That was my main gripe - AU z-wave kit exists, but since we can't share devices with the USA (or as I understand between regions in general e.g. UK, USA, and AU

That was my main gripe - AU z-wave kit exists, but since we can't share devices with the USA (or as I understand between regions in general e.g. UK, USA, and AUS z-wave are mutually incompatible) the range of products in AUS region is severely limited, and the ones that are released here are far more expensive than the USA region equivalents (after adjusting for currency conversion) due to the smaller volume of manufacture. Whereas you can pick up a zigbee or thread device, put it down on a different continent, and after pairing etc. it'll just work.