Property show on ABC2 Tonight.

[steveadl]

Good post WW, kudos to you.

Only 7hrs work a week seems very low as well, I'm sure there are many out there that work more than that. Perhaps not the one's that are members of 4 student unions and are at every protest march and campaigning for all the issues and injustices, but you know...

 

[ILoveProperty]

Am I missing something or are squatters and those calling themselves homeless too stupid to be at university????

They'd be doing an Arts degree - does that even count as university.

No offence to anyone.

But good post WW

 

[evand]

It is a cultural thing and its also because of the fact that commercial leases need to be long to give a business some forward stability in cashflow, not to mention stability in physical premises.

If comm. landlords insisted on short 6 or 12 month leases they would have no tenants, they accept long leases for this reason.

A comparison between resi and comm. leases is not valid for this reason.

Looking at other countries which have these long leases as well as the commercial market with the same long leases, they aren't necessarily a big problem for investors.

 

[steveadl]

If comm. landlords insisted on short or 12 month leases they would have no tenants, they accept long leases for this reason.

A comparison between resi and comm. leases is not valid for this reason.

Spot on. Why would I risk moving into premises and paying for a fit out with only a 1yr lease? 5yrs + options is a must.

 

[evand]

Winston, youre making a good point but i remember reading somewhere that 50% of homeless people have mental problems. Apparently due to Liberal govt.policies of 'placing them in society instead of homes' or something like that.

Add to that group the abused, the uneducated, the victims of society etc etc... they arent all intelligent beings intent on bludging off society like that idiot squatter on the show. In fact i think hardly any are.

By the way Nathan, great show and good on you son. Was one of the properties in Arndell Park?

Am I missing something or are squatters and those calling themselves homeless too stupid to be at university????

 

[WinstonWolfe]

thx Steve and ILP.

Just checked the bicycle ride from Footscray to Melbourne Uni. A flat and pretty straight 5.7km each way. I figure that's 15-20mins for the least fit.

Seems the squatter thing is more the self interest of a few, than a practical solution for many. Squatters in Uni of Melbourne owned terraces in Faraday St carlton want the places refurbished, for 40 students at $70 a week. All that land area so close to uni, and only for 40 students? Why not go highrise?


Evan, I concede many homeless are mentally ill (incl. some uni student squatters )....it is a problem I am quite familiar with, as I worked in hospitals with psych wards and seen things up close and personal. Unfortunately there's no Utopian socialist solution for people who have free will but are not fit to cope without help, or willfully choose an unhealthy lifestyle.

A bit harsh blaming Federal Liberal for homeless people. Most homeless I've had to deal with are chronic drug abusers (something progressives should take on board). There's been an increase in homeless in Brisbane due to Labor city council regulations and zoning making long term boarding houses and hostels economically unviable. It is one thing to place mentally ill people in homes. It is another to make them stay there. Given free will, many gravitate to the inner city to hit the grog and sleep rough.

 

[buzzlightyear]

In Vic, it was the state Libs (Jeffrey K actually) who de-institutionalised the mentality ill. Integration was the "buzz" word as I recall.

Then they sold off the land for housing development eg Willsmere in Kew

Quite ironic (well pretty sad actually) that many of these people may now be "homeless" without a support structure, to cater for middle class housing. Mmmm....

 

[WinstonWolfe]

In Vic, it was the state Libs (Jeffrey K actually) who de-institutionalised the mentality ill. Integration was the "buzz" word as I recall.

Then they sold off the land for housing development eg Willsmere in Kew

Quite ironic (well pretty sad actually) that many of these people may now be "homeless" without a support structure, to cater for middle class housing. Mmmm....

Buzz, have a squiz of the extract below, and remember this was Hawke and Keating's time. Nevertheless, deinstitutionalization was supported by all mental health authorities and all levels of govt. Though its implementation was highly political.

Kew Cottages, a large part of Willsmere, was sold off by the Bracks Govt as was the community placement of its residents.


From Mental Hygiene to Community Mental Health:


By 1992, the state, territory and commonwealth governments had decided that a more co-ordinated approach to mental health issues was required. All governments agreed on a National Mental Health Policy which encouraged the states and territories to adopt a consistent approach to the treatment of mental illness, including the closure of stand-alone psychiatric hospitals. It also codified responsibilities for mental illness prevention and mental health promotion and applied the broad thinking about health promotion to the mental health sphere.


In 1993 the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission released its Report of the National Inquiry into Human Rights of the Mentally Ill. This report focused on the experiences of people with mental illness and reflected a widespread recognition that the treatment, rehabilitation and social participation of people with mental illness since the advent of deinstitutionalisation had been below the standards of a caring society.

 

[DavidMc]

Are squatters morons?

I hear ya.

The aspirational crisis effects all walks of life.

University in central Melbourne was too expensive for me, so I opted for a country University.

I managed to be accepted into a double degree course for the same TER that allowed me just a single degree in the city.

I moved out of home to a place 3 hours drive east of Melbourne. Our rental share house was $105pw (1996-2001) during the University semester, and $20 per week during the period Nov-Feb (inc). Some fine negotation by my Dad. This was a 16sq 3 bedroom house with double garage, so $35pw rent each for the 3 of us. It was no palace, but it wasn't a dump either. It was safe and everything worked, no holes in roofs or any of that. It was just your average house and a 10 minute walk to Uni.

Yeah, it was a few years ago, but it's not *that* much more now. Same house is probably around $170pw.

Employment wasn't the greatest in the area however the Army was always looking for people and there were jobs for people who really wanted them. I enlisted and worked almost as often as I liked for great tax free pay that didn't effect my Youth Allowance. The thing was the area was so cheap to live in most could do it on Youth Allowance alone.

Recieved great quality teaching, two degrees from a big name University, no parking fines or fees, always a free computer in the labs, always easy to access a lecturer or tutor, active social scene (the student population of 6000 had to manufactuer our own fun, which we did and it was great).

I think it also helped having a social circle that had a limted 'lifestyle' budget as well. If you, all your friends (and even many locals!) are poor then you're not the odd one out because you can't afford to go to the movies, nobody goes to them! Movies = 12 mates watching a $5 DVD in the Student lounge on the big screen and microwave popcorn. I'd imagine living in the city going to the same University as CEOs and politicians kids one might experience a little more social pressure to engage in higher cost lifestyle activies. I don't know how the hell students can afford to go to Parklife etc at over $130 per ticket (plus 'incidentals') unless Mum and Dad were paying... hell knows I couldn't.

This is within reach even for lower socio-economic people, as I was back in the day. Problem is the country isn't 'cool enough'.

P.S. Just a quick point on your example WW, once you earn over a small piddly amount per week the amount of Youth Allowance would reduce, more so that it should IMO. Don't quote me but it's quite harsh, something like for every $100 you earn you're Youth Allowance drops $50, so you're really only $50 ahead for doing $100 worth of work. That's probably why many students just do it extra poor rather than work.

 

[WinstonWolfe]

P.S. Just a quick point on your example WW, once you earn over a small piddly amount per week the amount of Youth Allowance would reduce, more so that it should IMO. Don't quote me but it's quite harsh, something like for every $100 you earn you're Youth Allowance drops $50, so you're really only $50 ahead for doing $100 worth of work. That's why many students just do it extra poor rather than work.

Thx for the input David. You sound like you made decisions similar to me. If I couldn't afford something, like Uni A, I'd go to Plan B. I didn't put my hand out to the govt. I congratulate you on your study in the country.

Re earning dollars on top of youth allowance, I've spoken a bit to friends' kids about this, and they told me the same thing. But made a few see the light when I told em what I did when younger to earn cash..... mowed lawns, gardened, laying concrete on Saturday morns, labouring for builders and painters who paid cash (rough framing and roofing through summer). I went back to uni later in life too, and set up a small IT service (early 90s)...made $50 a call out to get people connected to the internet, also did personal caring work for a disabled academic.... used to go around and get him out of bed, shower him, clothe him, put him in his wheelchair, and get his breakfast (we wangled that as cash too even though it was funded by govt, he got it paid straight into his bank account and gave me cash)........probably a bit unethical to not pay tax, but I made up for it by working hard in the public sector for 3 years on cr#p money later...

there's always opportunities to earn money.....

and that's why I am not impressed with squatters with a Marxist agenda to make capitalism look like it is failing, by playing how tough they are doing it. They are doing it tough cos they hate others so much they won't consider providing a marketable service to them.

Monty Python "when we was young" sketch off

 

[evand]

Point taken WW. I just wasnt keen on you labelling all homeless people as educated, intelligent bludgers.

I can understand most peoples way of thinking but i just cant get my head around the attitude of the squatter on the show. What a dead set fool.

Does she expect society to pay for her accommodation and lifestyle?

As you know i have a bit of a left bias but i'm totally over bludgers and drop kicks hijacking the hippy cause or the social equality cause to justify their life choices, do nothing and bludge off the rest of society.

A bit harsh blaming Federal Liberal for homeless people. Most homeless I've had to deal with are chronic drug abusers (something progressives should take on board). There's been an increase in homeless in Brisbane due to Labor city council regulations and zoning making long term boarding houses and hostels economically unviable. It is one thing to place mentally ill people in homes. It is another to make them stay there. Given free will, many gravitate to the inner city to hit the grog and sleep rough.