But rents in Port Macquarie are very expensive, especially relative to the levels of local salaries. The town has a very high concentration of wealth in very few hands. There is a 7 year waiting list for 3 bedroom Housing Department accommodation and an indefinite wait for I bedroom accommodation. Young people are having to move away to find work, with serious consequences for the area. No one pays the award wage in Port Macquarie.
Employers pay well below it.
People have to accept that or not work. And if they join a union they don't work. With so little employment around, employers do whatever they like. Anti-discrimination legislation is not working to ensure equal opportunity in the area. Employers do nothing about career paths for staff.