Is Australia unraveling?

asteroth

Lots of Irish went to Australia over the last 5 years after the financial meltdown ground Ireland's economy to a halt. Jobs were plentiful in Oz what with construction and mining. I read recently however that joblessness now in Australia is at it's highest since 2002. Ford, Toyota and GM are all scheduled to cease operation there in the next 3 years.

So, does anyone know anyone who has emigrated to Australia and can say what things are like "one the ground"? Are things slowing down, etc.?

MadsL

Is Australia unraveling? No, that's just Tasmania and New Zealand...they have been there a while.

AlanS181824

I don't think so...

kneemos

Wasn't on the Six One anyway.

Canis Lupus

asteroth wrote: »

Lots of Irish went to Australia over the last 5 years after the financial meltdown ground Ireland's economy to a halt. Jobs were plentiful in Oz what with construction and mining. I read recently however that joblessness now in Australia is at it's highest since 2002. Ford, Toyota and GM are all scheduled to cease operation there in the next 3 years.

So, does anyone know anyone who has emigrated to Australia and can say what things are like "one the ground"? Are things slowing down, etc.?

I guess it depends on what you do. I can't say I've noticed any particular slowdown here in Brisbane but then I'm in a niche job market that isn't in building/manufacturing. People in my circle of friends are all having babies and buying houses etc.

Harold Weiss

There have been warnings of a financial crisis hitting Australia now for last 3-4 years but nothing for sure yet. Apparently within next 6 months starting in China but hey..people make predictions about economy all the time, sometimes they get it right, sometimes they're wrong. Nobody really knows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB2SluAUWJA

Red Crow

Yes, you can't overpay for non skilled and semi skilled workers over a long period. Australia's economy is based on Chinese exports and China is starting to slow down.

The One Who Knocks

Don't think so, talking to a mate from Australia yesterday, said it was a good day so I presume everything's still okay.

Son Of A Vidic

Canis Lupus wrote: »

People in my circle of friends are all having babies and buying houses etc.

Which mightn't mean anything because If you use Ireland as a barometer, baby production tends to increase during a downturn. And quite a few people here received the most amazing mortgage deals, only for their worlds and property values to implode weeks later.

asteroth

AlanS181824 wrote: »

I don't think so...

Well some reports suggest otherwise:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/gfc-killed-250000-australian-jobs/story-fnkgbb3b-1226803603661

http://www.mining.com/mining-job-cuts-help-push-australian-unemployment-rate-to-ten-year-high-83521/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/10/toyota-cease-manufacturing-cars-australia

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/07/us-australia-bhp-idUSBREA160AM20140207

Don't Chute!

So all the dickheads that went over there are gonna come back? Great.

keeponhurling

black and amber wrote: »

So all the dickheads that went over there are gonna come back? Great.

But, but, they can enthrall you with lots of stories about their travels.....

Arthur Beesley

keeponhurling wrote: »

But, but, they can enthrall you with lots of stories about their travels.....

They aren't dickheads, they are right dickheads.

whisky_galore

Anyone who thinks it can be the land of milk and honey long term is codding themselves.

Just because people are settling down and playing house means fcuk all. Anyone dependant on the building industry better have something else lined up, sounds familiar?

The Aussie

This talk has been about for years now, but the economy keep on going, could it just be Irish begrudgers...

Legs.Eleven

The Aussie wrote: »

This talk has been about for years now, but the economy keep on going, could it just be Irish begrudgers...

The Australian Bertie, Ladies and Gentlemen.

sin_city

asteroth wrote: »

Lots of Irish went to Australia over the last 5 years after the financial meltdown ground Ireland's economy to a halt. Jobs were plentiful in Oz what with construction and mining. I read recently however that joblessness now in Australia is at it's highest since 2002. Ford, Toyota and GM are all scheduled to cease operation there in the next 3 years.

So, does anyone know anyone who has emigrated to Australia and can say what things are like "one the ground"? Are things slowing down, etc.?

Do you know any Irish people working for those companies?

Wages are too high in Australia to support manufacturing jobs.....It's still pretty much booming compared to Europe and the US.

Del2005

The Aussie wrote: »

This talk has been about for years now, but the economy keep on going, could it just be Irish begrudgers...

The exact same was said about Ireland before we went bust. Or has Australia somehow managed to make history by not having a boom and bust cycle that has been happening for hundreds of years?

Thought to be fair it'll must likely be a crisis in China which will cause the crash and the rest of the world will be in the same financial crisis.

mickman

Del2005 wrote: »

The exact same was said about Ireland before we went bust. Or has Australia somehow managed to make history by not having a boom and bust cycle that has been happening for hundreds of years?

Thought to be fair it'll must likely be a crisis in China which will cause the crash and the rest of the world will be in the same financial crisis.

Of course it will bust but china will decide on when that happens.

The Aussie

Del2005 wrote: »

The exact same was said about Ireland before we went bust.

Nah that was all the "experts" with 20/20 hindsight saying I told you so afterwards, there were a handful who did but were dismissed by the masses.

Del2005 wrote: »

Or has Australia somehow managed to make history by not having a boom and bust cycle that has been happening for hundreds of years?

Australia has been in a lull for a few years now (bust cycle), it has always been a country of Boom and Bust, I think some Irish want Australia to fail so they can say "Look, we are not the only financially incompetent bunch about", but Australia keeps on going

dmc17

keeponhurling wrote: »

But, but, they can enthrall you with lots of stories about their travels.....

Yeah...."We went drinking every night in the Irish bar. Thanks for listening"

Wibbs

mickman wrote: »

Of course it will bust but china will decide on when that happens.

No they won't. Well they'll try to hide it as long as possible, but there will come a point where they won't be able to hide it any longer. China has the single largest commodities bubble in world history and unless they rewrite the rules of economics it will pop sooner or later.

KyussBishop

Steve Keen (Australian economist) has a good series of articles on this, particularly this one which gets to the meat of the issue: Household debt.

Some interesting charts, particularly the ones including Ireland's bubble:
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/10/28/property/housing-hopes-will-souffle-rise-twice

Here was the rate of change of our level of private debt, compared to some other EU countries - pretty insane:
http://2.static.australianindependentbusinessmedia.com.au/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/house6.png?itok=E2gLr1sb

For Australia, seems like the data correlates with a housing bubble alright - either it's going to be deliberately deflated to prevent economic damage, or someday (no way to predict when) it will burst.

Unlikely for any burst to be as catastrophic as here though - the bubble is (as a percentage of GDP) only sightly larger than the US one, and the bubble (judging by one of his later articles) seems to be more under control of government than other western bubbles have been.

There's not really any way to make solid predictions about bubbles, because there are a multitude of ways to keep them going on for ages, and to move bubbles from one area of the economy to another.

Fr_Dougal

black and amber wrote: »

So all the dickheads that went over there are gonna come back? Great.

Yeah but they won't be able to come back with their non-EU husbands and wives!

cletus van damme

The Aussie wrote: »

This talk has been about for years now, but the economy keep on going, could it just be Irish begrudgers...

a soft landing , no doubt...

The Aussie

cletus van damme wrote: »

a soft landing , no doubt...

Yeh, all those Economic Refugees under you would make for a soft landing alright.

o1s1n

The Aussie wrote: »

I think some Irish want Australia to fail so they can say "Look, we are not the only financially incompetent bunch about", but Australia keeps on going

The Aussie wrote: »

This talk has been about for years now, but the economy keep on going, could it just be Irish begrudgers...

The Aussie wrote: »

Yeh, all those Economic Refugees under you would make for a soft landing alright.

That's one giant shamrock shaped chip you've got on your shoulder.

The Aussie

o1s1n wrote: »

That's one giant shamrock shaped chip you've got on your shoulder.

Ah quick, someone dissed the economic power house that is.... Oh wait.



LOL :pac:......

Mad4simmental

I can't believe the begrudging by SUM posters here about people going to oz. I went for 5 years and set myself up with more than I ever could in Ireland in 50 years. My aunt went to America in the 80s in the down turn for work. My grandfather went to England in the 60s for work. Ireland's biggest export is its people. It always was and it always will be. If you stay home and have a good life and job ect fair play to ye, but don't bash people that got up and made sum thing for themselves insted of scratching their hole on the couch drawing the dole.

up for anything

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Which mightn't mean anything because If you use Ireland as a barometer, baby production tends to increase during a downturn. And quite a few people here received the most amazing mortgage deals, only for their worlds and property values to implode weeks later.

Watch out for the First Born Plan

Fr_Dougal

The Aussie wrote: »

Ah quick, someone dissed the economic power house that is.... Oh wait.



LOL :pac:......

Still, it's good enough for you to abandon Australia. We welcome you to our economic powerhouse, you and your taxes.

Cian92

The Aussie wrote: »

This talk has been about for years now, but the economy keep on going, could it just be Irish begrudgers...

"In fact, I don't know how the people engage in that don't commit suicide".

RahenyD5

Out of interest, are all of Aussie shops full of mass produced Chinese made stuff more than Australian, US or European made stuff? If so, then that is depressing

It is just my opinion, I don't like the idea of Australia relying too much on China - I try to avoid "Made in China" as much I can - though it is doing very well, far better than US & Europe but as others have warned, if the Chinese economy fecks up then it will be bad news for Australia

duffman13

The Aussie wrote: »

Yeh, all those Economic Refugees under you would make for a soft landing alright.

Tell that to the eastern europeans. In fairness though, having been in Oz for a while I do think there will be a crash, not on the Irish scale of things though. Great country but some of the obscene spending that happens by private residents would definitely make you question the sustainability of the economy.

duffman13

RahenyD5 wrote: »

Out of interest, are all of Aussie shops full of mass produced Chinese made stuff more than Australian, US or European made stuff? If so, then that is depressing

It is just my opinion, I don't like the idea of Australia relying too much on China - I try to avoid "Made in China" as much I can - though it is doing very well, far better than US & Europe but as others have warned, if the Chinese economy fecks up then it will be bad news for Australia

I think its more down to China being one of the biggest purchasers of the raw materials mined in Oz. Shops arent full of cheap knick knacks that were "made in China"

Mad4simmental

RahenyD5 wrote: »

Out of interest, are all of Aussie shops full of mass produced Chinese made stuff more than Australian, US or European made stuff? If so, then that is depressing

No, you get little china towns ect like everywhere elce, but most food is Aussie food big push on tv and radio to buy Aussie like you get in Ireland to buy irish beef ect. China is one of the big players but there is allot more customers buying iron ore, gold, dimaonds, coal and much much more. Not many people realise that austraila have one of the biggest oil reserves in the world and that has been capped and not sold or pumped out of the ground yet.

The Aussie

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Still, it's good enough for you to abandon Australia. We welcome you to our economic powerhouse, you and your taxes.

You also forgot to thank me for expanding a small gene pool

The Aussie

Mad4simmental wrote: »

I can't believe the begrudging by SUM posters here about people going to oz. I went for 5 years and set myself up with more than I ever could in Ireland in 50 years.

but don't bash people that got up and made sum thing for themselves insted of scratching their hole on the couch drawing the dole.

But what would the begrudgers do then?

Show some initiative and do something themselves? :rolleyes: LOL

Duck's hoop

RahenyD5 wrote: »

Out of interest, are all of Aussie shops full of mass produced Chinese made

I try to avoid "Made in China" as much I can

You'll find that the massive majority of day to day consumable stuff is mass produced somewhere.

Why should it stop you if it's Chinese produced? Possible ethical reasons I can understand, but the idea that Chinese manufacture is somehow inferior to 'western' is an outdated myth.

MadsL

Is there a website somewhere that monitors how overpriced a pint of Fosters is this week in Perth? When I first her what was being charged a few years back I was like "wtf?"

corkgsxr

MadsL wrote: »

Is there a website somewhere that monitors how overpriced a pint of Fosters is this week in Perth? When I first her what was being charged a few years back I was like "wtf?"

Waded in with the important points.

Aongus Von Bismarck

I fully believe it will crash. When you hear about some of the daft money that is being paid to lads who weren't exactly the sharpest tools in the box, you just know things have got out of control there.

I moved to Germany instead of following the herd. Its a much more stable economy, it is a much better developed society, and is managed by astute and tempered politicians.

RahenyD5

Duck's hoop wrote: »

Why should it stop you if it's Chinese produced? Possible ethical reasons I can understand, but the idea that Chinese manufacture is somehow inferior to 'western' is an outdated myth.

I had a dishwasher that lasted only 5 months which I bought without checking the country of origin label then after learning my lesson, I paid a bit more for a German made one which is still going after 7 years.

A couple of years back, I went through 4 kettles in one year all just stopped working and were all Chinese made then I bought a more expensive one, again German made, which is still going.

I accept some Chinese made stuff are not all bad as Apple products are all from there which is OK if any company imposes strict quality control making it difficult for Chinese workers to do a shoddy job. I have a Chinese made Apple laptop I bought nearly 10 years ago that I am still using today.

Also these days it is hard to buy Apple not made in China but this may be changing as Apple are moving some production back to USA and some to Brazil.

I am a bit anti-China because of their track record and they are being allowed to grow too big becoming no1 superpower in the future and if companies and discount shops turn their back on China then they can't get too powerful. I understand in this age of globalisation, this would not be easy if it is more cost effective to do business in China than USA etc.

We once had televisions made in Dundrum that the factory is now a soulless shopping mall with yes, Chinese made clothes with thanks to M&S and Next!

It would be nice to have more things made in Europe or even Ireland which is a rarity and a delight to see!

Apologies for going slightly off-topic.

whisky_galore

MadsL wrote: »

Is there a website somewhere that monitors how overpriced a pint of Fosters is this week in Perth? When I first her what was being charged a few years back I was like "wtf?"

I would be more surprised if people in Australia actually consumed that kangaroo p*ss.

astonaidan

Whats with people hating on lads who go to Australia, sounds a bit petty tbh.
Australias economy is based a lot on what happens in China as there most there exports go there.
A few comments go on about lads getting huge wages who werent up to much in Ireland, you realize a lot off these lads are bull****ting about the wages they get, take what people say they made in Australia with a pinch off salt.