school fee

I heard that goverment schools in australia are free of cost. Is this for both primary and secondary. What r the fees in private schools? could you tell me whether these gov. schools are applicable to PRs only or any one who is moving there. and what will be the monthly expenditure(like rent, grocery etc.) in melbourne.

Thanks

As far as my knowledge goes, govt schools here are subsidised, which means that you only pay a small amount in school fees say about 500 dollars on an average yearly...but you have to buy the uniforms and pay for extra activities like swimming (which is compulsory for prep-yr2) and extra curricular sport like soccer, karate, music, dancing etc..

again...a lot of people seem to be confused about this pr issue...as far as i know...when you enter the country on your permanent visa you automatically become a resident from day one...(you only get your citizenship and aussie passport at a later stage, 2 years when I last checked)....you become eligible for certain centrelink payments and you have to get a tax file nmbr...
The standard of living entirely depends on a lot of factors:-
your budget and where you shop (plenty of variety from coles n woolworths to aldi and the fresh market)
where you live (what suburb and how much rent you pay)
your mode of transport (use on a frequent basis).
As a rough guide, I would give myself 3-6 months to find a decent job (due to the down turn), and atleast 3 months money to survive the bleak period, unless one of you already has a job.