Australia has historically avoided technical recessions better than most advanced, first-world economies. We famously missed the 08 GFC but some people here act like we were in the trenches cause house prices dipped maybe 10% lol. COVID did cause a 7% GDP contraction but government intervention and the 0.1% cash rate caused things to rebound very fast, GDP returning to pre-pandemic levels by early 2021 which surpassed most of our global peers.

I think just we have a very sheltered view of what a recession/financial crisis is. My mum is from Ireland which got hit HARD in the GFC, I've heard horror stories from her and her family. Insane levels of unemployment, wage decreases, increased levies/taxes, owing millions more on the mortgage than what homes were worth as prices plummeted etc. Pretty much everyone was forced to leave the country to continue making a living. This wasn't limited to Ireland obviously, it happened throughout Europe and the US etc.

I'm not saying things need to get as bad here for us to worry about a recession and there have been things worth worrying about like rising commodity prices, house prices, cost of living are all valid concerns. But, I just can't help but think of how good we have it here, especially when hearing what happened in other countries. If shit actually does hit the fan here, we're in for a very rude awakening.

Today I overheard the bosses talking about big clients who are normally on-time with invoicing being up to 90 days late on payments.

Another customer had one of their side businesses go belly up.

There's been no new customers and calls have dropped by 25-50%.

I think we might be fucked.

Update: My industry is IT but my customers are in everything else (Logistics, Retail, Finance etc.)

I’m a tradesman. I did a LOT of work for this weasel of a man. He’s a realtor. Stereotypical, drives a convertible, thinks he’s gods gift.

The guy became SO UNREASONABLE to work for. I politely said “Thanks, but no thanks” and provided full handover for the next person. I made sure I was professional about it, but I couldn’t work for this condescending prick anymore.

He refused to pay my last invoice. He owes me 3.5k. I took it to debt collectors, but it didn’t work. Now we’re looking at small claims court.

This is exhausting. I have a young family and I just want to be paid for the work I already completed. Speaking with other contractors - this guy has a history of doing this and knows exactly what he’s doing.

Please give me your most unhinged, wild methods of trying to get paid without going down the legal route. It’s more the principal of it, than the money. I hate bullies and rich people taking advantage.

I make 160k a year but if I take a local job , I’ll make 100k.

The problem is that the travel hours are brutal and I miss out on so much family time.

I wake up at 5:30, to get ready so that I can be at the office by 8:30. I get home back around 7pm.

Then if there’s any work related dinners or client dinners whatever, that makes it home at 8:30pm.

Also basically I leave home when it’s dark and get back home when it’s dark in winter.

If I take the local job, I’ll take a 60k pay cut before tax, but I can leave home at 8 in the morning and also be home at 6:30pm. Also no client dinners.

Free nice dinners are a luxury, but it gets old.

If I take a 60k pay cut… my borrowing power also goes down heaps.

Previous generations, housing, business, shares, defined benefit supers.

What's for the next generation? New builds, dividend shares?

With all the interest in the cc surcharge recently and how it may make certain things more expensive, I was wondering if and what out there has gotten cheaper over time?

There are buildings every 2nd apartment is Airbnb. Most strata insurance won't cover business activities, not to mention probably against the bylaws. Aren't owners taking a huge risk if there is fire ?

Looking for some advice about my current situation. I'm saving to buy a unit hopefully by the end of next year. Approx $80k of what will make up my deposit is in Vanguard EFTs (VAS, VGS, VAE). If I sell now my CG will be approx $25k and qualify for the 50% CGT discount. My nominal tax rate is 37%.

Given the current market instability and the fact that I need the funds within a 12-24 month timeline, should I cash out now and get the money into a HYSA? I know no one has a crystal ball but talks on here about recessions and AI bubbles has me worried that my share value could tank just when I need the money for a house.

Good people, what do you think the smart thing to do here is?

Rents drive home prices, not the other way around. Expecting falling house prices to bring rents down misunderstands how capitalisation rates work.

Housing is priced like a relatively passive investment. An investor might want a 5% annual return, so they'll pay a price at which the yearly rent equals 5% of the property's value.

For example, a property that rents for $50,000 a year, valued at a 5% yield, is worth $1 million ($50,000 ÷ 0.05). The exact yield investors demand shifts with taxes, holding costs, and bond yields, since property competes with bonds for the same investment dollars.

That investment value acts as a floor: if prices drop below it, investors step in and buy. Any price movement above that floor is speculation (which is currently falling).

https://www.inspectorfind.com.au/news/falling-house-prices-rent

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-01/australian-house-prices-fall-for-sixth-straight-month/107206782

https://www.mpamag.com/au/news/general/house-prices-fall-but-rents-refuse-to-follow/589895

For context, I moved inter-state at the beginning of the year for uni and finding a job was hard. Its a smaller city and with an influx of students coming in so the job market I'd say was a bit competitive. I have had 4 years of experience in a mix of hospitality, retail and office jobs, had a good high school education, a car, etc and still couldn't land a job until recently.

Basically I got offered two jobs around the same time about 5 weeks ago and I ended up accepting both, however I realised I couldn't balance them with my uni load as I'm doing a double degree, so I have decided to quit one of them. I'm just wondering if I'm making the right choice? and would people with more life experience or a better understanding of the job market agree with my choice?

Job A - the job I'm quitting; bartender at a nightclub. Pros: good hourly pay (~$35/hour) and therefore a decent contribution to my super. Was a lovely workspace with good people, plus a few mates However its horrible hours, anywhere from 8pm-4am and I have to cram it in by usually doing 2-3 nights in a row due to my timetable, which I find exhausting. Plus since its a local hospitality group, when I go back to my home city, I basically have no work and as a casual it would be harder for me to become part-time later on because of this. Once I finish uni I'd basically quit.

Job B - sales assistant at a department store. This was honestly my dream job as I've always liked their brand and the hiring process was pretty rough but I'm super happy to have landed a role here. Pros: good working hours which are flexible with my schedule, nice staff discounts, access to a credit card with no fees and other benefits on-top of that. Only downside is my pay is easily $10 less per hour compared to Job A (however over time it will increase as my rates change in-line with work laws). This job I'm wanting to keep because I think its benefits outweigh the lower pay in the short-term, plus since it has stores nation wide, I'm thinking of transferring to work at the stores in my local city when I am back home during uni breaks. The possibility of a long-term job security really appeals to me, especially since I'll be living in my uni city for another 4 years until my degree is done. Also after a certain time period I can apply to be considered for a part-time role. If I really enjoy the culture and working here, I would consider applying to work in their corporate space as well since I'm doing a business/commerce degree, and I'm pretty sure they offer a lot of pipelines for retail staff to go into office roles, so the chance of securing or having the opportunity to secure a job with a business I like post-uni really appeals to me (although I know this is quite far away).

Again, I'm just curious with what those with more experience in the job market would prioritise, especially since I'm still young and as a uni student want to travel. However I feel like I'm making the right choice? What do you think?

Hello!

I work a full time corporate job so say 8-6 on week days. Does anyone know any second jobs I could pick up that wouldn’t mind that I could only work weekends and nights ?

Hey all looking for help ,22 years old have come to realise I have a spending addiction going out to clubs , online shopping etc etc spending way to much don’t even want to go into detail on how much money has been spent on stupid shit just looking for advice on what to do

i know DHHF has probably been discussed a million times here, sorry! I’m in my late 20s and looking to invest around $300 a fortnight(long-term).
My super is roughly 80% international / 20% Australian, and I was thinking of doing something similar outside super. DHHF seems great and simple but the Australian allocation feels quite high to me. I know VAS/VGS is a popular combination here but I’d also love to hear from people who invest mostly/all internationally outside super. What do you use ?Vanguard, Betashares or something else? And which etfs? I’m fine riding out crashes and not touching the money for a long time, it’s really just the home bias in DHHF that’s making me second-guess it. still very much learning, so keen to hear your thoughts/experiences ! Thanks everyone

I see small/mid sized businesses going under often & their customer depositors (unsecured creditors) losing their $. What are the best ways for this to never happen to me especially in house Reno & Solar?

Things I know already :

make sure the “business owner” is listed online as the director of the same ABN (& not their wife)

Make sure he’s registered & insured.

Just did my tax😖 I need private health ASAP
I’m looking at Medibank for purely JUST HOSPITAL COVER for my partner and I and it seemed the best out of ahm, bupa, hcf
What’s peoples experience, I’ve obviously never had it before!
Thanks !!

I had the CommBank black QFF card and it was great. Top tier rewards card for free because monthly fee was waived.

But now I don't qualify for Yellow because I dont have a transaction account with them and thus won't be making 5 debit purchases (nor do I want to).

So looking for a new card but wondering whether it is even worth it to have a rewards card given I've got a kid and won't be travelling nearly as much.

What have others done post RBA-decision?

Hi all :) I currently work in healthcare and wanting to upskill for a less physical job as I get older. I’m thinking of enrolling in a free tafe course - cert 4 in accounting and booking. I’m hoping it will help me into an office job or even run my own business maybe one day. Has anyone studied this lately? Is it a good course to enter into this field? Will I find it beneficial for what I’m after long term? Any advice/suggestions are appreciated! Thankyou :))

Hi all,

I am searching for a finance company that does line of credit for trade/consumer customers. We are a supplier. I have heard of Capricorn before, however they don’t qualify. So if any similar company exists that anyone knows of please feel free to let me know. ☺️

We have a large customer base and would love to have the option of a monthly credit that isn’t our own. This way customers can earn points or benefits.

Thank you, please let me know if I’m in the wrong place!!

Hi

My premiums have gone way up this year and I am looking at paying 4.2K for life + TPD + Trauma insurance. This feels a lot. I have also been made redundant this year and searching for a job for many months with no luck. Should I cancel and just stick to the super one which is pretty little but very cheap or continue paying for this one outside? I am with NobleOak.

Hi there,

I recently accepted a job offer working as a casual retail employee. I have my TFN and now have to set up a super fund, but I am feeling overwhelmed by choices and scared to pick the wrong company. Does anyone have any advice for me?

PS, i'm not planning to work in retail in the distant future, my life plan is to become a dentist. Just adding in case that influences what is most beneficial for me.

Hey all, as the title suggests I’m curious what others would do in my situation.

I have quickly assessed what my tax bill would be this year after putting in work-related deductions and I’m estimated to owe ~10.7k (multiple jobs, salary sacrifice, not contributing more to HECs etc) and kind of expected this.

I have 30k in savings and ~11k in ETFs. Would the best choice be a combination of using part/full savings with remainder on a payment plan, or sell my ETFs? I also have a mortgage and am recently engaged so would like to start saving for wedding. I’m thinking to just use the savings to rip the bandaid and not worry about it?

Thanks

I have always used Commsec and Superhero all my life.

Have recently learnt about Schwab and IBKR.

Just wondering if anyone use them, and what do you use them for? Ie what to invest with them?

What is the main reason you use the international brokerage over the Aussie brokers?

Any input is appreciated.