Is it true that i would have to pay a tax to receive a parcel from Australia ?

I want to buy a t-shirt and a calendar from a place in australia.
A friend told me that I would have to pay a tax to recieve the parcel , I live in the UK , is this correct that I would have to pay extra money over and above paying for the items and postage ?

any info is appreciated.

Potentially you would have to pay VAT and sometimes import duty on items bought abroad outside of the EU. Clothing is zero rated for VAT though.

It's a matter of pure chance if customs and revenue decide to inspect your parcel to establish if there is any tax due on it.

To get an idea of how much you may need to pay you can contact HM Revenue & Customs' National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000

Depends on the contents,HM Customs could tell you the answer.

You do have to pay take to recieve item from abroad, but you can declare it as a gift, which takes that away. I have brought items from abroad and the seller declared it as a gift, which is nice.

In theory yes; in practise maybe.
All commercial importations into the UK attract VAT. (as they do in other countries that have a VAT) and possibly import duties as well.
Depending on the value involved, Customs may waive the collection as being more costly to collect than the revenue raised.
Gifts and "NCV" would not usually attract VAT on importation.