Useful Links
Advocacy Groups
The Share Housing Survival Guide produced by The Redfern Legal Centre and the Sydney Uni Student Representative Council. http://www.rlc.org.au/sharehousing/
NSW Tenants Union http://www.tenants.org.au/
Welfare Rights http://www.welfarerights.org.au/index.htm
Redfern Legal Centre factsheets - http://www.rlc.org.au/factsheets/
Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW - http://www.cclcnsw.org.au/
Financial Counsellors Association NSW - http://www.financialcounsellors.asn.au/fact.htm
Credit Line Financial Counselling Services http://www.wesleymission.org.au/centres/creditline/factsheet.asp
Understanding Money is an Australian Government site that includes inofrmation on preparing a budget, setting financial goals and developing a savings. http://www.understandingmoney.gov.au/content/default.asp
Government Bodies
Centrelink http://www.centrelink.gov.au/
Australian Communication & Media Authority - Toolkit to help decide which phone plan or internet access suits you best. http://toolkit.aca.gov.au/
Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia http://www.itsa.gov.au/
NSW Department of Fair Trading http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/
NSW Dept of Housing - For Rentstart information, follow the Services Available link on the left. http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/
Australian Securities & Investment Commission http://www.fido.asic.gov.au/fido/fido.nsf
Banks and other financial organisations
The following links are to the relevant loans pages of the big 4 banks:
Commonwealth Bank http://www.commbank.com.au/Personal/PersonalLending/StudentLoans.asp
Westpac http://www.westpac.com.au/internet/publish.nsf/Content/PBPLCR+Student+loan
ANZ http://www.anz.com.au/australia/persbnk/prdsrv/personal/graduate_loan.asp
NAB http://www.national.com.au/Personal_Finance/0,,9712,00.html
Credit Unions are often easier to deal with than the large banks and can be easily joined.
In Armidale there is the New England Credit Union http://www.necu.com.au
A more complete list of web sites of financial institutions can be found at http://www.webwombat.com.au/finance_/services/
Other
Country Energy EasyPay http://www.countryenergy.com.au/internet/cewebpub.nsf/Content/h_svc_easy+pay