- Childcare centres are disgustingly expensive and are of very high demand in Canberra. A child in Childcare costs $70 per day (2010/2011 figures). However, it is recommended to have your child under care to give you valuable study time.
- Childcares provide great learning opportunities for your child.
Tip: To be able to secure a place for your child, it is recommended that you put in an application way in advance to have any chance of a securing a place.
- Usually you may not have a whole week for your child at the centre, but eventually you would get a whole week, should you wish to have it.
Tip: It is recommended that you start off with the available number of days that you are being offered until such a time when you are being offered more days for your child.
- Fortunately, AusAID scholars are entitled to Childcare Benefit (CCB). To receive this benefit you have to register at the Centrelink office and obtain a Customer Reference Number (CRN).
- Make sure you meet every Centrelink requirements in your application to be entitled for the CCB. If you miss anything out, you may find yourself re-lodging your application over and over again without any success.
Tip: One important thing that is not mention on the CCB applications is that you have to provide a proof that you are an AusAID student studying with an allowance. This proof will be supplied to you by your AusAID liaison Officer, in a form of a standard letter.
- CCB is means tested that you have to declare your family income estimates to Centrelink. Tip: If you have any foreign income, it should be declared as “Tax exempt foreign income”. Since there is no Centrelink requirement to declare a tax exempt income, you should therefore not declare your AusAID scholarship stipend at all as it is not a taxable income in Australia. However, if you are working in Australia, your working income should be declared to Centrelink as a “Taxable income”.
Note: CCB is not much; depending on your income, you may get something around $20 reduction, or more, of your daily Childcare fee. You therefore still have to meet the balance of your daily Childcare fee.
- Again, fortunately, AusAID scholars are also entitled to the Childcare Rebate. Basically it is 50% of your out-of-pocket Childcare expenses. It is an amount of up $7,500 per child at a Childcare centre per year.
Note: Childcare Rebate is not means tested; it’s a flat rate.
Notes:
- A requirement when registering at Centrelink is to have a Tax File Number from registering with the Australian Tax Office (ATO). Subsequently, a requirement for the ATO is to submit your annual tax returns every financial year which ends in June every year. However you would not have to submit a tax return if you do not meet any of the reasons listed on the TaxPack. Instead you should submit a Non-lodgment advice (2011 details); this will apply to you if you are not working in Canberra and have no other income other than your foreign salary income and scholarship stipend which are tax exempt.
- Again your AusAID scholarship stipend and your foreign income are not taxable in Australia so you should not declare them in your tax return as taxable incomes. If you do so, you will find yourself liable to paying income tax to the ATO which you should not unless of course, you are working in Australia, that your working income is liable to income tax.
- Our queries tell us that AusAID scholars should also be eligible to receive Family Tax Benefits from Centrelink. Our sole attempt to apply for this benefit was unsuccessful but considering our past experiences with Centrelink, we feel that a follow-up would have been necessary for the application to be successful.
Immunisation Records
For school and childcare purposes, you need to bring with you to Canberra your child’s updated immunisation records (from Vanuatu). Immunisation costs are covered by OHSC and are offered by the ANU Health Clinic. Produce your existing records to the Doctor and they will let you know of what immunisations your child still needs to take to meet standard Australian immunisation requirements.
