About NewBee
NewBee AU (澳小蜜) is an unofficial website that explains life admin in Australia in plain English and Chinese — tax file numbers, Medicare, driving, renting, health, schools, Centrelink payments and retirement. It has 38 guides in each language, based on 315 official pages from Australian federal and state governments and public agencies, plus an AI assistant that answers questions from these sources.
What is NewBee?
NewBee is a free information website. It is not a government website and not an immigration or legal advice service. Each guide covers one task: who it is for, how to do it, what you need, what to watch out for and what has changed recently — with links to the official pages. Where rules differ by state (driver licences, renting, schools), the guide explains each state separately.
The Chinese site (https://au.newbee.one/) and the English site use the same verified information. The English guides are written for newcomers whose working language is English, including skilled migrants, international students, working-holiday makers and visiting parents. NewBee AU is the Australian edition of NewBee Australia (newbee.nz), run by the same person.
Where does the information come from, and how is it checked?
Guides are based only on official pages from the Australian Government, state and territory governments and statutory bodies (for example ato.gov.au, servicesaustralia.gov.au, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au, fairwork.gov.au, nsw.gov.au, vic.gov.au and qld.gov.au). We do not use commercial websites, news media or forums. Amounts, time limits and rates are copied exactly from the official source.
Every day we automatically fetch all 314 source pages and compare them with the previous version. When an official page changes, the affected guides are flagged “Under review” straight away, and the “Verified” date only changes after the guide has been checked against the official page. Some official sites (such as the Department of Home Affairs) cannot be fetched automatically; those pages are checked by hand in the daily review. Announced policy changes are recorded in each guide’s “What has changed” section.
The “Common questions” on each guide are written from that guide’s verified content. When a guide changes, its answers are rewritten — until then, the old answers are not shown.
How does the AI answer questions?
The AI assistant uses Anthropic’s Claude models. It checks our verified guides first, then official pages that are refreshed daily, and only then searches Australian government websites. Answers show their sources and the date each official page was checked.
AI can make mistakes. Check the official page before you act, and for your personal visa, legal, tax or medical situation, contact the relevant agency or a licensed professional.
What NewBee does not do
We do not represent any government agency, give personal immigration, legal, tax or medical advice, sell courses or act as an agent, or charge for anything. We never sell your information or use it for advertising — see our privacy page.
Common questions
What is NewBee? Is it a government website?
NewBee AU (澳小蜜) is an unofficial guide to life admin in Australia, with an AI assistant. It is not a government website and does not represent any government agency. Its 38 guides are written from official Australian government pages and link to them.
Who is NewBee for?
Newcomers to Australia — skilled migrants, international students, working-holiday makers, parents of students, visiting parents and visitors — and anyone living in Australia who needs to get something done. The Chinese site 澳小蜜 serves Chinese speakers.
Can I ask questions in my own words or my own language?
Yes. The AI on the home page answers questions about tax file numbers, Medicare, driving, renting, health, schools, Centrelink payments and retirement in Australia. It checks our verified guides first, then official pages refreshed daily, and shows the source and the date each page was checked. It answers in the language you ask in.
Is NewBee free? Do I need an account?
It is free. You can read the guides without an account, and ask the AI a few questions without signing in; signing in with Google gives you more free questions and saves your situation, what the AI remembers and your saved guides across devices. Inviting friends earns extra questions, and if you run out you can apply to join the beta.
How reliable is NewBee, and how often is it updated?
Guides are based only on official Australian government pages, and numbers are copied exactly from the official source. Every day we automatically check all 314 source pages. When an official page changes, the affected guides are flagged “Under review” and only get a new “Verified” date after they have been checked. Always check the official source before you act.
What if the AI gets something wrong?
AI can make mistakes, so open the official source linked in the answer before you act. If an answer did not help, tap “No”. If you find a mistake in a guide, leave a message on this page and we will check it against the official source.
Can NewBee help with my visa, or give legal or tax advice?
No. NewBee explains publicly available information only. It does not give personal immigration, legal, tax or medical advice and does not act as an agent. Under Australian law only registered migration agents and lawyers may give immigration assistance — for visa questions, contact the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent. In an emergency, call 000.
Are my questions saved?
Questions are logged anonymously to improve the guides. We do not record your name or email, and if you are not signed in we keep only the last two parts of your IP address. Please do not include passport, TFN or bank account numbers. See our privacy page.
How do I contact NewBee or report a mistake?
If you find a mistake or something out of date, or there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, leave a message below. We check every report against the official source. Please don’t include passport, TFN or bank account numbers.