Video of ‘working class’ Sydney family in 1975 highlights how much Australia has changed
A video showing a ‘working class’ family of eight living in Sydney’s west in 1975 has highlighted just how much the Great Australian Dream has changed.
A video from the 70s showcasing middle and working class Australians has remerged this week, shining a brutal light on the differences between home ownership in 2025, compared to 50 years ago.
In August 1975, ABC’s Four Corners aired an episode highlighting disparity between the classes by visiting the homes of families living in different areas of Sydney.
A part of the episode has been widely shared online this week, showing a family of eight living in Mount Druitt, the Van Der Voorts.
Unsurprisingly, the part that has caught everyone’s attention is the details of this “working class” family’s financial situation.
“When this house in Mount Druitt was bought 12 years ago, it cost just over $6000 and the mortgage repayments are a mere $31 a month,” the video stated.
Adjusted for inflation, $6000 in the 1960s would be the equivalent of buying a home for around $96,500 in 2025, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s inflation calculator.
Monthly mortgage repayments of $31 in 1975 would be equal to $269.53 today.
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The episode went on to reveal that 45-year-old mechanic Case Van Der Voort brings in a salary of $8500 a year, equal to $73,902.04 today, and his wife Nelly, 40, also had a full time job at a factory.
The couple supported their six children, aged between 19 and 8.
Later in the episode, Mr Van Der Voort described his family as “normal working class people”.
“I would probably be a little bit better off than the average labourer,” he said.
The clip has been shared across multiple social media platforms in recent days, with the majority of commenters lamenting at just how much the ‘Great Australian Dream’ of homeownership has changed.
The detail that stuck out the most to people was the fact that the home was less than Mr Van Der Voorts’ salary.
“Don’t even need to adjust for inflation. The purchase price was less than his annual income,” one person said.
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“This crisis was depressing enough already, and then I realised that the house even cost less than his annual salary, then it became a whole level of depressing I had not yet experienced,” another wrote.
One added: “Imagine, just one year of your wage, you own a house. Live off the missus wage for one year. Done. Now we gotta save for 10 years just for the deposit get a 40 year loan on a house well almost never own.”
A commenter pointed out that, even adjusted for inflation, their monthly mortgage repayments were less than most people pay in weekly rent, with another branding it “just insanity”.
“These are the prices oldies think you can get when they say ‘just move somewhere undesirable’,” one person wrote.
“We need that Australian dream back,” another said, with one person saying the clip highlights the “Great Australian Demise”.
Recent analysis from finical comparison site, Finder, has revealed just how much the path to homeownership has changed over the decades.
While home buyers in the 80s were dealing with very high interest rates, there is no denying that house prices were significantly lower.
This meant that buyers back then had to borrow less, save smaller deposits and spend less of their income on housing.
In 1984, the average Australian could buy a home that cost 3.3 times their annual income, with the average income being $19,188 and the average home costing $64,039, according to Finder.
The average annual income is now over $100,000, around five times what it was in the 80s.
However, the average house price is now around 15 times what it used to be, now sitting at almost $1 million.
Taylor Blackburn, personal finance specialist at Finder, said the data shows that homeownership was “much more achievable” in the 1970s and 80s compared to today.
“Many Australians were able to buy a home while earning an average income with a manageable deposit,” he said.
“Today, Aussies face more years of saving, higher deposits, and larger debt – all while pay packets haven’t really kept up.”
However, he did note that the younger generations today have “many more ways” to generate wealth, such as selling goods, their time and skills in the gig economy, compared to generations who had no internet access.
“For previous generations, homeownership was achievable with steady work and discipline,” he said.
“Today’s buyers however need to save harder and maximise their earnings – which is why getting on top of your spending and investing is more important now than ever.”
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Originally published as Video of ‘working class’ Sydney family in 1975 highlights how much Australia has changed
