Hi, congrats and thank you so much for sharing.
Just one question: was your file ever transferred to other visa offices (such as Ottawa), or it was always being processed and finalized in Sydney?
As I said I haven' submitted EE application yet. Better ask a lawyer for that. I guess you need to pay the fee again, and when one of them get approved you gotta withdraw the other, and the Right of PR fee might be refundable.
Note the definition for processing time "Your processing time starts the day we receive your complete application and ends when we make a decision." So 19 months is the time it takes before DM, not including from DM to COPR.
On my GCMS notes it clearly said my biometrics is exempted. Not sure they'll ask me for it eventually. But for me having another EE application does no good other than keeping me busy. Using the time for work is a lot more meaningful.