José Miguel Olegario launched a mobile repair business in Australia six months after arriving. He now runs a workshop and a car sales operation, while pointing to one major difference from Spain: no fixed self-employed fee.
While building the business, Olegario worked close to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. He started with a van six months after arriving in Australia. Four years later, the mechanic from Valencia runs a Gold Coast workshop, employs three Spaniards and manages a fleet of 60 cars.
His business began with mobile repairs, then grew into a permanent workshop. He also set up a separate car buying and selling operation. Speaking to El Español, Olegario said he earned about 1,400 Australian dollars a week with the van, roughly 872 euros according to the source.
The pace became more manageable once the business was established.
His experience in the car trade comes as Chinese production of electric and hybrid vehicles grows. But comparisons between his Australian earnings and Spanish pay need care. The 1,400-dollar weekly figure is not identified as gross or take-home pay.
Other mechanics who moved to Australia report monthly earnings of around 3,700 to 4,400 euros for 38 to 40 hours a week. CEAC puts Spanish mechanics’ gross annual pay between 19,000 and more than 31,000 euros. The figures vary by specialty, so they do not establish a direct like-for-like comparison. Jobs and Skills Australia reported that the share of occupations classified as being in shortage fell from 36% in 2023 to 29% in 2025. That national measure gives broader labour-market context, but it does not set a pay benchmark for mechanics on the Gold Coast.
For Olegario, the practical difference is the cost of getting started. Australia has no fixed self-employed contribution equivalent to Spain’s autónomo fee. Individual traders still face income tax and may have to pay GST once turnover passes a threshold. Business owners can also have obligations tied to employees. Australian Taxation Office rules cover income tax and GST. Separate rules apply to capital gains tax, while employers have their own obligations. The applicable treatment depends on the tax year and the type of income. Olegario has argued that Spain’s fixed contributions can weigh heavily on a new business before it has built up income.
He has also said the first 18,000 Australian dollars earned are tax-free. The source clarifies that the current income-tax-free threshold for Australian tax residents is 18,200 dollars for a full year. That allowance does not make all business income free of tax or other charges.
Separately, an Australian Taxation Office page on capital gains tax reform says the announced changes do not apply to returns for the 2025-26 financial year. It provides for a minimum 30% tax on certain net capital gains for individuals from 1 July 2027. The measure concerns investment gains, not the ordinary turnover of a mechanic’s workshop.
Health cover is another cost. Olegario says he pays about 600 Australian dollars a year for basic insurance, compared with an Australian average of around 2,724 dollars. Spaniards do not automatically qualify for Medicare simply by living and working in Australia.
Olegario plans to stay in Australia for the coming years, though he has not ruled out returning to Spain after retirement. He says pension-plan contributions can be accessed and, under certain conditions, withdrawn to buy a home.
