So, this is how a Milennial sees a solution to the "Living Wage" issue....

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

It all depends on what your comparing though.

For example, on your link Australia is 10th for the rent index and the US is 16th. For the groceries index Australia is 9th and the US is 11th.

Yeah, it may be overly expensive to go to a restaurant here, or order a taxi and hire a hotel room. But if you own your own car and don't hire expensive hotel rooms or go to over priced restaurants, then its really not a problem... right?

a reply to: Subaeruginosa
5th and 25th are still a good ways apart no matter how you want to explain it.

This link allows you to get more granular results on specifics. Two of the critical ones, housing and clothing are appreciably higher.

The cost of living in Australia is higher and this statistical fact is bourn out in every index or source you use.

Is aussie minimum wage still age graduated? as in it steps up? I am not up to date with the current system but I know it was lower for young adults, hence they knew young adults have less skills.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Still, people living on the minimum wage in both countries aren't buying expensive brand clothes (unless it's on Ebay) or buying houses in upper class suburbs... So the difference is kind of irreverent amoung low wage earners.... yeah?

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

This factors in all housing (rents, mortgage) and all clothing. It is not a pick and choose.

The cost of living in Australia in noticeably higher than the United States and 5th in the world which means it is very high.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

When it comes to just the rent index, Australia is only the 10th highest, where as the US is the 16th highest.

Not much difference when you consider our minimum wage is $15US and the minimum wage in the US is $7.25... You can't get past that fact.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

Australia as a whole is the 5th most expensive country on the planet. You asked for proof, you got it.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yeah, but we only rank at 5th because of circumstances that most minimum wage earners will never have to worry about, cost of restaurants and hotel rooms, etc... Only people who can already afford it need to worry about that stuff.

That's the point... the cost of basic food items and rent is not much different than in the US.

Problem is these days that inflation and costs have skyrockted and wages have remained stagnant.



You cannot, under any circumstances, say things like:

Well I did it for myself in the 70's or the 80's or the 90's, so they should be able to do it too.

No, they can't. The deck is stacked so far against them it's not even funny. What's even more sickening is that the younger generation is going to have to pay for all the elderly baby boomers and their self created problems, which won't give them any time to undue the mess created by the original "ME Generation".

We hear all the time that the point of all this is to leave a better world for our children, well sorry to tell you, but Baby Boomers did exactly the opposite.

~Tenth

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
Yeah, but we only rank at 5th because of circumstances that most minimum wage earners will never have to worry about,

Not relevant. The minimum wage is meant to be transitory for the majority of people that receive it.

That's the point... the cost of basic food items and rent is not much different than in the US.

It is noticeably different and I get to use the money I saved on those sectors to spend on other activities or goods that you need to forego. By spending that money I also put it back into the economy. You do not have the same luxury.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

You do not have the same luxury.

The majority of Aussie's who simply rock up to work have plenty of "luxuries" mate... I wouldn't worry yourself to much about that.

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
The majority of Aussie's who simply rock up to work have plenty of "luxuries" mate... I wouldn't worry yourself to much about that.

You would have more discretionary income if you were not the 5th most expensive place to live on the planet which is the point. Face it, our money goes further because we have an appreciably higher purchasing power.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

I think it has to be said, that anyone who remains unfamiliar with, or wilfully ignores facts like those displayed in your post, has a severe allergy to the truth.

Unfortunately, that is very much the case with a great many people. With even people like Nick Hanauer (billionaire businessman) trying to get people to pay their staff a living wage, you have to wonder why an overwhelming number of people from the right argue against it. Given that most of the people arguing against his position have had very little financial success by comparison, it is staggering that so many see themselves fit to debate the point.

Bias, however, has never needed the benefit of reason to back it up, in order to remain current and powerful in the minds of the masses.

a reply to: TrueBrit

It's really annoying because if you look at it from an economic standpoint.

If MORE people had better wages it would lease to less dependence on social programs, which would in turn lower the cost of running government agencies. This is a win win for all involved when it's done correctly.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Well, that is rather the problem with the whole capitalist framework, is it not?

Done well, it can be hugely beneficial to everyone. However, greed and a failure of common sense will see any endeavour, let alone the economic construction of a nation, fail for the most foolish of reasons, and despite rather obvious solutions being available.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yeah, your money goes further if you like to stay in expensive hotels and eat at high class restaurants, or don't know how to use ebay to buy your nike airs.

But other than that, I don't "face" anything.... cost of living isn't all that much different, from the evidence that has been shown to me.

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
Yeah, your money goes further if you like to stay in expensive hotels and eat at high class restaurants, or don't know how to use ebay to buy your nike airs.

The data shows average cost of all sectors, not just the 'expensive' ones.

But other than that, I don't "face" anything.... cost of living isn't all that much different, from the evidence that has been shown to me.

You can stick your head in the sand all you want. You asked for evidence, you got it, Australia is the 5th most expensive place to live on the planet.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Adjusted for alll the things, you aren't wrong:



By list:

Switzerland - 126.03
Norway - 118.59
Venezuela - 111.01
Iceland - 102.14
Denmark - 100.60
Australia - 99.32
New Zealand - 93.71
Singapore - 93.61
Kuwait - 92.97
United Kingdom - 92.19
Ireland - 92.09
Luxembourg - 91.78
Finland - 89.68
France - 88.37
Belgium - 87.22

Source

There were half a dozen other sources that came to the same conclusion.

~Tenth

a reply to: nullafides

When I read things like this, it literally makes me angry.

Why does a massive block of our modern youth think that they are entitled to the fruits of other people's labor? Why does this same block think that concepts like trickle-down economics is ridiculous, but forced trickle-down economics (socialism) is okay? Why the desire to have the government control and provide for nearly every aspect of one's individual life?

I was raised to believe that there is nothing that you can't achieve for yourself if you apply yourself and work hard. I'm not naïve enough to think that everyone's challenges and journey is the same--some do have it much harder from the moment they're conceived because of how and where they are raised and with what kind of role models that they have--but I do know that if every person wanted to, they could overcome almost any obstacle life places before them and become a success.

The willingness to hand over control of one's life to the government is something that I will NEVER understand. I don't know if it's an education thing, a parenting thing, a social trend thing, an apathy thing, a manufactured guilt thing, or whatever it is, but if it doesn't turn around (and I have full faith that it will, as this type of mentality seems to ebb and flow throughout history), we're in for a world of hurt in the coming years as a society.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

One thing I learned my friend in years of posting on this site is to double and triple check your sources, lest you end up looking foolish.