JUNE 17, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Kids potter in wand biz
(Damjan Janevski) 209713
hree Point Cook siblings have turned their love of Harry Potter into a way to make new friends. Atticus, 11, Ashlea, 10, Aubrey, 5, let, and their parents recently moved from Singapore to Australia. heir mother, Leah, said that during their irst two months in Australia, the children began making a Harry Potter-inspired games arcade out of cardboard. hey also made a Harry Potter-themed photo booth, complete with a broomstick. he siblings had hoped to invite the neighbourhood children over for a Harry Potter garage arcade event, in order to make new friends, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted these plans. Instead, they started selling the wands they had been making for $10 each. he two older siblings paint the wands, while Aubrey is in charge of packaging and making sure orders match clients’ special requests. Leah does the marketing. Atticus, Ashlea and Aubrey have been dressing in Hogwarts robes and cycling around Point Cook to deliver the wands. “I like to see how all the kids are really excited to see us,” Atticus said. Alesha Capone
Mortgage stress soars By Alesha Capone Residents of three postcodes located in Melbourne’s west are among the areas facing the highest mortgage stress in the nation, according to a new report. Research and consulting irm Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) has released its mortgage stress data for May, which ranked the 3037 postcode (which includes Delahey, Hillside and Sydenham) as experiencing the second-highest amount of mortgage stress in Australia. he 3030 postcode (Werribee, Werribee South, Point Cook, Quandong and Derrimut) was ranked fourth on the list, with 3029
(Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit and Truganina) placing ith. According to the report, between 6000 to 7000 households in each of these postcodes are experiencing mortgage stress. he 3350 postcode (Ballarat and surrounds) ranked as having the highest amount of mortgage stress in Australia, with more than 7000 households experiencing mortgage stress. DFA surveyed 52,000 households across the nation within a year, and used mortgage industry reports, company information and banking and economic analysis to calculate the igures. he report considers households to be in
severe mortgage stress if their gross income – such as salary, pensions, interest and dividends – is 10 per cent or more below what they spend on tax, mortgage repayments, other housing costs, food, childcare, and school fees every month. According to the report, about 1.4 million households across the nation were experiencing mortgage stress in May – equating to 37.5 per cent of all households in Australia. In contrast, the report stated 38 per cent of households experienced mortgage stress during April. he report stated that between April and May, some households found relief
through the federal government’s JobKeeper payments, returning to work post-pandemic or reinancing to a lower mortgage repayment rate. Last month, Uniting Vic.Tas emergency relief lead Cathryn Ryan told Star Weekly that increasing numbers of people who had lost their jobs due to COVID-19 were seeking emergency assistance. Ms Ryan said this included families and couples where one adult was still employed, allowing them to cover mortgage payments, but that the other partner had lost their job, meaning there was no money let for essentials such as food.
SUBSCRIBE to our DIGITAL EDITION - It's FREE Live or Invest in Williams Landing Town Centre NOW SELLING 1 and 2 bedroom apartments Special First Home Buyer offer – Page 2 | Exclusive Investment Offer – Back page
1300 11 22 02 | lincolnapartments.com.au