20 people in a two-bedroom apartment
December 29, 2024 1:34 AM Subscribe
20 people in a two-bedroom apartment: the growing health and safety risks of hot bedding.
Sydney's housing crisis is evolving into a hidden health crisis and as rents soar, some residents face an impossible choice: unaffordable housing or unsafe living conditions.
but were any new billionaires created? we need to ask the truly important questions.
posted by nofundy at 4:14 AM on December 29 [5 favorites]
posted by nofundy at 4:14 AM on December 29 [5 favorites]
For people not familiar with Aussie currency and economy – what is $700 AUD/week a percentage of an income for these people? I see the minimum wage appears to be $24, so it's most of that on a 40h week, but I'm sure that doesn't tell the entire picture of what a person hot bedding would be doing to make ends meet.
posted by phlyingpenguin at 5:53 AM on December 29
posted by phlyingpenguin at 5:53 AM on December 29
The median employee earnings in Australia is $1396 per week. (Which obviously means some people are earning less, or considerably less.)
25% of employees earned less than $895 per week in their main job (25th percentile).
50% of employees earned less than $1,396 (50th percentile/median).
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/employee-earnings/latest-release
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 6:04 AM on December 29 [3 favorites]
25% of employees earned less than $895 per week in their main job (25th percentile).
50% of employees earned less than $1,396 (50th percentile/median).
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/employee-earnings/latest-release
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 6:04 AM on December 29 [3 favorites]
Mod note: One comment deleted. Please don't derail the thread by commenting about an entirely different topic that has little to no relevance to this thread.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 7:58 AM on December 29
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 7:58 AM on December 29
A request for context: the article talks about rent per week. Is that how Australians think of rent? Is rent paid weekly? (I'm in the US and rent is thought of / paid per month, usually.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:31 AM on December 29 [2 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:31 AM on December 29 [2 favorites]
A request for context: the article talks about rent per week. Is that how Australians think of rent? Is rent paid weekly? (I'm in the US and rent is thought of / paid per month, usually.)
Australians think of rent per-week.
However, rent is paid either fortnightly (every 14 days) or monthly. Paying rent fortnightly is usually more common than paying rent monthly.
Most employers pay wages every 14 days.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:43 AM on December 29 [5 favorites]
Australians think of rent per-week.
However, rent is paid either fortnightly (every 14 days) or monthly. Paying rent fortnightly is usually more common than paying rent monthly.
Most employers pay wages every 14 days.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:43 AM on December 29 [5 favorites]
One significant voice is absent from Sydney housing debate
In development applications, resident action groups, typically consisting of over 55’s with fully paid-off properties, tend to be the loudest voices in council’s ear, fighting new housing at every turn, like the case of the recent Crows Nest rezoning proposal. The demographic make-up of these groups is not even close to a representative sample of the population living in the area.
Is the planning decision-making process really democratic or a true reflection of the community if only the voices of a select few are heard? Where are the opinions of the first home buyers who want to live within a reasonable distance of their work, the long-term renters or young adults who would like to stay within an hour of the suburb they grew up in?
posted by daveliepmann at 10:29 AM on December 29 [1 favorite]
In development applications, resident action groups, typically consisting of over 55’s with fully paid-off properties, tend to be the loudest voices in council’s ear, fighting new housing at every turn, like the case of the recent Crows Nest rezoning proposal. The demographic make-up of these groups is not even close to a representative sample of the population living in the area.
Is the planning decision-making process really democratic or a true reflection of the community if only the voices of a select few are heard? Where are the opinions of the first home buyers who want to live within a reasonable distance of their work, the long-term renters or young adults who would like to stay within an hour of the suburb they grew up in?
posted by daveliepmann at 10:29 AM on December 29 [1 favorite]
Some additional context for American readers: One of the people interviewed for this piece is listed as an international students. They are usually university students that are paying full fees up front to attend uni, and have serious restrictions on the sort of work they can do (type of work and hours). While many have financial assistance from home or work short hours, they are easily exploited by this type of living arrangement and generally have no real income. They also often don't have context for how illegal hot bedding is, and are reluctant to report it for fear of becoming homeless and deported. Paying a semester's worth of uni up front is expensive, and getting sent home because your landlord is a cockroach is a huge blow.
posted by Jilder at 5:10 PM on December 29 [1 favorite]
posted by Jilder at 5:10 PM on December 29 [1 favorite]
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posted by krisjohn at 1:48 AM on December 29 [6 favorites]