GlenB - I'm a little unclear about the sort of cutting you're talking about. The type of cut, of course, has a big impact on what saw will be best.
My big interest is ship modeling, and I have lots of uses for straight, precisely-located cuts in pieces of hardwood. I've got a Micro-Mark Variable-Speed miniature table saw for that purpose. There are several similar saws, primarily aimed at ship modelers, on the market. I can't comment on any of the others, but I'm quite satisfied with mine. It does a beautiful job on materials up to about 1/4" thick - especially with the "Accurizer" accessory fence. The motor isn't very big, but I've never jammed it. I believe the same saw is available under several other trade names. The table saw sold by Proxxon, for instance, appears to be identical.
If you don't do a great deal of high-precision cutting, you might well be happy with an 8" or 10" benchtop table saw. They come in a wide variety of price ranges (at least here in the U.S.); the lesser models from Delta, Ryobi, and Sears/Craftsman are considerably cheaper than most of the miniature table saws. Several companies make hollow-ground "satin finish" blades that, even in a relatively cheap saw, make remarkably smooth cuts. The fences and miter gauges on such saws are pretty basic, but if you're willing to spend a few minutes fine-tuning, and make some test cuts, you can get nice cuts from a saw that costs less than 200 U.S. dollars. A saw like that will take up considerably more space than a miniature one; on the other hand, you'll probably find all sorts of non-modeling uses for it around the house.
On the down side, the 10" Delta saw lurking at one end of my workshop always makes me a little nervous. More than one of my friends has mutilated himself to a greater or lesser degree on such a device. I haven't tested this theory, but I
think the little Micro-Mark saw would jam before slicing off any of my bodily appendages.
For curved cuts you need something with a skinny blade - either a band saw or a reciprocating scroll saw. The big advantage to the band saw is that, generally speaking, it's more powerful; most band saws also have a bigger capacity than most scroll saws. The big advantage to a scroll saw is that it can start a cut from inside a hole in a piece of stock. (Take the blade out of the saw, shove the blade through the hole in the wood, and hook it up again. That can't be done with a band saw.) I don't have either in my workshop, though I've been thinking about getting one or the other. I have no idea what the Australian power tool market looks like, but here in the U.S. the small band saws made by Delta have a good reputation. Several scroll saws have gotten excellent reviews, including those by Dremel, Delta, and Sears/Craftsman.
Both bandsaws and scroll saws are, by definition, less of a menace in the shop than a table saw. I suppose one could mutilate onesself pretty spectacularly with a bandsaw, but I've never known anybody who's done it. And to damage yourself on a scroll saw would take real determination.
That's about all I have to offer on the subject. Maybe some other Forum members who have experience with other tools will weigh in. Good luck.