I'm studying in Australia starting March 5. I need a student visa before classes start.

Problem is - it takes 15 working days to process the visa. I'm leaving for Asia on January 19. And the Oz Immi hotline told me that if you apply for the visa in the USA (in person or online), then you must still be in the USA when it is issued. They said I could get the 30-day ETA tourist visa (issued within a day) to enter the country and then apply for my student visa when in Australia. Problem is that I'm not arriving in Australia until March 1, just a few days before my classes start.

The Australian Immi website said it a little differently - it says that if you apply outside the country you must still be outside the country when the visa is issued.

Does anyone have experience with Australian visas? If I apply online from the USA and I am touring SE Asia when the visa is issued, is that going to be a problem? Any recommendations?

Not sure on where the Oz immi hotline comes from but I'd stick with the main immi site and get cracking with your application.
The down side being if it does not go through and you have to get an ETA (valid for one year and 90 day stays btw) or a tourist visa for six months (allows three months of study, so you could chance an illegal stretch) you do your student visa application fee cold.
So make sure you read all the application guidelines carefully and have all the documentation references for plain sailing.

I applied for my student visa on Dec 27th or so...I did my medical exam on the 29th and I just got my visa today. I would of gotten it sooner if it wasn't for the New Year holiday..they just sent me an email saying I got it. I didn't know anything about being in the US when its issued...I never heard of that before

Actually I am very surprised. I got issued my visa today! It only took a couple days - much less time than they estimated.

i got my australian student visa pretty fast if i remember correctly everything was online...when i showed up at the airport it was all kosher..

mr_mbuna..are you going to Oz for less than a year? because if you don't have to undergo medical exams..the visa processing time is like..72 hours

Sunnybuns - yeah, that was my experience. Two days. It doesn't say anything about that on the website - those Ozzie jokesters!