no sense why anyone would do a year 12 programme when intending to go to uk.....just go do a-levels......which is also perfectly acceptable for entry into oz.....and actually an easier pathway into critical courses in oz...........

for people who intend to go to oz for non-critical courses, year 12 is perfectly acceptable pathway.......but if one is thinking of trying critical courses, it is actually easier with a-levels......just that you will be delayed 1 year........

it is exactly half way through year 12 now...and the isat tests should be completed.....and one will generally have an idea whether one is on target for the atar98 one needs to have any realistic chance......

newcastle is also undergraduate entry......however, does not take direct entry international students.....there are however, backdoor ways of gaining entry.........

the main downsides to monash msia is practical near impossibility of getting a job in oz after.....and it is also NOT recognised by spore..........

the process of applying for uk med school starts 1 full year before, and includes sitting for ukcat/bmat tests.........

while i have known many with oz year 12 qualifications being accepted into many courses, i have not know anyone being admitted into medicine.....in any case, it makes no sense why anyone would do a year 12 programme when intending to go to uk.....just go do a-levels......which is also perfectly acceptable for entry into oz.....and actually an easier pathway into critical courses in oz...........

kings used to be ranked quite high, but appears to have slipped somewhat in recent years.....

if you are referring to that kings appears to accept aussie year 12 as acceptable qualification, that is of no consequence.....you may note that stpm is NOT in the list, but i have known more people (msians) being admitted with stpm, and actually nil with year 12..........

kings is part of the ukcat consortium, so it would be a good idea to start applying to sit for that now....

SWOTVAC in tassie. good luck everybody! apparently winter came early this year. >_< it's freezing here in tassie.