Australia. Is it worth?

If you are from Australia, I need your suggestion.

I am an Asian guy currently living in Thailand. I am planning to move to Australia soon and become a full time webmaster. Right now my present day job(nothing related to computers) pays me around US$3000/month and I am making around US$2000/month from web sites (mainly adult). I am only working one or two hours a day on my websites and I do believe that if I dedicate more time on my online biz I can make much more.

I need Your advice on,
How much should I be earning per month to make an average living in Australia? (Sydney/Melbourne)

Do I need an ABN number to be a full time webmaster in Australia?

Do I have to declare all my internet income for tax purpose? If yes, do they tax it like regular income?

I am trying to figure out if it is worth for me to leave my present job in Thailand and move to Australia.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can give me some insight.

Regards,
Neo

 

No aussie webmasters here?

I know I should be asking an expert. But I thought some of you Australian webmasters could give me your opinion.
But it looks like Aussie guys are not visiting this forum often.

 

The average weekly income in Australia is AU$1200 ~ US$1100, before tax.

You need an ABN if you register your site as a business.

Yes, you must declare all sources of income, including those you make from your website.

It won't be taxed like regular income, because your employer pays your regular income with the tax already taken out.

Once you fill in your tax return form, and include your website income, the tax office will then take out the tax from your website income.

Why do you need to move to Australia to be a full-time webmaster? Why can't you be a full-time webmaster in Thailand?

 

Thanks a lot ricelover.

I forgot to mention that. I am not a Thai. I work here in Thailand. If I quit my present job to become a full time webmaster here, then I will not VISA to stay here.
Whereas I can be full time webmaster in Austrlia without worrying about VISA expiry since I have an Australian PR (Permenant Resident).

 

I read before that Australia has something against adult websites, you might wanna research on that.

 

Really?

I know there are lot adult webmaster from Australia. As far as I know legal adult online biz is fine in Australia.

 

Nupt.......

 

$1200 week for what type of work

 

Sorry....
What did you say?

 

Thats right the AVERAGE wage in Australia is now about $1100 au. Just seen it on the news the other night. But the average person makes nowhere near that. Oh and there is definately no problem with adult sites in aus.

 

Except that Kevin Rudd wants to implements ISP based porn filtering.....

 

That makes no sense.

 

He means the highest payed bring up the average a lot but the majority of people are lower paid.

 

I heard price for land is also less in Australia.. Many people from our country are goin 2 Australia for Agricultural purpose since the land price is less..

But also i heard that the irrigation problem is there..

I mean, you can also start agriculture there..

 

Kevin Rudd wants that? How RUDE...

I heard that property is expensive in Australia especially in Sydney. Like an avarage house Sydney costs anywhere from $300,000 to $600,000.

I am not worried about the average income of people. But would like to know the approximate earnings and monthly expensnse of an average Aussie.

 

Not just Sydney. Many other areas are catching up to the Sydney housing boom from 10 years ago. Perth is just as expensive now and looking to overtake Sydney prices soon. Melbourne I am not sure about. Brisbane is cheaper. Adelaide has always been cheap.

I am inbetween Sydney and Brisbane and housing prices in this region is ludicrous.

As far as your adult websites go. Yes, the government will be cracking down in a large way (as I believe they should).

 

Thanks for the info. I was concidering Perth as a second option.

Cracking down..?? As far as I know, there is no law in Australia against running legal adult sites.
But illegal stuff like Child p@rn and Beastality must be cracked down for sure.

 

Australia's a nice place to stay. clean air.. etc. But webhosting is really really expensive (and really unjustified too). Host overseas.

Stay away from Sydney and Melbourne if you want cheaper living costs. Go to Perth instead.

You will need an ABN (and fill in tax), if you are running a sizable business with websites. I know someone who had his CBA account frozen... apparently because he was earning too much online. Then again, it could just be CBA's bells going off.

 

Oh, but the govt is now flirting with the ideas of censorship.

 

The government is not cracking down on adult websites.

The government wants children to be better protected from exposure to online porn, hence the introduction of the free internet filter for families and schools.

My understanding is that the ISP based filtering will only apply to child porn sites, and particularly violent sites. The major ISPs have already expressed the view that ISP filtering is unworkable, and will significantly slow down connection speeds.

In any case, anybody can set up a porn site in Australia, which, if filtered out by Australian ISPs(so can't be viewed within Australia), can still be viewed by the entire world.