Gordon wrote on Apr 15^th, 2025 at 1:12pm:


Do people genuinely understand what it’s like out there for young people right now?

Let’s talk about a hypothetical couple trying to buy in the outer suburbs of Sydney. Already, that scenario is optimistic. If you’re single, forget it, unless you’re living with your parents into your 30s, this isn’t even on the table. But let’s entertain the couple scenario, both working full-time and renting while trying to scrape together a deposit for a modest unit.

The median unit price in Sydney sits around $830,000 based on 2024-25 figures, but for the sake of clean maths, let’s round down to $800,000.

To get a foot in the door:

20% deposit: $160,000

Stamp duty: ~$30,000 (a bit less if you qualify for first-home buyer concessions)

Legal, inspections, and misc.: ~$10,000

So you're looking at a $200,000 upfront target, just to have the bank acknowledge your existence.

Now take the average full-time wage:

Around $101,400 per person before tax

Combined: $202,800 before tax, which after tax and Medicare nets you about $150,000-160,000

Then it becomes a question of time:

5 years: $40,000 per year or $20,000 each

7 years: ~$28,500 per year or ~$14,250 each

That’s 18-25% of their entire take-home pay, committed to savings alone.

Now layer in the rent. Average rent is around $775 per week:

$775 × 52 = $40,300 per year just to have a roof over your head while you save

So let’s say they’re taking home $160k, rent eats $40k, savings need another $40k (if you’re aiming for 5 years). That leaves them with $80,000 per year, or $1,536 per week, for everything else.

Sounds fine on paper? Not when you break it down:

Groceries: $250-$300

Utilities: $100-$130

Internet & Phone: $40-$55

Transport: $150-$200

Health & medical: $80-$120

Insurance: $50-$100

Entertainment & dining: $100-$150

Miscellaneous: $100-$150

Weekly total: $870-$1,205

Their budget it $1,536 per week.

This is what “making it work” looks like, no margin for error. It assumes you never get sick, never need to replace a car, never get laid off. No inflation. No disasters. No family. No joy.

You’re not living, you’re existing. A glorified spreadsheet cell, working to feed the mortgage-industrial complex.

It wasn’t like this for us. I bought my first place solo, living in a share house, working part-time while studying. I had no real life, sure, but it was doable. The property I bought? $150,000. Today, according to Domain, it’s estimated at $1.2 million.

This isn't some abstract shift, it's a 25-year transformation of the economy into something far more hostile to young people trying to establish a foundation. And no, telling them to “just save” is not helpful, it’s patronising.

If you're in a position to help your kids break out of the rental trap and into ownership and you choose not to, that’s not just a personal decision, it’s a moral one. It shows exactly what kind of parent, and citizen, you are.

The worst thing isn’t failing to help. It’s climbing the housing ladder yourself, then pulling it up behind you while telling the next generation they should have just climbed faster. That’s Peter Dutton’s approach. Just save harder, cut back on Netflix, skip smashed avo, as if that’s the problem.

Back then, even when we were saving, we still got to live. We still had holidays, dinners out, a semblance of balance. Young people today aren’t even being offered that. They’re being asked to sacrifice everything just to maybe afford a 2-bedroom unit 90 minutes from work.

The game has changed, and pretending it hasn’t is just cruelty disguised as wisdom.

Bobby. wrote on Apr 14^th, 2025 at 1:55pm:

Brian Ross wrote on Apr 15^th, 2025 at 8:02pm:


What would you expect from a disgraced racist x piggly wiggly

Leroy wrote on Apr 15^th, 2025 at 8:22pm:



duttons kid doesn't live in blacktown ... not that it matters as you totally miss the point mr potato was trying to make with that faux par.

The issueis that young workers are unable to save up for a deposit once they pay rent and all their living expenses. Doesn't matter where they want to buy

Leroy wrote on Apr 15^th, 2025 at 8:22pm:


Even better to continue living with parents and rent it out, and get the tax savings.
I have no idea about the Brisbane market, but something like this would end up costing nothing to hold.
https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-qld-brisbane+city-14643889...

Or, and get this, we could treat housing like, you know, housing, not an investment?

Make them affordable and livable and redirect investment into something that is inovative and a benefit to the economy?

That should be the engame, but that provides no short-term relief.

But neither does Dutton.

At least Labor have a plan that shouldn't increase prices, won't drop prices (so they don't get Shorten'd) yet still provides a means for first home buyers to get into the market with government assistance or social housing.

Leroy wrote on Apr 16^th, 2025 at 3:34pm:



so you're saying Duttons son was lying during the press conference?

thegreatdivide wrote on Apr 14^th, 2025 at 2:30pm:


I absolutely love stories like Gordon’s daughter.
It proves how possible it is to do.
Whilst many can’t for personal reasons, like unsupportive family, illness, etc it also proves many can do that, but don’t.
I’ve noticed a trend for the younger gens to live for the day, and not think of tomorrow, it’s a helplessness of mind attitude.
My hubby and I were much like Gordon’s daughter when we started out in life.
Every penny mattered, and looked at the end of year what savings we could accumulate from having lived frugally. It was like a financial challenge. I was always up for it.
I used to wish I could buy more nice stuff when I was younger, and would just do a lot of window shopping.  All those around us had nicer clothes, cars and houses. I sewed a lot as it was cheaper back then until Chinese stuff was imported, then clothing was cheaper to buy than make.
Are we better off now than others? Maybe now, but back then we missed out on a lot.
Is it better to live for the day or think of a future we can’t be certain of?
Back then it seemed less stressful with forward thinking RE: future, but these days, it’s all about financial crisis. Hubby and I were talking and saying it’s time to pull the purse strings tight again as we may go through some recession.

It’s a life long habit we’ve now got, we just look at price comparisons for everything, and none would tolerate my food shopping at supermarkets, where I look at all price tags and what prices are per 100g.
And who checks their receipts after?
Recently I was double charged for goods… one was Chemist Warehouse.
I said check the cctv vid … they did and said I was right,  I only took one pack from shelf not two.
Yes sometimes cctv work in our favour.

Getting back to buying our first home… it was very humble, nothing flash, a small 10 square fibro cement house. No flooring or curtains or heating. We did all that ourselves.
Which is why the house was cheaper than other houses.
We eventually had a carport and shed and gravel driveway later.
And always cheap used cars. I was fortunate hubby was a mechanic so kept the cars in good running order, we mainly kept our cars for 10-15 years ….
Trouble with many now is they want McMansions to start off with.
But I see a trend towards units now…
Housing further out from CBD is cheaper… we lived an hour away for our affordable first home, I would travel by car, and train, 3 hours total per day back and forth to work.