Paul1Perth

Very low interest rates, first time buyer incentives and the general feeding frenzy at auctions. Also the media saying if you don't buy now next week prices will have increased. Makes people panic and pay too much. Saw exactly the same thing in the UK in the early to mid 80's.

My Sister and probably nieces and families would be over asap. With a bit of luck we are about to get our money back from our flights we booked beginning of last year. All bar about $80 for some baggage insurance. It's my wifes Dads 90th next year so she would like to go but is not desperate. We'd be happy if my sis could get here early next year maybe. If flights are really going to be expensive we won't be going. Might go to Queensland again.

I think 80% would be enough but there'll still be checks at the airport and quarantine when they come in. I reckon if the international borders open the ones coming will be double jabbed, tested negative before they get on the plane. So, in theory should be pretty safe. The only dodgy bit is if they have to transit somewhere.

I think there's too many people doing it for any government that wants to win an election to even mention changes to it. I think it's unfair that someone can buy an investement property and negative gear and get tax back on improvements. There's always fiddles too. Rife for abuse of the system.

I had a friend emigrate with his family a good 10 years after us. He had sold a house in Windsor so was cashed up. He paid cash for his house in the same suburb as us but about 2 mins walk to the beach. Got a job and went buying properties galore. Looked great for a few years, he had plans to retire at 50. Then things turned bad, GFC, lost his job at the same time, loads of outgoings and only his wifes salary as a physio coming in. To cut a long story short they nearly lost everything, including the house they bought for cash. They managed to hang on to it but they now have a massive mortgage and his dreams of early retirement are out the window. I'm just glad we never went into over extending ourselves. Never even been overdrawn on a credit card and the only loan we've ever had was mortgage. Don't get to South Perth much. Should do a trip to the zoo which is great. Not been for years. There are some nice developments there but we prefer the ocean to the river so even if we're going out it's mostly up and down the coast.

When we emigrated it was the money from the house sale that paid for the move. We never thought we wouldn't like it and maybe need to return. For us we loved it from day one. Took about a year renting before we had enough to get a mortgage again and find a house and suburb we like. Never had enough money for investement properties, shares or other investements. We didn't pour everything into the mortgage either though, we still wanted to have holidays and see more of Aus. The offset mortgage helped a lot.

In my opinion the economy will bounce back very quickly. People haven't been spending or travelling, there's huge pent up demand to get out and have a good time. Paul Keating should keep his opinions to himself.

Having grown up in the UK I think there's heaps of difference between my teen and 20's and what my kids have experienced. I did come from a very working class, Derbyshire mining area though, so nowhere near the sea. Basically I was drinking from 16, pub most nights, played football at weekends and went training a couple of times a week. Pub after training though. When I started work it was pub every night and all my mates were the same. Darts, dominoes, cards, 6 pints on weekdays was pretty average and Friday, Saturday it was probably 10 pints then a nightclub. Obviously managed to play football Saturday afternoon and Sunday mornings. Sometimes after a quick spew behind the changing rooms. I know things have changed and there doesn't seem to be as much spare cash to spend on booze these days, lots of pubs have closed. I know when my nieces and nephews have been here from the UK, we have a mixture of girls and boys, around the same ages as our 2. The difference in general fitness was amazing. Not just talking about swimming or anything to do with the ocean, goes without saying my 2 have grown up with it so it's second nature to them. Just taking the kids out on bikes was so noticeably different. I took the youngest and his friend out with my 2 nephews from the UK. We had only gone about 5km on the bike path and there was no sign of the eldest nephew. We backtracked and found him pushing the bike. Our youngest has autism and his mate that was with us that day is overweight and not particularly fit but he was used to going everywhere on his bike. All of our relations don't live near the coast though, so there could be a difference due to location alone. Obviously climate makes a huge difference too. Not many going to go out riding bikes in the winter in the UK.

We emigrated with a 2 year old, never been before, didn't know anyone, no jobs to come to, no idea what Perth would be like. Luckily we loved it from the start, mind you it was February so we left a very damp, cold Manchester airport and came to 30 degree days and clear blue skies. By the time we'd re-established ourselves, got jobs, rented for nearly a year, saved enough for a mortgage, found a house and suburb we liked, started saving a bit again, it was 13 years before we had enough money to be able to go back for a holiday. Luckily everyone wanted to come out here as soon as they could afford it and we had our own place.

Have you tried ringing the embassy?

My Sister is living with my niece and family in the UK. They have a huge house and she looks after the kids. My niece and hubby are both architects who have their own business, run from home, so it works pretty well for all of them. Not that she needs to do it mind you. We still have my Mum and Dads house that's rented out and she has a house of her own, that she's never lived in, that's rented out. She doesn't like living on her own is her reason. She's a fit 62 year old who goes to the gym most days so it'll be a while yet till she needs "looking after".

It's one of those dilemas that in theory you draw some nice diagrams and explain how everythings going to work. In practice it means an awful lot of people are going to have to accept a much lower standard of living, no certainty of ever having a job, what's that mean for the opportunity to buy a house? Keep the power on. There's got to be a massive change in peoples expectations and I really can't see anything but social and political unrest. Won't matter how much money you have, it's going to affect everyone. Start in the Cities first and in countries that are already overpopulated. It's going to end up like one of those futuristic films where everythings turned to crap and humans are battling for survival. Not for a few years yet and if China invades Taiwan the US will be dragged in and then us and Europe. Might be a third world war that this time fought remotely with much more devastating weapons. Climate crisis will be the least of our worries.

WA, Queensland, NT and maybe SA are still zero covid and everyone has lived a "normal" covid free life. They're only accepting it's here to stay in NSW, VIC and ACT.

It's pretty widely accepted that's the way it's heading Parley. Look up universal income on line and there's discussions galore about it. Going to be a massive problem in the next 10 years or so and get slowly worse. No easy answers. Obbviously they need people in work to pay the income to the non workers, who's going to be happy doing that?

It's going to be more of a problem in the very near future then. AI, robotics, remote mining, technology advancements are going to lead to less and less manual labour required. All this STEM garbage isn't going to help, there just isn't going to be enough jobs. A lot of countries have recognised and accepted that there's going to have to be "universal income", there's heaps about it online. Basically getting an income with no job. It's going to be a massive upheaval for everyone.

You're talking about amount, I'm talking about whether it happened for working people. Everyone who's had a job in the UK paid their NI. Lot's of people die before they get to retirement age, lots don't last long after it. Not saying that there's still a shortfall but that's mostly to do wirh inflation.

That happy to keep the borders closed forever in absolutely wrong. Everyone I know wants the borders, national and international, to open as soon as Mark McGowan and his team think it's safe to do so. I don't think it will be too long after Christmas for National borders. That's his style of doing things, he's sick of making what sounds like a promise and suddenly it's all over the papers that "Mc Gowan promises borders will be open by Christmas" or something, when he's said nothing like it. I saw Scott Morrisons interview yesterday and he was pretty clear that it's going to be residents stuck overseas that want to return who are going to be first in the queue. I wouldn't be booking flights and expecting them to be honoured yet. International flying in to anywhere but Sydney and Melbourne won't be happening for a while yet.

Strange concept that. Just about al the friends I have in their 50's are looking to retire asap. The ones in their 60's still working were jealous as anything when I pulled the pin. I was 66 when I retired and the 4 day, 3day transition to retirement was great.

I can only assume that the countries paying good retirement payouts must be taxing, or calling it something else, off the workers to fund it. I guess it's a case of get a bit more when you're young to waste on booze, holidays, fast cars and faster women, maybe pay down your mortgage quicker when you settle down or get a fatter pension when a lot are too old to enjoy it. People living a lot longer has really thrown a spanner in the works.

I'm not getting confused. Everyone in the UK has paid the NI contribution from their wages since the day they started work and when you finish you are guaranteed a pension. That's the part I mean that the UK has had right for a long time. When you start work you aren't thinking of what's being subtracted from your salary for retirement. When I started with the NCB at 16 it was the days when you queued up for your pay packet Friday and a guy gave you actual money with your payslip. I don't think I took any notice of the deductions and what they were for. All I was interested in was how much I'd got to spend on having a good time for that week, until the next payday. My mates were all the same, we thought we'd be lucky to make it to 40, let alone think about retirement.

Depends who you work for and if they have a private pension scheme. Luckily for me the Minworkers pension scheme I was in for a few years has done pretty well, then I worked for Ferranti who had one, that's done pretty well. I get income streams from those two plus my UK pension. I worked for BPPC for a couple of years too but Robert Maxwell spent that pension pot. I should chase up Severn Trent Water Authority as I worked for them for a couple of years. They may have had one.

And people are saying the UK one is unsustainable. How are those other countries paying higher payouts going to cope?

Sin City Canberra? I wondered what people got up to there. One of the most boring places in Aus I've been and I've been to a lot on work trips.

Personally I think the UK system is light years in front. They didn't have a system here till 92. Reason I remember that was the week I got my first job here was the same week compulsory contributions to super came in. How many youngsters would contribute to a pension scheme if they didn't have to? Not many I'd bet, no matter how much education you give them. It's not as easy as saying the UK scheme is unsustainable as the amount paid in doesn't cover your pension. That money paid in by everyone would have amounted to billions of pounds, which has been invested and made billions more. Much like your super here. I can't see the benefit in self managed super. How would I know what's a good or bad investement more than the guys running the super funds, who's sole job is to know how to invest.

Hope our 2 aren't expecting much help from the bank of Mum and Dad. There won't be one. If the eldest can't save on his salaryvthere's something wrong. Most of his FIFO mates have houses or apartments already, some more than one. He chose to work then travel for years. Those experiences can't be taken away and he's said to me recently he wouldn't change a thing. He had a great time, so he'll have to start saving now, in his 30's. It's doable though. Youngest might be more of a problem. He has autism and still at home. He has a job though and probably more savings than his brother. Doesn't go out much though, still learning to drive at 25, goes everywhere on his bike. Treated them both the same though. Both expected to pay board as soon as they started work. It's important for them to realise not to depend on anyone else if, they want something they have to save for it.