Charter operators doing it tough?

[TheRealAndy]

G'day

Noel and Dan.... spot on.

I have been deckie on 3 boats for a number of years and you're right.... the owners are stressed and usually have other income streams.

It is bloody hard work and the deckies especially get bugger all pay for what they do, the skipper not much better.

Would I have a charter business?? sure, but only when I would oversee the operation and use it as a hobby, and a good tax move for a bigger boat

Dave

Cheers Dave, I have always wanted to find a good tax dodge to get a big boat and you just provided me with one! The best part is that I need to make a loss as well! I will be phoning my accountant first thing monday, but I bet he says no

As for charters, a few mates and I have finally had to cancel after another failed attempt this weekend. I was keen for another attempt but a few of the others do shiftwork and couldn't waste another weekend. Shame though, I was looking foward to it.

[JEWIENEWIE]

I to have been feeling the full brunt of the weather. I own and operate a surfschool in byron. Usually we are cranking all through the summer holidays and this usually gets us throught the quite winter months. We have had the worst summer in 10 years of operating due to the constant and dangerous surf conditions.
No other back up plan for income either. I try and stay positive and think that the rain has positives for certain people. The most frustrating thing in having an income that is dependant on the weather, there is jack shit you can do about it when it turns bad. Usually itis a good excuse to put the boat in the richmond for a fish, but alas due to the above mentioned wether, that is out of the question due to fish kill. Cant win lately.
Jewie

[Wahoo]

Its not only charter operators who suffer in this weather. Think of us farmers, with all the rain we are receiving our avo trees suffer from root rot, which, can take years to turn around, our custard apples which the fruit is maturing are suceptible to splitting from the excess rain, we are unable to apply sprays which will result in a downgrade in our fruit and less return.

Moving on to the wind side of things, whenever it blows, our fruit gets windrubbed causing a downgrade, or worse gets knocked off the tree losing the fruit completely, trees get blown over so we have to either stake up the trees or lose the tree completely.

Sure I may sound like another whinging farmer, and yeah, I feel sorry for other people who are suffering from the weather, but this weather has long term effects on us not just the direct impacts, just the same as the drought has caused us. Yeah, I know what you're all thinking, I can't be satisfied. But I'm just showing you what its like from my perspective.

Cheers
Kezza

the thing with this is the goverment gives the farmers a handout, you get a hand out if its to dry, hand out if its to wet, handout if its to cold, how many farms have the Gov offered to buy off them at a good price? and yet most rejected it, better off keeping the farm and keep getting handouts

the building trade, ( blocklayer) sit at home for 4 weeks, wait another 2 weeks for a slab to be poured and set, another week or two for the blocks to turn up, another week and 1/2 to finish the job, then another 3-4 weeks to be paid, any handouts for us????? dont think so, do we get PPL come around and have a chat so see if we are coping ok or stress talks, no we dont, not just the brickies, all the tradies, if only the tax payer knew what goes on behind closed doors about the farmers, they would feel this way too

[Outsider1]

the thing with this is the goverment gives the farmers a handout, you get a hand out if its to dry, hand out if its to wet, handout if its to cold, how many farms have the Gov offered to buy off them at a good price? and yet most rejected it, better off keeping the farm and keep getting handouts

the building trade, ( blocklayer) sit at home for 4 weeks, wait another 2 weeks for a slab to be poured and set, another week or two for the blocks to turn up, another week and 1/2 to finish the job, then another 3-4 weeks to be paid, any handouts for us????? dont think so, do we get PPL come around and have a chat so see if we are coping ok or stress talks, no we dont, not just the brickies, all the tradies, if only the tax payer knew what goes on behind closed doors about the farmers, they would feel this way too

you don't seriously believe that do you Wahoo??!!. It is so far from the truth is ain't funny!

DJ

[Wahoo]

you don't seriously believe that do you Wahoo??!!. It is so far from the truth is ain't funny!

DJ

too right i do, thats the way it is


tell me the truth then, so what do you believe????? i want to hear this

[Outsider1]

too right i do, thats the way it is


tell me the truth then, so what do you believe????? i want to hear this

you are the one that came up with the statement about farmer handouts, how about you back them up. In my experience our farmers get very little in the way of handouts.

Cheers

DJ

[PinHead]

to be honest..with the amount some tradies are making at the moment...if they cannot put some away for a rainy day then perhaps they should look at themselves first. As for the farmers..bit difficult for us to live without food..plus..some of the larger farms have many millions invested in equipment with loans etc to pay for them to be more productive..i have no problem at all in the Govt assisting the farmers..I would not be a farmer for anything.

[Wahoo]

you are the one that came up with the statement about farmer handouts, how about you back them up. In my experience our farmers get very little in the way of handouts.

Cheers

DJ

DJ, here is one figure the gov have to help out the farmers, 14 B

[Wahoo]

to be honest..with the amount some tradies are making at the moment...if they cannot put some away for a rainy day then perhaps they should look at themselves first. As for the farmers..bit difficult for us to live without food..plus..some of the larger farms have many millions invested in equipment with loans etc to pay for them to be more productive..i have no problem at all in the Govt assisting the farmers..I would not be a farmer for anything.

Pinhead, i agree with you 100% saying that traides should have money put aside, there is no reason why any tradie cant, but the farmers must also do the same and really any other business,for any one owing big dollars to be paid back must mean they earn big dollars

Daz

[Vindicator]

the thing with this is the goverment gives the farmers a handout, you get a hand out if its to dry, hand out if its to wet, handout if its to cold, how many farms have the Gov offered to buy off them at a good price? and yet most rejected it, better off keeping the farm and keep getting handouts

the building trade, ( blocklayer) sit at home for 4 weeks, wait another 2 weeks for a slab to be poured and set, another week or two for the blocks to turn up, another week and 1/2 to finish the job, then another 3-4 weeks to be paid, any handouts for us????? dont think so, do we get PPL come around and have a chat so see if we are coping ok or stress talks, no we dont, not just the brickies, all the tradies, if only the tax payer knew what goes on behind closed doors about the farmers, they would feel this way too

Where the hell did you hear get that from. The day I receive a handout from the government I will let you know. The reason that SOME may have got handouts is that we need to keep producing food. Ever wondered where the food comes from if not Australia or the conditions in which they are grown or treatments they are given to grow in. The trouble with some people is that they think because farmers have got land, the machinery to run the place and the whole infrasctructure they are sitting on cloud 9 with this big wad of cash to prop them up. Ever wondered how we got to where we are, the money which is financed to have the equipment and grow the crops. Its not like it was all handed to us on a plate.
Anyone who has worked hard to get where they are whether no matter what industry they are in should be congratulated. Its a hard slog and they'll know what I'm talking about, but don't start this crap about farmers getting all these handouts and everyone else suffering. You tell me what does happen behind closed doors that you seem to know so much about cause its all new to me.

P!ssed off
Kezza

[Wahoo]

Where the hell did you hear get that from. The day I receive a handout from the government I will let you know. The reason that SOME may have got handouts is that we need to keep producing food. Ever wondered where the food comes from if not Australia or the conditions in which they are grown or treatments they are given to grow in. The trouble with some people is that they think because farmers have got land, the machinery to run the place and the whole infrasctructure they are sitting on cloud 9 with this big wad of cash to prop them up. Ever wondered how we got to where we are, the money which is financed to have the equipment and grow the crops. Its not like it was all handed to us on a plate.
Anyone who has worked hard to get where they are whether no matter what industry they are in should be congratulated. Its a hard slog and they'll know what I'm talking about, but don't start this crap about farmers getting all these handouts and everyone else suffering. You tell me what does happen behind closed doors that you seem to know so much about cause its all new to me.

P!ssed off
Kezza

Kezza
i hear what your saying, we also are getting alot of Gov adds on telly saying how much the farmers need

but this goes with the farmers up here on how they abuse the system, and getting handouts
one farmer ( banana farmer) that i know very well got a handout after the cyclone, now this guy was on telly crying "my life is ruined" 4 month latter new cruiser wagon new cruiser ute and to top it off two new diesels for his boat, now that alone just made me sick and lost all respect, i should of stated these facts first

Daz

[Outsider1]

Hi Wahoo,

quoting a figure like 14B without any source or explanation means nothing. It all needs to be in context, it probably includes fuel rebates (actually giving farmers back some of their own money in taxes they have paid).

Here is a link to some facts about Farmers;

http://www.nff.org.au/farm-facts.html

I think these quotes are particularly relevant;

Australian farmers - self-reliant...

• Despite common misconceptions, Government support for Australian farms represents just 4% of farming income. By comparison, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in the United States it's 17%, in the European Union it's 31%, and in Japan it's 56%.
  
  In fact, Australian farmers are among the most self-sufficient in the world.- OCED, Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance 2006.
• Further, support to farmers across all OECD countries accounts for 29% of farm receipts. Remarkably, this level of support is almost the same as 1995 levels. While international governments are gradually moving away from providing support and trade barriers are falling, largely lead by Australian farmers, these distorting measures remain dominant.- OCED, Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance 2006.

My 30+ years experience in working with farmers around Oz is they don't get much in the way of true 'handouts', and when they do it is genuinely needed and much appreciated. I am sure it is no more than the people of Mackay are getting or in line for at the moment. And you have to remember that there is a lot more than the Farmers included under the Rural Category viz;

There are 129,934 individual farming businesses in Australia - remarkably 99% of them are family owned and operated.

In 2005, 336,700 people were directly employed in the Australian agricultural sector - accounting for around 4% of the national workforce - 67% of these people were male, and 44% were engaged in grains, sheep and beef cattle.

Australian agriculture has important linkages with other sectors of the economy and, therefore, contributes to these flow-on industries. Agriculture supports the jobs of 1.6 million Australians, in farming and related industries, across our cities and regions - accounting for 17.2% of the national workforce.

By the way, I don't disagree with your statement about blockies and the building industry. The building industry is notoriously boom or bust and also seasonal. Tradies tend to be at the bottom of the pile unfortunately, so I do have sympathy for them. But that is no reason to dump unfairly on another industry.

Cheers

DJ

[Xahn1960]

Bit of a jump from Charter Operators to Farms ??? But I'll add my Two cents worth..... I've known a lot of farmers and not one ever got a cent they didn't work damn hard for, a few probably do rort the system but those I know put in more hours for less return than I ever would or could..
Support our Aussie businesses and they will support us, rather see my tax dollars going to help out our farmers than wasted elswhere...
Bill.

[samsnap]

If it came to choose between charter boat operators & farmers for a grant - I would back the poor old farmer all the way (sorry Boss!) Grew up on a farm & dekkie for a charter - I'v tasted both worlds & I can tell you - the farmer & his family do it harder by far. But every trade & job has its highs & lows - we just have to be smart & ride them out & as my old mum would say "save for a rainy day". I think this thread has run its course - its a bit nasty now - but we are all welcome to our own opinion. Hope this dosen't offend anyone & good luck vindicator, I'll thank you tomorrow for my avo on toast for breakky & hope you got the .003 cents from it xx Sammy

[reelemin1974]

Yeh Kezza that root rot is a shocker!

We lost about 95 out of 110 avo trees a few years back, tried everything to save them but nothing worked for us. Hope your having some better luck.

Incidently how are you treating it?


Cheers


Jim

Yes, tell me about it, I had a rotten root once too!! Really is a bumber!!