Makes you wonder doesn't it. We manage to save a bit on our pension (of course helped by 'free camping') but we don't waste money on cigarettes, pokies, fancy clothes, a lot of eating out etc.

kandagal wrote:

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 but we don't waste money on cigarettes, pokies, fancy clothes,  etc.

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 Neither do I, I save it for essentials such as booze, long lunches etc.

If you shop "carefully" you can still have a drink on a budget.
I always considered middle-class to be $40,000 to $100,000, and upper class from there up.
Apparently I'm wrong. So does that make me a pauper?
Yet I eat ok, pay the rent, fuel the car, and even manage to save a bit when I'm not on the road.
No driving, no fuel. Save it for the road.
The younger generation, younger than 40, seem to want everything now whether they can afford it or not. TV's and computers in every room, then the games and DVD's, 2 NEW cars in the garage, a large 4/5 bedroom house with 2 or 3 bathrooms for a huge, monstrous mortgage. The latest clothes and shoes and other fashion accessories. Oh, I forgot the makeup. That stuff costs hundreds of dollars.
Consumerism is alive and well, whether they can afford it or not.

Poor..............

I have gone through life working long and hard hrs. OK I have been lucky in that I have made quite reasonable money all that time but I could never get on to ANY Gov hand outs. OH except when my wife was home dying I didnt work and stayed home to care for her and the big hearted Gov allowed me $100 a F/N because I exceded the income limit for carers in the LAST financial year. I have paid tax all my life and even now as a self funded retiree have to do all sorts to get any Gov assistance with dead beats get it all handed to them.

Landfall wrote

 

Watched Q&A last night with Julia Gillard.

During the programme a lady came on to have a bitch about there not being enough handed out to her and other "middleclass" Australians.

When asked about her definition of middleclass and what her and her husband earned, it b3ecame obvious that her definition of middleclass is people who are earning a megre $150,000 to $200,000 per annum.

Now I'm passed middle age, when can I expect to be middle class?

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Gidday Dusty, I also watched Q+A last night, and to be fair to that lady. It was Julia who said when answering the question that the so called middle class, was 150-200,000 , Not the Lady in question saying it,

She just stated that she considered herself to be middle class and there is absolutely nothing in the package for her , she May be in a similar situation to myself, I still work, but my income is well under 80 K. My wife has not worked for the last 13 years,  but we have No Debt at all. I do not think that rates as middle class ?? But there is still Nothing in the assistance package for me either !!

So lets be fair on the lady in question ? she may be in a similar situation to myself ??? and not earning anything neay JULIA'S statement. !!

-- Edited by dazren on Wednesday 13th of June 2012 07:12:41 PM

I think its absolutely amazing how many people these days believe that the Government or the Country owes them and as for the ABC program Q&A which I also watched I think that Julia Gillard actually presented very well which just goes to show how much skew the media puts on the so called news they put out there. I would also dearly love to see Tony Abbott appear on Q&A so that we can hear his side rather than the media image of Mr negative.

It wasn't Hyacinth Bucket was it?

dazren wrote:

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Landfall wrote

 

Watched Q&A last night with Julia Gillard.

During the programme a lady came on to have a bitch about there not being enough handed out to her and other "middleclass" Australians.

When asked about her definition of middleclass and what her and her husband earned, it b3ecame obvious that her definition of middleclass is people who are earning a megre $150,000 to $200,000 per annum.

Now I'm passed middle age, when can I expect to be middle class?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gidday Dusty, I also watched Q+A last night, and to be fair to that lady. It was Julia who said when answering the question that the so called middle class, was 150-200,000 , Not the Lady in question saying it,

She just stated that she considered herself to be middle class and there is absolutely nothing in the package for her , she May be in a similar situation to myself, I still work, but my income is well under 80 K. My wife has not worked for the last 13 years,  but we have No Debt at all. I do not think that rates as middle class ?? But there is still Nothing in the assistance package for me either !!

So lets be fair on the lady in question ? she may be in a similar situation to myself ??? and not earning anything neay JULIA'S statement. !!

-- Edited by dazren on Wednesday 13th of June 2012 07:12:41 PM

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 Hi dazren,

I'll merely agree to disagree, with who said what.

Whatever, this country is leading the world in economics at the moment and still nearly everyone wants to whinge?

Personally, not looking forward to the future with TA.

 

Dusty

 

 

Cruising Granny wrote:

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Who decides what class who lives in? Is it about income, property, investments, or all of the above?
Some folk get to be in the upper class due to family inheritance.
Some get there by pure hard slog.
I hate this class distinction thing! It's just so wrong!
In my view we are all equal. I don't care how flash your house, car, van, clothes are. I don't care how much money you have in the bank, how many os investment properties you have. We are all equal.
We are all Aussies, and let's work really hard to keep it that way.
Australians have a great lifestyle. We've been able to work, eat and enjoy life no matter how humble we go about life.
I think I'm successful, but obviously I'm definitely not in any class at all.

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 Hey CG I think forumites will agree you are "Top Class"

Cheers!

Chris

-- Edited by gypsy rover on Thursday 14th of June 2012 10:28:05 AM

Antigoon,

I totally agree with your figures and you have put together a very good posting.

A few years ago I came to the conclusion that with the improved economic times that we had formed a FOUR class society.

General, Lower Middlecalss, Upper Middleclass and Upper Class.

Based on the ladies figures on qanda, that would put her in the Upper Middleclass.

The figure of $50k to $60k per annum would be a Lower Middleclass figure in my four class structure..  Not to be sneezed at?

I agree with the fact that we are all "born" equal, but some are more equal than others.

Life is what you make it, unfortunately some people do not want to be responsible for their lives.

As for mining booms, etc.the goverment is playing with the cards it has been dealt with and doing a good job according to the rest of the world. If you don't compare us with the rest of the world, what standard do you use as a bench mark?

Dusty

 

 

-- Edited by Landfall on Thursday 14th of June 2012 11:56:44 AM

Class distinction will for the most part hopefully die out with the passing of the baby boomers. Listen to the young and you do not hear them talk of lower, middle or upper classes or haves and have-nots or even the Joneses that everybody wanted to keep up with. If relative income is important to you then source the facts for some reliable data rather than react to uninformed opinion or those with an agenda to push.

Middle class, or whatever you want to call it, is unlikely to be anywhere near $150-200K as far as individual incomes go if the ABS 2009-10 Survey of Income and Housing is any guide:

The ABS found the mean (or arithmetic average) disposable income for all Australia households in 2009/10 was $848 per week or about $44,000 per year. This would be approximately equivalent to a gross income somewhere in the low to mid $50K range depending on circumstances and sources of income packaging.

The median (or mid-point) household disposable income was $715 per week or about $37K per year, which is equivalent to a gross income somewhere in low to mid $40K range.

As a comparison the gross minimum wage at the time of $570 per week or about $30K per year.

While 10% of households received disposable income less than $344 per week or about $18K per year, the next 80% of households had disposable income up to $1448 per week or about $75K per year, which equivalent to around $100K gross.

I think us nomads are the lucky ones, lots of us travel on our pensions and see more of the real country than a lot of others earning big bucks. I don't really care who earns what as long as I can live quite well on the money I have, which is just the pension.

cheers

gypsy rover wrote:

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Cruising Granny wrote:

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Who decides what class who lives in? Is it about income, property, investments, or all of the above?
Some folk get to be in the upper class due to family inheritance.
Some get there by pure hard slog.
I hate this class distinction thing! It's just so wrong!
In my view we are all equal. I don't care how flash your house, car, van, clothes are. I don't care how much money you have in the bank, how many os investment properties you have. We are all equal.
We are all Aussies, and let's work really hard to keep it that way.
Australians have a great lifestyle. We've been able to work, eat and enjoy life no matter how humble we go about life.
I think I'm successful, but obviously I'm definitely not in any class at all.

---

 Hey CG I think forumites will agree you are "Top Class"

Cheers!

Chris

-- Edited by gypsy rover on Thursday 14th of June 2012 10:28:05 AM

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 Thanks for the vote of confidence.  I'll accept that I'm a top class normal person.

I provided for my kids on my own, survived all sorts of experiences, to be here today.  Upright and breathing is a bonus.