FORGET the lucky country - Australia has been branded the land of the great, big rip-

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by Cheese3

The reason why people come to australia from else where because the majority fall in the category you have mentioned, poor and bludgers.

you base this on what?


my dad came here in 67 in $500 debt from lebanon

in the years after he paid to bring all his family over. by 1973 all of them were here.

his mother
3 brothers and wives
3 sisters and husbands

all of them bar one owned their own businesses

he also was a reference on no less then a dozen others who came here.

all of us kids and cousins now work as well. myself and most of the others here. one in vic and one in sydney, one in saudi and one in dubai.

my mothers family came here in 75

father
mother
4 brothers
5 sisters

and they all came here not knowing a word of english.


i base my opinion of immigrants on life experience. not shock jocks and dodgy data from dubious sources.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

you base this on what?


my dad came here in 67 in $500 debt from lebanon

in the years after he paid to bring all his family over. by 1973 all of them were here.

his mother
3 brothers and wives
3 sisters and husbands

all of them bar one owned their own businesses

he also was a reference on no less then a dozen others who came here.

all of us kids and cousins now work as well. myself and most of the others here. one in vic and one in sydney, one in saudi and one in dubai.

my mothers family came here in 75

father
mother
4 brothers
5 sisters

and they all came here not knowing a word of english.


i base my opinion of immigrants on life experience. not shock jocks and dodgy data from dubious sources.

open your eyes.

most come here seeking a better life for their families.


@ quoting myself....

[Cheese3]

Sorry i should of added more, my fault, its not just the people coming over here its also the ones, maybe the majority are the ones that are born here that think its there god given right to do nothing and leech of others. sorry for that misunderstanding. Not being racist. I have nothing against the ones that come over here and do the right things, It just honestly annoys me people taking advantage of others.

And for the record both of my parents are born overseas, Old man is Austrian and the old girl is Ukranian.

[mcnews]

Well you should have known better than to tar any easily stereotyped minority with the same brush. Good on ya for manning up.
The vast majority of frigging losers I see are born and bred Aussies blaming everyone but themselves for their tales of woe.
By far the most people I see having a red hot go doing crappy poor paying jobs to try and get themselves and their families ahead are recent immigrants.
(of course you won't read anything like that in The Herald Sun or Daily Telegraph etc. though...)

[roberts]

Originally Posted by z80

Just googled this.......

Average minimum hourly rate in US $7/hr

Average minimum hourly rate in AU $15/hr


The highest new record minimum hourly rate set in San Francisco at $10/hr recently.

yes high wages are not a good thing, but you knew that as you have posted in a thread about Australia's high cost of living.

[gtfpv]

well going back to my post i put immigrants in with the poor the bludgers, the single parents, the sick etc . i did not mean to tar them all with the same brush . but usually atr sometime or another all these people get a fair go and opportunity , and can move across the class society that we have here , as we all can , thats my point . we all have the opportunity to be looked after and go up or down . i seperated the middle class because they are the majority , and most of them stay where they are >as payers of the needy .
my take on australia being the lucky country , basically means a roof over your head ,food in your belly, access to medicine and health care ,the opportunity to work , or not . no matter who you are , where your doing it tough or not . ( its a broad range ) i have only travelled little overseas , i dont know if anywhere else in the world has all these opportunities in the one basket .
i do know that western nations have have higher rates of stress depression and anxiety , than most other places around the world but that is another topic .
in a way though , i would like to be in a country where material wealth did not matter , and have more time along with all my friends do to socialise and just enjoy company , something you cant really do here as the norm over the long term if you wish , because even if you have that view and time , all your friends wont over the long term . and thats where we arent the lucky country . weighing that up against no home, or help if your life takes a fall out , is a debate yet to be looked at .

[cowboy]

I have lived and worked in nearly 20 countries in my life. Australia is, on average a lot more expensive to live in than anywhere I've been. It is also a far better quality of life which is why I keep coming back.

I do get mad though on some things. I wanted an ARB air locker for my landcruiser a while ago, an aussie made product. I could buy it in the states and ship it over here for $200 cheaper than I could buy it here. That's just rubbish.

[Windsor220]

Mining sector hasn't helped. So many people working there earning massive salaries has bumped the average wage right up. I think its something like 65k here in Perth now. The problem is most aren't earning over that so its deceiving. Doesn't stop everyone putting their prices up to cash in.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by Windsor220

Mining sector hasn't helped. So many people working there earning massive salaries has bumped the average wage right up. I think its something like 65k here in Perth now. The problem is most aren't earning over that so its deceiving. Doesn't stop everyone putting their prices up to cash in.

Agreed. Everything over here is bloody dear, and these young mining guys splash cash like its nothing! Anyone on that 'average' salary or less hurts!

Also, avg salary in the mining sector is 109k!

[mik]

Originally Posted by BA GT-HO

I said pockets of lazy SOBs, not all. You know the type. In fact I WORK WITH THEM!

Compared to BMWs they are rubbish.

And yes, I have owned a plethora of Fords and my parents have had various BMWs for 30 years.

look on line , you`ll find bmw`s have problems like just any other brand.

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by HLC

Agreed. Everything over here is bloody dear, and these young mining guys splash cash like its nothing! Anyone on that 'average' salary or less hurts!

Also, avg salary in the mining sector is 109k!

The thing is all these young guys are just throwing most of their money away. I only earn a bit over 50k atm but have my own unit by myself in a good location and live comfortably. Currently organising a hoilday to the US. Half of the FIFO guys I know have gone out and bought themself a brand new SS ute which will be worth nothing in a few years and the rest on alcohol. If they have managed to buy a house its some newly built thing in the middle of no where. The reason most of them are up there is they wouldn't be able to survive on a lower wage.

[Pedro]

Just dropped in on this lively thread. Have to comment on an earlier post regarding retail mark-ups. I was a jewellery wholesaler supplying to independants and the chains and department stores. Their mark-ups varied from 120% to 800%. e.g. a home brand watch landed here from China at $5 selling for $49.95. (The Chinese can make a gents analogue watch on a metal bracelet for USD$1.50)

[Uncle Niceguy]

u can hardly call this place a first world country when over 90% of ppl on the street are single mums driving there kids away from a house with domestic violence or abusive households (read husbands) this is true fact and u can search the ABS urself.

[Bluepower]

I love Australia, proud to be an Aussie, and i wouldn't trade it for anything.

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by eb-fairmont

u can hardly call this place a first world country when over 90% of ppl on the street are single mums driving there kids away from a house with domestic violence or abusive households (read husbands) this is true fact and u can search the ABS urself.

Given that the ABS shows that 22% of families are single parent families, the availability of housing for the majority of these cases, and the social work going towards helping women in this situation, this is a gross assumption.

Saying this isn't a first world country based on this is also a gross assumption. At least here women (and men) in these situations can leave. In third world countries the women don't have the right to leave, don't have the right to a pension if their husband/spouse buggers off and leaves them with the kids, and no right to child support.
Keep stuff in perspective.

[Bad Bird]

Originally Posted by mik

look on line , you`ll find bmw`s have problems like just any other brand.

Just came back from a long stint in the UK. The taxi drivers I talked to flat out REFUSED to drive BMWs on the basis that they were "pretty, but rubbish". But then again, I have never fallen for the hype of 'German engineering'. That is probably because I work in the vacuum science industry and my experience of German engineering is that, well, it just doesn't hold a candle to Japanese engineering.

[Bent8]

It's going to continue to get worse unfortunately, most people are just looking out for themselves and their immediate families and while there's nothing wrong with that, there is a social disconnect...

I don't blame people though, the financial system is setup to be parasitic and when we finally admit to this, we can start changing things.

Call me a conspiracy theorist if it suits you but if we don't "wake up" soon, Australia will become a 3rd world nation as part of a worldwide push to better control countries and their populations.

[Rangas GTP]

Julia Gillard is amongst the highest paid prime ministers in the world. Now that is crap value for money!

The " Lucky Country " is long gone, It is now the "Greedy Country"

[SB076]

Originally Posted by Bluepower

I love Australia, proud to be an Aussie, and i wouldn't trade it for anything.

Agreed its a great country, there is always room for improvement but I would rather be here than anywhere else.

As for being a rip off, some of it has to do with wages (our wages are high but then in turn would anyone be willing to accept a pay cut to get goods cheaper - or do you just expect everyone else to take a pay cut?) Other elements have to do with our location and the fact we have a small population mass which adds to costs and thirdly and finally our levels of governement add to the costs (either by tax or legislation)

[Road Games]

Nothing more to say really ..

I'm working in a hot stinking job and i have made 200 new friends in 5 days..

Australia ROCKS !!

[aumexican]

As much as I love Australia and I lived in most states and territories it took a move overseas to realize Australia is not the country it once was.
I was overseas 20 years ago and was glad to be home, but this time I'm in no hurry to come home.

My dollar goes a lot further, we travel widely, I am more valued in my employment (but then I worked for Qantas), my children are color blind to other races and cultures and the children's education is better in some areas (My wife was an Australian trained primary secondary teacher having taught in most states).

Australia was the lucky country and still is for a few (miners), once it is dug up then what?

I want to invest more in Australia but due to excessive taxes as an overseas resident it is not worth it. what type of government taxes me more to invest in my home country as a non-resident than if I reside in the country, don't they want the investment.

All in all I will eventually retire to Australia as it is home but I will get out regularly to stretch my dollar further and get away from the mindless babying society that Australia has become.
If someone wants to do something stupid and kill themselves let them

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by aumexican

As much as I love Australia and I lived in most states and territories it took a move overseas to realize Australia is not the country it once was.
I was overseas 20 years ago and was glad to be home, but this time I'm in no hurry to come home.

My dollar goes a lot further, we travel widely, I am more valued in my employment (but then I worked for Qantas), my children are color blind to other races and cultures and the children's education is better in some areas (My wife was an Australian trained primary secondary teacher having taught in most states).

Australia was the lucky country and still is for a few (miners), once it is dug up then what?

I want to invest more in Australia but due to excessive taxes as an overseas resident it is not worth it. what type of government taxes me more to invest in my home country as a non-resident than if I reside in the country, don't they want the investment.

All in all I will eventually retire to Australia as it is home but I will get out regularly to stretch my dollar further and get away from the mindless babying society that Australia has become.
If someone wants to do something stupid and kill themselves let them

enjoy your time elsewhere

lol

cheers

lucky miner

[z80]

Originally Posted by aumexican

As much as I love Australia and I lived in most states and territories it took a move overseas to realize Australia is not the country it once was.
I was overseas 20 years ago and was glad to be home, but this time I'm in no hurry to come home.

My dollar goes a lot further, we travel widely, I am more valued in my employment (but then I worked for Qantas), my children are color blind to other races and cultures and the children's education is better in some areas (My wife was an Australian trained primary secondary teacher having taught in most states).

Australia was the lucky country and still is for a few (miners), once it is dug up then what?

I want to invest more in Australia but due to excessive taxes as an overseas resident it is not worth it. what type of government taxes me more to invest in my home country as a non-resident than if I reside in the country, don't they want the investment.

All in all I will eventually retire to Australia as it is home but I will get out regularly to stretch my dollar further and get away from the mindless babying society that Australia has become.
If someone wants to do something stupid and kill themselves let them

You call Hong Kong home now and think Australia is a poor place to live because it is taxing it's people?

You are kidding...right?

At least we don't live in filth, squalor and opression.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by z80

You call Hong Kong home now and think Australia is a poor place to live because it is taxing it's people?

You are kidding...right?

At least we don't live in filth, squalor and opression.

we are oppressed, by the government sucking huge amounts of the money we work hard for.

i read somewhere that most people work 5 months of the year just for the government, in taxes, fees etc etc etc. just because you can go out and get smashed on the weekend and wake up next to something that makes you chew your arm off, does not mean you are not oppressed.

50c + taken out of every litre of petrol to the government? greed and theft.

and yes some people do live in squalor, look beyond what you read in news.com. some of it is their own fault, some of it isnt.

fitlh? well, we are naturally a relatively clean society.

[mcnews]

Don't the figures also show that if you are married with kids earning 60k a year you effectively pay no tax as direct subsidies and shcooling for your children etc. etc. means that you get more money back than you pay from all taxes....

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Don't the figures also show that if you are married with kids earning 60k a year you effectively pay no tax as direct subsidies and shcooling for your children etc. etc. means that you get more money back than you pay from all taxes....

where did you hear this????

60k / 52 weeks = 1153.84

1153 pw current tax table $239 pw in tax - take home pay becomes 914

$80 pw petrol? 39.64c of every litre goes to the government.

current petrol cost lets say 1.30 = 61 litres? you pay $24 or there abouts to the government out of every tank.

239 + 24 = 263 pw

now , just basing it on this, not putting in council rates, water, electricity fees, levies, stamp duty, WHATEVER ELSE

1153.84 / 5 day working week = 232.60

you work a day and a half just for the government based on personal tax, and some petrol......

like i said, thats just based on two things the government sucks out of us.

[whitesoarer]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

we are oppressed, by the government sucking huge amounts of the money we work hard for.

#whitewhine

[raptorv8]

Originally Posted by flappist

You do realise that the coke at the servo would be lots cheaper if the servo was only open 9am to 5pm on week days........

Servos are not a good example, they gouge because they can. I did a bit of project work for one of them for a few months to fill in time before I went bush to retire and their markups after expenses are close to 100%.

[raptorv8]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

we are oppressed, by the government sucking huge amounts of the money we work hard for.

i read somewhere that most people work 5 months of the year just for the government, in taxes, fees etc etc etc. just because you can go out and get smashed on the weekend and wake up next to something that makes you chew your arm off, does not mean you are not oppressed.

50c + taken out of every litre of petrol to the government? greed and theft.

and yes some people do live in squalor, look beyond what you read in news.com. some of it is their own fault, some of it isnt.

fitlh? well, we are naturally a relatively clean society.

The usual cry of someone who doesnt want to better themselves, the government is holding me back i thought the same as a teenager growing up in a relatively poor family who struggled to get by, now all us kids are grown up and have made changes for the better and not relied on everyone to make our lives for us.

With this horrible oppressive government I have been able to retire at 35, indulge in all my hobbies, start a family all without going anywhere near the mining sector and nothing but hard work.

Sick of people who ***** and complain about oppression yet have no idea what it really means, go live under the taliban as a woman that was oppression, being a woman in Saudi Arabia that is oppression, only an idiot would compare Australia to that.

Get out there and have a real go.

[raptorv8]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

where did you hear this????

60k / 52 weeks = 1153.84

1153 pw current tax table $239 pw in tax - take home pay becomes 914

$80 pw petrol? 39.64c of every litre goes to the government.

current petrol cost lets say 1.30 = 61 litres? you pay $24 or there abouts to the government out of every tank.

239 + 24 = 263 pw

now , just basing it on this, not putting in council rates, water, electricity fees, levies, stamp duty, WHATEVER ELSE

1153.84 / 5 day working week = 232.60

you work a day and a half just for the government based on personal tax, and some petrol......

like i said, thats just based on two things the government sucks out of us.

And it ignores the money that goes towards educating you and your kids, providing healthcare, roads, etc etc we have it pretty damb good in Australia if you despise it so much why not leave and make space for a refugee who will actually savour the opportunity to live here and make a go of life as an Aussie.