pommie bastard

Yet more whinging from some Aussie maybe she should emigrate , any ideas?


How can they save?

I KEEP reading about low-income saving incentives. Are the Government and opposition parties so out of touch they really believe low-income earners can save?

So many people find owning a car or having a telephone a luxury even though the majority of us now take these things for granted. A low-income earner will usually drive an old car, pre ULP. The fuel that goes into these cars is more expensive than ULP because the people driving these cars must be encouraged to do the right thing by the environment and buy a better and more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Most people cannot afford fruit and meat in the same shopping basket. To go to a doctor who doesn't bulk bill is impossible. For a low-income earner's child to get enough calcium, protein, minerals and vitamins into their diet is almost impossible, let alone new shoes and clothes.

Now the Government wants low-income earners to save and to buy shares. I say low-income earners who can give their children a balanced diet, buy a relatively new car and save should become our next Federal treasurer.

SHIRLEY VERELST, Westfield.

UDS

So people on low incomes have little disposable income.

Curiously enough, this is also true outside Australia, so emigration is unlikely to help this lady.

There was a time when pommie bastard used to support his diatribes against Australia by cutting and pasting newspaper articles which actually said something about Australia.

Now he can't even be bothered to do that.

Santa

Poor people in Australia !!!, don't take the piss, you'll be telling us Kangaroo's live in the Outback next.

michael29

Well lets just say i wouldnt advise her on London,the duputy mayor of London today said that 41 percent of children living in the capital are living in poverty.A slightly larger scale than perth i think

pommie bastard

Good point try this ?

NEXT year's federal budget is shaping as one of the toughest in years and is likely to see a moratorium imposed on new spending, after John Howard yesterday confirmed Australia's golden economic boom had stalled.

The faltering economy, coupled with the uncertain international outlook, saw the Reserve Bank place interest rates on hold for the fifth month in succession.

Although senior ministers are yet to officially begin preparations for next year's budget, well-placed sources have already suggested it will be one of the toughest in living memory.

To meet the escalating costs of the war against terrorism, the Government is expected to focus all new spending towards the defence portfolio and related intelligence and national security functions.

Ministers in big-spending portfolios are likely to have new initiatives placed on hold as the spectre of a "khaki budget" takes precedence over other domestic priorities.

The Reserve Bank's decision to place interest rates on hold was applauded by the Prime Minister amid concerns the drought, which is ravaging large tracts of regional Australia, would damage the economy.

"This is a very bad drought . . . the outlook is not good, and the economic consequences of this are going to be felt for a long time into the future," Mr Howard said.

"The only mitigating factors are that the world prices for those Australian farmers who have been able to keep herds and stock, and sow crops, are quite good, that's the only bright spot."

Cabinet on Tuesday was given an official briefing on the drought, which is considered to be the worst in 20 years, affecting about 70 per cent of the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

ABARE estimates are that it will slash Australia's grain harvest in half at a cost to the economy of $5.4 billion, wiping at least 0.5 per cent off economic growth.

This may worsen over coming months, placing increased pressure on the Treasurer and other senior ministers as they begin framing next year's Budget.

Peter Costello will release the Government's mid-year economic forecasts later this month, offering a more accurate and up-to-date assessment of the economy.

Access Economics director Chris Richardson said he expected the Government's razor gang to be working overtime to whittle back spending ahead of next May's budget. "It's not a good year for grand plans," he said.

pommie bastard

Poverty as measured in one country is wealth in another, seeing how many kids walk around without shoes here maybe its worse in Perth who knows?.
What I would say is wages are hell of a lot lower, and costs even out about the same as UK so maybe we are poorer?By the way Keating when PM said he would stop any child growing up in poverty in Australia , I think the feeling is he doubled it.

pommie bastard

Not poor this women is average , the poor here are called battlers why god knows and who cares about them anyway.

In Australia, over 50% of children in solo-mother families are living below the Luxembourg Income Study poverty line. .

Poverty in Australia
In Australia, the gap between rich and poor is growing at an alarming rate.



People are considered to be living in poverty if their living standards fall below an overall community standard. In 1999 an estimated 1.6 million people, 11% of the population of Australia, were estimated to be living in a household with an income below the poverty line . Poverty is closely related to inequality.

Perth Helena

Battler: over-used term that's become meaningless. I know of a bloke earning $1000/wk who views himself as a battler. Go figure.

Who cares about them? Campaigning politicians?

Do you really believe all these statistics and studies? One week somebody will say coffee is bad for you. Next week somebody will say it's good for you. One week somebody (likely with a hidden agenda) will claim people are suffering and poor and dying, and another week somebody (also with a hidden agenda) will claim we're happy and healthy and having a great life. Bah! The news is good for only one thing: reporting events that happened. Everything else is a waste of time. If you lived your life according to studies and statistics, you'd be running around like a chicken with its head cut off, not knowing what to eat or drink or do.

And what's this Luxembourg Income Study? How do they measure poverty versus the World Bank versus the UN versus Amnesty Int'l versus this and that and the other group with far too much time on their hands and a bunch of overpaid bureacrats looking for some means to justify their salaries and junkets and fancy lunches? Who cares?! Do they really do any good? Toss the lot of them out, tell them to get some real jobs.

Blah, blah, estimated, blah, blah, study shows, blah, blah, blah, ...

Look around. One of the first things my husband said when we came to Perth for a visit was "Gee, where's all this money come from?" Sure, there are the low-income people but I'd have to say they're not the majority, regardless of what some "study" says. Look at the houses and cars and boats and holidays and other trappings. We're not suffering.

pommie bastard

Interesting where does the real money come from in Perth , not the low wage levels could it be all them rich Poms bring it in .Looking at this report it looks it a lifestyle that is bank funded.

Men in WA are still the highest paid workers, with an average weekly income of between $400 and $499, compared with $200-$299 for women, even though women outnumber men in the workforce.




Household saving hits all-time low
November 7 2002
By Tim Colebatch
Economics Editor
Canberra


The net financial position of Australian households slumped by $24 billion in the year to June as people borrowed a record $80 billion while the value of their shareholdings and superannuation assets were slipping.

The national accounts for 2001-02, released yesterday, reveal that while Australia's output grew a comfortable 3.9 per cent (or 2.8 per cent per head), the economy is experiencing growing imbalances between spending and saving, consumption and investment, and productivity growth and job growth.

The accounts, produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, estimate that net household savings slumped last year to $5.5 billion, the lowest amount of cash stowed away since 1972-73.

But in the 1970s, a sum like that was worth a lot, peaking at 11.1 per cent of GDP in 1974-75. For the year to June, the bureau's preliminary estimate is that households saved 0.8 per cent of GDP, the lowest level on record.

That estimate is likely to rise as more data comes in, but the accounts provide plenty of supportive evidence that Australians are living for today rather than investing for tomorrow. Household incomes after tax rose 3.9 per cent last year, but household consumer spending rose 6 per cent, and household assets depreciated even more rapidly.


On the financial front, Australians borrowed $80 billion but acquired just $56 billion of financial assets, partly because the global slump in share prices has slashed net equity growth by two-thirds in two years.

Business meanwhile battened down the hatches: business investment by non-financial corporations fell below 10 per cent of GDP for the first time since 1993-94, while employment, measured by total hours worked, fell by 0.3 per cent.

In the six years to 2002, Australia's output grew 25 per cent, but the amount of paid work rose just 8 per cent. The growth has come primarily from capital investment and workplace reorganisation to raise productivity.

But last year, even capital investment was weak. The net capital stock employed in manufacturing actually fell for the first time since the 1991 recession, and housing made up almost half the net growth in buildings and machinery.

The accounts estimate that the real value of Australia's housing stock, even without price rises, has grown by 38 per cent in the past decade, whereas assets used in producing goods and services rose just 25 per cent.

Perth Helena

Then how do you account for ones who aren't Poms and have real money? The ones I know are the ones who had the balls and guts to take a risk and create their own business. And they're from various backgrounds - from born here Aussies to <insert any nationality here>. You can't make any real money working for someone else. I figured that out years ago. If you study and take up a good paying career, you can be comfortable if you're wise, not rich, but not poor either. But real money? Not by having a job and whining about taxes and govts and stuff.

Saw similar reports in Canada and US when I was there. Likely find the same in many other countries. Different world to 1972-73. Why do we borrow so much and save so little? Wild guess but maybe it's because credit is so easy to acquire and there are a lot more things to buy these days. I don't know, maybe a bit naive but it's a different society these days. Different economy, different everything. Not sure I really put much trust in reports comparing life now to 30 years ago (ancient history really).

pommie bastard

Look all very well and what you say applies anywhere , but it all comes down to a living wage , what do you think people in Perth should study for?
WA lives of mining so maybe how to drive a dump truck will do , service industries are very poorly paid , building trade is doing well right now but any rise in interest rates will see that dip.
The Aussie Dollar has fallen because the money markets see the national debt getting out of control , borrow today what you can not pay back tomorrow because tomorrow never comes is the Australian way of life.
I find that most here do not have money to spare for social things , a trip to some fast food outlet is a big day out.
Holidays are spent at home or a trip to south west is all most can afford, look at cars on the road here never seen so many old bangers in my life.
Homes look okay here if you do not look to close , construction is done on the cheap all costs cut to the bone ,most are sweat boxes in summer and damp in winter.

Bernard

I'll attempt to give a balanced response to this.

Basically I have found that Australia has pretty much the same inequalities as the UK. In some ways the educational inequalities are somewhat greater (especially at University level - the UK system is cheaper and more 'open' than the Aussie system).

The worst thing that any would-be migrant can think is that they will be coming to some sort of 'promised land'. Australia has poverty and problems just like the UK. If you are struggling to make ends meet in the UK then you likely will in Australia too. There is no 'easy life' to be had anywhere in the world today (probably never has been).

What has dawned on me over the couple of years I've been here is how similar many things are (socially), not how different. Don't come here thinking that the streets will sparkle, everyone will be friendly, taxes will be low and there will be no crime or vandalism. Like I said at the top, its not the 'promised land', but you can have a pleasant lifestyle nonetheless. Not all good, not all bad.

One thing I do agree with PB about is the standard of building. Houses can seem cheap, but constructional standards can be poor (weatherboard and corrugated iron roofs are not to my taste!).

suebo

PB do you class yourself as a battler????? There are many different categories. The wage is not that low in WA - if you take in to account the cost of living. The reason there are battlers is that the more you earn, the more you want. People will buy a $250,000 house instead of a $150,000 house....go figure....they would rather be a battler than be comfortable. I think you should take that in to account before you keep saying that OZ has shit wages. We looked in to moving to UK and decided against it as the wages were nothing compared to what my hubby earns in OZ... Well there you go, it works both ways

suebo

BTW, the last time I worked for a transport company (1996), the truck drivers were on $20+ per hour. Study or not, that is not a bad wicket.

michael29

Pay conditions are no better in the UK than Perth trust me,the retail sector has terrible wages £5.26 an hour for an average shop assistant no matter what your age is.Now you tell me how many people can buy a house and live on that wage,rent in Surrey is £600 a month,and thats a crap studio unit now you do the math PB.Why do you think the all of the public services in the UK are so unhappy with there wages, bus drivers, tube drivers, train drivers and the majority of people in London will tell you that they're on low wages compared to the cost of living.No matter where you live alot of people find it tough but when i was living in Perth we rented a brand new 3 bedroom 2 bathroom town house in Bicton for $360 a month and my take home wage was $600 a week and that was in retail.I certainly know where i was living more comfortably.