Talk is cheap and easy

I am amazed that so many people are calling for Royal Commissions into issues. The Royal Commission into Banks has not made any great difference to the way banks exploit customers. In retaliation for the Royal Commission, the big banks subsequently had a regulation put through federal parliament preventing serious skilled and experienced negotiators from helping home buyers who were battling banks.

Banks

When the banks start selling homebuyers up for non-payment of loans as interest rates rise and jobs become scarcer, those home buyers will only be able to call on expensive lawyers, members of the AFCA moneylenders club,  or bank-funded counsellors. Their most effective remedy will be to use their Votergram Voices to report their bank to federal Parliament and seek Parliament’s very effective assistance.

Mental Illness

The same applies to mental health services which are hopeless to say the least. Of course there are better solutions to Mental Health care. They will be better and faster implemented if the people who already know the solutions form an action group, confer on the options and pick the best, then use their Votergram Voices to have the changes implemented now, rather than being talked about for the next decade.

Child abuse

Children are being abused at home by their parents, step-parents and by some foster parents. Parents in Indigenous communities are still complaining about having their children “stolen”. Of course there are better solutions. Again those with the solutions need to get together, confer, put the solutions out and find the ones that 80% of them agree on and get those implemented now by using their Votergram Voices.

Tug-o-War

This is not rocket science. Votergrams have been around for almost four decades.

Where advocates are coming unstuck is that they have no idea of how democracy works in the  23^rd century. They have fairly tale images from the 1800’s and those ideas do not apply today.

Votergrams and the FairGO Voterlobby keep on quietly helping people solve their problems while others are demonstrating in the streets and hurling abuse at the very politicians who can solve their problems.

Our society is controlled by a multi sided, multi-dimensional tug-o-war between competing vested interests. Those who pull on the rope with the best technique, strategy, greatest skill and strength, mostly win.

The Votergram Voice, available to every Australian, enables Voters to win most of the time, if their goal is fair and just. Why wouldn’t they? They elect and pay the parliament for exactly that purpose.

 

 

Shooting goals for good government.
Education, health care, housing, wage equality etc are goals being missed by recent governments for one very good reason. Our politicians cannot get those improvement balls into the nets because those goals are strongly blocked by the Big Business Lobby defenders. They want big business profits to continue booming unaffected by changes in government policy.

Rapid population growth by immigration, un-serviced by government, increases demand, living costs and corporate profits, reduces wages, housing supply, education and health services. Profit is a great thing in our free-enterprise society but not when it is so excessive that it makes some fabulously wealthy and some extremely poor.

It is time for the people to put on their “Voterlobby” tops and start scoring goals  for widespread education, health, wage and housing improvements.

The Multi-goal soccer game
Our society is  very much like a soccer game with multiple goals and multiple groups all playing to score their own goals. But the goal scorers, the “strikers”, are the Members of Parliament (MPs). Some kick for big business because big business pays their parties with “donations”. Some kick for the Community because MPs are elected by the voters in the community.

Political donations by big business are used by political parties to “buy” votes through advertising.

But there are 17 million voters in Australia and they already own the votes. That is where real power and influence lies. So the voters can ignore election advertising and party political preferences to kick the education, health, housing and wages balls to their parliamentary mid-fielders. They need the skill, accuracy and strategy of the Matildas to that successfully. The MPs will then dribble and pass those balls up the field and kick them straight into goal, despite the best efforts of those defenders who care only themselves.

How Voters can win the game

There is a team that has played for the Australian voters for 37 years without attracting much attention. It is the Voters own Lobby, the Voterlobby and every Australian voter can enjoy its benefits by joining it’s Australian Voters Network. The soccer balls that are kicked into Parliament for our very helpful MPs are delivered by Votergrams to all MPs. Voters having their say the Votergram way, have been scoring goals for decades with the help of MPs and Parliament.

Voterlobby helps voter to do the strategy bit of lobbying. Watching the Matildas we see the various strategies they deploy to get the ball in front of the opponent’s goal near one of their striker’s feet. Votergrams deliver voters suggestions and solutions to all the MPs in Parliament to find the strikers that are interested enough in the topic to kick a goal and get it fixed. Voters Network provides workshops on voterlobbying and helps voters seeking common goals to work together to achieve them.

Mimicking the Matildas

We may never be like these incredible soccer players, but we voters can shoot goals for good government. To do that we must understand that it takes a nation to run a democracy. Politicians in parliament depend on input from voters in order to serve those voters properly. The “silent Majority” will never be heard. But the active voters who use the Voterlobby to politely and persistently persuade their parliament to govern for the people who elect them, will almost always score those goals.

It is not hard to understand why Christ might have got annoyed with the money changers in the temple. I felt the same today.

Bank overcharging and under-servicing  is  a disaster for Australia. CBA’s $10 billion profit from overcharging and under-servicing customers is an affront to all Australians, as is its CEO’s $10.4 million year’s pay packet. CBA could easily reduce interest rates to existing borrowers and increase them to existing depositors and still earn a tidy profit.

My branch
For 3 days, 5 phone calls I have tried to reach my CBA branch and the customer service to no avail. No calls back! So I went to the branch. Waited 30 minutes to be attended to. Other customers were furious at lack of service. All in all I spent 1.5 hours on what could have been accomplished in a 5 minute phone call. This is not good enough and common to many banks, particularly the Big 4 today.

Let’s Lobby for Better Banking! A Fair GO for bankers and customers.

Today we are launching the Bank Customer Voterlobby to help customers get a fair go, with some Parliamentary assistance and by rating banks on their performance.

Banks continually lobby, bully and bribe politicians. But banks are not the only ones who can lobby politicians. We have helped voters to lobby successfully on many topics over the 30 years since Voterlobby was formed. Voters vote to elect politicians to represent them and we have seen just how helpful our politicians are when approached in the right way. Voters do not have to put up with financial abuse by banks.

We have already provided Bankwatch through which dissatisfied bank customers can alert us of their complaints and a Borrow Better service for getting banks to offer competitive loans. Our associated consultancy GBAC assists borrowers with mediations, negotiations and bank disputes.

Please join the Bank Customer Voterlobby by emailing greg@voterlobby.au. There is no charge! It is free. By voters for voters.

Was it Solomon who said that the borrower becomes the lender’s slave? Today it is very true for those whose debt becomes unaffordable due to interest rate rises. What to do if your bank has you trapped in a high priced home, business or farm mortgage that may become more expensive, putting your home at risk through default. By law I can’t tell home-buyers  or other consumers for a fee, so I’ll tell you for free.

1 How did it happen
Banks and other lenders knew interest rates would probably rise from historic lows. By offering cheap mortgages for very expensive housing as well as for businesses and farms, they knew that as rates rose buyers would be trapped in unaffordable mortgage debt. Then they could nurse the borrowers along like pet rabbits destined for stew.

The interest they earn will grow with rate rises to give huge returns. Borrowers will slave away to meet repayments. Unmet interest can be added to the debt to earn more interest. If after a decade the debt gets close to the home value, the lenders can move in and sell the borrower up, absorbing the difference between debt and sale value by unbelievably high foreclosure charges.

Escape
On Monday I will start explaining the best options for borrowers to escape this carefully laid trap.

How lucky we are not to live in Christ’s time. But Caesar was not the only brutal dictator in history, so it is worth our while to make our democracy work well, lest a dictator appear again. The link below is worth following on that theme. Christ gave us some very wise advice. It pays to apply it to our democracy.

Disaster stalks society
Australia is walking a thin line between dangerous inflation with massive price hikes and dangerous recession with massive unemployment. Government services are already grossly inadequate for our exploding population and voters are suffering. Violent crime and murder threaten our lives. Regulators conspire with corporate crooks and businesses. Companies are failing and cutting staff. Banks cheat customers.

Driving democratic government
We are not ruled by a ruthless dictator but it could happen as it did in Germany. The people rule in Australia! They drive government via our elected parliament. Australia has a Voters Network, free of party politics, that gives enormous power to every individual Australian, young, middle-aged or old, who want to help drive government to do what they think is good and fair for them and our society. It has done so for 37 years. If you wonder why government is not doing what you want, chances are you have not joined Voters Network and told parliament what you want and why.

Bullies & bribers greedy and dishonest
Our Government is not really driven just by political parties. Greedy ruthless dishonest wealth-seekers bully and bribe our politicians to get a bigger share of our national wealth. We voters all need to stand beside our MPs, support and guide them to do what WE need and Australia needs, instead. When we all share the time, effort and costs, they are tiny. If each person involved contributed as much time and money as they might on a weekly cup of coffee, Australia would be a far better place for everyone.

Get involved and improve your life as well as Australia’s
 Democracy is about control of government for voters via the Parliament  of politicians who are far, far better than the media will ever let you believe. As a voter you too can and are entitled to, guide government to do what YOU want via our parliament. Australia needs your input for good government. The best way for you to  do your bit for Australia is to join Voters Network free and help campaign for what you see as needed.

“First to boom and first to bust” -the construction industry.

Road to Recession
Australia was moving dangerously closer to recession prior to Covid. To stimulate the economy by encouraging Australians to spend, the Reserve bank lowered interest rates. However debt is the very worst and most dangerous way to spend money. It is money that you don’t have to spend!

But Australians refused to be drawn into debt, having glanced what was happening elsewhere in the world. Lower and lower fell interest rates, but still Australians refused to borrow for fear of bad times ahead. So rates fell further to entice them.

Covid
But then Covid hit and to stop the economy from “tanking”, the government threw billions of dollars at the Australian people and at businesses in particular. Too much perhaps as it turned out. With enough for deposits and interest rates at unbelievably low rates, people rushed into borrowing for businesses, investment properties, farms and homes, cars and yachts, trips abroad. Prices skyrocketed with a bit of help from Russia to cut supplies. Debts skyrocketed along with them.

The low interest rates were too good to be true. It is said that if it is “too good to be true” then maybe it isn’t. Maybe it wasn’t. The interest rates started to skyrocket too.

When we bought our home the mortgage interest rate was 11% fixed for 25 years. The difference was that prices were very much lower even allowing for CPI. It was the same when we bought or expanded businesses and farms. The ultra-high prices as the growing Australian population recently moved into spending mode, meant that the interest was being charged on very high loans and so was very high itself in dollar terms.

What to do – Act early and fast!

There is a Christian perspective in all that we do, so crisis time is a time to reflect on Christ’s teachings. Proverbs has a brief warning “The borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” How true that is for many borrowers today as the media refers to “Mortgage Prison”.

Christians may need to seek assistance or give assistance. The Good Samaritan story guides us and Christ’s warning not to judge others is pertinent. Crisis time is not the time t decide whether someone was unwise to get into difficult debt that puts their business, farm or home at risk. It is time to help. Even a staid Chartered Accountant like me found that in an earlier recession in my younger days I faced a cash crisis with  large staff and clients battling to pay. With a big home mortgage to pay I could not go to the bank so in fear and trepidation I asked two friends if I could borrow $10,000 from each. They happily and kindly said yes. I survived and the loans were repaid within a year as my clients were able to pay their bills. It was a great act of kindness. Neither loans were secured or documented except by  brief note.

Keep a look out for anyone you can help in any way possible. That is what being a Christian is about and it may help us remove the blot on the Christian copybook caused by some totally inappropriate past behaviour in some churches.

Back to businesses bracing for battle with banks:-

Professionals are not likely to help you if it looks like you or your business will be facing bankruptcy or receivership within 6 months, as there is a serious risk that any fees you pay them could be clawed back by a liquidator or trustee in bankruptcy. So act early to get assistance or you may miss out.

Loans are being extended to cut the regular repayments, but that will increase the actual cost of everything bought on borrowed money, as more interest will be charged and the debt will go longer.

If you spend like mad in your business or privately, the economy might move ahead, or it might go backwards. If you spend up you might help Australia. If the economy goes back, then you might go broke yourself.

Many business people and consumers may decide to protect themselves first. Some have already done so. As consumers they may cut spending to bare essentials; buy only what is on special; take on extra paid work; make rather than buy. Businesses might cut spending to the bone, cutting staff, rent, marketing and that will impact the incomes and profit of other businesses, putting pressure on them to cut spending.

Debtors and creditors
Every situation is very different. For those businesses contacting GBAC we will assess the situation of each business’s debtors and creditors, then talk to them to calm them down. We ask debtors to pay as much as possible off their debts. Cool calm discussion is required to deal with a difficult situation as well as possible for all concerned. Panic is not going to help anyone. Nor is drowning your debtor customers when trying to keep yourself afloat. That can drown everyone. Treating debtors and creditors as you would like to be treated yourself is a good guide. Businesses in cash trouble need to recognise their issues and look for the best solutions.

We will talk to creditors promptly and work out repayment plans that the business can afford and which also help the creditors. They don’t want to send their customers broke. They just want to survive too. Recessions don’t last for ever. Everyone must get through if they can with feasible repayment plans.

Billionaire Bankers
Can they afford to help their customers?      Of course they can?
Will they?    GBAC has persuaded banks to help loan customers all over Australia for 36 years. It takes research, assessment, leverage, persuasion, experience, skill, strategy and technique, dedication to outcomes. Our aim is Good Banking for Australian Customers. Without customers banks can’t survive. Customers can easily move banks to get a better deal. That is what our Borrow Better service is about.

We start by reviewing the bank loan and overdraft accounts and their documentation to see whether the fault lies with the business or the bankers. Often it is the bankers’ fault. They are the financial experts. They know best when to borrow and when not to; which companies can handle what debt and which cannot. Once the situation is clear then GBAC opens discussions with the bank to see how best to resolve the situation with as little as possible damage to the business or the bank.

Solutions
There are almost always reasonable solutions to any cash or loan repayment crisis. But the sooner they are tackled the more likely is a good solution. Borrowers sometimes get introduced to banks for loans like lambs led to slaughter, by highly paid bank mortgage brokers. The loans often do not match the customer’s needs, cater to economic recessions or ensure ability to service and repay.

GBAC never works for the bank. It always works for the customers alone.

The faster you contact GBAC for assistance the sooner your stress levels will settle and sensible solutions will be identified. As well as helping bank customers solve debt problems, we have run our own businesses and farms, so we know just what it is like to battle bank debt, creditor payments, debt collections, recessions and falling profits. We are now here to help you because we do care about your future.

It will cost you nothing to call GBAC today on 0428 417 496 or 02 9988 3312 for a chat about what is stressing you about your mortgage-secured business or farm loan. We also offer the first hour of actual work on your issues completely free as our small contribution to helping the Australian business and farming community out of a very dangerous situation with their biggest assets on the line.

I think it is in Proverbs we read “The borrower becomes the lender’s slave”. Sometimes borrowers feel they have been beaten up and left by the roadside, so we are tying to do our Good Samaritan bit in a small way. Things are a bit tough for some just now with rates rising so quickly in Australia.

Borrow Better, launched originally as “Moneygrams” in 1987 for $100 ($250 today), helps borrowers contact more lenders for more competitive mortgage loans.

As it is not a “broker” there is no $7,000 or whatever brokerage bill for the lender to build into your loan interest and charges. As Borrow Better lets banks bid for your loan business and you to negotiate for the best possible rates and charges business owners and farmers can do quite well out of it.

One borrower in 1987 saved $300,000 interest for his $100 investment. Dropped his interest rate on a 5 year $1m loan from 24% to 18%. Good to remember that what goes down can go up and interest rates are relatively low.

But those who borrowed at very low rates and are suffering from the increases that the bankers must have known would come, need and deserve whatever help they can get.

For that reason and due to the current cost of living crisis Australia-wide, Borrow Better is being temporarily offered free for businesses and farmers. Make the most of it to get the best deal whether borrowing afresh or refinancing.

Banks will always charge you the highest rate you will pay. That is how businesses sell their products and services and how farmers sell their livestock and crops too.

Competition brings interest rates and charges down.

There is talk about “getting out of mortgage prison” today . But it is really a “Debt Trap” set by skilled moneylenders who knew the rates would rise from historic lows to trap unwary borrowers.

The last people a small business owner would ask for the way out would be a free financial counsellor funded by those same moneylenders, because that might be the most expensive way out.

The best way out is to turn the tables on the moneylenders. Sound familiar?

Find out what they have done wrong then convince them to open the trap-door or endure yet another scandal.

GBAC came into being when Politicians let Banks avoid regulation in the 1980’s. It was necessary because they saw they could make billions and earn multi-million dollar salaries by screwing borrowers. GBAC helps borrowers screw them back, in the nicest of ways.

Recent riots, the downing of a Federal Senator by Police, protests and counter protests illustrate perfectly the wrong way for people to attempt to influence democratic governments such as we have in Australia.

Protests offend the very people who can help most, are often more about discrediting a political party than gaining change. Protests are, like strikes, a form of bullying. Their appeal is that the protesters have the feeling of unity, a feeling of being an untouchable gang.

Voters hold enormous power as can be seen by the way the major parties are carrying on in NSW with an election imminent. Pork Barrelling prevails. Promises are about $30 billion in return for votes.

If voters vote to get those promises, that encourages government to not provided any of the infrastructure or services that we need during the parliamentary term and hold them all up until the next election when they can be rolled out.

Let Voters Network know, admin@voters.network if you think there should be no grants during the 12 months before any election, or make your alternative suggestion.

Vote on past performance of the politicians and parties in question. That is the best guide to their future performance. Promises are easy. Action is much more difficult.

Many voters holding that influential Votergram Voice in their hands that every single voter has, often take the last century option of surrendering that power to some organisation with the expectation that it will have more power than they do. But of course organisations do not get to vote in state and federal elections, so that voting power is neutralised. Sometimes thousands of voters do that and their Votergram Voices, which would persuade almost any government on any issue, are neutralised by the organisation that has no vote. But the organisation does often get government funding, which neutralises it too.

Votergrams are superb used by individuals, but they are even better if used by organisation members to add electoral power to the fundamental logic of the arguments put by their organisation. One national organisation and its members scored $45 billion of government support through a joint campaign effort.

The moral of the story is that you get more support from politicians by polite persuasion than by protest. Votergrams put Australian voters light years ahead of any other democracy in the world.

Put “protests” in the rubbish bin and Votergram your way to a better life by guiding government to do what you want.