A visitor pays for dinner in Melbourne on a card machine and waits for a tip screen that never appears. They ask the waiter if something is wrong with the machine. Nothing is wrong — that is simply how it works here.
Why there is no tip prompt
Australian hospitality workers are covered by national minimum-wage law the same as any other job, including penalty rates for nights, weekends and public holidays. A tip has never been the difference between a living wage and a losing one, so the custom never took root the way it did in the United States.
What locals actually do
Round the bill up to the nearest few dollars at a casual café or pub.
Leave 10% at a nicer restaurant only for service they genuinely thought was excellent.
Tip taxi and rideshare drivers rarely, and only by rounding the fare.
Never tip hotel housekeeping or bellhops as a matter of course — it happens, but it is not expected.
Worth knowing: some EFTPOS terminals at tourist-facing venues in Sydney and the Gold Coast have started adding an optional tip screen, copying the US style. Staff there will usually tell you honestly that it is not required if you look unsure.
A quick example
Dinner for two, Sydney
Bill: $86.00 — service was attentive but nothing extraordinary.
What most Australians would do: pay $86.00, or round to $90.00 if they are feeling generous. No standard percentage applies.