cost of living

The article below is about cost-shifting to local councils to cope with increasing demand for infrastructure and services. This is of course a reflection of population pressure. The councils once could limit the amount of new homes and development but their capacity to do this has been greatly eroded by state government. The state governments have also left councils with little option but to borrow and to gouge residents with higher rates to cater to ever increasing costs of population growth. Just as there seem to be no limits to population growth in Victoria, there are no limits to local rates in Victoria. The article below is an extract from Cardinia Ratepayers and Residents Assn Inc Newsletter.

Mornington Peninsula Ratepayer's and Residents' Association says that Mornington Peninsula shire has earned the disgraceful reputation of being the worst financial performing council in Victoria in 2011-­12, that its liveability statement is spin, and that they can't understand why the Council ignored the call by many in the community to advertise for a CEO who can control rate increases.

Why are house prices in urban Australia perpetually rising?
Why is demand for urban housing exceeding supply in Australian cities?
Why is housing demand so strong?
Why is housing supply in capital cities not meeting demand?
Why is Australia's population growth so high?

Until Australia's homeless have an humanitarian safety net of food, shelter, clothing, medical care and educational opportunity; only then can Australian governments morally extend further invitations to foreigners to share the Australian dream.... if environmental carrying capacity permits.

Rudd's penchant for a 'big Australia' is behind his absurd record immigration policy. Population growth and congestion is out of control and is the common denominator driving up Australian land prices, electricity, water, inflation, consumer demand, interest rates and the costs of living of ordinary Australians.

Our state and federal public infrastructure cannot cope - roads, public transport, health, education, housing, you name it! The cost of living for ordinary Australians is becoming desperate!
See also Cost of housing and cost of dependency in Australia

ABC Radio National's By Design program of 30 August ran a story which seemed to depict the growth of the 'self-storage' industry as somehow positive. The fact that so many of us can no longer store our accumulated possessions where we live and must, resort to paying to rent space to store them is yet another indicator of our declining standard of living.

One of many reports about the ongoing and worsening rental crisis in Brisbane, is the article "Wanted: a Room to rent," in Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper of 29 April 2008. The article reports trends where both co-tenancy and room-by-room tenancy is increasing.

See also: "Rent gouging threatens Brisbane inner city retail community", "The Courier Mail beats the drum for more Queensland population growth"