I have a quick question.

Have any of you taken the GRE when applying for an Australian PhD and do you know how it is regarded (if at all) for admission? What other supplementary certificates or honors did you provide when applying?

Coming from Canada, I didn't have to provide any SAT or GRE results, and I don't think you need to for an Australian PhD anyways because in Australia, they don't have equivalent exams that you need to take.

When I applied (back in 2010) I also applied for international scholarships, so my application had to be really competitive. I had to demonstrate that I had substantial research experience (not coursework). I also applied for the MA by research only, but upgraded to the PhD.

Before you can even apply (depending on the school) you have to secure two supervisors who are willing to supervise your study. So you need to not only research the schools you'd like to attend, but also the research interests of faculty and get in touch with them about your research idea. This is important because your application may be rejected as the university doesn't assign a supervisor for you based on what you'd like to research, it's up to you to determine that. Sometimes staff aren't available (mat leave, study leave etc) but might be helpful in directing you to others who are. Funding is also awarded based on faculty, I had to be a sociology PhD (even though I came from an anthropology background) because both my supervisors were sociology. Otherwise, I wouldn't get the funding.

My application consisted of:

All evidence of university scholarships and/or research scholarships, both those taken up and those offered at other universities
All evidence of awards/honours
Tertiary Transcripts AND secondary school transcripts, including awards in secondary school
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation from employment/volunteer work in a research capacity
Copy of my publications/research reports
Copy of my honours thesis (you'll probably need to provide a copy of your masters as well).
A document that outlined all the research components of all undergraduate courses that I had taken
Evidence of having worked in a research capacity (both paid and volunteer roles)
Research Proposal (word length varied)
Conference/teaching experience
Evidence of research experience

I don't think the GRE will be considered at all. Those tests are designed to trim the fat from huge amounts of applications (eg. MBAs)...PhD applicants are easier to trim based on the quality of their previous research, but, more importantly, the quality of their research proposal.

What awsoci described is fairly similar to the process at my university, though mine is less involved (popular g08 university)

First, you need to search through the faculty and try to find all of the researchers who you think might be interested in you based on their interests and publications. From this shortlist, you should try to make contact with them via email, expressing your interest and then go from there (they can usually help bring on a 2nd supervisor).

Then you formally submit your application after being invited to do so...It consists of the following:

1. Brief research proposal (there are many guidance papers on how to write a good proposal, check on SSRN).
2. Officially certified academic transcripts for all tertiary degrees.
3. 2 academic references.
4. Some evidence of research experience ... usually they want to see your thesis examination reports if you have not published.
5. Housekeeping stuff like passport, Q&A stuff etc.

Good luck!