Guest Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 33 minutes ago, Drumbeat said: But surely you knew the price of houses/rents etc before you moved back? I moved back 10yrs ago. Rents have skyrocketed along with house prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 1 minute ago, dii said: I moved back 10yrs ago. Rents have skyrocketed along with house prices. So you've been living here for 10 years?? Your first post gives the impression you've only just returned. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beffers Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 10 hours ago, dii said: Hi. I really think that there should be a big notice put up for anyone coming out here to Oz -saying- DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU HAVE MILLIONS. Australia has become a two class society. The Rich and the poor. No in between. I do know since I am an Australian brought up in the SE of SA! I went to the UK when I was 21 and returned (my family is here) when I was 51. I was so unprepared for what had happened to my Homeland. There is NO affordable housing here. The rentals are dire! Medicare is good but very limited. And anyone over 40 struggles to get work! The ageism here just doesn't exist in the UK. I have now had to dip into most of my savings to survive and found the horrible future that awaits all over 55, single, low income women here in Australia. Homelessness. The Govt will not build the units needed for low cost living and the private sector simply want as much rent as they can get. Plus my pension is frozen. So incredibly disappointed in Australia. In my youth it had such potential. It has clearly changed a lot since you left. BUT I migrated to Melbourne last year, and I don't agree with all what you've said. I understand you speak from personal experience but your statement could put others off, when it's just a single viewpoint. We moved last year and have a decent enough rental for $1700/month, We both secured good jobs and we are late 40s/early 50s. Housing is fairly expensive compared to most of UK, but I am from London and so Melbourne doesn't seem that pricey to be honest. If you want a modern house in the perfect suburb then yes you're gonna pay top dollar, but we don't have millions at all and we are managing just fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 3 minutes ago, Drumbeat said: So you've been living here for 10 years?? Your first post gives the impression you've only just returned. 3 minutes ago, Drumbeat said: So you've been living here for 10 years?? Your first post gives the impression you've only just returned. How is that? All I have said is how hard it is here for lower incomes and people should be warned. And surely the length of time I have been back is irrelevant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, Beffers said: It has clearly changed a lot since you left. BUT I migrated to Melbourne last year, and I don't agree with all what you've said. I understand you speak from personal experience but your statement could put others off, when it's just a single viewpoint. We moved last year and have a decent enough rental for $1700/month, We both secured good jobs and we are late 40s/early 50s. Housing is fairly expensive compared to most of UK, but I am from London and so Melbourne doesn't seem that pricey to be honest. If you want a modern house in the perfect suburb then yes you're gonna pay top dollar, but we don't have millions at all and we are managing just fine. There are two of you. Thats two incomes and I am pretty sure you would not be concidered on a low income? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 5 minutes ago, dii said: How is that? All I have said is how hard it is here for lower incomes and people should be warned. And surely the length of time I have been back is irrelevant? You gave the impression you had just returned and were struggling. Oz is very different now from 10 years ago, as is the UK. 10 years back people were still going to Oz from Britain in their droves, with a good wedge of cash. All downhill since then. And regarding UK council housing.... there may be a lot of it, but it is incredibly hard to get in most areas. ?not a case of walking into the council, asking for one and moving in next day. Some people wait for years. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 7 minutes ago, Nemesis said: You gave the impression you had just returned and were struggling. Oz is very different now from 10 years ago, as is the UK. 10 years back people were still going to Oz from Britain in their droves, with a good wedge of cash. All downhill since then. And regarding UK council housing.... there may be a lot of it, but it is incredibly hard to get in most areas. ?not a case of walking into the council, asking for one and moving in next day. Some people wait for years. Look I am sure you mean well. But I do know how much better housing is for low incomes in UK in comparison to Australia. All I have said is I am disappointed Australia has not done more for lower incomes over 50s here. Please jjust lets agree we have different viewpoints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 33 minutes ago, dii said: How is that? All I have said is how hard it is here for lower incomes and people should be warned. And surely the length of time I have been back is irrelevant? Well, to be fair, that's not what you said. You said that Australia is only for rich people who have millions. If you make a statement like that, you have to expect people to object. I think if you'd said what you meant in the first place, you'd have got more sympathy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, Marisawright said: Well, to be fair, that's not what you said. You said that Australia is only for rich people who have millions. If you make a statement like that, you have to expect people to object. I think if you'd said what you meant in the first place, you'd have got more sympathy. Why are you all so defensive?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, Gbye grey sky said: I should add for balance that if you are over 50 anywhere and poor it will be hard to buy a house. And in the UK council housing is not always available either. Getting my own foot on the housing ladder back in 1989 in Surrey was difficult. My first wife and I bought a flat which had been squatted in and was thoroughly squalid. It cost £65,000 and we had a 95% mortgage with an interest rate of 12%. Property prices fell and a year later it was worth about £40,000 despite spending thousands making it habitable. Over 60% of our joint net income went on the mortgage in those early years. We had one holiday for a week on the Isle of Wight off season in our first few years together. But we soldiered on. Interest rates eventually fell, our incomes gradually rose and lifestyle improved. Ultimately you reap the benefits of this sacrifice when you are older and the mortgage is paid off but I must admit at the time we sorely wished we were renting as we would have been much better off at the time. This is from the Independent newspaper June 2018. It refers to England. I don't know about Scotland and Wales. Is it correct or not? OOPS! This wasn't meant to quote you Gye grey sky. Tens of thousands of families in England are being forced to wait for more than a decade to move into social housing, analysis has revealed for the first time, as the number of social homes dwindles to a record low. More than 100,000 households have been stuck on council housing waiting lists for more than 10 years, as the declining number of homes sees families forced into poor and overcrowded temporary accommodation or paying “hideously unaffordable” rents. New analysis of official figures shows that of the 1.15 million households currently on wait lists, at least 310,500 have been waiting to be moved into social homes for more than half a decade, with some waiting for as many as 18 years. Edited August 20, 2018 by Toots 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, dii said: Why are you all so defensive?????? I'm not being defensive. If you were a regular on these forums, you would know that I'm often telling potential new migrants to think twice about migrating to Melbourne or Sydney (unless they're coming from London) because it's so unaffordable. So I'm not disputing that some parts of Australia are expensive. And now I understand what you really mean, which is that it's almost impossible to live in Australia if you're over 50 without a home of your own and with few savings, I agree with you, and I'm sure a lot of other posters would agree too. It must be a dreadful struggle. But that's not what you said in your first post, and a lot of posters are probably reading that first post and jumping in to reply without reading your clarification. So it's not reasonable to go getting narky at people because you let you said unjustifiable things about Australia. Edited August 20, 2018 by Marisawright 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beffers Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, dii said: There are two of you. Thats two incomes and I am pretty sure you would not be concidered on a low income? Yes there are two of us but I could afford to rent my house here on my salary alone, and I am not a high income earner, regardless of whatever assumptions you make, and that's in addition to Childcare costs which I'm sure you don't have. Granted, I don't live grandly but I can live here and I haven't got millions!! The reason I commented is that because OP said you need millions to migrate, and that's categorically untrue. OP also said there's no jobs if you're over 40 and that's untrue otherwise I'd be unemployed! Edited August 20, 2018 by Beffers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 10 hours ago, dii said: Thank you for your kind words. But actually ALL of Australia is unaffordable unless you want to live far away from services or go inland. So there's nobody on the coast then and everyone lives inland? Give me a break! 10 hours ago, dii said: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 8 hours ago, dii said: Owned.divorced. rented. Really not about me moving back... its HAVING TO. There should be a better housing system for affordable rents. Its as if you are worthless here if you are over 55 and havent bought a home. And what about all my friends here in similar positions? This is much bigger than me. This is about the way Australia treats its older low incomes. Like I said... so disappointed. How can you expect any gov't to provide you with what you are expecting at your age? The assumption would be that someone of age 55 would at least have 35yrs work and subsequent accumulated wealth under their belt. The (housing) market is what it is based on economics and not on older unemployed divorcees. I feel your plight but that plight is not the fault of either Australia or the UK but of your individual circumstances 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, dii said: Why are you all so defensive?????? Why are you so quick to blame others as opposed to laying blame at your own financial circumstances ? The fact that you only joined a few hrs ago and haven't contributed anything else to the forum would have some thinking that you've just come here for a whinge Edited August 20, 2018 by Johndoe 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 10 hours ago, dii said: Thank you for your kind words. But actually ALL of Australia is unaffordable unless you want to live far away from services or go inland. Unless you have money there is no where on any of the coasts (believe me I have done my research). As someone who has been used to living near services and good transport and near hospitals etc, why would I want to live remotely? In fact I have Australian friends who have come to live near the coast because living inland was too hard for them, especially in older age. They too are barely surviving. The average lowest rental is $300 per week (That is over half of my friends pension). In the UK a low private rental is $400-$500 per month. ($800 per month), but there are many more rentals through the govt much lower:( Centerlink here provides rent assistance - which hasnt been updated for many years- so practically everyone is now on maximum rental assistance, and it doesnt really touch rent. HAAG is a good website to go to to see how hard older Aussies are doing it now. Thank you anyway. Maybe 10 years ago rentals were that cheap in the UK, we have a small 2 x1 in Scotland and get over $1100 for that per month! Also you cant have done much research as I live 5 minutes from Hilarys, Sorrento and many other beaches and you can rent a decent 3x1 here for around $300. Why after spending most of your working life in the UK, paying your tax there do you expect Australia to hand you everything on a plate just because you were born here? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 3 hours ago, Toots said: This is from the Independent newspaper June 2018. It refers to England. I don't know about Scotland and Wales. Is it correct or not? OOPS! This wasn't meant to quote you Gye grey sky. Tens of thousands of families in England are being forced to wait for more than a decade to move into social housing, analysis has revealed for the first time, as the number of social homes dwindles to a record low. More than 100,000 households have been stuck on council housing waiting lists for more than 10 years, as the declining number of homes sees families forced into poor and overcrowded temporary accommodation or paying “hideously unaffordable” rents. New analysis of official figures shows that of the 1.15 million households currently on wait lists, at least 310,500 have been waiting to be moved into social homes for more than half a decade, with some waiting for as many as 18 years. There are many families in the UK living in "temporary" b&b accommodation, sometimes for long periods of time. It isnt all a bed of roses over there but it seems to be worse here, certainly in some areas. I feel very sorry for anyone renting. Having rented myself on many occasions due to work related moves, I always feel less secure and more anxious about money as a tenant. The expense is a real drain on your income. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s713 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 All subjective but the fact remains that the cost of living is very high here. We earn twice as much here as we did in the UK but are probably worse off in real terms. I don't mind paying an equated value but I find a lot of goods and services sub-standard and that's when the cost rankles. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 20 hours ago, dii said: Please jjust lets agree we have different viewpoints. On this forum? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Have you thought of a share house? I know of a number of retired Aussies who rent a room for $150 a week. How about living with family? Re employment, it’s not just an age thing it’s hard for everyone. Managers are often told not to employ someone if they are already unemployed, which to me is ridiculous. Have you thought of setting up your own business to earn income? Have a look at this site https://olderworkers.com.au/ Have you also considered becoming a support worker/carer? There is plenty of work in this industry and it’s hard to find anyone with experience. If you have worked at Social Services you will be a huge asset to someone. Sign yourself up to https://bettercaring.com.au/ or https://hireup.com.au/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 On 21/08/2018 at 09:45, s713 said: All subjective but the fact remains that the cost of living is very high here. We earn twice as much here as we did in the UK but are probably worse off in real terms. I don't mind paying an equated value but I find a lot of goods and services sub-standard and that's when the cost rankles. Which state/territory? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 On 21/08/2018 at 09:45, s713 said: All subjective but the fact remains that the cost of living is very high here. We earn twice as much here as we did in the UK but are probably worse off in real terms. I don't mind paying an equated value but I find a lot of goods and services sub-standard and that's when the cost rankles. I'm surprised at that. We lived in the UK for a year only two years ago, and our budget for day-to-day living worked out about the same, apart from the cost of housing. Some big-ticket items like white goods are more expensive here, but that's stuff you buy when you arrive and set up, not day-to-day living. I did find that it was much cheaper to buy pre-prepared food in the UK, and I got into the habit of buying it. If I'd continued with that habit on my return to Australia, I'd have found things very expensive - but I've gone back to cooking with fresh ingredients (which is much healthier anyway). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 Australia is a money pit. If you have money, you can live well. If not, will end up in the streets and constantly harassed by cops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tink Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 You have to live differently depending on which country As has been mentioned prepackaged foods in Australia are expensive , buying fresh from markets is cheap utilities ( qld) are expensive more homes changing to solar power if they don’t have . rents relative to area , live further out of city , public transport is relatively good if you ensure you can acess it . I find private landlords sometimes cheaper and more negotiable, i have lived with and without much money in both places , and would say it’s easier in Australia to live with less , just my experiences. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 4 hours ago, Jupiter said: Australia is a money pit. If you have money, you can live well. If not, will end up in the streets and constantly harassed by cops. You had a 3 year ban. If Australia is so hard to live in, why do you want to come back here? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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