More family time?

[northshorepom]

With overseas buyers making up something like 14% of the market in Sydney and Melbourne,

It's quite a bit less than that. The Credit Suisse figures usually quoted are in relation to NEW property only. In terms of the overall market it's somewhere between 5 and 7% in Sydney, depends how you count the figures

 

. While only supposed to purchase new builds this is not being enforced

That's not actually true, but a common misconception. Non-citizens/PR visa holders are allowed to buy existing property, but only to live in (not for investment purposes) and they have to apply to the FIRB for permission. It is (probably) true that the FIRB does not rigorously review the applications, nor is there any real enforcement (not sure how they could do it?) as to foreigners buying property by proxy, using friends/family who do have citizenship or residency.

[MARYROSE02]

I never realised that, by buying shares in companies, I was, in my own little way, becoming a capitalist robber baron. Makes me feel,quite,proud! Of course, the unions all invest in the,same companies via their super funds, so we are all tarred with ths same brush?

[Paul1Perth]

I never realised that, by buying shares in companies, I was, in my own little way, becoming a capitalist robber baron. Makes me feel,quite,proud! Of course, the unions all invest in the,same companies via their super funds, so we are all tarred with ths same brush?

 

I was pleasantly surprised by my pension from my years with the NCB. I was with them for about 8 years tops from leaving school. Did my apprenticeship with them, then a couple of years shift work, couple more on straight day shift. They always kept me informed via a 6 monthly newsletter what my pension was worth. I decided to take it when I got to 55 and I got an $18,000 lump sum and get about $90 a month for the rest of my life, depending on exchange rates. On top of that we get a bonus payment around Christmas time. Not bad to say my starting salary was 7pounds 14shillings a week. There is a table in the newsletter which gives a breakdown of investments. One of the ones that surprised me was as investment in Grouse Moorland.

 

Whoever has been looking after the NCB pension scheme has done a great job. Hope my others pan out as well, my wife is going to look into her NHS scheme and see what that is worth too.

[MARYROSE02]

I was pleasantly surprised by my pension from my years with the NCB. I was with them for about 8 years tops from leaving school. Did my apprenticeship with them, then a couple of years shift work, couple more on straight day shift. They always kept me informed via a 6 monthly newsletter what my pension was worth. I decided to take it when I got to 55 and I got an $18,000 lump sum and get about $90 a month for the rest of my life, depending on exchange rates. On top of that we get a bonus payment around Christmas time. Not bad to say my starting salary was 7pounds 14shillings a week. There is a table in the newsletter which gives a breakdown of investments. One of the ones that surprised me was as investment in Grouse Moorland.

 

Whoever has been looking after the NCB pension scheme has done a great job. Hope my others pan out as well, my wife is going to look into her NHS scheme and see what that is worth too.

 

So you took the lump sum and a smaller pension? I've been pondering on the same question (as opposed to taking a higher pension and no lump sum) regarding my Royal Mail pension. Funny really, but when I joined the Commonwealth Public Service in Sydney in 1981, they had a compulsory super scheme, which I'd probably not have bothered joining. When I was made redundant fifteen years later, that super formed a large part of my redundancy package. I opted for a pension rather than cash, which I worried about for a while, then forgot about. Now, It's paid out for the last eighteen years. When I joined Royal Mail in 1996, I joined the pension scheme immediately, and paid for extra years.

 

Paying my rego, green slip insurance, and body corporate fees yesterday, starting thinking about (finally) drawing up a budget and saving a set amount to pay for the bills. $1,300 there, some of the bills - for the car - being annual, but body corporate is quarterly. Have to think where my income is going to come from in retirement.

 

It doesn't matter which country you live in, you have to take care of those bills (and as far as family time goes, I don't think it matters whether you live in OZ or UK.)

[jimmyay1]

Personally i have much less free time , leisure time, family time, whatever you want to call it , here than i did in the uk. usually at desk by 8am as are the rest of the office. rarely leave before 7 and am certainly not the last to leave ( well sometimes if its an 8 o clock evening which tends to happen once a week).

 

the jobs good but short hours it aint. the upside is my commute is only 15 mins.

 

partner works away half the week so we see each other at weekends.

 

loving Oz, but was under no illusions before i came here that to make it work, i'd have to work hard. and that's what i'm doing. i do see a few slackers at work. but most seem fairly committed.

 

work life balance is what you make it. if i had kids i would rarely see them in the week. i dont so it doesnt matter so much that i do long hours.

 

but people saying they want to emigrate to oz for a more relaxed lifestyle, blah blah well all well and good if you have so much money that you can afford to live in a nice area and work part time. most people dont and cant do this so they have to put the slog in to get there. those that think they can just come and work in an aussie city and just drift along working few hours and magically have a great lifestyle and all that goes with it are living in a fantasy world.

[SGHJLL]

I get more paid public holiday leave and also paid personal/sick leave which I didn't get in the UK.

 

We get out more at the weekends in Aus than we did in the UK with the kids, mainly down to the weather.

 

We live by the beach so free days out are easier.

 

We have very little money and moved here with pocket change! I enjoy the leisure pursuits in Aus and the relaxed atmosphere that allows you to walk up the main street bare foot and wearing your towel and nobody thinks it's strange, lol!!

[Paul1Perth]

No wonder Australia is the worst place I the world for permanent/full time positions ! companies just cant afford to employ...yeh nice one unions :arghh:

 

I don't think unions had much to do with the long service leave. It goes back to when it used to take 3 months for a trip back to the UK by boat for a break when the country was first being developed. I guess the conditions were so bad then that people needed a break back in Mother England. Obviously people don't want to lose it, even though a lot of companies would love to get rid of it and bribe you with a bit more money for a couple of years. Once it's gone it's gone forever though, so hopefully the unions will carry on resisting any change.

 

Don't know where you get your idea that Aus is the worst place in the World for permanent/full time positions? Both me and my wife have a lot of long service leave to come, most friends who have been here a few years have long service leave accrued. I think the reason people move round to different jobs quite a bit is because the jobs are there and people sometimes fancy a change. My son is a sparkie, having done an apprenticeship and he's had several jobs, with different companies already. The reason is each one was a bit better pay/conditions and he's eventually taken me and the wife's advice and got a job FIFO. He's only 24 and earns a good salary which could set him up for life, if he doesn't spend it all travelling.:cool:

[Peach]

My benefits are:

 

Commute - 15 mins by car, 30 mins by bus, 55 minutes walk - in the UK I spent my life stuck on the M4. So lots more family time.

 

Holiday - 20 days vs 25, so about 2 days worse off, when you factor in additional public holidays in Australia. But with LSL after 7 and 12 years in ACT and holidays that keep accruing - rather than expire annually - there is icing on the cake.

 

Sick Leave - 10 days per year, which can be used to look after kids and close family if they are unwell. Also keep accruing. My superfund provides me long term sickness insurance, should I be unfortunate enough to get something nastier.

 

No complaints on any point from me.