I'm new in Australia — how do I get free services?
Arriving in a new country means learning a whole support system at once. The good news: in Melbourne a large amount of help is genuinely free, and most of it does not care about your background or how long you have been here. This guide is the short version of how to reach it.
1. Start with what you need this week, not your whole situation
Most services in Melbourne are organised by need — food, housing, health, legal, family violence, mental health — not by visa type or background. Pick the single most urgent thing (groceries this week, a doctor who bulk bills, help with a rental notice) and search that first. You can come back for the rest.
2. Search by suburb and by language
On Waypoints you can search a suburb and a language together — for example free food in Footscray with Vietnamese-speaking staff. Many community health services have bicultural workers, and almost all can book a free interpreter for you if you ask when you call.
3. Know what is free regardless of visa
Emergency food relief, community meals, family violence support, crisis lines, financial counselling, tenancy advice and many community legal services are free and do not require Medicare. Some health services are free only with Medicare, so check the eligibility note on each listing before you travel.
4. Get Medicare and a bulk-billing GP early
If you are eligible, applying for Medicare early makes healthcare far cheaper. Until then, look for community health centres and refugee health clinics — they often see people without Medicare at low or no cost. Listings on Waypoints show cost and eligibility up front.
5. Use settlement services — they do the navigating for you
Settlement and multicultural services help with enrolling children in school, English classes, employment, Centrelink forms and housing applications. One appointment can replace five phone calls.
6. Check opening hours before you go
Food banks and drop-in clinics often open only on specific days. Every Waypoints listing shows weekly hours and whether it is open right now, so you do not travel across the city for a closed door.
7. If you are not sure what you need, just describe it
You do not need the right words. Text Waypoints on +61 468 094 368 in your own language and describe what is happening. You get two or three suitable free services back, usually in under a minute.
In an emergency
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000. It is free from any phone, including without credit, and you can ask for an interpreter.
Where to start now
Search your suburb on the Waypoints directory, browse the map view to see what is close to you, or read what Waypoints is first.