Attending university in WA?

hello

I am currently in a uni here at the US (in Arizona), but I want to switch to an Australian university. I'm considering attending UWA, since I have friends in the area, a fiance there , and have heard great reviews about it. It seems to be quite an improvement above where I am now...

The problem is, I'm not sure where to start o_o It seems like a huge task to take on!

I would like to know a few things (if anyone has extra info aside from my questions, please don't hesitate to provide it ):
- is it practical to obtain citizenship before attending the uni, to qualify for domestic tuition?
-- would I be able to cite "school funding" as a valid reason for needing to obtain citizenship sooner than the usual 2 years waiting time?
-- is it better to delay a year or two before attending uni (assuming 2 years is the waiting time for citizenship), or to attend as soon as I arrive in WA? I suppose this is more of an opinion question, really.
-- if police record is clean, and no known problems exist with me, is citizenship basically guaranteed?
- how does UWA (or any Australian universities) rank in terms of quality? How do they (or UWA) rank or qualify against American universities? I'm trying to gather this info, to present to my parents, who would help me pay for tuition.
- in Perth, is a license to drive a car really necessary, or is the transportation system reliable enough to go without one?

Thank you for any help