[PhilWright]

I work full time in Melbourne. There are casual/contract positions (you can find both terms used in the adverts) available but they are just like being a regular employee in that you report to a boss and work in the office just like everyone else at the company. They are for a fixed duration but often get extended if it works out well. The pay is 20% higher than the same full time position to compensate for no paid vacation and no paid sick leave. You can search www.seek.com.au for jobs in Melbourne and you will see the fixed duration ones are advertised as casual/contract. There is little benefit over being a regular full timer unless you want to keep switching for variety.

If you want to be a one man business and have clients then that is a different ball game. You need to get clients the same way any small business does. Ask around your network of contacts, have a website advertising your services, cold call potential customers etc.

[peteretep]

That's interesting, the contract market in London (in the same sense you're describing) tends to offer a 100% premium on permanenet staff remuneration.

[PhilWright]

Exactly right. I was a contractor in the UK from 1997-2001 and I used to get double the full time rate. Then the dot com boom busted and the market for contracting collapsed for a while. When I emigrated to OZ I hoped to find the same kind of market but it doesn't really exist in the same way.