In terms of government payments, I have found that the best and only true way of getting the absolute facts re entitlements is when you actually call into a Centrelink office (or Medicare family branch) and sit down with them and go through it on their computer.
The Centrelink phone line on 13 10 21 is a handy tool, as is the Centrelink Website, but a face to face chat means you can get a really clear picture of all of your entitlements without misunderstandings!
In terms of work you can do once you have your little one, here would be my advice (from a WAHM!)
~ Be wary of cash in hand.......appealing as it might be, you may be tempted to earn over the threshold, and then if it is picked up on you can end up with a Centrelink debt 8-[
~ Easy to say when finances are a focus, but give yourself as much time "off work" when you bring your baby home, as much as is possible, so that you can concentrate on your little one.....hopefully you will have a lovely easy baby, but even so, it is such hard work, and you shoudn't burn the candle at both ends: gotta keep yourself healthy!
~ I am not sure where you live, but certainly in Darwin there is a real shortage of people doing home cleaning and ironing services. One of my friends does ironing (from her home.....people drop off baskets to her) and she has been inundated with work.
~ Make sure that even if you do work from home you give yourself "time off". To do this you must make sure you don't take on too much! I never do any "work" after 7pm or when Olivia is awake.....(tricky if I am on deadlines, hence I limit what I take on)
~ Agency rates and availability for admin work are both high, so that is a great option, especially if you have good skills. However, you may need to work more hours than you would ideally like to build up a reputation. Once you have a great repuation, you can be the choosy one!
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