I personally don't use it (I'm with Vodafone on a month to month contract as I used to work for them and have quite a good deal, and I know how they value long-

I personally don't use it (I'm with Vodafone on a month to month contract as I used to work for them and have quite a good deal, and I know how they value long-tenure customers) but I know some friends who do. They've had no problems, but I've heard that if you do there is next-to no customer support on their end - if porting a number goes wrong, for instance. A middle-ground would be TPG Mobile who have some customer support if you need it. In terms of a grey importer, the best option is to keep your eye on OzBargain (www.ozbargain.com.au). Otherwise Staticice.com.au is a good aggregator if you're looking for a less popular model, or need one immediately. And perhaps I'm struggling with reading comprehension (it is Monday, after all!), but I still can't see him mention terminating the Australian contract early - only the US one.