Beoz

The above is your dream. Keep dreaming, at least for another 3 years. Then you have a chance to sell your own misfortunes to everyone else again. Til then, its onwards and upwards for most.

the troubadour

Thing being of course is that the likes of me will benefit from this government in short term, but will pay the price further down the line. Nothing much to dream about but many will think back to times when life was simpler and people had faith in government to provide essential services and support them in hour of need, when the bottom line was not only focused on the dollar, and real estate agents, bankers and brokers (none of which require much education) have undue influence together with multi nationals ,focusing on creating wage slaves, with ever less likelihood of escaping such a fate. No wonder there is a growth in anxiety medication with those suffering burn out fatigue due to ever stressful work places .
Just because brokers are rubbing their hands with glee, (as part of a protected species) few people actually in the work place. Shame you haven't pinned down the disaster of neo liberalism is yet.

Beoz

Yes we know your workplace doesn't provide you the satisfaction you crave. You really need to think about changing jobs.

Anyhow, back to the election.

Had the Liberal party not self destructed before the election, and given the agenda Labor brought to the campaign, one has to wonder what the result could have been.

the troubadour

Of course a little home tuition may allow you to pass of a more adequate response than the convolved piece above. Are you suggesting brokering as a an alternative? I think I'd prefer good honest toil like ditch digging if had to chose.
As for the election, on a bit firmer ground. The ALP may have trimmed their agenda ,as not to give ammunition to the Murdoch media, allowing the Coalition a free pass to remain policy free and stay purely attack mode. As thus it could indeed have been different and of course better. Now we are compelled to live with the results.

Beoz

Ditch digging is often reliant on a good and healthy construction industry. It might be at odds to your political bent.

Oh yes, I have heard Murdoch is to blame for the demise of the Labor party. Next excuse please.

the troubadour

So low interest rates, government socialist intervention in attempt store up the housing market. A nation increasingly dependant on house sales for its economy. Stagnant wages, unlikely to change anytime soon. An economy that can ill afford tax breaks. Mmm, What could go wrong. Difficult to make excuses I agree for Coalition mismanagement over recent years.

Beoz

Yes construction as an industry is 3rd on the list of employee numbers right now. It might surprise you that mining comes in a distant 14th. But it is what it is, industries change. Just because you find a house in inner Perth outside your affordability levels doesn't mean the government should crash a sector, just for your own personal gain, sabotaging the livelihoods of many. In fact it should be nurturing it, as it is a sector Australia relies on for employment.

Stagnant wages are a global thing, especially in similar western countries, not a local one. The beauty of it, is inflation is stagnate, so you have nothing to worry about there. Its all just propaganda.

the troubadour

I do wonder if there isn't some cognitive difficulty you are sadly laboured with? You don't seem to be able to comprehend I am not in any housing market and find the whole discussion of housing tedious to say the least. That's not to say I don't feel for those with a mortgage that will be a milestone over their head for most all their working life. I have always stated, I am very lucky to own with mortgage in the location I do. My own good fortune does not mean I don't despair at the decline in so much that has occurred in Australia and nor should it.
A nation cannot rely on construction as being its salvation over a longer period of time. It should be a part of, not the entire economy over reliance on this particular sector.
And education services are not to far behind housing. All very precarious' industries' to be reliant on. Turbo immigration and excessive temporally visa holders are while increasing GDP besides the number of uber drivers, are prime reasons for stagnant wages.

Beoz

Health and retail are above construction so not sure how you figure out construction to be the entire economy. It's very much part.

the troubadour

My only comment to your postings on the matter, is that I can state quite category that I did not contribute to the further decline of this nationby voting for such an ideology of a party with no declared agenda outside of fear.

Beoz

Maybe it's just you. This country for the most part is going up and I am along for the ride. In my current stint in Australia, which has been since 2011, the country, living standards, cost of living (income v cost of things) has got better and better. My last stint in the 90's isn't a patch on what Australia is today. Yep, must be just you.

the troubadour

As a society it has declined considerably. Australia has lost is casual once considered laid back attitude on life (although always a little exaggerated as Australia has tended to be for example more materialistic than UK , (although the gap there has narrowed as well as materialistic individualism is somewhat the' culture' of both countries )
Living standards in Australia have declined. A lot is to do with the excessive over inflation of the housing market and wages related to the purchase (of such an over inflated asset) The insecurity of rental tenure in Australia leads to insecurity. The highest energy costs or close to in the world(once among the cheapest) (even though Australia is a major exporter of gas and coal) the corporatisation of so many aspects of Australian life. We are increasingly consumers rather than citizens. At least beach entry is still free. Why is Australian wine cheaper to buy in France than Australia?
But hey, get fully mortgage sales bod's and the like (property developers, real estate agents, financial market workers) to name a few continue to cheer on an increasingly cheerless Australia, forced to work close to the longest hours of any country, in increasingly casualised and toxic work places with among some of the poorest at and least capable managers and CEO's that could be imagined.

Beoz

I think your economics on the housing front is all a bit messed up. In fact mortgage repayments, as a share of disposable income, has decreased from 26% in 1990 to to around 21%. Rent has increased a little from about 21% to 23%. The challenge is the deposit for First Home Buyers. That said though, 25% was the norm back in the day. Where are we today, well about 20% but the elected federal government along with the states are and have been working on that. I guess that counts you out as you have owned before. I think you need to look at little beyond the raw price and pull in the other factors before you make such assumptions.

For starters its a bigger market, therefore far easier for the various vineyards to club together, package and ship in bulk. Australia, small market, and dispersed. Not so easier to ship. This is why all the cheap wine at Sainsbury's is Australian, not French, given France is only few hundred kilometres away. The French wineries just don't work in clubs.

Developers, Real Estate agents, and financial workers are not new. They were around when you are claiming times were great. If you don't like your work condition or your manager only you can change that situation. Again, no different to 30 years ago, however, given all the technology advancements and emerging industries that choice is a great deal wider now than it was 30 years ago.

Sorry not buying this.

Amazulu

Why are some German-made cars cheaper to buy in Australia compared to Germany?

Why are consumer electronics cheaper to buy in Australia compared to the UK?

Answers on a postcard please!

the troubadour

Very different now to thirty years ago. You really need a bit of a handle on economics though. It is not the cost of servicing a mortgage through interest rates, which are at all times low (for now) it is the earnings to house price ratio that has blown out. Thirty years ago while interest rates were high the cost of purchasing a house was not. But again I've covered that ground with you a couple of years ago, with actual figures.
Not as for wine it is excessive government tax that makes wine expensive in Australia. In France French wine is cheap but so is Australian wine. Nothing remotely cheap in the French wine version in Australia.