From 23 November 2014, the department will accept English language test scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) and the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) across the Temporary Graduate, Skilled, Former Resident, and Work and Holiday visa programmes.

Scores from the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test will also be accepted from a test taken on or after 1 January 2015.

These tests are alternatives to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Occupational English Test (OET), and have been accepted in the Student visa programme since 2011.

Student visa applicants can continue to provide scores from the IELTS, OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) tests.

More information here.

From 23 November 2014, passport holders from the following countries are eligible to make Subclass 600 Visitor visa applications online in the Tourist, Sponsored Family and Business Visitor streams.

The following countries are also added to the existing list:

• Bhutan
• Burma
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Mongolia
• Pakistan
• Thailand

The Western Australian Government has announced that public school fees will be waived for families on 457 visa to take into account lower incomes and other hardships. These include:

• Families earning $75,000 a year or less will not pay the public school tuition fee
• Illness and unemployment considered for partial or fully waived fees
• Families will also only pay $4,000 per annum once their gross household income passes $75,000, regardless of how many children they have in public schools.

More information here.

As of 23 November 2014, the list of eligible countries for Work and Holiday visa include Spain and Portugal.  The full list includes  Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United States of America and Uruguay.