Although its better to be safe than sorry and it's alright to be paranoid during BM... for me, never ako nagworry about bringing piracy stuff in laptop or external hd. I think sinasabi lang sa PDOS to be cautious about bringing them but in reality, Sydney airport is too crowded and busy to check each and every laptop and ensure if your OS or programs are pirated or not lol.
When you arrive at the airport its not like may sticker tag ka sa damit mo na "BIG MOVE person beware and inspect their bags" ... lol nah, nakahalo ka naman with other visitors. So unless you are smuggler of pirated stuff or bringing in multiple laptops and external hardrives then I wouldn't worry about being stopped and randomly checked.
I've been bringing my laptop for years when I travel and i'm sure a lot of people do the same. I'm not saying this to put you guys in trouble and its always better to advise not to bring them for peace of mind..., all i'm saying is take a chill pill lang before deleting any of your stuffs when coming here. To be honest, mas concern pa ako when bringing meat coz they have dogs sniffing around your bags.
As for movies, you can get Netflix and Stan and you are all set. halos lahat nandun na eh. They have 1 month trial free to keep you guys entertained while looking for work haha.