hey
all this talk of doom and gloom the world over has been seemingly endless so got me wondering how it has affected you?
good or bad from different parts of our 'lucky' country
any thoughts of impacts that you have/are experiencing that may be of interest put em up here for discussion
cheers paul
(lets just not turn this into a political s#it fight as this is not what this thread is intended to be.. cheers)
i'll start by looking at my work, i work for a massive multi-national company the world over and many employee's around our country now are doing it tough (over 50% pay cut) and many casuals sacked. A lot of clients now have been concentrated to only one or two states in oz, and thus having a massive impact on my work mates and their families, but where i am, it was quiet but now is seemingly busy, however this may change in a few days, the nature of the industry (but why worry about something that i have no control over me thinks)
its obvious that many peeps are now holding their spending back as imports into oz have certainly declined coupled with the ongoing drought has a major effect on exports eg.grain etc
on the other hand a positive i see is the price of real estate has become seemingly more affordable with over inflated prices heading south.. however this effects values so all of a sudden most of us are all much poorer than this time last year if you have a home
+ i suppose my spending on my vws has been dented too as the exchange rate is not in our favor atm, but then again in 6 months time who knows where it will be..??
just a few observations
maybe if it just rains in more that one or two concentrated areas of oz everything will come up roses and the mighty Murray will flow again
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse
Fantasy
http://seventhchronicle.com
Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity
Barrels
www.barrelman.com.au
VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au
im happy someone started this thread - i too am interested in 'real' stories.
My experiences are as follows:
I know of lots of people that have been sacked - i work in the construction industry, and as banks demand more for loans and less people invest and more have lost on the stock market, their is less happening in the construction industry - their are positives to this in a business point of view, but many real workers (site workers) have lost their jobs. I do wonder if some were disliked and the employer chose to use the recession as a means to sack them - i think that happens lots.
Their are positives, one is re-sale because the dollar is bad. I made a small profit on some musical items i sold - i lost $100 on a $2500 guitar i bought 2 and half years ago - i think thats pretty good.
House prices going down? its relative to the area - not where i am - it hasn't moved much - people are worried and are holding off selling - makes it much more competitive for those who want to buy - im trying to buy and you see the same people at the few house up for sale - competitive as!
whose to rekon that the reason companies are going 'tight' with pay and are downsizing are the decrease costs for a 'safetly' buffer if finances do go crap?
With the rediculous media plastering, the scare tactics would make any company take a secure approach. Happened to me at autobarn. Anyone who was there but wasn't all that 'necessary' as such was made redundant. They decided to run a minimum staff pool to allow continuous running but decrease costs, despite the average sales a day following the 'normal' trend it had always been.
The crisis is being developed because of the broadcasting of some stupid bank deals overseas and companies acting like hermit crabs crawling and hiding back in their shells as a result. In turn, its all a chain affect, which explains also the reaction in the share market etc.
Thats my 2c!
When i was over at straddie without a radio or tv, for 7 days i was free of listenin to the repetitive crap of how the world was crumbling down, and it was brilliant.
Mr. new's person luvs makin a drama. Everyone remember the bird flu/SARs? Everyone i knew of lived in fear it would spread all over the world and we would all be rooted. But fark, what happened to it? wheres it gone? Mr. news man's perspective was a little over dramatised, spreading unnecessary fear.
unnecessary fear that is making the companies downsizing and spreading the pressure onto the employees
(ô_!_/ô) (ô_!_/ô)
69' baja: kombi box, thing spindles, irs, disc front, type 3 rear drums, 2 inch lift kit, 31x10 rears. 👍
New engine in process: 94mm p&bs, 74mm C/w chomol Crank, 35.5x39 SP heads, turbo. Wierd combo, hopeful torque monsta!
It would be a bit better if the big banks, ANZ, WESTPAC, CBA, Etc passes on the interest rate cuts as quick as they put it up.😠😂😬
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲
ian.mezz wrote:It would be a bit better if the big banks, ANZ, WESTPAC, CBA, Etc passes on the interest rate cuts as quick as they put it up.😠😂😬
Or even better Ian, that they would pass ALL the cuts on not just some.... but good news...
looks like interest rates are going to be cut again...
by the reserve bank
but as you say...
the banks drag it out making heaps in the meantime...
and some don't pass it all on...
I thought the ombudsman etc was there to make things work correctly....????
cheers
LEE
PS: seems the banks have to much pull with the goverment... the voters don't always count.....??
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
it be better if the govt. got rid of the rip off stamp duty! we already pay tax, and medicare levy's - why get ripped off on over priced housing and then get a boot from the govt. too!
There you go Mr Reece, 30k to help our govt. go broke...
We'll find out at 2:30pm Ian -
- END RANT -
it hasn't made a BIG difference to Me..
I just wish the Aussie dollar would go up around 90c US for a week so I can get My parts in the US sent over...
I am lucky in one way..
Our Main TV can only get Austar satillite TV channels
so no local news... so only ABC SBS FOX CNN etc...
When I look at a newspaper [at Maccas lol] I see what you mean about - How bad a situation Our country is in..
Doom Doom Doom --- No wonder shops are closing [somewhere?] staff are getting dismissed...
BUT
Life goes on...
Look at how the banks can dismiss half their staff....
then replace them at a later date.... ???
when they find they need them....
I was thinking that Our local council would stop repairing roads etc...
but it doesn't seem to have made any difference....
they are building a new Office building etc...
Now if petrol could just get Stuck on $1 a litre... lol
LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
Stamp Duty as You know was supposed to be dropped when the GST came in....
If everyone knows that...
why didn't it happen??
LEE
Mick058 wrote:it would be better if the govt. got rid of the rip off stamp duty! we already pay tax, and medicare levy's - why get ripped off on over priced housing and then get a boot from the govt. too!
There you go Mr Reece, 30k to help our govt. go broke...
We'll find out at 2:30pm Ian -
- END RANT -
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
The media has a lot to answer for in this 'financial crisis'. I wish they would stop reporting the news like the Americans do. Instead of just stating the facts so us mere mortals can come to our own conclusion they use emotive words and embellish tones to pander to our emotions so that we are glued to the TV and they can sell some more adverts.
as it is in my industry lots of smaller companies have put upgrades and new equipment on hold for now but the government is ploughing ahead with the water infrastruture. they are tendering at present for the De-sal plant at Agnes waters, which I beleive is still to go ahead. And mines are still spending on upgrades too. Not as much as before but still. Most other companies are living off there stockpiles and until they run low there is no overtime and no casuals. Being a country that produces we are in a much better state than the US and UK.
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍
Three things:
* As with any other financial crisis, if you can hang on to your job and your assets (i.e. house) you'll probably end up better off at the other end. Two examples of this: low interest rates at the moment and most people reduce spending, especially on things they don't really need. So saving goes up, and your mortgage drops quicker.
* The 24 news cycle is certainly contributing to the negative sentiment which creates a vicious circle. The news makes people nervous, stops them spending, which causes job losses, which reduces spending etc etc etc
* I work in a financial field where we try to save our clients more money than we cost. Thus far we've picked up more business than we've lost, because companies are desperate to save money, and the area we specialise in is one where costs are currently going up. We have a lot of large corporate clients and the impact on them depends on their industry. Building Products and Construction is travelling really badly, but only to the degree that profits are down significantly, not that they are disappearing out the door backwards. Many other industries are still relatively unaffected. I think a lot also depends on your physical location. In Sydney we can't stop building houses for long because we'll just run out of room to put people. That doesn't mean it hasn't slowed, but it shouldn't stop, but if you're a builder in a regional area you might be in a bit more trouble getting work.
Certainly in Australia we are in a far better position than most other developed countries, and hopefully new jobs will be created in the not too distant future for those that have already lost theirs.
Craig
1969 Beetle - June
1974 L Bug - Gwendolyn
2002 Bora V6 4Motion - Anita
psimitar wrote:The media has a lot to answer for in this 'financial crisis'. I wish they would stop reporting the news like the Americans do. Instead of just stating the facts so us mere mortals can come to our own conclusion they use emotive words and embellish tones to pander to our emotions so that we are glued to the TV and they can sell some more adverts.
Try watching the ABC, it's not quite as bad
🙂
I find watching the news on commercial stations painful, so I only watch ABC or SBS now (not to mention you don't have to put up with the ads either!)
Part of Melbourne's Unreal Aircooled VW Community
Jay_1965vw wrote:psimitar wrote:The media has a lot to answer for in this 'financial crisis'. I wish they would stop reporting the news like the Americans do. Instead of just stating the facts so us mere mortals can come to our own conclusion they use emotive words and embellish tones to pander to our emotions so that we are glued to the TV and they can sell some more adverts.
Try watching the ABC, it's not quite as bad
🙂
I find watching the news on commercial stations painful, so I only watch ABC or SBS now (not to mention you don't have to put up with the ads either!)
here here
i been on that wagon for many years now..
my fave radio station in abc news radio.. haha such a nerd i know but ya learn real stuff..
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse
Fantasy
http://seventhchronicle.com
Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity
Barrels
www.barrelman.com.au
VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au
Yippie a long week end coming up you watch petrol go up about 18 cents a litre🙅🙅
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲
hasnt affected me. I'm in superannuation industry. People arent making any money out of it, but they still have to pay, and the computer systems still need to be maintained, and the trustees are working harder in a competitive world so they want more and more reports. The wife is in youth mental health and there's no shortage of screwed up kids being dished up. interest rates are low, so thats a bonus. I guess we're as safe as anyone could be.
I think its being used as an excuse by plenty of companies to do dastardly deeds. Many cases they might have to do it, but the banks are still announcing massive profits, at the same time they are paying exec bonuses, refusing to pass on full rate cuts and laying off staff. They suck.
I work in the engineering sector in a global company. Its very mixed for us, with some offices going as well as last year, while others are doing it tough. It jsut depends on which sector your tied into. I think the days of yerly 10% pay rises are gone, so are some of the perks we used to get.
But as others have mentioned, i think the media has allot to answer for, it just seems to make it worse.
One interesting thing to note. My GF works in the medical sector, and looks after HR. 12 months ago a medical receptionist or even a radiographer posistion used to get 10 to 15 applications over 8 weeks. One medical receptionist job she put on seek a few weeks ago got 45 applications between 4 and 5pm.......
I don't know if its allot of ppl out of work, or people with jobs looking for more secure jobs, but it seems interesting. About 60% of the applications are not even in the ball park either in skills or experince. about 20% are on the money and 20% are over quailifed and would be getting a pay cut.
I have no sympathy for my car, only the wallet that pays for it!
Go hard or go home!!!!
h wrote:Try watching the ABC, it's not quite as bad 🙂
I find watching the news on commercial stations painful, so I only watch ABC or SBS now (not to mention you don't have to put up with the ads either!)
here here
i been on that wagon for many years now..
my fave radio station in abc news radio.. haha such a nerd i know but ya learn real stuff.. [/quote]
Quite right mate. If I do watch the news it'll be SBS or ABC. I just wanted to have my say about the American news channels, which is basically what 7, 9 and ten have become.
Did you hear the other year about the 2 news choppers in USA that crahsed into each other, killing both pilots and journos, whilst watching some car chase or something and the 3 news chopper then starts reporting on that and interviewing the pilot cos he knew the other pilots. How sick is that?
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍
hehe. my upper manager was interviewing for a middle manager and one of the applicants actually said that he prefers to work on his own and would like to work from home if possible.❓
oh and I forgot to mention earlier that I lost my job and am working out the last week of my termination period. Anyway, the boss said it was from the 'recession' yet has taken on 4-5 new staff recently and 2 of them in my dept.
So yea, they are using it as an excuse😠
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍
amazeer wrote:one of the applicants actually said that he prefers to work on his own and would like to work from home if possible.❓
Wouldn't we all?????
Lee
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
ian.mezz wrote:Yippie a long week end coming up you watch petrol go up about 18 cents a litre🙅🙅
Bloody hell....
Oh... forgot My Beetle has a full tank of premium...
I'll have to fill the other car up...
The petrol prices don't fluctuate as much as in the cities
and many times the fuel up here is up to >8c cheaper than Newcastle...
LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
CBA are the 1st major bank to pass on a interest rate cut of 0.1% and line of credit products 0.05%.
I am expecting other banks to follow suit and not pass on the full 0.25%!
CP
FringeDweller
yeh, pretty poor form really.
BeetleJuice wrote:CBA are the 1st major bank to pass on a interest rate cut of 0.1% and line of credit products 0.05%.
I am expecting other banks to follow suit and not pass on the full 0.25%!
CP
Whats going on....
Who can make the banks do the right thing....
LEE
someone should blow banks up... [Ted Bullpit]
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
hay Heres a idea why dont the petrol station have their price cycle so the cheap cycle starts on Friday?????? not Tuesday . This would be great🤪🤪
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲
I think alot of problems would not exist if the media didnt either. I we didnt know about it, we wouldnt worry about it. Its almost a state of mind isnt it??? There is only 1 person in charge of all the money in the world. If you know what I'm saying (not looking for a debate - because there is not point debating the truth). I guess we are sadly just a large consumer world.
68AutoBug wrote:BeetleJuice wrote:CBA are the 1st major bank to pass on a interest rate cut of 0.1% and line of credit products 0.05%.
I am expecting other banks to follow suit and not pass on the full 0.25%!
CP
Whats going on....
Who can make the banks do the right thing....
LEE
someone should blow banks up... [Ted Bullpit]
Banks are using the excuse of "Costs of Funds",but we all know that they control a lot of things!
🤓FringeDweller
NAB has not passed on any rate cut!
FringeDweller
yes, but you have to feel sorry for the NAB board as their profits slumped in the year ending September 2008 to just $4.536 billion. Thats a drop of 0.9%. Clearly they are struggling.
CBA on the other hand had a profit increase over the same period. In the 6 months to December they made $2 billion when they only expected to see 1.6. Net profit for the 12-months to June 30 is expected to rise 1.82 per cent to $4.688 billion. So clearly the CBA are champions of the working class by passing on 0.1% worth of the 0.25% which they can barely afford.
I think CBA may have been short selling and now this has been outlawed there profits may take a bit of a dive!!!!
EVERLAST CONCRETE TANKS
1800 552 123
Gwendolyns Master wrote:Three things:
* As with any other financial crisis, if you can hang on to your job and your assets (i.e. house) you'll probably end up better off at the other end. Two examples of this: low interest rates at the moment and most people reduce spending, especially on things they don't really need. So saving goes up, and your mortgage drops quicker.
* The 24 news cycle is certainly contributing to the negative sentiment which creates a vicious circle. The news makes people nervous, stops them spending, which causes job losses, which reduces spending etc etc etc
* I work in a financial field where we try to save our clients more money than we cost. Thus far we've picked up more business than we've lost, because companies are desperate to save money, and the area we specialise in is one where costs are currently going up. We have a lot of large corporate clients and the impact on them depends on their industry. Building Products and Construction is travelling really badly, but only to the degree that profits are down significantly, not that they are disappearing out the door backwards. Many other industries are still relatively unaffected. I think a lot also depends on your physical location. In Sydney we can't stop building houses for long because we'll just run out of room to put people. That doesn't mean it hasn't slowed, but it shouldn't stop, but if you're a builder in a regional area you might be in a bit more trouble getting work.
Certainly in Australia we are in a far better position than most other developed countries, and hopefully new jobs will be created in the not too distant future for those that have already lost theirs.
Craig
Exactly my thoughts too. Media has a lot to do with consumer sentiment.
Personally. effect has been 25% of my super wiped away and shares in the pooper. But as long as I keep my job things will be ok. Mortgage rates are down, as are many other of lifes costs.
