Switching from a Working Holiday Visa to other permits

I'm currently in Ireland trying to navigate the immigration system here. It's not easy. I'm now considering moving to Australia. As a New Zealander, living in Australia isn't a problem, but I have an irish boyfriend. Does anyone know how difficult it is to transfer from a working holiday visa to other visas, for example, if he got sponsored, or if we got married. I'm having awful problems with the irish in this matter, so I'm wondering if the Australians will do the same or whether they have a more flexible policy.