The housing crisis

is apparently well and truly on us - or perhaps beyond us. The present government is having problems getting their "affordable housing package" through parliament. 

They are being blocked by the Opposition for some valid economic reasons and by the Greens for not spending a lot more and putting a freeze on rents.

I am in the middle of all this looking for a smaller and more affordable place to live so that a family can take over this home. It seems to be the morally right thing to do.

That said, I do want more than one room in which to live. Perhaps this is selfish of me, especially in the current crisis. But, I am an elderly cat and I am also a fairly solitary one. I like a little space in which to move and I like to pursue some quiet crafts - writing, knitting and the like. I do not care for noise. I cannot work against noise, even "musical" noise. 

Middle Cat and I keep prowling and hunting. Something will turn up of course. It may not be exactly to my liking but I am not expecting anything perfect. I just want it to happen before the executor of the Senior Cat's estate tells me, "Out! Now!" That I might be "homeless" will be of no interest to them. That I might, had it not been for the Black Cat, have had a life interest in the house is not something they can consider.

All this of course is nothing when considering those who are living in cars - some with children - or run down caravans. It means nothing when considering those who were flooded out or burnt out or have lost jobs through no fault of their own and now find themselves out on the street. 

Despite all this the government is planning on bringing in more "migrants" - enough to equate again with the size of this city over just four years. We are being told that this is "essential for economic growth" and that it is "targeted, skilled migration". 

Really? There is very little in the latest "Budget" to cover the training of people here - and yes, I do know that it can take time to train people. The last time we had a government of this persuasion they did what the union movement asked for rather than what the business community told them they needed to do to grow the economy. This time they seem to be simply saying, "Oh well, we will just get people from other countries." 

It sounds so simple but it isn't that simple. These people are needed in more remote areas. There are almost no other support services for migrants in those areas - and it is too expensive to provide them. We do things differently here so support is needed. 

Yes, we should be opening up this country to people who need somewhere to live. We should be training people to return to their own countries and develop lives there. We should not simply be poaching people from other countries. That is wrong. It is lazy.

It is time to spend a lot more on education and training - the sort of education and training that business rather than "government policy" is demanding. Governments don't necessarily know what is good for the economy.