Today I finally managed to secure a Medicare card, which is a fairly major achievement seeing as I have been applying on and off for the last 3 years, and the government seems to guard access to medicare and other social security institutions like a rabid dog (the taxation system on the other hand is easily and freely accessible to all. Typical really).
Turns out all I needed to do was marry an australian and tell them that I came to Australia with the primary intention of working (rather than studying, as I had previously (and clearly wrongly) stated).
Turns out that if you came here to study it’s really difficult to get a card, but if you came here to do a course that led into a job (which frankly is completely accurate when you look at how the intern placement system works) then there’s not problem, as long as I can show you’re in Australia to stay (which becomes quite easily when you marry an australian who has a job, a house and a car…..).
Work. Stupid really that beurocracy should hinge so easily on one little word….