All Aussie Related Stuff (excluding the old age pension)

[4MyEgo]

6 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I did see your previous post on the subject without reading the detail, but, as this has just been published as a fresh updated story by the ABC, I provided the link.

I haven't done comparisons so don't know if there were any additional facts revealed this time.

I don't have a personal interest in the subject as I sold my property near the top of the market before leaving in 2010, and moved a large sum in 2012 at the rate of 32.3 to buy here.

Sorry if your nose was put out of joint.

You didn't put my nose out of joint at all, I just wasn't sure if you read the article I posted previously. 

 

32.3 very nice, although the market from my recollection didn't start to take off till early 2013 and peaked in 2017, I sold mid 2016. The market was depressed in 2008 after the GFC and the government doubled the 1st home buyers grant and excluded them from paying any stamp duty, the market then lifted momentarily, so you probably got out when that little rise happened 2009-2010, i.e. until they changed the rules again which then returned things back to normal.

 

But hey you got a top rate on your exchange in 2012.

[4MyEgo]

7 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I'm not as clever as you, I make use of experts to spread my investment money through a myriad of funds and various types of safety nets letting them do the research.

If you're good enough, or lucky enough, to play the stock market, always making profits and avoiding the crashes, kudos for you. I have several mates who have lost all, or large parts, of their retirement funds because they thought the markets were easy.

I prefer to ensure losses will be minimized if the worse happens.

If the experts make losses, or only small gains, I would move my money  out.

I wouldn't say I am clever, just don't want to feed people if they aren't producing for me, after all, that's what I was paying them for.

 

Doesn't take much apart from researching to pick a few shares that pay good dividends and hopefully the shares don't go belly up, most of my shares are blue chip, yes the prices dip, but the returns, tax free is what I need to survive on here, as for capital appreciation, well, in time they will go back up again, but I might not see that, and it doesn't concern me, the kids can prosper from that, up to them, just want the returns, if we could have it both ways, it would be a dream come true...lol, but if my blue chips went south, well Australia would collapse as an economy.

 

I do have a few goes here and there on some stocks that I buy and sell and if your like me, even getting out when you make a small profit, it goes a long way here, so it pays not to be too stuck on the big wins, the small, 5,000 baht here, 10,000 baht there is small change back in Oz, but here, it works nicely on a monthly basis on top of the returns paid every 6 months, and if you're lucky enough to ride a good one, it's great, although not as often as I would like, that said, so far it works for me, each to their own and sounds like your broker is making you some money that your happy with to pay him for his time, which was the opposite to mine, and blaming it on Trump was BS, because I made a hell of a lot of money compared to him in the following year that he did for me in the previous year, and I am not an experienced punter, go figure.

[Old Croc]

17 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I wouldn't say I am clever, just don't want to feed people if they aren't producing for me, after all, that's what I was paying them for.

 

Doesn't take much apart from researching to pick a few shares that pay good dividends and hopefully the shares don't go belly up, most of my shares are blue chip, yes the prices dip, but the returns, tax free is what I need to survive on here, as for capital appreciation, well, in time they will go back up again, but I might not see that, and it doesn't concern me, the kids can prosper from that, up to them, just want the returns, if we could have it both ways, it would be a dream come true...lol, but if my blue chips went south, well Australia would collapse as an economy.

 

I do have a few goes here and there on some stocks that I buy and sell and if your like me, even getting out when you make a small profit, it goes a long way here, so it pays not to be too stuck on the big wins, the small, 5,000 baht here, 10,000 baht there is small change back in Oz, but here, it works nicely on a monthly basis on top of the returns paid every 6 months, and if you're lucky enough to ride a good one, it's great, although not as often as I would like, that said, so far it works for me, each to their own and sounds like your broker is making you some money that your happy with to pay him for his time, which was the opposite to mine, and blaming it on Trump was BS, because I made a hell of a lot of money compared to him in the following year that he did for me in the previous year, and I am not an experienced punter, go figure.

Simply put, I employ experts to provide me with a financial service. I don't begrudge them their fees, but do expect them to produce. If not I fire them. (remove my money).  It's better than giving a bank your entire fortune to play with, and make profits from, while paying you a pittance in rental. 

My initial plan was to keep my money invested (approx 600k), live and rent in Thailand using the interest earned.  As you would be aware, the markets were still hungover and in the doldrums through 2011-12 so I decided to transfer a large part of it and buy here. I didn't realize it at the time, but lucked out with the XE.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

Simply put, I employ experts to provide me with a financial service. I don't begrudge them their fees, but do expect them to produce. If not I fire them. (remove my money).

Absolutely, we still need to make money to survive as opposed to eat away at our savings, I am fortunate enough to have had clients still email from time to time, say one a week on average still requiring my services, on a consultancy basis which I never expected or thought of, as retirement at 55, 4 years ago, was just that, retirement, and it is that, will a little work on the side, although up till now I have had to pay 32.5c in the $ as the income is derived from back home, that said, a bitter pill to swallow, but no longer as I have found ways around that, my bad, or my good ????

 

The above said will keep it going while it lasts, but eventually word of mouth may die off and it will be the stock market only, sel-a-vee.

 

 

[Old Croc]

28 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Absolutely, we still need to make money to survive as opposed to eat away at our savings, I am fortunate enough to have had clients still email from time to time, say one a week on average still requiring my services, on a consultancy basis which I never expected or thought of, as retirement at 55, 4 years ago, was just that, retirement, and it is that, will a little work on the side, although up till now I have had to pay 32.5c in the $ as the income is derived from back home, that said, a bitter pill to swallow, but no longer as I have found ways around that, my bad, or my good ????

 

The above said will keep it going while it lasts, but eventually word of mouth may die off and it will be the stock market only, sel-a-vee.

 

 

For interest, I just did a calendar year report on my fund, it made 18.65% in 2019.  I paid the advisor about $2,500. Money well spent imo.

I'm not silly enough to believe they will get that sort of a return every time, and know the fund rode some market rises near the end of the year, but certainly have no complaints with the return.  

 

[Goinghomesoon]

On 11/18/2019 at 10:19 AM, Old Croc said:

I would think only the receiving country would be able to give a good idea about numbers of arrivals based on citizenship.

DFAT would have no way of knowing every country a traveller visits when touring. There's no universal movements data base yet. (I think!)

Actually Thailand does provide stats and I worked in an area that received and used them. However their stats counted repeat visitors as separate individuals.  So if you did 4 trips in/out of Thailand per year you were counted as 4 people visiting Thailand.     

Edited January 4, 2020 by Goinghomesoon
Bad grammar!

[kevvy]

Wow , What generosity.. 

US pop icon Pink has pledged a donation of $500,000 to Australian fire services currently on the front lines of the bushfire crisis.

"I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires," the Walk Me Home singer Tweeted.

"I am pledging a donation of $500,000 directly to the local fire services that are battling so hard on the frontlines. My heart goes out to our friends and family in Oz."

[steven100]

Today the government announced :

HMAS Adelaide is being loaded and will depart late today for evacuation of citizens

3000 army reserves have been called up to assist in fire affected ares

4 Water bombing aircraft have now been leased to fight fires immediately. 

Herculees, 4 Chanook helicopters, other military aircraft and hardware made available.

 

My question is  :   Why did it take so long for this government to finally act and do something  ??????

answer :  Because of his bogged and disaster PR stunt over the past couple of days  !!!!!!

 

Politicians are all the same .....   they resist doing anything that cost money until they get embarrassed.   

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

Politicians are all the same .....   they resist doing anything that cost money until they get embarrassed.   

No doubt could cost him dearly come next election, by then the damage has already been done.

 

[kevvy]

fROM gOOGLE

Scott Morrison could have learnt from previous leaders in times of disaster

Should Scott Morrison require advice on how a prime minister is expected to behave during times of natural disaster and anxiety, he might study how previous Australian leaders have acted.

No prime minister since Harold Holt more than half a century ago has thought it prudent to either leave the country or to stay away when an emergency occurs.

"Disaster can quickly shift attention to the qualities of a prime minister at a time when Australians are most vulnerable," Dr Williams wrote in an article in The Conversation, which went all the way back to Billy Hughes sending an urgent telegram to Queenslanders in the wake of a cyclone that hit Mackay in January 1918, promising federal representatives would visit "immediately".

Malcolm Fraser felt it was necessary to put his 1983 election campaign in suspension for three days after the Ash Wednesday bushfires ravaged South Australia and Victoria. Opposition leader Bob Hawke agreed to the hiatus. Fraser, who had sacrificed any campaign momentum he might have had, lost the election a few weeks later.

John Howard interrupted his Christmas holiday on the NSW coast in January 2003 when Canberra was hit by a firestorm that destroyed whole suburbs.

Howard used the words that went missing from Morrison's recent decision to leave the country while his state burned.

"It is very important when things like this happen, no matter where, that someone in my position demonstrates a concern and empathy," said Howard.

Kevin Rudd won praise when he went to Victoria and hugged survivors of the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. Julia Gillard did the same after floods and cyclone in the so-called "summer of sorrow" in 2010-11. Tony Abbott himself fought bushfires as a volunteer. Malcolm Turnbull and opposition leader Bill Shorten went together to meet flood and cyclone victims in Queensland in 2017.

...

 

[kevvy]

The PM's absence is one thing. But the fact that he tried to hide his absence is really troubling: he did not tell the public he was taking a holiday overseas, he took active steps to ensure the press did not report it; his office was coy; there was no notice that the deputy PM would act as PM during Morrison's absence overseas; there were no precise dates. In short, he took conscious steps to obscure his whereabouts from the public. No lies. Just deception. That is the troubling issue

[kevvy]

Mongrel

[kevvy]

[moojar]

7 hours ago, kevvy said:

fROM gOOGLE

Scott Morrison could have learnt from previous leaders in times of disaster

Should Scott Morrison require advice on how a prime minister is expected to behave during times of natural disaster and anxiety, he might study how previous Australian leaders have acted.

No prime minister since Harold Holt more than half a century ago has thought it prudent to either leave the country or to stay away when an emergency occurs.

"Disaster can quickly shift attention to the qualities of a prime minister at a time when Australians are most vulnerable," Dr Williams wrote in an article in The Conversation, which went all the way back to Billy Hughes sending an urgent telegram to Queenslanders in the wake of a cyclone that hit Mackay in January 1918, promising federal representatives would visit "immediately".

Malcolm Fraser felt it was necessary to put his 1983 election campaign in suspension for three days after the Ash Wednesday bushfires ravaged South Australia and Victoria. Opposition leader Bob Hawke agreed to the hiatus. Fraser, who had sacrificed any campaign momentum he might have had, lost the election a few weeks later.

John Howard interrupted his Christmas holiday on the NSW coast in January 2003 when Canberra was hit by a firestorm that destroyed whole suburbs.

Howard used the words that went missing from Morrison's recent decision to leave the country while his state burned.

"It is very important when things like this happen, no matter where, that someone in my position demonstrates a concern and empathy," said Howard.

Kevin Rudd won praise when he went to Victoria and hugged survivors of the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. Julia Gillard did the same after floods and cyclone in the so-called "summer of sorrow" in 2010-11. Tony Abbott himself fought bushfires as a volunteer. Malcolm Turnbull and opposition leader Bill Shorten went together to meet flood and cyclone victims in Queensland in 2017.

...

 

The pr1ck only has to look across to NZ to see how a real leader ... leads.

 

NSW and QLD fires have been burning for months, many had died and 950+ homes were lost before the VIC fires. SA lost lives and homes, WA was burning.  An area larger than Belgium had already burnt out, but it wasn't until the VIC fires that SloMo did ANYTHING, finally sending in the military.  And now the pr1ck is giving out 450,000 'P2' face masks to Victorians.  https://www.sbs.com.au/news/federal-government-sends-450-000-smoke-masks-to-fire-affected-victorians .  <deleted>, Sydney has had a month or more of 'poor' to 'hazardous' air quality due to the fires encircling it, plenty of NSW and QLD in the same boat.  VIC has a Labor state government, he thinks a few seats can be picked up there or what?  

[Don Mega]

52 minutes ago, moojar said:

The pr1ck only has to look across to NZ to see how a real leader ... leads.

 

NSW and QLD fires have been burning for months, many had died and 950+ homes were lost before the VIC fires. SA lost lives and homes, WA was burning.  An area larger than Belgium had already burnt out, but it wasn't until the VIC fires that SloMo did ANYTHING, finally sending in the military.  And now the pr1ck is giving out 450,000 'P2' face masks to Victorians.  https://www.sbs.com.au/news/federal-government-sends-450-000-smoke-masks-to-fire-affected-victorians .  <deleted>, Sydney has had a month or more of 'poor' to 'hazardous' air quality due to the fires encircling it, plenty of NSW and QLD in the same boat.  VIC has a Labor state government, he thinks a few seats can be picked up there or what?  

The ADF has been helping out for months now.

[moojar]

5 hours ago, Don Mega said:

The ADF has been helping out for months now.

In a small way - transport and logistics, limited feet on ground / accommodation.  Using transport aircraft to move relief fire fighters around the country mostly.  https://news.defence.gov.au/national/defence-boosts-bushfire-support 

It was suggested early on that the ADF get more involved, but weasel words followed - national security, deployed elsewhere, Iran's "terror network" sort of thing.

 

This call up of army reserve and leasing of more water bombers is the first "leadership" move shown.  Three months later.  He's copping criticism for trying to score brownie points off it too - even Murdoch media reporting it: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/this-is-absolutely-obscene-scott-morrison-slammed-after-tweeting-50second-ad-spruiking-new-bushfire-measures/news-story/faa88f349b1e9214c1a74c11201d2633

 

Meanwhile this was reported two months ago: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-14/former-fire-chief-calls-out-pm-over-refusal-of-meeting/11705330

Quote

Twenty-three former fire and emergency leaders say they tried for months to warn Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Australia needed more water-bombers to tackle bigger, faster and hotter bushfires.

"We have tried since April to get a meeting with the Prime Minister," Mr Mullins told ABC Radio on Thursday morning. "It's clear now we won't get that meeting."

Their mistake was linking it to 'climate change', and of course the LNP are firmly in the "climate change is <deleted>" camp. 

Edited January 5, 2020 by moojar

[Don Mega]

4 minutes ago, moojar said:

 

This call up of army reserve and leasing of more water bombers is the first "leadership" move shown.  Three months later.  He's copping criticism for trying to score brownie points off it too - even Murdoch media reporting it:

 

 

 

Yea he cops it because the state premiers (fire fighting is a state level thing not federal) sat on their hands for way too long.

He had to step in and sent in more troops.

Edited January 5, 2020 by Don Mega

[ThaiBunny]

The hashtag #ScottyFromMarketing is trending on Twitter. The States' responsibility for disaster response didn't stop the Feds from intervening early, often and loudly during the Townsville flood in 2019. The difference? There was no coal involved in the arguments about the cause of the Townsville flood

[kevvy]

12 hours ago, Don Mega said:

The ADF has been helping out for months now.

Great they are helping ,but they are not fire fighters . Scott mongrel is still a <deleted> 

[Don Mega]

5 minutes ago, kevvy said:

Great they are helping ,but they are not fire fighters . Scott mongrel is still a <deleted> 

Yep the media machine is working well shepherding the sheeples, much like they did with Abbott.

[moojar]

8 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Yep the media machine is working well shepherding the sheeples, much like they did with Abbott.

I'd normally agree re media brainwashing. It is why I avoid Murdoch media as a rule, they have no shame and their audience is generally too stupid to understand the process.  But this time I don't know, there is a deep anger over this. I've lost track of the lives and homes lost.  

 

But it's not about politics ... yet.  After the fires will come the humanitarian crisis and then the food price increases, the damage to the eco-system, the animals lost. Although now you mention it I noticed SloMo is mentioning 'The Greens' in his media sound bites, I suspect LNP are preparing to deflect blame.  We'll see how many here can see through that "media shepherding" eh?  

 

[Nemises]

"Marry Me, Marry My Family". Series 2 now showing on SBS On Demand (VPN needed to watch it in Thailand) 

 

It may interest cross-culturally married TVF members.

 

MARRY ME MARRY MY FAMILY is the amazing story of cross-cultural weddings in Australia. This 3x1 hour observational documentary series follows a diverse cast of couples as they try to straddle the gulf between cultures and the gap between their parents' expectations and their own dreams.

 

https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/marry-me-marry-my-family-series-2-2019/37242/

[4MyEgo]

On 1/6/2020 at 6:19 AM, moojar said:

Although now you mention it I noticed SloMo is mentioning 'The Greens' in his media sound bites, I suspect LNP are preparing to deflect blame.  We'll see how many here can see through that "media shepherding" eh?  

I think it was Wannaby, or is that Barnaby, trying to give the Greens a serve the other day on radio.

 

I read an article outside of the usual which quoted that the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said that the National Parks and Wildlife Service carried out hazard reduction activities across more than 139,000ha in 2018 and 2019.

 

The National Parks and Wildlife Service had a hazard reduction target to treat 680,000ha of parks and reserves in the (5) from 2011, which apparently it had exceeded.

 

Point: Hazard reduction is just one way of preparing for bushfires – it doesn’t remove the threat of fire. 

 

In New South Wales, hazard reduction work is governed by policies that are set by coordinating committees chaired by the Rural Fire Service. They bring together all players – with representatives from farmers, environment groups and governments.

 

Hazard reduction work has increased because of increased funding to the Rural Fire Service and to national parks. There has been more carried out in recent years than in previous decades.

 

So as you say, the LNP are just trying to shift blame as opposed to stating the facts, typical politics.

 

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

"Marry Me, Marry My Family". Series 2 now showing on SBS On Demand (VPN needed to watch it in Thailand) 

 

It may interest cross-culturally married TVF members.

 

MARRY ME MARRY MY FAMILY is the amazing story of cross-cultural weddings in Australia. This 3x1 hour observational documentary series follows a diverse cast of couples as they try to straddle the gulf between cultures and the gap between their parents' expectations and their own dreams.

 

https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/marry-me-marry-my-family-series-2-2019/37242/

Often makes me wonder what is wrong with "people" and their parents.

 

I was fortunate enough to have easy going parents who were from Europe, each being from different countries and each allowing their kids to grow independently, without forcing religion or cultures down their throats.

 

Marrying a Thai was never an issue and they never interfered, my wife's parents did in the start try and bring in their Thai ways, culture etc etc, but that was up to us to say, thanks but no thanks, we are a couple, we are in our own circle of love, our circle doesn't require anyones ways, we have our own thank you very much, they accepted that eventually and that was the end of the story, no hard feeling, we are all happy, and if they aren't well that's up to them. I married their daughter, not the family and visa-versa.

 

We stand on our own, and for the life of me, I just don't get it when people (adults) allow their parents to "control" them, because of their "religious and cultural" beliefs, I mean, after all, it is their beliefs and culture and shouldn't be shoved down their kids throats, right ?

[Nemises]

Most Australians I know are ok about their mates or family members marrying ladies from different cultures.
 

But if said lady is much younger and from a 3rd world country... then OMG, that’s a far different story! - a few Aussies I know have been disowned and hated forever after by their close family members for doing such a thing.

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Often makes me wonder what is wrong with "people" and their parents.

 

I was fortunate enough to have easy going parents who were from Europe, each being from different countries and each allowing their kids to grow independently, without forcing religion or cultures down their throats.

 

Marrying a Thai was never an issue and they never interfered, my wife's parents did in the start try and bring in their Thai ways, culture etc etc, but that was up to us to say, thanks but no thanks, we are a couple, we are in our own circle of love, our circle doesn't require anyones ways, we have our own thank you very much, they accepted that eventually and that was the end of the story, no hard feeling, we are all happy, and if they aren't well that's up to them. I married their daughter, not the family and visa-versa.

 

We stand on our own, and for the life of me, I just don't get it when people (adults) allow their parents to "control" them, because of their "religious and cultural" beliefs, I mean, after all, it is their beliefs and culture and shouldn't be shoved down their kids throats, right ?

 

From above:

"We stand on our own, and for the life of me, I just don't get it when people (adults) allow their parents to "control" them, because of their "religious and cultural" beliefs, I mean, after all, it is their beliefs and culture and shouldn't be shoved down their kids throats, right ?"

 

Good points, I grew up in Australia, we had solid comprehensive continuous never confrontational family discussion and I had wonderful support from my parents.

 

My sadly departed Thai wife (Dr. of medicine, did all her medical training in Austraia and adopted many OZ attitudes and behavioral traits) and I involved our only son in family discussions from a youngster, pushing him gently to comment / give his opinions and thoughts and today he has has gained quite some ground in getting his Thai wife to discuss more etc., also his daughters.

 

When son married his MIL told him that she was older than him therefore he had to do as she instructed and no discussion. He carefully / politely fought her every time which shocked his wifes' brothers and sisters.

 

MIL got very angry when son and his wife bought a new Hyundai family van, she was insulted she was not asked to give her approval to buy the van.

 

But it didn't take all that long for son's MIL to realize that in reality she was not in charge and needed to back off and respect that her daughter and her husband were happy, successful and bringing up good kids.

 

On the other hand the 2 brothers and 2 sisters of son's wife are still very much under the absolute control of the mother and are quite frightened of her. 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by scorecard

[4MyEgo]

16 minutes ago, scorecard said:

On the other hand the 2 brothers and 2 sisters of son's wife are still very much under the absolute control of the mother and are quite frightened of her. 

Sorry for your loss ????

 

I suppose if my wife didn't reside with me in Sydney for the 9 years she did before I retired 4 years ago and moved here in her "families" village, she would probably be like 2 brothers and sisters, that said, time in another country culture for Thai's is necessary for them to understand that not cultures can sometimes be wrong in today's way of life, I mean just have a look at this "loss of face" imbedded into the Thai culture, fortunately for me, my wife adapted and saw things for the way they should be, and when her father for example losses face but doesn't admit it or handle it well, she tells him it's ok dad, I know how stubborn you are and it's ok to be wrong, there is nothing wrong with being wrong, it's a part of life, accept it, admit it and move forward, who knows, she might just start a trend......lol  

[ThaiBunny]

5 hours ago, Nemises said:

But if said lady is much younger and from a 3rd world country... then OMG, that’s a far different story! - a few Aussies I know have been disowned and hated forever after by their close family members for doing such a thing.

The term "mail-order brides" can sometimes still be heard. The ping-pong balls scene from the film Priscilla Queen of the Desert also provides a stereotype

[4MyEgo]

On 1/8/2020 at 12:03 PM, Nemises said:

Most Australians I know are ok about their mates or family members marrying ladies from different cultures.
 

But if said lady is much younger and from a 3rd world country... then OMG, that’s a far different story! - a few Aussies I know have been disowned and hated forever after by their close family members for doing such a thing.

I suppose if you see an 80 year old with a 20 year old, you would say that's just wrong, now it could be that she is "take care him", and "he take care her family", as long as there isn't anything else going on, I'm ok with it, as I would see her as a carer as opposed to his sex slave so to speak.

 

On the other hand, you could get someone like me who is 20 years older than his wife, she my slave ????

 

[Will27]

6 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I suppose if you see an 80 year old with a 20 year old, you would say that's just wrong, now it could be that she is "take care him", and "he take care her family", as long as there isn't anything else going on, I'm ok with it, as I would see her as a carer as opposed to his sex slave so to speak.

 

On the other hand, you could get someone like me who is 20 years older than his wife, she my slave ????

 

You see a lot of farang/Thai couples here with rather big age differences.

Not a 60 year gap TBH.

 

As long as both parties are happy, it's really no one else's business IMO.