https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/31/governor-general-warns-of-growing-catastrophe-that-threatens-to-undermine-democracy-in-australia-ntwnfb

Australia faces a “growing catastrophe” from poor understanding of the country’s constitutional foundation, the governor general, Sam Mostyn, has warned as attacks on institutions and threats against elected officials undermine democratic participation.

Kingy said:

Classic.

In short:

A food waste recycling program has been delayed again in Canberra, as the contract for a new processing facility is still being determined.

The City and Government Services Minister confirmed the ACT is aiming to rollout Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection by 2030.
What’s next?

The federal government’s National Waste Policy Action Plan aims to roll out FOGO collections to all Australian households by 2030.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-01/act-food-and-garden-organics-collection-scheme-expansion-delayed/106985782

alleged

“Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is Australia’s most popular political party again, according to the latest polling.
The latest monthly AFR/Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll released by The Australian Financial Review on Sunday showed a slight rebound for the party, following a dip last month as Hanson’s comments on multiculturalism dominated the political agenda”

Peak Warming Man said:

“Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is Australia’s most popular political party again, according to the latest polling.
The latest monthly AFR/Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll released by The Australian Financial Review on Sunday showed a slight rebound for the party, following a dip last month as Hanson’s comments on multiculturalism dominated the political agenda”

Aussie voter: “I don’t know, Albo seems too pleasant and reasonable to be PM – what we really need is a mummified Hitler zombie from Hell. And Pauline fits that bill nicely.”

Adani to pay no company tax despite $1bn revenue from Queensland coalmine
Indian conglomerate offsets earnings from Carmichael mine to report $340.6m loss, after promising billions in taxes and royalties

Indian conglomerate Adani will pay no company tax despite generating almost $1bn in revenue from coal mining in Queensland over the past year.

Financial accounts show the Carmichael thermal coal operations used large costs – including production and related party logistics expenses – to offset its $963.5m revenue in the 12 months to 31 March. This resulted in a recorded $340.6m loss for the year, erasing its tax bill.

Guardian Australia analysis of company accounts shows the mining project has never paid corporate tax after opening in 2021, despite past pledges by Adani that the operations would plough billions of dollars in taxes and royalties into the economy.

Adani Mining’s accounts show that it paid $58m in royalties in the 12-month period. Royalties are payments made to governments to extract state-owned minerals. Adani also paid a $33.1m royalty to a related party.

Tim Buckley, a former investment banker and the director of Climate Energy Finance, said the company was structured so that it wouldn’t pay corporate tax in Australia.

“This is a perfect example of why Australia needs new rules that ensure foreign entities have a sensible capital structure,” said Buckley, who advocates for changes that would limit the amount of deductions a business can make to reduce tax.

Adani’s project approval in central Queensland’s Galilee Basin was fiercely contested, opening a new jurisdiction of thermal coal extraction that raised environmental concerns.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/01/adani-to-pay-no-company-tax-despite-1bn-revenue-from-queensland-coalmine

Kingy said:

Pauline Hanson has her face on the ABC’s breakfast ad. I was peeved.

Gina Rinehart and the politics of satire: What to make of the Race Around the World controversy?

https://www.abc.net.au/religion/gina-rinehart-race-around-the-world-and-politics-of-satire/106994318

No sign of recovery yet for Vic Labor in the Ben Carroll era, as today’s Freshwater poll (n = about 1000) has the LNP leading in the 2pp at 52-48.

Still, early doors.

dv said:

No sign of recovery yet for Vic Labor in the Ben Carroll era, as today’s Freshwater poll (n = about 1000) has the LNP leading in the 2pp at 52-48.

Still, early doors.

They need a good slogan, like: “Don’t Mess with Jess – Your Best Bet is Ben!”

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

No sign of recovery yet for Vic Labor in the Ben Carroll era, as today’s Freshwater poll (n = about 1000) has the LNP leading in the 2pp at 52-48.

Still, early doors.

They need a good slogan, like: “Don’t Mess with Jess – Your Best Bet is Ben!”

I don’t know much about stuff but at present it seems that ONP is poised to nab a bunch of Liberal seats. An LNP govt will probably be a minority govt supported by ONP. Getting this point across might not be easy. “Vote ALP, we’re, you know, ordinary.”

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

No sign of recovery yet for Vic Labor in the Ben Carroll era, as today’s Freshwater poll (n = about 1000) has the LNP leading in the 2pp at 52-48.

Still, early doors.

They need a good slogan, like: “Don’t Mess with Jess – Your Best Bet is Ben!”

I don’t know much about stuff but at present it seems that ONP is poised to nab a bunch of Liberal seats. An LNP govt will probably be a minority govt supported by ONP. Getting this point across might not be easy. “Vote ALP, we’re, you know, ordinary.”

It’s an interesting dynamic: the better the Coalition performs the more they want to distance themselves from ON given how toxic they are to moderate liberals but all this will do is rile up Pauline who wants right-wingers to unite and take back the hellhole that is the state of Victoria. An increasingly marginalised ON may even pivot from trying to take outer suburban seats off labour to trying to win rural and regional seats off the Coalition. It’s still 4 months out but a minority Labor government is a definite possibility. I don’t know what the consequences would be were Labor to win the most seats and technically the right to try form a minority government when right wing parties together command more of the chamber.

Inside the world of the self-described conspiracy theorist anointed One Nation’s Victorian leader

Patrick Hatch
August 4, 2026 — 7:56pm

One Nation’s new Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, is a self-described conspiracy theorist who has claimed Australian government policy is controlled by a cabal of foreign “globalists”, and endorsed the idea that the world economy was deliberately crashed to trigger a “great reset”.

Extremism researchers say Pickering’s repeated references to a tyrannical global elite running the world tap into long-running conspiracy theories that have historically had antisemitism at their core.

Scrutiny of the new Victorian party leader, who was formally endorsed by Pauline Hanson this week, comes after One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts was condemned last month for sharing material riddled with anti-Jewish tropes.

In Melbourne on Monday, Hanson announced nine candidates for the November state election, including Pickering, who will contest the lower house seat of Pakenham in Melbourne’s outer east, which Labor won at the 2022 election by a few hundred votes.

Recent polling has shown One Nation attracting a primary vote of 22 per cent, which, if repeated on election day, would be likely to result in the election of all seven upper house candidates.

Pickering, who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in the 2025 federal election and as a candidate in the 2022 state election, said on Monday, “We are officially putting the major parties on notice. We are contesting to govern.”

Although the One Nation brand is closely associated with Hanson’s anti-immigration and xenophobic views, Pickering’s elevation underscores the influence of the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination “freedom movement” on the party’s local arm. The movement largely grew out of the Victorian government’s COVID measures.

Pickering, the state party leader and president, grew up in Gippsland and worked as a bricklayer before serving as a combat engineer in the army, which included deployments to the Middle East.

The 43-year-old single father has said in interviews he lost his job at a BHP coal mine in central Queensland during the pandemic after the mining giant mandated COVID-19 vaccines for employees.

He has opposed vaccines since at least 2017, according to social media posts he shared at the time questioning their safety. In an interview in 2022, he said he moved to Victoria in late 2021 with the intention to join One Nation. Following the move, he became involved in the “freedom movement”, which held regular rallies opposing lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

In May 2024, Pickering organised a rally on the steps of the Victorian Parliament to protest over the federal government’s digital ID system, at which he suggested the plan was being imposed from a global level.

“My primary concern – looking at everything through the lens perception of a conspiracy theorist, as we all should – is that this bill’s come from higher up,” he said. “Which then raises the highly conspiratorial question: well, who’s higher up than the Australian government? We know who that is. The WEF , UN . All that lot.”

At the same event, Pickering invited former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson to speak. Richardson told the crowd a “globalist agenda” was deliberately using immigration to change the ethnic make-up of Australia in order to “to get away with all the other things they’re trying to do … leading to an ultimate tyranny”.

“They need immigration to break down the community that will stand against it,” Richardson said, noting that the crowd was made up of “heritage Australians”.

Richardson was found guilty of performing a Nazi salute at an event later that year run and attended by white supremacists, and where Richardson also questioned the Holocaust.

Pickering did not respond to questions about whether he agreed with Richardson’s views or regretted inviting him to the May event.

At a rally in December 2025, Pickering claimed immigration policies – as well as disinformation laws and climate change policies – were being “pushed through the parliaments of every Western nation of the planet right now.

“We all know who it is. We know it is a concerted effort by a well-funded, well-organised bunch of unelected bureaucrats that seek to dictate to us our social and economic policy,” he said at the event.

He went on to say that Australia was “in the grips of a bunch of unelected foreign bureaucrats” and “we will not capitulate to the whims of tyranny or the crippling tenants of globalism. Let’s tell those globalists … what it means to be Australian.”

Pickering also posted on Facebook about the “15-minute city” – an urban planning concept that people should have access to daily necessities close to home, but which has taken off in some conspiracy theory circles as a plot to confine citizens and strip them of their freedoms.

“Under the pretense of ‘sustainability’, the powers that be would love to see our populations consolidated into manageable 15-minute zones,” he wrote in September 2024.

The government was trying to achieve this by building high-rise apartments near train stations, banning residential gas connections, and killing small businesses while increasing government employment, he claimed.

“Once our population is entirely dependent on its government for food and shelter, it’s no longer in a position to pushback on this increasingly tyrannical dictatorship,” he wrote.

“This is all part of a concerted effort from unelected globalists bureaucrats. Make no mistake Australia, we’re in the fight of our lives.”

In other posts, Pickering appears to endorse the “great reset” theory, which took off during the pandemic and generally revolves around the belief that there was a concerted plan to crash the world economy.

After Pickering posted about an impending financial crisis, a follower responded: “it’s all a part of the Great Reset. Bring down the global economy.”

“I know you know it’s been deliberately facilitated,” Pickering responded.

Josh Roose, a political scientist at Deakin University who has studied right-wing populism and the “freedom movement”, said Pickering’s views were deeply conspiratorial.

“ embedded in an old, but still very current, conspiracy theory about globalists running the world, unelected bureaucrats making decisions for everyone, international organisations,” he said. “These conspiracy theories have historically been antisemitic in orientation, albeit not presenting in the same way now.”

Roose said the term “globalist” had also historically been used as a euphemism for “Jewish” in conspiracy theory circles, but noted it was “not being used overtly in this particular instance”.

“For the political leader of an aspirationally major party to be referring to a hidden cabal of globalist elites, and appearing to support the premise of a ‘great reset’, raises significant questions about political judgment and economic judgment,” Roose said.

“He’s also associated with individuals that have, in turn, been associated with the extreme right.”

Kaz Ross, a researcher into far-right extremism and conspiracy theories, said Pickering was promoting “all the conspiracies wrapped up in one little neat package, with one group of people to blame, which are the so-called unelected ‘globalists’.

“And you have to be asking, well, who are these globalists?” Ross said. “That’s, to me, getting very, very close to ‘the Jews’. Because, ‘we all know who it is, wink, wink, nod, nod’.”

Ross said the “freedom movement” started as a broad church of people concerned about COVID-19 restrictions but was overwhelmed by followers of the QAnon theory, which is based on a belief in a “big secret agenda” behind everything, and eventually funnelled some people into explicitly antisemitic conspiracies.

On Monday, Pickering defended the party’s decision to not announce its full list of candidates and policies for another month.

One Nation banned The Age, the ABC and The Guardian from attending its candidate launch event at Melbourne’s Savoy Hotel on Monday. Pickering used the event to threaten to sue media organisations that published “blatant character assassination attempts” of candidates.

Pickering did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by this masthead.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/inside-the-world-of-the-self-described-conspiracy-theorist-anointed-one-nation-s-victorian-leader-20260804-p60l7s.html

Witty Rejoinder said:

Inside the world of the self-described conspiracy theorist anointed One Nation’s Victorian leader

Patrick Hatch
August 4, 2026 — 7:56pm

One Nation’s new Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, is a self-described conspiracy theorist who has claimed Australian government policy is controlled by a cabal of foreign “globalists”, and endorsed the idea that the world economy was deliberately crashed to trigger a “great reset”.

Extremism researchers say Pickering’s repeated references to a tyrannical global elite running the world tap into long-running conspiracy theories that have historically had antisemitism at their core.

Scrutiny of the new Victorian party leader, who was formally endorsed by Pauline Hanson this week, comes after One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts was condemned last month for sharing material riddled with anti-Jewish tropes.

In Melbourne on Monday, Hanson announced nine candidates for the November state election, including Pickering, who will contest the lower house seat of Pakenham in Melbourne’s outer east, which Labor won at the 2022 election by a few hundred votes.

Recent polling has shown One Nation attracting a primary vote of 22 per cent, which, if repeated on election day, would be likely to result in the election of all seven upper house candidates.

Pickering, who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in the 2025 federal election and as a candidate in the 2022 state election, said on Monday, “We are officially putting the major parties on notice. We are contesting to govern.”

Although the One Nation brand is closely associated with Hanson’s anti-immigration and xenophobic views, Pickering’s elevation underscores the influence of the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination “freedom movement” on the party’s local arm. The movement largely grew out of the Victorian government’s COVID measures.

Pickering, the state party leader and president, grew up in Gippsland and worked as a bricklayer before serving as a combat engineer in the army, which included deployments to the Middle East.

The 43-year-old single father has said in interviews he lost his job at a BHP coal mine in central Queensland during the pandemic after the mining giant mandated COVID-19 vaccines for employees.

He has opposed vaccines since at least 2017, according to social media posts he shared at the time questioning their safety. In an interview in 2022, he said he moved to Victoria in late 2021 with the intention to join One Nation. Following the move, he became involved in the “freedom movement”, which held regular rallies opposing lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

In May 2024, Pickering organised a rally on the steps of the Victorian Parliament to protest over the federal government’s digital ID system, at which he suggested the plan was being imposed from a global level.

“My primary concern – looking at everything through the lens perception of a conspiracy theorist, as we all should – is that this bill’s come from higher up,” he said. “Which then raises the highly conspiratorial question: well, who’s higher up than the Australian government? We know who that is. The WEF , UN . All that lot.”

At the same event, Pickering invited former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson to speak. Richardson told the crowd a “globalist agenda” was deliberately using immigration to change the ethnic make-up of Australia in order to “to get away with all the other things they’re trying to do … leading to an ultimate tyranny”.

“They need immigration to break down the community that will stand against it,” Richardson said, noting that the crowd was made up of “heritage Australians”.

Richardson was found guilty of performing a Nazi salute at an event later that year run and attended by white supremacists, and where Richardson also questioned the Holocaust.

Pickering did not respond to questions about whether he agreed with Richardson’s views or regretted inviting him to the May event.

At a rally in December 2025, Pickering claimed immigration policies – as well as disinformation laws and climate change policies – were being “pushed through the parliaments of every Western nation of the planet right now.

“We all know who it is. We know it is a concerted effort by a well-funded, well-organised bunch of unelected bureaucrats that seek to dictate to us our social and economic policy,” he said at the event.

He went on to say that Australia was “in the grips of a bunch of unelected foreign bureaucrats” and “we will not capitulate to the whims of tyranny or the crippling tenants of globalism. Let’s tell those globalists … what it means to be Australian.”

Pickering also posted on Facebook about the “15-minute city” – an urban planning concept that people should have access to daily necessities close to home, but which has taken off in some conspiracy theory circles as a plot to confine citizens and strip them of their freedoms.

“Under the pretense of ‘sustainability’, the powers that be would love to see our populations consolidated into manageable 15-minute zones,” he wrote in September 2024.

The government was trying to achieve this by building high-rise apartments near train stations, banning residential gas connections, and killing small businesses while increasing government employment, he claimed.

“Once our population is entirely dependent on its government for food and shelter, it’s no longer in a position to pushback on this increasingly tyrannical dictatorship,” he wrote.

“This is all part of a concerted effort from unelected globalists bureaucrats. Make no mistake Australia, we’re in the fight of our lives.”

In other posts, Pickering appears to endorse the “great reset” theory, which took off during the pandemic and generally revolves around the belief that there was a concerted plan to crash the world economy.

After Pickering posted about an impending financial crisis, a follower responded: “it’s all a part of the Great Reset. Bring down the global economy.”

“I know you know it’s been deliberately facilitated,” Pickering responded.

Josh Roose, a political scientist at Deakin University who has studied right-wing populism and the “freedom movement”, said Pickering’s views were deeply conspiratorial.

“ embedded in an old, but still very current, conspiracy theory about globalists running the world, unelected bureaucrats making decisions for everyone, international organisations,” he said. “These conspiracy theories have historically been antisemitic in orientation, albeit not presenting in the same way now.”

Roose said the term “globalist” had also historically been used as a euphemism for “Jewish” in conspiracy theory circles, but noted it was “not being used overtly in this particular instance”.

“For the political leader of an aspirationally major party to be referring to a hidden cabal of globalist elites, and appearing to support the premise of a ‘great reset’, raises significant questions about political judgment and economic judgment,” Roose said.

“He’s also associated with individuals that have, in turn, been associated with the extreme right.”

Kaz Ross, a researcher into far-right extremism and conspiracy theories, said Pickering was promoting “all the conspiracies wrapped up in one little neat package, with one group of people to blame, which are the so-called unelected ‘globalists’.

“And you have to be asking, well, who are these globalists?” Ross said. “That’s, to me, getting very, very close to ‘the Jews’. Because, ‘we all know who it is, wink, wink, nod, nod’.”

Ross said the “freedom movement” started as a broad church of people concerned about COVID-19 restrictions but was overwhelmed by followers of the QAnon theory, which is based on a belief in a “big secret agenda” behind everything, and eventually funnelled some people into explicitly antisemitic conspiracies.

On Monday, Pickering defended the party’s decision to not announce its full list of candidates and policies for another month.

One Nation banned The Age, the ABC and The Guardian from attending its candidate launch event at Melbourne’s Savoy Hotel on Monday. Pickering used the event to threaten to sue media organisations that published “blatant character assassination attempts” of candidates.

Pickering did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by this masthead.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/inside-the-world-of-the-self-described-conspiracy-theorist-anointed-one-nation-s-victorian-leader-20260804-p60l7s.html

Extremism often leads to stupidity, this seems to be the case here, another nutcase.

Right-wing nutcase.

Evan Burton

Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer has lost his bid in Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court to overturn the decision of an international tribunal which dismissed his claim for more than $300bn in compensation from the Australian government.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland welcomed the Swiss court’s dismissal of Mr Palmer’s appeal and its decision to award Australia costs in defending the challenge.

“The Albanese government has vigorously defended this claim from the outset. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has confirmed that Mr Palmer is not a ‘foreign investor’ and is not entitled to any protections under Australia’s free-trade and investment agreements,” Ms Rowland said.

“Australia had to spend more than three years and $13m defending a legal claim that tried to put everyday Australians on the hook for $300bn.”

The legal battle, which has spanned more than a decade stemmed, from the West Australian government’s decision to block his Balmoral South iron ore project in the Pilbara. WA in 2020 passed legislation impeding Mr Palmer’s ability to sue the government for damages, which was then challenged by the mining magnate in the High Court, without success.

Mr Palmer, through his Singaporean company Zeph Investments, then brought a claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, arguing the commonwealth had breached the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free-trade agreement, but the court dismissed those claims, ruling Mr Palmer was not a foreign investor and ordering him to pay costs in the order of $13m.

Former neo-Nazi shares deradicalisation journey at antisemitism inquiry
By Phoebe Pin

In short:
A reformed neo-Nazi has spoken about his deradicalisation process at the antisemitism royal commission.

The man referred to as ADC said he was sold “falsehoods” and a “load of lies”, and is pushing to “reinvent” himself.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is examining how programs and policies could support people vulnerable to extremist ideologies.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-05/nsw-royal-commission-antisemitism-reformed-neo-nazi-testimony/106999942

In a cohort of nearly 3,000 boys followed from birth into childhood, young boys who were circumcised just after birth did not have a higher risk of autism, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/study-male-circumcision-just-after-birth-does-not-increase-autism-risk

Bogsnorkler said:

Evan Burton

Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer has lost his bid in Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court to overturn the decision of an international tribunal which dismissed his claim for more than $300bn in compensation from the Australian government.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland welcomed the Swiss court’s dismissal of Mr Palmer’s appeal and its decision to award Australia costs in defending the challenge.

“The Albanese government has vigorously defended this claim from the outset. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has confirmed that Mr Palmer is not a ‘foreign investor’ and is not entitled to any protections under Australia’s free-trade and investment agreements,” Ms Rowland said.

“Australia had to spend more than three years and $13m defending a legal claim that tried to put everyday Australians on the hook for $300bn.”

The legal battle, which has spanned more than a decade stemmed, from the West Australian government’s decision to block his Balmoral South iron ore project in the Pilbara. WA in 2020 passed legislation impeding Mr Palmer’s ability to sue the government for damages, which was then challenged by the mining magnate in the High Court, without success.

Mr Palmer, through his Singaporean company Zeph Investments, then brought a claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, arguing the commonwealth had breached the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free-trade agreement, but the court dismissed those claims, ruling Mr Palmer was not a foreign investor and ordering him to pay costs in the order of $13m.

so Singapore are dirty foreign interference perps

Cymek said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-05/nsw-police-officers-now-mandatory-use-body-worn-cameras/106999018

Thousands of NSW Police officers will from today be required to switch on their body-worn cameras when using police powers.

Police powers activate, in the form of a bacon sandwich

yeah but anyway police static government overreach bad, surveillance capitalism good

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/04/kmart-camera-glasses-anko-meta-smartglasses-australia

Bogsnorkler said:

Evan Burton

Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer has lost his bid in Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court to overturn the decision of an international tribunal which dismissed his claim for more than $300bn in compensation from the Australian government.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland welcomed the Swiss court’s dismissal of Mr Palmer’s appeal and its decision to award Australia costs in defending the challenge.

“The Albanese government has vigorously defended this claim from the outset. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has confirmed that Mr Palmer is not a ‘foreign investor’ and is not entitled to any protections under Australia’s free-trade and investment agreements,” Ms Rowland said.

“Australia had to spend more than three years and $13m defending a legal claim that tried to put everyday Australians on the hook for $300bn.”

The legal battle, which has spanned more than a decade stemmed, from the West Australian government’s decision to block his Balmoral South iron ore project in the Pilbara. WA in 2020 passed legislation impeding Mr Palmer’s ability to sue the government for damages, which was then challenged by the mining magnate in the High Court, without success.

Mr Palmer, through his Singaporean company Zeph Investments, then brought a claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, arguing the commonwealth had breached the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free-trade agreement, but the court dismissed those claims, ruling Mr Palmer was not a foreign investor and ordering him to pay costs in the order of $13m.

Good.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Former neo-Nazi shares deradicalisation journey at antisemitism inquiry
By Phoebe Pin

In short:
A reformed neo-Nazi has spoken about his deradicalisation process at the antisemitism royal commission.

The man referred to as ADC said he was sold “falsehoods” and a “load of lies”, and is pushing to “reinvent” himself.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is examining how programs and policies could support people vulnerable to extremist ideologies.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-05/nsw-royal-commission-antisemitism-reformed-neo-nazi-testimony/106999942

That’s really interesting. It would be good if we could link up high school students with mentors. To pervert the radicalisation process before it began.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

I for one look forward to having a 100 metre tall wind turbine on my roof.

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

no minced words there eh damn Josh Butler gets away with publishing a lot of slander in these rags

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

party_pants said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

should have built thorium breeder yesterday

party_pants said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

Back in my day, it was cows farting that destroyed the climate

SCIENCE said:

party_pants said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

should have built thorium breeder yesterday

Do we have the technology for this?

party_pants said:

SCIENCE said:

party_pants said:

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

should have built thorium breeder yesterday

Do we have the technology for this?

it’s still experimental but if the experiments were yesterday then the economic viability would be today

party_pants said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

I don’t see anyone going on about the amounts of electricity electric vehicles will be consuming in 10 – 15 – 20 years time, and where that lecky is going to come from.

Woodie said:

party_pants said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

I don’t see anyone going on about the amounts of electricity electric vehicles will be consuming in 10 – 15 – 20 years time, and where that lecky is going to come from.

Oil refineries chew through massive amounts of electricity. As they begin to shut down that’ll free up a quite a lot of power.
Also, people with EV’s mostly charge them at home from their own solar panels, so yes there will be an increase in the amount of electricity used but not in the same rate as EV ownership.
It’s not going to be a problem.

Spiny Norman said:

Woodie said:

party_pants said:

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

I don’t see anyone going on about the amounts of electricity electric vehicles will be consuming in 10 – 15 – 20 years time, and where that lecky is going to come from.

Oil refineries chew through massive amounts of electricity. As they begin to shut down that’ll free up a quite a lot of power.
Also, people with EV’s mostly charge them at home from their own solar panels, so yes there will be an increase in the amount of electricity used but not in the same rate as EV ownership.
It’s not going to be a problem.

Ummmm….. Mr Norman……… we don’t have any (maybe one) oil refineries. Aluminum smelters use heaps. We have a few (small ones) of those, hey what but.

Woodie said:

Spiny Norman said:

Woodie said:

I don’t see anyone going on about the amounts of electricity electric vehicles will be consuming in 10 – 15 – 20 years time, and where that lecky is going to come from.

Oil refineries chew through massive amounts of electricity. As they begin to shut down that’ll free up a quite a lot of power.
Also, people with EV’s mostly charge them at home from their own solar panels, so yes there will be an increase in the amount of electricity used but not in the same rate as EV ownership.
It’s not going to be a problem.

Ummmm….. Mr Norman……… we don’t have any (maybe one) oil refineries. Aluminum smelters use heaps. We have a few (small ones) of those, hey what but.

It’s still not going to be a problem .

Woodie said:

Spiny Norman said:

Woodie said:

I don’t see anyone going on about the amounts of electricity electric vehicles will be consuming in 10 – 15 – 20 years time, and where that lecky is going to come from.

Oil refineries chew through massive amounts of electricity. As they begin to shut down that’ll free up a quite a lot of power.
Also, people with EV’s mostly charge them at home from their own solar panels, so yes there will be an increase in the amount of electricity used but not in the same rate as EV ownership.
It’s not going to be a problem.

Ummmm….. Mr Norman……… we don’t have any (maybe one) oil refineries. Aluminum smelters use heaps. We have a few (small ones) of those, hey what but.

There is also the consideration that EVs are basically one great big movin’ groovin battery that more often than not can be plugged into the grid to harvest renewables, especially solar, during the day and whether based on the next day’s usage can be discharged during the night. They have utility not just as a replacement for ICE vehicles but as an extra adjunct to large battery farms used to manage the grid for when the Sun ain’t shining and the wind ain’t blowing.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Woodie said:

Spiny Norman said:

Oil refineries chew through massive amounts of electricity. As they begin to shut down that’ll free up a quite a lot of power.
Also, people with EV’s mostly charge them at home from their own solar panels, so yes there will be an increase in the amount of electricity used but not in the same rate as EV ownership.
It’s not going to be a problem.

Ummmm….. Mr Norman……… we don’t have any (maybe one) oil refineries. Aluminum smelters use heaps. We have a few (small ones) of those, hey what but.

There is also the consideration that EVs are basically one great big movin’ groovin battery that more often than not can be plugged into the grid to harvest renewables, especially solar, during the day and whether based on the next day’s usage can be discharged during the night. They have utility not just as a replacement for ICE vehicles but as an extra adjunct to large battery farms used to manage the grid for when the Sun ain’t shining and the wind ain’t blowing.

Yes, but unfortunately most people with solar panels are not at home when their panels are producing, and the car is at work where it’s not consuming, then it gets home to be charged at night while the occupant is also home at night consuming electricity.

The big battery in the car is often not useful unless you also have another even bigger battery at home. THEN it all works great.

Kingy said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Woodie said:

Ummmm….. Mr Norman……… we don’t have any (maybe one) oil refineries. Aluminum smelters use heaps. We have a few (small ones) of those, hey what but.

There is also the consideration that EVs are basically one great big movin’ groovin battery that more often than not can be plugged into the grid to harvest renewables, especially solar, during the day and whether based on the next day’s usage can be discharged during the night. They have utility not just as a replacement for ICE vehicles but as an extra adjunct to large battery farms used to manage the grid for when the Sun ain’t shining and the wind ain’t blowing.

Yes, but unfortunately most people with solar panels are not at home when their panels are producing, and the car is at work where it’s not consuming, then it gets home to be charged at night while the occupant is also home at night consuming electricity.

The big battery in the car is often not useful unless you also have another even bigger battery at home. THEN it all works great.

True but if someone is using the car for commuting in the morning and the afternoon but not during the day there’s no no reason why carparks shouldn’t have facilities for plugging into the grid while it’s not being used. It’s relatively simple to design the financial incentives to ensure all stationary vehicles are plugged into the grid.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Kingy said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

There is also the consideration that EVs are basically one great big movin’ groovin battery that more often than not can be plugged into the grid to harvest renewables, especially solar, during the day and whether based on the next day’s usage can be discharged during the night. They have utility not just as a replacement for ICE vehicles but as an extra adjunct to large battery farms used to manage the grid for when the Sun ain’t shining and the wind ain’t blowing.

Yes, but unfortunately most people with solar panels are not at home when their panels are producing, and the car is at work where it’s not consuming, then it gets home to be charged at night while the occupant is also home at night consuming electricity.

The big battery in the car is often not useful unless you also have another even bigger battery at home. THEN it all works great.

True but if someone is using the car for commuting in the morning and the afternoon but not during the day there’s no no reason why carparks shouldn’t have facilities for plugging into the grid while it’s not being used. It’s relatively simple to design the financial incentives to ensure all stationary vehicles are plugged into the grid.

Yes, our local shopping center which is mostly Coles, has the carpark covered by solar panels, yay great. There are two chargers, with two outlets each. Most of the time, there are at least three cars plugged in.

How hard would it be to have a simple charger attached to each post that holds up the solar panels overhead.

Kingy said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Woodie said:

Ummmm….. Mr Norman……… we don’t have any (maybe one) oil refineries. Aluminum smelters use heaps. We have a few (small ones) of those, hey what but.

There is also the consideration that EVs are basically one great big movin’ groovin battery that more often than not can be plugged into the grid to harvest renewables, especially solar, during the day and whether based on the next day’s usage can be discharged during the night. They have utility not just as a replacement for ICE vehicles but as an extra adjunct to large battery farms used to manage the grid for when the Sun ain’t shining and the wind ain’t blowing.

Yes, but unfortunately most people with solar panels are not at home when their panels are producing, and the car is at work where it’s not consuming, then it gets home to be charged at night while the occupant is also home at night consuming electricity.

The big battery in the car is often not useful unless you also have another even bigger battery at home. THEN it all works great.

A glance at the Googbot tells me 50 to 60% of cars are parked at home through the day. Battery storage whether mobile or not will be plenty. Getting the retrofitted wiring and power points sorted particularly to places like strata towers will cause some short term difficulties but yeah…

Kingy said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Kingy said:

Yes, but unfortunately most people with solar panels are not at home when their panels are producing, and the car is at work where it’s not consuming, then it gets home to be charged at night while the occupant is also home at night consuming electricity.

The big battery in the car is often not useful unless you also have another even bigger battery at home. THEN it all works great.

True but if someone is using the car for commuting in the morning and the afternoon but not during the day there’s no no reason why carparks shouldn’t have facilities for plugging into the grid while it’s not being used. It’s relatively simple to design the financial incentives to ensure all stationary vehicles are plugged into the grid.

Yes, our local shopping center which is mostly Coles, has the carpark covered by solar panels, yay great. There are two chargers, with two outlets each. Most of the time, there are at least three cars plugged in.

How hard would it be to have a simple charger attached to each post that holds up the solar panels overhead.

In addition to all the other answers, surely the main difference is that electric cars are replacing an existing consumer of energy, and are much more efficient, whereas data centres are new consumers of energy, with questionable benefit.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Kingy said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

True but if someone is using the car for commuting in the morning and the afternoon but not during the day there’s no no reason why carparks shouldn’t have facilities for plugging into the grid while it’s not being used. It’s relatively simple to design the financial incentives to ensure all stationary vehicles are plugged into the grid.

Yes, our local shopping center which is mostly Coles, has the carpark covered by solar panels, yay great. There are two chargers, with two outlets each. Most of the time, there are at least three cars plugged in.

How hard would it be to have a simple charger attached to each post that holds up the solar panels overhead.

In addition to all the other answers, surely the main difference is that electric cars are replacing an existing consumer of energy, and are much more efficient, whereas data centres are new consumers of energy, with questionable benefit.

With the destruction of the local water supply. The local residents have to purchase water as they can’t drink what is coming out of their taps.

ms spock said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Kingy said:

Yes, our local shopping center which is mostly Coles, has the carpark covered by solar panels, yay great. There are two chargers, with two outlets each. Most of the time, there are at least three cars plugged in.

How hard would it be to have a simple charger attached to each post that holds up the solar panels overhead.

In addition to all the other answers, surely the main difference is that electric cars are replacing an existing consumer of energy, and are much more efficient, whereas data centres are new consumers of energy, with questionable benefit.

With the destruction of the local water supply. The local residents have to purchase water as they can’t drink what is coming out of their taps.

Memo to Chris Bowen: Let the data centres make their own undrinkable water.

Ian said:

ms spock said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

In addition to all the other answers, surely the main difference is that electric cars are replacing an existing consumer of energy, and are much more efficient, whereas data centres are new consumers of energy, with questionable benefit.

With the destruction of the local water supply. The local residents have to purchase water as they can’t drink what is coming out of their taps.

Memo to Chris Bowen: Let the data centres make their own undrinkable water.

So all the water they use if for cooling ?

The Rev Dodgson said:

Kingy said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

True but if someone is using the car for commuting in the morning and the afternoon but not during the day there’s no no reason why carparks shouldn’t have facilities for plugging into the grid while it’s not being used. It’s relatively simple to design the financial incentives to ensure all stationary vehicles are plugged into the grid.

Yes, our local shopping center which is mostly Coles, has the carpark covered by solar panels, yay great. There are two chargers, with two outlets each. Most of the time, there are at least three cars plugged in.

How hard would it be to have a simple charger attached to each post that holds up the solar panels overhead.

In addition to all the other answers, surely the main difference is that electric cars are replacing an existing consumer of energy, and are much more efficient, whereas data centres are new consumers of energy, with questionable benefit.

also we note that ashload of people with cars actually commute by other means to their place of daytime work, leaving the car that would otherwise be off site failing to charge and supply the home, to be on site and solar charged ready for their dark time commutes to other places such as family gatherings where the power would be used

so who’s to blame for this ¿ dirty migrants ¿ millennials ¿ wokists ¿ first nations peoples ¿ some other country ¿ wind farms ¿ vaccines ¿ school closures ¿ what

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/sunshine-victoria-good-samaritan-dies/107002616

SCIENCE said:

so who’s to blame for this ¿ dirty migrants ¿ millennials ¿ wokists ¿ first nations peoples ¿ some other country ¿ wind farms ¿ vaccines ¿ school closures ¿ what

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/sunshine-victoria-good-samaritan-dies/107002616

All we know is they were Victorians.

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

so who’s to blame for this ¿ dirty migrants ¿ millennials ¿ wokists ¿ first nations peoples ¿ some other country ¿ wind farms ¿ vaccines ¿ school closures ¿ what

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/sunshine-victoria-good-samaritan-dies/107002616

All we know is they were Victorians.

ok so we can safely just blame it on autism good

SCIENCE said:

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

so who’s to blame for this ¿ dirty migrants ¿ millennials ¿ wokists ¿ first nations peoples ¿ some other country ¿ wind farms ¿ vaccines ¿ school closures ¿ what

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/sunshine-victoria-good-samaritan-dies/107002616

All we know is they were Victorians.

ok so we can safely just blame it on autism good

I just think it’s all incredibly sad, for all involved.

Divine Angel said:

party_pants said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/chris-bowen-vows-to-override-queensland-and-nt-to-force-renewables-powered-ai-datacentres

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override hopelessly backward state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

Back in my day, it was cows farting that destroyed the climate

And seaweed could assist.

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

party_pants said:

So, no data centres for Australia then?

These things consume huge amounts of electrickery to run, and huge amounts of water to cool.

Back in my day, it was cows farting that destroyed the climate

And seaweed could assist.

don’t worry the economy must grow

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/blue-mountains-snow-drought-reaches-record-four-years/106982612

not the mountains do something else that rhymes

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/nsw-digital-licences-facial-recognition-database/107002852

NSW drivers licence photos could be shared to a national facial recognition database under new laws being proposed in the state.
The move is part of a bill introduced to state parliament on Thursday to crack down on identity fraud and organised crime networks.
Police access to unredacted photos from public toll roads could be granted as part of the new laws.

—

Bastards

Ian said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/nsw-digital-licences-facial-recognition-database/107002852

NSW drivers licence photos could be shared to a national facial recognition database under new laws being proposed in the state.
The move is part of a bill introduced to state parliament on Thursday to crack down on identity fraud and organised crime networks.
Police access to unredacted photos from public toll roads could be granted as part of the new laws.

—

Bastards

surveillance capitalism is better

Farzian Zainal has been reappointed as Administrator of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories. She has served three years in the role, and has been appointed for another three. A mechanical engineer by training, she first became involved in politics as a shire Councillor in 2019.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/06/ed-husic-car-accident-sydney-labor-mp-ntwnfb

:(

The individual polls have been up and down so as always it is best to look at polling averages. Labor retains an election-winning lead over either ONP or LNP.

Spiny Norman said:

the country has come so far..

Spiny Norman said:

Its a real worry isn’t it
More now than ever
The world order is collapsing
We are going to have possible hundreds of millions of climate refugees
People blame anyone whose different to them as they are easy targets.
Plus we have the fact that people believe the government has more control of events than it does.
Who actually thinks of themselves as a member of one race (the human race) and everyone deserve basic rights.

Arts said:

Spiny Norman said:

the country has come so far..

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

Cymek said:

Spiny Norman said:

Its a real worry isn’t it
More now than ever
The world order is collapsing
We are going to have possible hundreds of millions of climate refugees
People blame anyone whose different to them as they are easy targets.
Plus we have the fact that people believe the government has more control of events than it does.
Who actually thinks of themselves as a member of one race (the human race) and everyone deserve basic rights.

My joke about flagging down a UFO and leaving this planet is becoming less of a joke every day. :(

Spiny Norman said:

We’d sing and dance,
Forever and a day

Cymek said:

Arts said:

Spiny Norman said:

the country has come so far..

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

probably deep faked, where is this so called letter

Cymek said:

Arts said:

Spiny Norman said:

the country has come so far..

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

I thought the sarcasm was obvious

Arts said:

Cymek said:

Arts said:

the country has come so far..

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

I thought the sarcasm was obvious

wait does coming far correspond to a specific value judgement

Spiny Norman said:

Good one!

SCIENCE said:

Cymek said:

Arts said:

the country has come so far..

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

probably deep faked, where is this so called letter

It may well be. It appears to be typewritten.

Arts said:

Cymek said:

Arts said:

the country has come so far..

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

I thought the sarcasm was obvious

Not to me.

Michael V said:

Arts said:

Cymek said:

You believe its better than back when the letter was written ?

I thought the sarcasm was obvious

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

I thought the sarcasm was obvious

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

+1

Exceptionally disappointing.

ms spock said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

+1

Exceptionally disappointing.

we thought they meant that we had come further along the racist path, with support for ein reich being higher than ever

SCIENCE said:

ms spock said:

Arts said:

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

+1

Exceptionally disappointing.

we thought they meant that we had come further along the racist path, with support for ein reich being higher than ever

Can please say more and clarify SCIENCE?

ms spock said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

+1

Exceptionally disappointing.

I thought Arts was speaking in regards to the lessening anti Asian nonsense (if that’s actually the case)

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

Arts said:

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

+1

Exceptionally disappointing.

I thought Arts was speaking in regards to the lessening anti Asian nonsense (if that’s actually the case)

ok, thank you all for pointing out that my message was unclear. I feel partly responsible.

Racism is alive and thriving in at least one school.

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

I thought the sarcasm was obvious

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

I think we may be worse. (Referendum, Hanson, neo-Nazis etc.)

But I still don’t see the sarcasm.

Divine Angel said:

Racism is alive and thriving in at least one school.

Keep up the good work

Michael V said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

I think we may be worse. (Referendum, Hanson, neo-Nazis etc.)

But I still don’t see the sarcasm.

It has always been around. I recall the ANM back in the 80s and 90s, and their stickers all over town. Hanson has been around since the 1996 election.

party_pants said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

I think we may be worse. (Referendum, Hanson, neo-Nazis etc.)

But I still don’t see the sarcasm.

It has always been around. I recall the ANM back in the 80s and 90s, and their stickers all over town. Hanson has been around since the 1996 election.

She’s getting long in the tooth.

Michael V said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Not to me.

well, it’s obvious that we still live in a country where racism exists, the no vote for the Voice, the targeted shootings and violence, I guess the target had widened a bit since 1998, (it still includes the groups mentioned in the letter, but more have been overtly added) we had the perfect opportunity to show that we are not racist in the referendum and we failed 2023.
In short – we have not come far, in fact I doubt we have moved at all.

I think we may be worse. (Referendum, Hanson, neo-Nazis etc.)
.

I have been struggling with this.

I think we might be worse as well.

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

Michael V said:

I think we may be worse. (Referendum, Hanson, neo-Nazis etc.)

But I still don’t see the sarcasm.

It has always been around. I recall the ANM back in the 80s and 90s, and their stickers all over town. Hanson has been around since the 1996 election.

She’s getting long in the tooth.

I’ve been waiting for her to go away for a long time.

I don’t know if it’s worse, or widened, or we just have less restrictive airing of grievances

I grew up in pubs, racist attitudes were fairly well aired in some public bars by certain types, but I suspect that many of them wouldn’t have aired those same views at work, or in mixed company… but now we have more platforms to air these opinions, and the supporting factors (previously confined to the walls within a friday night session) are wider, which distributes the information more freely.

Arts said:

I don’t know if it’s worse, or widened, or we just have less restrictive airing of grievances

I grew up in pubs, racist attitudes were fairly well aired in some public bars by certain types, but I suspect that many of them wouldn’t have aired those same views at work, or in mixed company… but now we have more platforms to air these opinions, and the supporting factors (previously confined to the walls within a friday night session) are wider, which distributes the information more freely.

and the numbers of those who do voice such views have grown with the population growth.

ms spock said:

SCIENCE said:

ms spock said:

+1

Exceptionally disappointing.

we thought they meant that we had come further along the racist path, with support for ein reich being higher than ever

Can please say more and clarify SCIENCE?

we mean we thought Arts was being more ironic than sarcastic, and simply saying that racism in Australia has reached Reichsführer further along than at that time, because as we know the orange party is enjoying more support than we’ve seen previously

party_pants said:

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

It has always been around. I recall the ANM back in the 80s and 90s, and their stickers all over town. Hanson has been around since the 1996 election.

She’s getting long in the tooth.

I’ve been waiting for her to go away for a long time.

I thought that the plane corruption would sink her.

Arts said:

I don’t know if it’s worse, or widened, or we just have less restrictive airing of grievances

I grew up in pubs, racist attitudes were fairly well aired in some public bars by certain types, but I suspect that many of them wouldn’t have aired those same views at work, or in mixed company… but now we have more platforms to air these opinions, and the supporting factors (previously confined to the walls within a friday night session) are wider, which distributes the information more freely.

we mean sure we don’t know much more than we know but it’s not like the abundance of platforms and supports and distributors aren’t available to anti racist attitudes so we think a simple comparison could be made

A Palestinian activist has been denied a political party registration for the Victorian election because its name resembled the name of an existing registration.

Avi Yemini has previously said by registering “Free Palestine” he wanted to redirect left-wing votes towards parties on the right.

The Victorian Electoral Commissioner says it is legally bound to reject an application to register a party with a similar name.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-08/vec-party-registration-free-palestine-avi-yemini/107009614

Apparently half the vaccines are lost by over heating or cold, in the UK they’ve developed a vaccine in powder form, you just add water.

Peak Warming Man said:

Apparently half the vaccines are lost by over heating or cold, in the UK they’ve developed a vaccine in powder form, you just add water.

Gives new meaning to ‘taking a powder’.

Peak Warming Man said:

Apparently half the vaccines are lost by over heating or cold, in the UK they’ve developed a vaccine in powder form, you just add water.

damn colonial imperialism

The procedure was most commonly carried out by inserting/rubbing powdered smallpox scabs or fluid from pustules into superficial scratches made in the skin. The virus was normally spread through the air, infecting first the mouth, nose, or respiratory tract, before spreading throughout the body via the lymphatic system. In contrast, infection of the skin usually led to a milder, localized infection, but, crucially, still induced immunity to the virus. The patient would develop pustules like those caused by naturally acquired smallpox. Eventually, after about two to four weeks, these symptoms would subside, indicating successful recovery and immunity. The method was first used in China, India, parts of Africa and the Middle East before it was introduced into England and North America in the 1720s in the face of some opposition. However, inoculation had been reported in Wales since the early 17th century.

Terminology

SCIENCE said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Apparently half the vaccines are lost by over heating or cold, in the UK they’ve developed a vaccine in powder form, you just add water.

damn colonial imperialism

The procedure was most commonly carried out by inserting/rubbing powdered smallpox scabs or fluid from pustules into superficial scratches made in the skin. The virus was normally spread through the air, infecting first the mouth, nose, or respiratory tract, before spreading throughout the body via the lymphatic system. In contrast, infection of the skin usually led to a milder, localized infection, but, crucially, still induced immunity to the virus. The patient would develop pustules like those caused by naturally acquired smallpox. Eventually, after about two to four weeks, these symptoms would subside, indicating successful recovery and immunity. The method was first used in China, India, parts of Africa and the Middle East before it was introduced into England and North America in the 1720s in the face of some opposition. However, inoculation had been reported in Wales since the early 17th century.

Terminology

Pustules is such a good word.

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Apparently half the vaccines are lost by over heating or cold, in the UK they’ve developed a vaccine in powder form, you just add water.

damn colonial imperialism

The procedure was most commonly carried out by inserting/rubbing powdered smallpox scabs or fluid from pustules into superficial scratches made in the skin. The virus was normally spread through the air, infecting first the mouth, nose, or respiratory tract, before spreading throughout the body via the lymphatic system. In contrast, infection of the skin usually led to a milder, localized infection, but, crucially, still induced immunity to the virus. The patient would develop pustules like those caused by naturally acquired smallpox. Eventually, after about two to four weeks, these symptoms would subside, indicating successful recovery and immunity. The method was first used in China, India, parts of Africa and the Middle East before it was introduced into England and North America in the 1720s in the face of some opposition. However, inoculation had been reported in Wales since the early 17th century.

Terminology

Pustules is such a good word.

sorry about our poor copy paste execution resulting in the inclusion of Terminology, one day we’ll embarrass ourselves by including the prompt, we’re sure

New US ambassador to Australia seems to be a fucking nutcase.

Witty Rejoinder said:

New US ambassador to Australia seems to be a fucking nutcase.

It’s a prerequisite for the current administration.

Witty Rejoinder said:

New US ambassador to Australia seems to be a fucking nutcase.

Brat.

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

New US ambassador to Australia seems to be a fucking nutcase.

It’s a prerequisite for the current administration.

^

can’t

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-08/sydney-airport-flight-delays-long-queues-airservices-warns/107012486

can’t they just replace them with 爱 sheesh

There yous see we knew it private enterprise does it better than government¡

The hospital, the Red Cross and Commonwealth Serum Laboratories were all cleared of negligence. Much of the argument focused on the Red Cross, which at the time was a state-based organisation funded by the state and federal governments. The Red Cross never admitted liability, nor did the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (which at the time was government-owned, not a publicly listed company). In 1994, CSL Limited was privatised and its new owners were indemnified by the government against any claims arising from contaminated blood products prior to sale.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-09/victims-of-australia-s-1980s-tainted-blood-donation-scandal/106898666

Terrible polling for Labor in today’s ‘Age’:

…

New premier battles to keep seat as Liberal treaty pledge falls flat

Chip Le Grand
August 9, 2026 — 5:00am

The Labor Party’s decision to dump one party leader and elevate a new one has left unchanged a serious problem for the Victorian government – Premier Ben Carroll could be on track to lose his seat at the November election.

A YouGov poll of just over 4000 respondents, conducted shortly before Carroll replaced Jacinta Allan in the state’s top job, projects that if the survey results were replicated on November 28, the freshly-sworn-in premier could be turfed out of his seat of Niddrie amid a brutal change of government.

The poll results also raise a thorny question for Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, who has pledged to scrap Victoria’s historic treaty with its First Peoples within 100 days of coming to office. While the Coalition has opposed treaty since the failed Voice referendum in October 2023, most voters don’t believe that scrapping it should be a priority for an incoming government.

The YouGov poll found 40 per cent of respondents supported treaty and 32 per cent opposed.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, when asked about the Coalition’s pledge to abolish treaty within the first 100 days of government, thought the policy belonged to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.

In Wilson’s seat of Kew and across the Liberal dress circle of Caulfield, Sandringham, Brighton, Malvern and Hawthorn, 60 per cent or more of respondents said that any politician who declared this a campaign priority was out of touch.

The survey suggests that while public support is tepid for keeping in place the treaty agreement secured at the end of last year – even when the benefits of treaty are generously framed in a poll question – there is little enthusiasm among voters in metropolitan seats for getting rid of it as a first order of government business.

According to the poll, which uses a method known as multilevel regression and post-stratification to extrapolate seat outcomes, a staggering 33 of 88 lower house electorates are expected to change hands at the election.

This would make 2026 the most volatile state election since 1992, when 29 seats switched columns in Jeff Kennett’s landslide win against another long-term Labor government.

Carroll’s seat in Melbourne’s north-west is one of 29 forecast to be lost by Labor on November 28, with the spoils to be shared between the Coalition and One Nation. Niddrie, which hugs the east bank of the Maribyrnong River and takes in Keilor East and Carroll’s childhood neighbourhood of Airport West, has never been held by a party other than Labor in its 50-year history.

Carroll holds Niddrie on a 6.7 per cent margin.

If the poll projections are realised, the Coalition will win 39 seats but fall short of a 45-seat majority, while One Nation will win 17.

The Greens are forecast to lose leader Ellen Sandell’s seat of Melbourne, win the seat of Pascoe Vale from Labor and, in numerical terms, finish where they’ll start their campaign. The National Party is forecast to lose two seats and gain one.

Before the Labor leadership change, Allan also faced losing in Bendigo East, a seat she has held for 27 years. Allan is expected to announce her decision to retire from parliament. According to the YouGov poll, Bendigo East is likely to be claimed for the Nationals by publican Andrew Lethlean.

These projections are based on the Coalition securing 26 per cent of the statewide primary vote, One Nation 24 per cent, Labor 23 per cent and the Greens 13 per cent, and the Coalition beating Labor 53.8 to 46.2 in a two-party preferred contest.

The most recent Resolve Political Monitor, which is being published on a monthly basis by The Age in the lead-up to the November election, had Labor and the Coalition locked on a primary vote of 27 per cent and One Nation on 22 per cent. Resolve doesn’t calculate a two-party preferred figure or make individual seat projections.

The YouGov poll was commissioned by Common Threads, a charity registered in May 2025 to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders advancement, including through treaty.

CEO of left-wing advocacy group GetUp!, said the poll results showed that voters wanted their political leaders focused on bigger issues than revoking treaty.

“Jess Wilson’s pledge to rip up treaty if elected this November would destroy nearly a decade of work by elders, experts and grassroots communities,” she said. “Why abandon something that’s working and has popular support among voters from all walks of life?”

Victoria’s treaty process, which began in 2016 with community consultations between the Andrews government and Aboriginal communities, had bipartisan support until October 2023, when most Australians in all states voted against the proposed establishment of a Voice to federal parliament and constitutional recognition of First Peoples.

The referendum result prompted then-opposition leader John Pesutto to withdraw the Coalition’s support for treaty. When he became opposition leader, Brad Battin hardened this position and vowed to abolish treaty within the first 100 days of a Coalition government.

Wilson supported the Voice but voted against the treaty legislation in parliament, arguing that it was “vastly different in both scope and scale” to the failed referendum proposal and designed to expand its authority over time.

“The open-ended and deliberately iterative nature of this bill should concern all who value the rule of law and the separation of powers that underpin our democracy,” Wilson said. Since then, she has campaigned against what she calls “Labor’s divisive treaty”.

The opposition claims that abolishing Gellung Warl, an independent statutory body which houses the First Peoples’ Assembly, a permanent truth telling commission and an accountability commission, would save the budget nearly $1 billion over the next decade.

The First Peoples’ Assembly held elections in May and elected as co-chairs Meriki Onus, the younger sister of senator Lidia Thorpe, and Djaran Murray-Jackson, a descendent of revered Aboriginal leader Sir Douglas Nicholls.

The co-chairs are yet to meet with Wilson.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/new-premier-battles-to-keep-seat-as-liberal-treaty-pledge-falls-flat-20260806-p60m2s.html

Witty Rejoinder said:

Terrible polling for Labor in today’s ‘Age’:

…

New premier battles to keep seat as Liberal treaty pledge falls flat

Chip Le Grand
August 9, 2026 — 5:00am

The Labor Party’s decision to dump one party leader and elevate a new one has left unchanged a serious problem for the Victorian government – Premier Ben Carroll could be on track to lose his seat at the November election.

A YouGov poll of just over 4000 respondents, conducted shortly before Carroll replaced Jacinta Allan in the state’s top job, projects that if the survey results were replicated on November 28, the freshly-sworn-in premier could be turfed out of his seat of Niddrie amid a brutal change of government.

The poll results also raise a thorny question for Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, who has pledged to scrap Victoria’s historic treaty with its First Peoples within 100 days of coming to office. While the Coalition has opposed treaty since the failed Voice referendum in October 2023, most voters don’t believe that scrapping it should be a priority for an incoming government.

The YouGov poll found 40 per cent of respondents supported treaty and 32 per cent opposed.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, when asked about the Coalition’s pledge to abolish treaty within the first 100 days of government, thought the policy belonged to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.

In Wilson’s seat of Kew and across the Liberal dress circle of Caulfield, Sandringham, Brighton, Malvern and Hawthorn, 60 per cent or more of respondents said that any politician who declared this a campaign priority was out of touch.

The survey suggests that while public support is tepid for keeping in place the treaty agreement secured at the end of last year – even when the benefits of treaty are generously framed in a poll question – there is little enthusiasm among voters in metropolitan seats for getting rid of it as a first order of government business.

According to the poll, which uses a method known as multilevel regression and post-stratification to extrapolate seat outcomes, a staggering 33 of 88 lower house electorates are expected to change hands at the election.

This would make 2026 the most volatile state election since 1992, when 29 seats switched columns in Jeff Kennett’s landslide win against another long-term Labor government.

Carroll’s seat in Melbourne’s north-west is one of 29 forecast to be lost by Labor on November 28, with the spoils to be shared between the Coalition and One Nation. Niddrie, which hugs the east bank of the Maribyrnong River and takes in Keilor East and Carroll’s childhood neighbourhood of Airport West, has never been held by a party other than Labor in its 50-year history.

Carroll holds Niddrie on a 6.7 per cent margin.

If the poll projections are realised, the Coalition will win 39 seats but fall short of a 45-seat majority, while One Nation will win 17.

The Greens are forecast to lose leader Ellen Sandell’s seat of Melbourne, win the seat of Pascoe Vale from Labor and, in numerical terms, finish where they’ll start their campaign. The National Party is forecast to lose two seats and gain one.

Before the Labor leadership change, Allan also faced losing in Bendigo East, a seat she has held for 27 years. Allan is expected to announce her decision to retire from parliament. According to the YouGov poll, Bendigo East is likely to be claimed for the Nationals by publican Andrew Lethlean.

These projections are based on the Coalition securing 26 per cent of the statewide primary vote, One Nation 24 per cent, Labor 23 per cent and the Greens 13 per cent, and the Coalition beating Labor 53.8 to 46.2 in a two-party preferred contest.

The most recent Resolve Political Monitor, which is being published on a monthly basis by The Age in the lead-up to the November election, had Labor and the Coalition locked on a primary vote of 27 per cent and One Nation on 22 per cent. Resolve doesn’t calculate a two-party preferred figure or make individual seat projections.

The YouGov poll was commissioned by Common Threads, a charity registered in May 2025 to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders advancement, including through treaty.

CEO of left-wing advocacy group GetUp!, said the poll results showed that voters wanted their political leaders focused on bigger issues than revoking treaty.

“Jess Wilson’s pledge to rip up treaty if elected this November would destroy nearly a decade of work by elders, experts and grassroots communities,” she said. “Why abandon something that’s working and has popular support among voters from all walks of life?”

Victoria’s treaty process, which began in 2016 with community consultations between the Andrews government and Aboriginal communities, had bipartisan support until October 2023, when most Australians in all states voted against the proposed establishment of a Voice to federal parliament and constitutional recognition of First Peoples.

The referendum result prompted then-opposition leader John Pesutto to withdraw the Coalition’s support for treaty. When he became opposition leader, Brad Battin hardened this position and vowed to abolish treaty within the first 100 days of a Coalition government.

Wilson supported the Voice but voted against the treaty legislation in parliament, arguing that it was “vastly different in both scope and scale” to the failed referendum proposal and designed to expand its authority over time.

“The open-ended and deliberately iterative nature of this bill should concern all who value the rule of law and the separation of powers that underpin our democracy,” Wilson said. Since then, she has campaigned against what she calls “Labor’s divisive treaty”.

The opposition claims that abolishing Gellung Warl, an independent statutory body which houses the First Peoples’ Assembly, a permanent truth telling commission and an accountability commission, would save the budget nearly $1 billion over the next decade.

The First Peoples’ Assembly held elections in May and elected as co-chairs Meriki Onus, the younger sister of senator Lidia Thorpe, and Djaran Murray-Jackson, a descendent of revered Aboriginal leader Sir Douglas Nicholls.

The co-chairs are yet to meet with Wilson.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/new-premier-battles-to-keep-seat-as-liberal-treaty-pledge-falls-flat-20260806-p60m2s.html

It’s time.

Peak Warming Man said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

The opposition claims that abolishing Gellung Warl, an independent statutory body which houses the First Peoples’ Assembly, a permanent truth telling commission and an accountability commission, would save the budget nearly $1 billion over the next decade.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/new-premier-battles-to-keep-seat-as-liberal-treaty-pledge-falls-flat-20260806-p60m2s.html

It’s time.

damn imagine not shooting down 40 Iranian BMs

Clock is ticking. It’s hard to see them turning this around in time.

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

A lot of grants available to schools come from gambling companies. There’s no requirement to have a plaque to say “this playground was funded by SportsBet” though.

Divine Angel said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

A lot of grants available to schools come from gambling companies. There’s no requirement to have a plaque to say “this playground was funded by SportsBet” though.

Sounds like a lost opportunity.

SportsBet and the rest could also making books on the 6 y o 100 m dash etc.

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

Divine Angel said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

A lot of grants available to schools come from gambling companies. There’s no requirement to have a plaque to say “this playground was funded by SportsBet” though.

Yeah that was something that they agreed to do to get the legislation passed. It is a trifling compared to what they make. Like one dollar to you.

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

Dunno about killing off venues, definitely killing off the live music scene. Seems like a guaranteed income from pokies outweighs income generated by live music when you’ve got insurance, equipment, security, and paying performers to think about. Although the Eatons Hill Hotel seems to be doing quite well for itself.

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

Peak Warming Man said:

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

The extreme incompetence & draconian practices of the Newman government was more of a major factor though.

Divine Angel said:

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

Dunno about killing off venues, definitely killing off the live music scene. Seems like a guaranteed income from pokies outweighs income generated by live music when you’ve got insurance, equipment, security, and paying performers to think about. Although the Eatons Hill Hotel seems to be doing quite well for itself.

I misspoke yes the pokies killied off much of the the live music scene.

I didn’t know about Eatons Hill Hotel. Ta

Peak Warming Man said:

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

(((shakes fist)))

Peak Warming Man said:

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

ms spock said:

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, says he’s concerned that gambling advertisers could still be able to reach children, under the government’s proposed wagering reforms.

Labor’s gambling bill has little support outside the government, with the Coalition, Greens and other cross benchers opposed. Amendments are being discussed to win support in the parliament, and while Wilson wouldn’t say which specific areas the Coalition was negotiating on, he said the bill may not go far enough to reduce harms for kids.

Speaking to News24 this morning, Wilson said:

“We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.”

—

You can’t make gambling go away. They should get more pokies into primary schools.. teach them young about responsible gaming. And outside.. give the parents some distraction while they wait for their kiddies.

One of the sad side effects of the pokies is the places that used to have bands now don’t have any room to play. They are filled with poker machines. Gambling has killed off a lot of venues.

Exactly. The room in which the first band I was in had a residency at the “Kingy” in Kincumber is a now dedicated pokie den.
It’s dead man.

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

Smarter than the rest of Aus then.

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

There was a WA politician who used to joke about how the eastern states are addicted to the pokies and the gambling industry money.

Spiny Norman said:

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

Smarter than the rest of Aus then.

Always been controversial. By and large the public don’t want it, but there is always someone pushing for it. Apparently the formulas used for calculating state grants and distributions assumes that all states have pokies and collect revenue from it. Not having pokies in pubs is counted as a missed opportunity for collecting state taxes, so it costs a state money if they don’t do it. So far, with the income from mining and gas royalties WA has not needed to resort to pokies to raise revenue. Let’s hope it stays that way.

party_pants said:

Spiny Norman said:

party_pants said:

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

Smarter than the rest of Aus then.

Always been controversial. By and large the public don’t want it, but there is always someone pushing for it. Apparently the formulas used for calculating state grants and distributions assumes that all states have pokies and collect revenue from it. Not having pokies in pubs is counted as a missed opportunity for collecting state taxes, so it costs a state money if they don’t do it. So far, with the income from mining and gas royalties WA has not needed to resort to pokies to raise revenue. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Agreed.

Spiny Norman said:

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

Smarter than the rest of Aus then.

There was a lot of people protesting against pokies in their local areas. They just did not have the money and the resources of the gambling industry. The Golden Tonsils got in on the game and apparently got paid for his comments.

In the Illawarra there was a group that focused on assisting those with gambling addictions. They were effective. They were involved in opposing pokies. They lost their funding and it was given to the Salvos and they hired people with Cert III Welfare vs the decades of experience the psychologists who actually had the skills to help individuals and communities manage gambling problems and challenges. It was sad.

Labor looks like they might end in an invidious position in Victoria. Seems fairly likely the outcome is going to be a minority Liberal government with support of ONP.

ONP may have some dreadful policy requirements, so in the short term the Victorian people would be better served by ALP working with the Libs even at the expense of Labor’s core policies. The alternative is to just let the alliance do as it pleases and hope to come up smiling in 2030.

After twelve years in office, they own full responsibility. It’s not as though they can point to the previous Liberal Premier who was (checks notes) apparently a Mr Napthine. As PWM alludes, the “It’s Time” factor can be inexorable.

dv said:

Labor looks like they might end in an invidious position in Victoria. Seems fairly likely the outcome is going to be a minority Liberal government with support of ONP.

ONP may have some dreadful policy requirements, so in the short term the Victorian people would be better served by ALP working with the Libs even at the expense of Labor’s core policies. The alternative is to just let the alliance do as it pleases and hope to come up smiling in 2030.

After twelve years in office, they own full responsibility. It’s not as though they can point to the previous Liberal Premier who was (checks notes) apparently a Mr Napthine. As PWM alludes, the “It’s Time” factor can be inexorable.

I’ve been thinking about this. I’m guessing a minority Coalition government with One Nation guaranteeing ng supply might be the best outcome. Experience overseas has shown that ostracising far right parties seldom harms their electoral appeal but letting them just be the shit show they are could convince voters that they’re not worthy to be voted in next time.

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

The labor party won office after years in the political wilderness by promising to bring in poker machines to Queensland, and they did.

Before that pubs and clubs got by having heaps of chook raffles, and the big one on Fridays, you could win a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, those were the days, it was so much more egalitarian and inclusive.

WA still bans pokies from pubs and clubs. Only the one licensed casino is allowed to operate them. Bit of a legislated monopoly, but they pay a hefty licence fee for the privilege.

yep, and all most of WA is addicted to is meth

Fiscal insolvency must cause flooding:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nBAWHuZYNUQ&pp=ygUNRml4IFZpY3RvcmlhIA%3D%3D

I am hoping that this is not true.

Michael West on police being able to search Australian mobiles without a warrant.

Link

Peak Warming Man said:

Cymek said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/kyle-sandilands-live-chris-minns-first-episode-start/107015998

Kyle “So Chris, let me answer your questions first”

Kyle “I’m still a massive douche, that sand is still stuck and cannot be dislodged and yes its possible my head is more punchable than when I was younger”

+a brazillion

agreed, it’s good to know that the NSW communists support arseholes

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/aug/10/indonesia-clicks-for-cash-facebook-one-nation-us-politics-meta-creator-program-payments-ntwnfb

Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash

Exclusive: Adira says she doesn’t know much about her target countries or even know who their leaders are. Instead she’s chasing money from Meta, which pays for engagement

From her home in West Java, Adira* often starts the day with a Facebook post about coffee and the busy day ahead. Then she gets to work.

In a Facebook group called Team Pauline Hanson, she shares a photo of the Australian senator and One Nation leader and asks its almost 26,000 members for thoughts about Hanson’s comments about Islam and Australia’s way of life.

She shares an AI-generated image of a child in a hijab, like the one she wears in her account’s profile picture, in a Facebook group for Charlie Kirk fans. The little girl is holding a sign that asks if it’s OK to serve bacon in school if Muslim students are present.

She posts in groups with titles including “I love the USA!”, “JD VANCE 2028” and “Pete Hegseth Fans” but also others focused on creating AI-generated images of attractive pilots.

In June, the Guardian revealed that some of the largest One Nation supporter groups on Facebook appeared to be run by and full of overseas creators who monetise content – many based in Indonesia…

This cyber army is made up of creators who may be trying to make money out of clicks, as well as posters who are linked to advertising companies or certain political parties. They can also be state-sponsored, according to Assoc Prof Ross Tapsell, who has researched the industry for the Australian National University.

“It comes out of the idea that … they’re making noise online,” he said of the term “buzzer”. “In the way that lots of small insects put together make a really big ambient noise.”

While some buzzers are high-profile social media influencers and celebrities, they can also be people who are not earning much at all.

“This machine operates by attracting those who are most economically vulnerable,” Angtyasti Jiwasiddi has written in the Indonesian newspaper Kompas. “This job requires zero skills and zero capital, requiring only a cell phone and a few accounts.”

The phenomenon is partly the result of Meta’s business model, according to a Queensland University of Technology media researcher Associate Prof Timothy Graham, who pointed to the incentive structure that provides cash for content engagement in an effort to keep eyes on the platform.

In 2025, the company says it paid nearly US$3bn to creators for content reels, photos and text posts.

Meta did not respond to questions for this report but said seven of the 14 Hanson support groups previously identified by the Guardian in its investigation had now been suspended for “violating our policies”.

“If you want to stop the issue, you have to stop Meta farming populations for money,” Graham says. “There’s something harmful about the product.”

It appears that Adira runs just one of many Indonesian accounts posting about Hanson and politics in a country she says she knows little about.

“We are just seeking dollars,” she says. “We don’t know, like, even who the president is… The Pauline group has great dollars.”

oh wow what a great defender of women’s rights

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/taylor-demands-albanese-apologise-to-takaichi/107017790

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/aug/10/indonesia-clicks-for-cash-facebook-one-nation-us-politics-meta-creator-program-payments-ntwnfb

Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash

Exclusive: Adira says she doesn’t know much about her target countries or even know who their leaders are. Instead she’s chasing money from Meta, which pays for engagement

From her home in West Java, Adira* often starts the day with a Facebook post about coffee and the busy day ahead. Then she gets to work.

In a Facebook group called Team Pauline Hanson, she shares a photo of the Australian senator and One Nation leader and asks its almost 26,000 members for thoughts about Hanson’s comments about Islam and Australia’s way of life.

She shares an AI-generated image of a child in a hijab, like the one she wears in her account’s profile picture, in a Facebook group for Charlie Kirk fans. The little girl is holding a sign that asks if it’s OK to serve bacon in school if Muslim students are present.

She posts in groups with titles including “I love the USA!”, “JD VANCE 2028” and “Pete Hegseth Fans” but also others focused on creating AI-generated images of attractive pilots.

In June, the Guardian revealed that some of the largest One Nation supporter groups on Facebook appeared to be run by and full of overseas creators who monetise content – many based in Indonesia…

This cyber army is made up of creators who may be trying to make money out of clicks, as well as posters who are linked to advertising companies or certain political parties. They can also be state-sponsored, according to Assoc Prof Ross Tapsell, who has researched the industry for the Australian National University.

“It comes out of the idea that … they’re making noise online,” he said of the term “buzzer”. “In the way that lots of small insects put together make a really big ambient noise.”

While some buzzers are high-profile social media influencers and celebrities, they can also be people who are not earning much at all.

“This machine operates by attracting those who are most economically vulnerable,” Angtyasti Jiwasiddi has written in the Indonesian newspaper Kompas. “This job requires zero skills and zero capital, requiring only a cell phone and a few accounts.”

The phenomenon is partly the result of Meta’s business model, according to a Queensland University of Technology media researcher Associate Prof Timothy Graham, who pointed to the incentive structure that provides cash for content engagement in an effort to keep eyes on the platform.

In 2025, the company says it paid nearly US$3bn to creators for content reels, photos and text posts.

Meta did not respond to questions for this report but said seven of the 14 Hanson support groups previously identified by the Guardian in its investigation had now been suspended for “violating our policies”.

“If you want to stop the issue, you have to stop Meta farming populations for money,” Graham says. “There’s something harmful about the product.”

It appears that Adira runs just one of many Indonesian accounts posting about Hanson and politics in a country she says she knows little about.

“We are just seeking dollars,” she says. “We don’t know, like, even who the president is… The Pauline group has great dollars.”

team sports good

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/aug/10/indonesia-clicks-for-cash-facebook-one-nation-us-politics-meta-creator-program-payments-ntwnfb

Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash

Exclusive: Adira says she doesn’t know much about her target countries or even know who their leaders are. Instead she’s chasing money from Meta, which pays for engagement

From her home in West Java, Adira* often starts the day with a Facebook post about coffee and the busy day ahead. Then she gets to work.

In a Facebook group called Team Pauline Hanson, she shares a photo of the Australian senator and One Nation leader and asks its almost 26,000 members for thoughts about Hanson’s comments about Islam and Australia’s way of life.

She shares an AI-generated image of a child in a hijab, like the one she wears in her account’s profile picture, in a Facebook group for Charlie Kirk fans. The little girl is holding a sign that asks if it’s OK to serve bacon in school if Muslim students are present.

She posts in groups with titles including “I love the USA!”, “JD VANCE 2028” and “Pete Hegseth Fans” but also others focused on creating AI-generated images of attractive pilots.

In June, the Guardian revealed that some of the largest One Nation supporter groups on Facebook appeared to be run by and full of overseas creators who monetise content – many based in Indonesia…

This cyber army is made up of creators who may be trying to make money out of clicks, as well as posters who are linked to advertising companies or certain political parties. They can also be state-sponsored, according to Assoc Prof Ross Tapsell, who has researched the industry for the Australian National University.

“It comes out of the idea that … they’re making noise online,” he said of the term “buzzer”. “In the way that lots of small insects put together make a really big ambient noise.”

While some buzzers are high-profile social media influencers and celebrities, they can also be people who are not earning much at all.

“This machine operates by attracting those who are most economically vulnerable,” Angtyasti Jiwasiddi has written in the Indonesian newspaper Kompas. “This job requires zero skills and zero capital, requiring only a cell phone and a few accounts.”

The phenomenon is partly the result of Meta’s business model, according to a Queensland University of Technology media researcher Associate Prof Timothy Graham, who pointed to the incentive structure that provides cash for content engagement in an effort to keep eyes on the platform.

In 2025, the company says it paid nearly US$3bn to creators for content reels, photos and text posts.

Meta did not respond to questions for this report but said seven of the 14 Hanson support groups previously identified by the Guardian in its investigation had now been suspended for “violating our policies”.

“If you want to stop the issue, you have to stop Meta farming populations for money,” Graham says. “There’s something harmful about the product.”

It appears that Adira runs just one of many Indonesian accounts posting about Hanson and politics in a country she says she knows little about.

“We are just seeking dollars,” she says. “We don’t know, like, even who the president is… The Pauline group has great dollars.”

Ian said:

SCIENCE said:

Ian said:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/aug/10/indonesia-clicks-for-cash-facebook-one-nation-us-politics-meta-creator-program-payments-ntwnfb

Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash

Exclusive: Adira says she doesn’t know much about her target countries or even know who their leaders are. Instead she’s chasing money from Meta, which pays for engagement

From her home in West Java, Adira* often starts the day with a Facebook post about coffee and the busy day ahead. Then she gets to work.

In a Facebook group called Team Pauline Hanson, she shares a photo of the Australian senator and One Nation leader and asks its almost 26,000 members for thoughts about Hanson’s comments about Islam and Australia’s way of life.

She shares an AI-generated image of a child in a hijab, like the one she wears in her account’s profile picture, in a Facebook group for Charlie Kirk fans. The little girl is holding a sign that asks if it’s OK to serve bacon in school if Muslim students are present.

She posts in groups with titles including “I love the USA!”, “JD VANCE 2028” and “Pete Hegseth Fans” but also others focused on creating AI-generated images of attractive pilots.

In June, the Guardian revealed that some of the largest One Nation supporter groups on Facebook appeared to be run by and full of overseas creators who monetise content – many based in Indonesia…

This cyber army is made up of creators who may be trying to make money out of clicks, as well as posters who are linked to advertising companies or certain political parties. They can also be state-sponsored, according to Assoc Prof Ross Tapsell, who has researched the industry for the Australian National University.

“It comes out of the idea that … they’re making noise online,” he said of the term “buzzer”. “In the way that lots of small insects put together make a really big ambient noise.”

While some buzzers are high-profile social media influencers and celebrities, they can also be people who are not earning much at all.

“This machine operates by attracting those who are most economically vulnerable,” Angtyasti Jiwasiddi has written in the Indonesian newspaper Kompas. “This job requires zero skills and zero capital, requiring only a cell phone and a few accounts.”

The phenomenon is partly the result of Meta’s business model, according to a Queensland University of Technology media researcher Associate Prof Timothy Graham, who pointed to the incentive structure that provides cash for content engagement in an effort to keep eyes on the platform.

In 2025, the company says it paid nearly US$3bn to creators for content reels, photos and text posts.

Meta did not respond to questions for this report but said seven of the 14 Hanson support groups previously identified by the Guardian in its investigation had now been suspended for “violating our policies”.

“If you want to stop the issue, you have to stop Meta farming populations for money,” Graham says. “There’s something harmful about the product.”

It appears that Adira runs just one of many Indonesian accounts posting about Hanson and politics in a country she says she knows little about.

“We are just seeking dollars,” she says. “We don’t know, like, even who the president is… The Pauline group has great dollars.”

team sports good

well it’s all the indonesians’ fault

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/ragebait-how-facebook-is-paying-controversial-creators/106940696

Mary Trump with Danielle Moodie

Link

we mean it still misses the point, they’re the same thing right

SCIENCE said:

we mean it still misses the point, they’re the same thing right

Of course. That is the point.

I don’t know why they just don’t introduce a gambling licence that tracks your spending. The industry says that any effort to fix gambling by Australian based entities will drive gamblers to use overseas sites but that can be worked around. I’m pretty sure foreign based firms would still require a bank account or credit card to function: Hey presto, you’re based in Australia so give us your licence number.

VPNs shouldn’t even factor into it.

SCIENCE said:

we mean it still misses the point, they’re the same thing right

What odds are they quoting on tougher legislation?

Ian said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Michael V said:

SCIENCE said:

we mean it still misses the point, they’re the same thing right

Of course. That is the point.

I don’t know why they just don’t introduce a gambling licence that tracks your spending. The industry says that any effort to fix gambling by Australian based entities will drive gamblers to use overseas sites but that can be worked around. I’m pretty sure foreign based firms would still require a bank account or credit card to function: Hey presto, you’re based in Australia so give us your licence number.

VPNs shouldn’t even factor into it.

What odds are they quoting on tougher legislation?

aha so it’s just a gatekeeping exercise to stop profits going to Myanmar we knew it

It’s always a bit of a worry when I find myself agreeing with the likes of John Howard, but when I see on the front page of today’s old persons news source:

Howard says the only option for the Liberals is to speak out against Pauline Hanson

I am forced to say

Good onya John.

The Rev Dodgson said:

It’s always a bit of a worry when I find myself agreeing with the likes of John Howard, but when I see on the front page of today’s old persons news source:

Howard says the only option for the Liberals is to speak out against Pauline Hanson

I am forced to say

Good onya John.

A bit of a broken clock thing. Even he can be right …. on extremely rare occasions.

The Rev Dodgson said:

It’s always a bit of a worry when I find myself agreeing with the likes of John Howard, but when I see on the front page of today’s old persons news source:

Howard says the only option for the Liberals is to speak out against Pauline Hanson

I am forced to say

Good onya John.

He was the one that let the genie out of the bottle.

But yes…

I hope Pauline attacks Howard. That will piss a few sensible right wingers off and hopefully dent her popularity.

The Rev Dodgson said:

It’s always a bit of a worry when I find myself agreeing with the likes of John Howard, but when I see on the front page of today’s old persons news source:

Howard says the only option for the Liberals is to speak out against Pauline Hanson

I am forced to say

Good onya John.

Bit rich coming from The Toad given that his approach to race, reconciliation, and political correctness legitimized her grievances in the first place.

Witty Rejoinder said:

I hope Pauline attacks Howard. That will piss a few sensible right wingers off and hopefully dent her popularity.

Pay per view, the bout to knock the other guy out

Live from Canberra

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-secret-flight-nato-return

What

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-secret-flight-nato-return

What

was it Vegemite or Tim Tams or something

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-secret-flight-nato-return

What

I remember when Yeltsin landed in Ireland, and they had the red carpet out and all the dignitaries waiting.

But he failed to emerge, and the plane left some hours later.

Bubblecar said:

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-secret-flight-nato-return

What

was it Vegemite or Tim Tams or something

I remember when Yeltsin landed in Ireland, and they had the red carpet out and all the dignitaries waiting.

But he failed to emerge, and the plane left some hours later.

we guess Irish ancestry is third behind English and Australian in terms of the largest number of responses nominating as such, and represents 9.5% of the total population

Ian said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

It’s always a bit of a worry when I find myself agreeing with the likes of John Howard, but when I see on the front page of today’s old persons news source:

Howard says the only option for the Liberals is to speak out against Pauline Hanson

I am forced to say

Good onya John.

Bit rich coming from The Toad given that his approach to race, reconciliation, and political correctness legitimized her grievances in the first place.

+1

He was the Trumpish politician before Trump.

ms spock said:

Ian said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

It’s always a bit of a worry when I find myself agreeing with the likes of John Howard, but when I see on the front page of today’s old persons news source:

Howard says the only option for the Liberals is to speak out against Pauline Hanson

I am forced to say

Good onya John.

Bit rich coming from The Toad given that his approach to race, reconciliation, and political correctness legitimized her grievances in the first place.

+1

He was the Trumpish politician before Trump.

Comparing Howard to Trump is a stretch. Howard’s just a conservative arsehole but otherwise a reasonably intelligent man and a rather canny politician. Trump is a fucking moron of the highest order and a complete narcissist who cares little for anybody with not the slightest idea of the values that allow a liberal democracy to prosper.

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

Ian said:

Bit rich coming from The Toad given that his approach to race, reconciliation, and political correctness legitimized her grievances in the first place.

+1

He was the Trumpish politician before Trump.

Comparing Howard to Trump is a stretch. Howard’s just a conservative arsehole but otherwise a reasonably intelligent man and a rather canny politician. Trump is a fucking moron of the highest order and a complete narcissist who cares little for anybody with not the slightest idea of the values that allow a liberal democracy to prosper.

Assuming Trump goes quietly into the night after the next election his actions will take decades to repair.
One can assume its been planned to disrupt the world order

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-secret-flight-nato-return

What

was it Vegemite or Tim Tams or something

Lamingtons with jam and cream.

Cymek said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

+1

He was the Trumpish politician before Trump.

Comparing Howard to Trump is a stretch. Howard’s just a conservative arsehole but otherwise a reasonably intelligent man and a rather canny politician. Trump is a fucking moron of the highest order and a complete narcissist who cares little for anybody with not the slightest idea of the values that allow a liberal democracy to prosper.

Assuming Trump goes quietly into the night after the next election his actions will take decades to repair.
One can assume its been planned to disrupt the world order

I wouldn’t attribute the necessary intelligence or foresight to the MAGA faithful required for any ‘planning’ to be involved. Project 25 and the Heritage Foundation certainly have a plan but anyone with any intelligence knows this plan will indisputably make America objectively worse and plays exactly into the desire of various foreign countries who want to see US dominance end. Now it could be that they consider a poorer, weaker, illiberal albeit Christian nationalist America a good thing so yes they are getting exactly what they want but come the reckoning posterity will paint all of them at best foolhardy and at worst positively treacherous.

They know not what they do…

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

Ian said:

Bit rich coming from The Toad given that his approach to race, reconciliation, and political correctness legitimized her grievances in the first place.

+1

He was the Trumpish politician before Trump.

Comparing Howard to Trump is a stretch. Howard’s just a conservative arsehole but otherwise a reasonably intelligent man and a rather canny politician. Trump is a fucking moron of the highest order and a complete narcissist who cares little for anybody with not the slightest idea of the values that allow a liberal democracy to prosper.

Agreed, except with the use of racism to sew division amongst different people. Howard turbo charged that in Australia. Paul Keating gave interesting commentary on how no one else did what Howard did in terms of race because everyone knew it could never be put back in the bottle.

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

Even if woman did try woman and not go back to men who cares
Sounds personal perhaps as that’s quite specific

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

When do the authorities rock up for arrest over hate speech?

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

He obviously doesn’t know about bisexuality.

ms spock said:

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

He obviously doesn’t know about bisexuality.

or the law

Divine Angel said:

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

When do the authorities rock up for arrest over hate speech?

I thought that goes through the AntiDiscrimination Board or the Human Rights Commission?

Interested how the police would get involved?

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

When do the authorities rock up for arrest over hate speech?

I thought that goes through the AntiDiscrimination Board or the Human Rights Commission?

Interested how the police would get involved?

we thought politicians get parliamentary privilege and then even outside the rules are for everyone else

SCIENCE said:

ms spock said:

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

He obviously doesn’t know about bisexuality.

or the law

Good point!

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

Spiny Norman said:

Speaking of ON wankers …..

WA One Nation candidate Parminder Singh describes gay people as having ‘mental illness’

A One Nation candidate in WA has described gay people as having a mental illness in an offensive new video posted onto social media.

The homophobic comments were made by One Nation’s Parminder Singh, who is the number three on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket, in a clip posted by Perth comedian and content creator, Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant’.

In the bizarre post, the One Nation candidate said gay parades “advertise” being gay to young people, and claimed women who try relationships with women do not “go back” to men.

“You no need to gay parade in city, you don’t need those type of parades,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m a man. Why I advertise, everyone know I am man. If they are gay, they are gay. Why they need to advertise”.

His profile remained on the One Nation website this morning, but after the ABC made enquiries about the video with One Nation the page appears to have been removed.

Asked how gay people parading affected him personally, he said it was an “advertisement” to young people.

“Because of advertising. And the effect on the young generation,” he said.

“What is that? Believe me, bro. As soon women try women, they never go to the man.:”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/parminder-singh-one-nation-parminder-singh/107027568

Does ON actively search for the shittiest people they can find?

When do the authorities rock up for arrest over hate speech?

I thought that goes through the AntiDiscrimination Board or the Human Rights Commission?

Interested how the police would get involved?

Because he is engaging in hate speech which could lead to hate crimes?

SCIENCE said:

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

When do the authorities rock up for arrest over hate speech?

I thought that goes through the AntiDiscrimination Board or the Human Rights Commission?

Interested how the police would get involved?

we thought politicians get parliamentary privilege and then even outside the rules are for everyone else

I missed out on some information here.

ms spock said:

SCIENCE said:

ms spock said:

I thought that goes through the AntiDiscrimination Board or the Human Rights Commission?

Interested how the police would get involved?

we thought politicians get parliamentary privilege and then even outside the rules are for everyone else

I missed out on some information here.

Firstly he’s not a member of Parliament, he’s merely a candidate. Secondly parliamentary privilege only applies for words spoken in the parliamentary chamber.

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

SCIENCE said:

we thought politicians get parliamentary privilege and then even outside the rules are for everyone else

I missed out on some information here.

Firstly he’s not a member of Parliament, he’s merely a candidate. Secondly parliamentary privilege only applies for words spoken in the parliamentary chamber.

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

ms spock said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

I missed out on some information here.

Firstly he’s not a member of Parliament, he’s merely a candidate. Secondly parliamentary privilege only applies for words spoken in the parliamentary chamber.

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Firstly he’s not a member of Parliament, he’s merely a candidate. Secondly parliamentary privilege only applies for words spoken in the parliamentary chamber.

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

https://www.vic.gov.au/serious-vilification-criminal-offences-english

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

https://www.vic.gov.au/serious-vilification-criminal-offences-english

Qld laws say it would be a civil vilification, not a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people. https://www.qhrc.qld.gov.au/your-rights/discrimination/attributes/sexuality

ms spock said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

I missed out on some information here.

Firstly he’s not a member of Parliament, he’s merely a candidate. Secondly parliamentary privilege only applies for words spoken in the parliamentary chamber.

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

maybe politicians don’t get special treatment unless it’s question time

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

https://www.vic.gov.au/serious-vilification-criminal-offences-english

Qld laws say it would be a civil vilification, not a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people. https://www.qhrc.qld.gov.au/your-rights/discrimination/attributes/sexuality

well since we have free speech in this country you communists can try to involve statist police all you like

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

https://www.vic.gov.au/serious-vilification-criminal-offences-english

Qld laws say it would be a civil vilification, not a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people. https://www.qhrc.qld.gov.au/your-rights/discrimination/attributes/sexuality

as was the recent Hanson vs Faruqi case.

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Firstly he’s not a member of Parliament, he’s merely a candidate. Secondly parliamentary privilege only applies for words spoken in the parliamentary chamber.

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

I did not know that. I thought all that hate speech went through Anti Discrimination or the Human Rights Commission.

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I have lived in a house that was targeted by Christians full of gay hate, and I have seen bigotry and prejudice in my teens. No police were involved. A lot of the Islamophobia of recent years have been through the courts, Anti Discrimination Board or the Human Rights Commission. I am so curious to know when and how the police get involved. I have a gap in my knowledge.

ms spock said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

What I missed was how the police can be involved.

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

I did not know that. I thought all that hate speech went through Anti Discrimination or the Human Rights Commission.

Someone has to call it out first.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Sorry. I gather that if he were to be found to have propagated hate-speech eventually the police would have to get involved.

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

Link

Thank you for this!

This legislation came into effect from “From 20 September 2025”. So it is a new development to me.

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Clearly it’s my mistake for thinking that calling gay people “mentally ill” was hate speech.

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

https://www.vic.gov.au/serious-vilification-criminal-offences-english

Qld laws say it would be a civil vilification, not a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people. Link

This is interesting as well. Though it does not have police involvement.

a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people.

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say definitely that it would be but were he in Victoria the answer could be found here:

https://www.vic.gov.au/serious-vilification-criminal-offences-english

Qld laws say it would be a civil vilification, not a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people. Link

This is interesting as well. Though it does not have police involvement.

a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people.

It’s an education for me too. I wasn’t aware that it is largely a civil matter.

Witty Rejoinder said:

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

Qld laws say it would be a civil vilification, not a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people. Link

This is interesting as well. Though it does not have police involvement.

a criminal one unless he directly threatened or incited violence against gay people.

It’s an education for me too. I wasn’t aware that it is largely a civil matter.

I didn’t know the police would engage. I have a knowledge gap.

Pauline Hanson interviewed by far-right influencer who is now a One Nation member
Sherryn Groch and Paul Sakkal
August 12, 2026 — 11:24am

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has welcomed into its party a far-right influencer who has been filmed mixing with neo-Nazis, is close associates with figures who attended Nazi training camps, and enjoys sponsorship from an overseas bookstore selling Adolf Hitler texts.

Andre Mamet, a young far-right influencer who goes by “Ausmaxx” online, conducted a brief interview with Hanson on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the United Kingdom last month. Asked by Mamet about cracking down on left-wing activists, a smiling Hanson urged the right to “grow a backbone” and fight on even if “you’re called a racist”, in a short clip posted online.

Andre Mamet, aka “Ausmaxx”, an influencer who has mixed with neo-Nazis, interviewed the One Nation leader on the sidelines of CPAC in London in July.

Mamet has recently joined Hanson’s party as a rank-and-file member. It’s not clear whether the interview was organised in advance or impromptu. One Nation was contacted for comment.

Hanson has already drawn criticism for conducting a podcast with convicted criminal and anti-Islam provocateur Tommy Robinson on the same trip in which she spoke with Mamet.

Mamet, 19, was filmed shaking hands and mixing with neo-Nazis from the now-outlawed National Socialist Network (NSN) in Melbourne last month. However, he told this masthead: “I don’t support the NSN or Nazism, but I believe in a liberal democracy where anyone has the right to form a political party.”

The NSN was banned by the federal government, along with Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, following the Bondi massacre and this masthead has previously revealed the neo-Nazi group’s ties to overseas extremist groups.

The same month as Mamet’s conversation with Hanson at CPAC, Mamet posted a “hype edit” (a provocative mash-up video) alongside North American “looksmaxxer” Jack Gordon, declaring “Australia is for the white man”.

While Hanson did not cross-promote the interview with Mamet on her party’s social media channels, the interview raises fresh questions about how her team vets interviewers. As her party attracts supporters worried about ethnic diversity in Australia, One Nation will also be scrutinised for the limits of her tolerance for hardline views.

The far-right Restore Britain party, whose leader Rupert Lowe met with Hanson in the UK, has recently been exposed for allowing neo-Nazis praising Hitler to secure influential local roles within his party.

Hanson told this masthead’s Inside Politics podcast in June that she had been forced to shut down four local One Nation branches because her party was “being infiltrated by these extremists”.

Mamet, who calls himself a nationalist online, drew criticism over the weekend for taking part in a far-right stunt pasting over posters in artist Peter Drew’s popular “Aussie” series in capital cities which celebrates the multicultural faces of Australia. Mamet also promotes a right-wing bookstore run by his friend and “sponsor” Gordon.

The Rite Books sells fascist titles in its historical catalogue, many of them antisemitic, including collected speeches by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, and books advocating “accelerationism” – the neo-Nazi goal of speeding up societal collapse to start a race war. Some books for sale face bans or restrictions around the world, including in Australia. It also sells non-fascist historical and philosophical titles.

Mamet offers Rite Books discounts to his followers and has taken part in its social media ad campaigns overseas, including one featuring the catchphrase “Ride the tiger” – coined by the Nazi-aligned Italian writer Julius Evola and used by neo-Nazi terror groups around the world.

Mamet stressed that Rite was only a bookseller. “We do not endorse, promote, or advocate for any of the ideologies, viewpoints, or positions expressed in the materials we sell,” he said. “I and many other people believe free speech is important, and what better way to understand history than through reading.”

He didn’t answer questions about payment from the Rite Books sponsorship.

In April, Mamet was funded by the Australian arm of CPAC to attend its main conference in Texas through a program for young “political hopefuls” – designed “to build the next generation of conservative leaders”.

Last month he flew from Queensland to Melbourne where he joined known neo-Nazis such as Nathan Bull and Michael “Mickle” Nelson at a protest against the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The small rally, predominantly made up of the now-defunct NSN, screamed racist abuse at those attending a Modi event at Marvel Stadium. It was organised by far-right influencers Hugo Lennon and Mitch Hobbs, who this masthead recently unmasked as among the wealthy backers and influencers secretly helping the NSN plot its next move into politics.

On Saturday, Mamet posted a late-night video of Hobbs and himself pasting the word “Indian” over “Aussie” on a poster in Drew’s popular series depicting Bella Singh, an early Indian settler who was once exempted from Australia’s racist White Australia policy. “We fixed it for you, Peter Drew,” Mamet wrote.

He told this masthead Drew’s poster series was “designed to delegitimise Australian identity” yet the artist ”faces no blowback for his anti-white hatred” and “patriots have had enough”.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/pauline-hanson-interviewed-by-far-right-influencer-who-is-now-a-one-nation-member-20260807-p60mfi.html

SCIENCE said:

oh wow what a great defender of women’s rights

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/taylor-demands-albanese-apologise-to-takaichi/107017790

ah yes

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/angus-taylor-sussan-ley-anthony-albanese-japan-bipartisanship/107027210

I remember a time when the worst scandal in politics was the Paddington Bear Affair

Times have certainly changed.

it’s said that this is happy news

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/jailed-whistleblower-david-mcbride-to-be-released/107030620

Bubblecar said:

I remember a time when the worst scandal in politics was the Paddington Bear Affair

Times have certainly changed.

They were simply better at covering them up in those days or scrutiny has improved.

SCIENCE said:

it’s said that this is happy news

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/jailed-whistleblower-david-mcbride-to-be-released/107030620

I’d reckon that he’s at least relieved and quite possibly happy to boot.

uh sure but

Kiama Council is urging the NSW government to assume responsibility for the road, saying it needs major safety upgrades. She said the road was in need of a significant overall safety upgrade, but the Kiama and Wingecarribee councils could not afford the complicated work. Cr Matters said the council had renewed its calls for the state government to take ownership of the road. “We need to avoid these tragedies on our roads and if the state government could take over this major connection road, that is what’s needed.”

A NSW Police spokesperson described the truck involved in last night’s fatality as a “heavy, rigid truck”. They said police would investigate whether it should have been on the road.

oh

Melissa Matters says the councils in charge of the road can’t afford its upkeep. She urged people detouring via Jamberoo to check the signs the signs that detail long-standing heavy vehicle exclusions. “This road is not for heavy vehicles, buses or anything like that. It’s suitable for cars, mainly,” Cr Matters said.

well we suppose education is a state responsibility after all

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/judge-throws-out-terror-order-for-vandal-ruling-he-was-motivated-by-cash-not-hate/news-story/5d11f4ddd7bc77e45c44c08a2a52738e

Judge throws out terror order for vandal, ruling he was motivated by cash not hate
A NSW Supreme Court judge has dismissed a bid to place convicted vandal Mohommed Farhat under a terrorism supervision order.

August 7, 2026 – 8:05PM

A NSW Supreme Court judge has thrown out a bid by authorities to place a man who was convicted and jailed over an antisemitic spree in Sydney’s eastern suburbs under an  terrorism extended supervision order, because he was “not motivated by antisemitism”, contradicting findings by a local and district court judges who weren’t shown key evidence.”.

The extraordinary Supreme Court decision means the 22-year-old will not be subject to an ongoing court-monitored supervision after his release, because he was found to have not been motivated by antisemitism or ideology, but by financial reward.
When granted by the Supreme Court, a terrorism extended supervision order allows for close supervision within the community if there is a “high degree of probability that the offender poses an unacceptable risk of committing a serious terrorism offence” if not placed under an order, with the safety of the community the “paramount” consideration of the court.
Judge Desmond Fagan found counter terrorism police accepted Farhat’s claim he was anonymously recruited via encrypted messaging app Signal and offered $4000 cash as truthful back in December 2024, but the detail was not disclosed to the sentencing judge, nor to the district court on appeal of his sentence.

In his judgment, handed down on July 30, Justice Fagan said the Local and District Court judges had erred in their decisions because they were never given key pieces of evidence.

These included bank statements that showed Farhat received a $2000 cash deposit before going on the vandalism spree and CCTV footage that showed his co-offender filming him committing the offences.

When Farhat stood for sentence in the Local Court in November 2025, he submitted a letter with the same explanation he’d given police the year prior, but the prosecution argued his version of events should not be accepted.

The moment was captured by CCTV.

The prosecution also failed to inform the judge that police believed Farhat’s story and did not include the bank statement and CCTV in the case.

Without those pieces of evidence, the Local Court judge rejected Farhat’s claim he’d been recruited and, persuaded by the prosecutor, characterised “F.k Israel” as an antisemitic statement.

Justice Fagan said he believed the judge “erred in that regard”.

“The slogan is a curse against a foreign state. It does not convey hatred of or prejudice against Jewish people as a whole or against any Jewish person or people by reason of being Jewish,” he said in his judgement.

“Many Jewish people, including in Australia, are outspokenly and vehemently opposed to and critical of the state of Israel. The state of Israel is not co-extensive with Jewish people and reference to it or cursing it is not synonymous with reference to or cursing Jews.”

The Local Court decision resulted in Farhat’s offences being classified as aggravated offences motivated by racial or religious hatred or prejudice.

An apartment building in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Woollahra was damaged with anti-Israel graffiti.

Farhat appealed the severity of his sentence in the District Court in January but, missing the same pieces of evidence, the judge came to the same conclusion; that the offending was motivated by religious hatred or prejudice.

Justice Fagan, after reading “extensive psychological reports” and documentary evidence and hearing oral submissions over four hearing days in court, ruled Farhat’s offending was not motivated by antisemitism or ideology.

“I do not consider the defendant poses any significant risk of committing a serious terrorism offence after he is released from prison without such an order and I assess the risk of him committing an offence of violence or property damage that would impinge upon the safety of the community as low,” he said in his judgement.

Justice Fagan dismissed the application for an extended terrorism supervision order over Farhat and ordered the State pay the 22-year-old’s legal costs.

—-

dv said:

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/judge-throws-out-terror-order-for-vandal-ruling-he-was-motivated-by-cash-not-hate/news-story/5d11f4ddd7bc77e45c44c08a2a52738e

Judge throws out terror order for vandal, ruling he was motivated by cash not hate
A NSW Supreme Court judge has dismissed a bid to place convicted vandal Mohommed Farhat under a terrorism supervision order.

August 7, 2026 – 8:05PM

A NSW Supreme Court judge has thrown out a bid by authorities to place a man who was convicted and jailed over an antisemitic spree in Sydney’s eastern suburbs under an  terrorism extended supervision order, because he was “not motivated by antisemitism”, contradicting findings by a local and district court judges who weren’t shown key evidence.”.

The extraordinary Supreme Court decision means the 22-year-old will not be subject to an ongoing court-monitored supervision after his release, because he was found to have not been motivated by antisemitism or ideology, but by financial reward.
When granted by the Supreme Court, a terrorism extended supervision order allows for close supervision within the community if there is a “high degree of probability that the offender poses an unacceptable risk of committing a serious terrorism offence” if not placed under an order, with the safety of the community the “paramount” consideration of the court.
Judge Desmond Fagan found counter terrorism police accepted Farhat’s claim he was anonymously recruited via encrypted messaging app Signal and offered $4000 cash as truthful back in December 2024, but the detail was not disclosed to the sentencing judge, nor to the district court on appeal of his sentence.

In his judgment, handed down on July 30, Justice Fagan said the Local and District Court judges had erred in their decisions because they were never given key pieces of evidence.

These included bank statements that showed Farhat received a $2000 cash deposit before going on the vandalism spree and CCTV footage that showed his co-offender filming him committing the offences.

When Farhat stood for sentence in the Local Court in November 2025, he submitted a letter with the same explanation he’d given police the year prior, but the prosecution argued his version of events should not be accepted.

The moment was captured by CCTV.

The prosecution also failed to inform the judge that police believed Farhat’s story and did not include the bank statement and CCTV in the case.

Without those pieces of evidence, the Local Court judge rejected Farhat’s claim he’d been recruited and, persuaded by the prosecutor, characterised “F.k Israel” as an antisemitic statement.

Justice Fagan said he believed the judge “erred in that regard”.

“The slogan is a curse against a foreign state. It does not convey hatred of or prejudice against Jewish people as a whole or against any Jewish person or people by reason of being Jewish,” he said in his judgement.

“Many Jewish people, including in Australia, are outspokenly and vehemently opposed to and critical of the state of Israel. The state of Israel is not co-extensive with Jewish people and reference to it or cursing it is not synonymous with reference to or cursing Jews.”

The Local Court decision resulted in Farhat’s offences being classified as aggravated offences motivated by racial or religious hatred or prejudice.

An apartment building in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Woollahra was damaged with anti-Israel graffiti.

Farhat appealed the severity of his sentence in the District Court in January but, missing the same pieces of evidence, the judge came to the same conclusion; that the offending was motivated by religious hatred or prejudice.

Justice Fagan, after reading “extensive psychological reports” and documentary evidence and hearing oral submissions over four hearing days in court, ruled Farhat’s offending was not motivated by antisemitism or ideology.

“I do not consider the defendant poses any significant risk of committing a serious terrorism offence after he is released from prison without such an order and I assess the risk of him committing an offence of violence or property damage that would impinge upon the safety of the community as low,” he said in his judgement.

Justice Fagan dismissed the application for an extended terrorism supervision order over Farhat and ordered the State pay the 22-year-old’s legal costs.

—-

Huh!

Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished

Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to four

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/victorian-microparty-mps-including-georgie-purcell-to-face-re-election-struggle-after-group-voting-tickets-abolished

Witty Rejoinder said:

Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished

Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to four

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/victorian-microparty-mps-including-georgie-purcell-to-face-re-election-struggle-after-group-voting-tickets-abolished

Seems fair enough to me. Don’t want people gaming the system to win a seat on preferences after a <1% primary vote.

party_pants said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished

Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to four

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/victorian-microparty-mps-including-georgie-purcell-to-face-re-election-struggle-after-group-voting-tickets-abolished

Seems fair enough to me. Don’t want people gaming the system to win a seat on preferences after a <1% primary vote.

Also of note are provisions to ban parties with fake names that would have directed votes to right wing outfits. Examples are noted Jewish Nazi Avi Yemini’s ‘Free Palestine’ party.

Witty Rejoinder said:

party_pants said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished

Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to four

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/victorian-microparty-mps-including-georgie-purcell-to-face-re-election-struggle-after-group-voting-tickets-abolished

Seems fair enough to me. Don’t want people gaming the system to win a seat on preferences after a <1% primary vote.

Also of note are provisions to ban parties with fake names that would have directed votes to right wing outfits. Examples are noted Jewish Nazi Avi Yemini’s ‘Free Palestine’ party.

Oh yeah. I fully support that measure. Candidates need to be upfront about what they stand for and not use misleading names to trick people into voting for something the opposite to what the name suggests.

party_pants said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished

Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to four

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/victorian-microparty-mps-including-georgie-purcell-to-face-re-election-struggle-after-group-voting-tickets-abolished

Seems fair enough to me. Don’t want people gaming the system to win a seat on preferences after a <1% primary vote.

Victoria is the last place in Australia to use GTV so this will be the end of the practice nationwide. Glenn Druery has had quite a career as a preference-whisperer but he’ll need to focus on his cycling now.

Yougov and Morgan Polls

Yougov 2pps
ALP 52 LNP 48
ALP 56 ONP 44

Morgan 2pps
ALP 53 LNP 47
ALP 53 ONP 47

Dr Kev Bonham has added these to his polling averages:

dv said:

party_pants said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished

Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to four

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/victorian-microparty-mps-including-georgie-purcell-to-face-re-election-struggle-after-group-voting-tickets-abolished

Seems fair enough to me. Don’t want people gaming the system to win a seat on preferences after a <1% primary vote.

Victoria is the last place in Australia to use GTV so this will be the end of the practice nationwide. Glenn Druery has had quite a career as a preference-whisperer but he’ll need to focus on his cycling now.

Or get a haircut and get a real job :)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/victorian-opposition-coal-power-pledge/107033138

Coalition’s announcement was not to build new coal plants, but to keep the existing power stations firing as long as possible.

fuck off

looks pretty even

about the 2024 mark, so maybe it’ll be back down to $0.65M by 2028 who knows

this not so much

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/cotality-aus-house-price-downturn-scenarios-5pc-10pc-15pc-20pc/107033254

SCIENCE said:

looks pretty even

about the 2024 mark, so maybe it’ll be back down to $0.65M by 2028 who knows

this not so much

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/cotality-aus-house-price-downturn-scenarios-5pc-10pc-15pc-20pc/107033254

with all that negative equity soon the becoming-less-rich pricks will be demanding increased migration instead

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/everybody-wants-to-cut-migration-but-nobody-wants-to-say-how/107034230

alleged but pretty sure Australia is the centre of the Pacific if not the multiverse so

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

What an idiot. No long term vision.

party_pants said:

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

What an idiot. No long term vision.

Surprised holiday leave loading wasn’t also mentioned.

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

What an idiot. No long term vision.

Surprised holiday leave loading wasn’t also mentioned.

Compulsory super is meant to ease the financial burden of aged pensions for future governments. It is not for spending in the here and now, unlike leave loading.

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

F’kem.

SCIENCE said:

alleged but pretty sure Australia is the centre of the Pacific if not the multiverse so

Ah that makes more sense.

party_pants said:

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

What an idiot. No long term vision.

Surprised holiday leave loading wasn’t also mentioned.

Compulsory super is meant to ease the financial burden of aged pensions for future governments. It is not for spending in the here and now, unlike leave loading.

Was looking at it from an employers view. It being an extra cost. The Libs never liked the idea.

party_pants said:

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

What an idiot. No long term vision.

Yes, he has long term vision. For business costs to be reduced.

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

What an idiot. No long term vision.

Surprised holiday leave loading wasn’t also mentioned.

Oh, it will be, I reckon.

Michael V said:

party_pants said:

Spiny Norman said:

‘Cats and dogs’: Liberals’ secret push to end compulsory super
Behind closed doors, senior Liberals are plotting to tear up one of Australia’s most sacred financial pillars.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor is under pressure from his own frontbench to consider a radical overhaul to superannuation, including scrapping compulsory super and using it to buy a home.

Outspoken Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has confirmed he believes that compulsory super is a failed policy that’s ripe for a rethink.

News.com.au understands that behind the scenes the ‘sacred cows’ Senator Bragg wants to consider are an end to compulsory superannuation and allowing workers to use super to buy a home.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/cats-and-dogs-liberals-secret-push-to-end-compulsory-super/news-story/8eb6e42bfe6b5e113789a39683a7f6c6

What an idiot. No long term vision.

Yes, he has long term vision. For business costs to be reduced.

In most western countries, company profits are a short term consideration.

:p

It’s seriously concerning that the leadership of the Coalition are so economically illiterate about Super and housing. Australia’s Super system is the envy of the world and gutting it for short term political point scoring that will actually make existing housing stock more unaffordable is so fucking stupid it’s more than quite alarming that it borders on incredulity.

Witty Rejoinder said:

It’s seriously concerning that the leadership of the Coalition are so economically illiterate about Super and housing. Australia’s Super system is the envy of the world and gutting it for short term political point scoring that will actually make existing housing stock more unaffordable is so fucking stupid it’s more than quite alarming that it borders on incredulity.

+1

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

We have fortnightly FOGO (alternate weeks with recycling) and weekly rubbish collection. Over Spring the FOGO is every week and the recycling stays fortnightly. It’s been like this for quite a lot of years now.

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Round here the red bins are already small, about half the volume of a standard wheelie bin (140L compared to 240L). For me it is fine, but for houses with a large family they are a bit small. It is very unpopular locally when this bin went from weekly to fortnightly collection. Many houses in my area now have two such bins. I think you have to pay more for the extra one.

party_pants said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Round here the red bins are already small, about half the volume of a standard wheelie bin (140L compared to 240L). For me it is fine, but for houses with a large family they are a bit small. It is very unpopular locally when this bin went from weekly to fortnightly collection. Many houses in my area now have two such bins. I think you have to pay more for the extra one.

they should charge non-recyclable bins by weight .

party_pants said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Round here the red bins are already small, about half the volume of a standard wheelie bin (140L compared to 240L). For me it is fine, but for houses with a large family they are a bit small. It is very unpopular locally when this bin went from weekly to fortnightly collection. Many houses in my area now have two such bins. I think you have to pay more for the extra one.

Our general rubbish bins are also a smaller size.

Fuck me

Dropped

party_pants said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Round here the red bins are already small, about half the volume of a standard wheelie bin (140L compared to 240L). For me it is fine, but for houses with a large family they are a bit small. It is very unpopular locally when this bin went from weekly to fortnightly collection. Many houses in my area now have two such bins. I think you have to pay more for the extra one.

Ours is also the smaller one.

dv said:

party_pants said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Round here the red bins are already small, about half the volume of a standard wheelie bin (140L compared to 240L). For me it is fine, but for houses with a large family they are a bit small. It is very unpopular locally when this bin went from weekly to fortnightly collection. Many houses in my area now have two such bins. I think you have to pay more for the extra one.

Ours is also the smaller one.

yeah but how are you going to find customers for expensive fuel oils if everyone’s gone renewable electrified and they don’t need a great heavy fossil powered truck to come around and move waste for them every week

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

—-

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Because I compost and recycle, there’s not much in my bins even after a fortnight.

roughbarked said:

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/victorian-liberals-want-a-weekly-red-bin-collection-is-it-a-wheelie-good-idea-or-a-load-of-rubbish

“Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.”

These were not the words of a candidate running for local council but the leader of the opposition in Victoria. Roads, rates and rubbish have traditionally been the domain of local government but, at this year’s state election, bins have become a political talking point.

But the shift to fortnightly rubbish pick-ups isn’t just happening in Victoria. Councils around the country are moving to a fortnightly red bin service, with the introduction of weekly food and garden organics (Fogo) service. This arrangement – weekly organics, fortnightly rubbish – was “generally considered best practice”, a national waste report said; a step that was encouraged by guidelines in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

———

Hasn’t been much of an issue here. With weekly FOGO and fortnightly recyclables, there’s not a heck of a lot that gets redbinned.
Non-recyclable plastics containers, things like kitchen wipes, I suppose every now and then something like a broken plate or whatever. It’s rarely more than half full at the end of a fortnight and there’s nothing in it that will be significantly malodorous.

Because I compost and recycle, there’s not much in my bins even after a fortnight.

yeah back when we lived next to number one we could go 6 weeks to a red bin except for the fucking neighbours who would fill up our bin before 3 days were up

then on the collection day the bin would presumably be emptied and already be full of a fresh different load of trash the fuckers

The ABC has embarrassingly taken down a second piece concerning Gina Rinehart in as many weeks, admitting that broadcasting a claim that the Australian billionaire is pushing for Australians to “work for $2 a day” was “inaccurate.”
Late on Friday, the ABC removed an interview that its Radio South West Victoria station had broadcast with Victorian Socialists candidate Hera Sheppard, 18, on Wednesday, in which she said One Nation’s surge in the polls was “a result of the massive amounts of funding from billionaires like Gina Rinehart who are pushing for Australian workers to work for $2 a day”.
Host Jeremy Lee failed to challenge the claim or push Mrs Sheppard to substantiate it.
Mrs Rinehart last month awarded more than $1.2 million to successful Aussie swimmers at the Commonwealth Games, and is known for frequently handing out random cash bonuses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to her staff.
A statement posted to the ABC website admitted the mistake.

“During an interview on 12 August 2026, Victorian Socialists candidate Hera Sheppard stated without contest that Gina Rinehart was ‘pushing for Australian workers to work for two dollars a day,’” the statement read.
“This was inaccurate.
“(Ms) Rinehart’s previous comments referred to African workers being willing to work for less than $2 a day, in the context of Australia’s international competitiveness.
“An on-air correction has been issued.”

I don’t much like that. It’s not clear to me that the ABC needs to apologise for an inaccurate thing that a politician says in interview.

dv said:

I don’t much like that. It’s not clear to me that the ABC needs to apologise for an inaccurate thing that a politician says in interview.

Maybe not apologise, but they ought to point out that it is inaccurate.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I don’t much like that. It’s not clear to me that the ABC needs to apologise for an inaccurate thing that a politician says in interview.

Maybe not apologise, but they ought to point out that it is inaccurate.

Yes.

Mind you this would chew up quite a bit of time on Insiders.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I don’t much like that. It’s not clear to me that the ABC needs to apologise for an inaccurate thing that a politician says in interview.

Maybe not apologise, but they ought to point out that it is inaccurate.

Yes.

Mind you this would chew up quite a bit of time on Insiders.

imagine any reporting on what politicians say at all

good good hundreds of jobs not created and millions of taxpayer dollars flushed and thousands of millions of dollars of ecological damage not averted but this is the headline

oh we see so these geniuses are fully

After a One Nation-led community forum in Central NSW on Saturday afternoon ahead of the announcement, leader Pauline Hanson reiterated her general opposition to any gun buyback scheme, in response to an ABC reporter. “I don’t think there should be a buyback. These are law-abiding Australians that want their guns,” she said. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce, who also attended the forum, said such a scheme would be “an intrusion of the state into the right of the individual”. “Why are we buying back rifles from people who have never committed a crime? Are you going to start buying back golf clubs?” he told the ABC.

committed to the idea that people have the freedom to engage voluntarily in trade and exchange of goods and money

https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2026/08/15/one-nation-dominate-aus-politics

meanwhile fascist thoumillionaires making fascist gestures had it brushed off within the day

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/politics/2026/08/14/melon-drama-rolls-albanese

More Hanson ultra-short-sighted nonsense:

Michael V said:

More Hanson ultra-short-sighted nonsense:

Barnaby has gone gaylord.

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

More Hanson ultra-short-sighted nonsense:

Barnaby has gone gaylord.

can’t wait for the big reveal when they tell us he’s been involved with a different partner all this time and finally found his true direction

Michael V said:

More Hanson ultra-short-sighted nonsense:

with surveillance capitalist governments worldwide already completely captured-owned by private equity, why not

ah so that’s why Ein Reich are swinging the other way now

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-17/alan-jones-complainant-c-ray-hadley-peter-fitzsimons/107045376

Cymek said:

Arts said:

Violent threats have triggered 1,107 incidents of lock down at Western Australian schools last year, according to the Department of Education.

The lockdowns applied to entire schools, blocks or a class room, the figures show.

The education minister said the increase, which the opposition called “staggering”, was due to stricter reporting protocols introduced in 2020.

———

not before time. the ‘new’ rules also allow school principals to automatically suspend, or move to exclude, students who instigate violence.

again, not before time.

Imagine if we have laissez faire attitude to guns.
Pretty damn terrifying you tell a kid off and wonder will they come back with an assault rifle

dude c’m‘on be serious these are not laughing matters they

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-16/nsw-bondi-gun-buyback-chris-minns-anthony-albanese/107043306

are moving to take away your far rights and librefreedoms and all you can do is joke about school safety damn

SCIENCE said:

Cymek said:

Arts said:

Violent threats have triggered 1,107 incidents of lock down at Western Australian schools last year, according to the Department of Education.

The lockdowns applied to entire schools, blocks or a class room, the figures show.

The education minister said the increase, which the opposition called “staggering”, was due to stricter reporting protocols introduced in 2020.

———

not before time. the ‘new’ rules also allow school principals to automatically suspend, or move to exclude, students who instigate violence.

again, not before time.

Imagine if we have laissez faire attitude to guns.
Pretty damn terrifying you tell a kid off and wonder will they come back with an assault rifle

dude c’m‘on be serious these are not laughing matters they

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-16/nsw-bondi-gun-buyback-chris-minns-anthony-albanese/107043306

are moving to take away your far rights and librefreedoms and all you can do is joke about school safety damn

I think this is an effective way to gaslight gun owners for being ‘responsible’ for the Bondi shooting, it was an intelligence failure of ASIO et al.

Some of the complaints about fortnightly redlids concern disposable nappies and feminine hygiene products but there are a bunch of compostable options for both of these.

Today’s bottom of front page headline from SMH:

One Nation flip flops on immigration.

Sounds interesting.

So interesting I didn’t read it.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Today’s bottom of front page headline from SMH:

One Nation flip flops on immigration.

Sounds interesting.

So interesting I didn’t read it.

They also flip flopped on WA GST isssue.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Today’s bottom of front page headline from SMH:

One Nation flip flops on immigration.

Sounds interesting.

So interesting I didn’t read it.

Shouldn’t it read One Nation thongs on immigration

Cymek said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Today’s bottom of front page headline from SMH:

One Nation flip flops on immigration.

Sounds interesting.

So interesting I didn’t read it.

Shouldn’t it read One Nation thongs on immigration

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

kii said:

Cymek said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Today’s bottom of front page headline from SMH:

One Nation flip flops on immigration.

Sounds interesting.

So interesting I didn’t read it.

Shouldn’t it read One Nation thongs on immigration

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

Tau.Neutrino said:

kii said:

Cymek said:

Shouldn’t it read One Nation thongs on immigration

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

The headliine came from the SMH, not One Notion.

Speaking of One Notion, more unresearched garble.

Tau.Neutrino said:

kii said:

Cymek said:

Shouldn’t it read One Nation thongs on immigration

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

Not really sure what the solution is to immigration.
The reality is far too many humans exist.
Most are fleeing from persecution, war, collapsing eco-systems, etc.
Should we just let them suffer especially as directly and indirectly most first world nations have a hand in their situation.
Ain’t even started yet, wait until entire nations are unliveable and when have climate refugees in the hundreds of millions.

roughbarked said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

kii said:

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

The headliine came from the SMH, not One Notion.

So they haven’t flipped, or they might flip.

roughbarked said:

Speaking of One Notion, more unresearched garble.

Run by organised crime so if as a small shop owner you refuse and come back to a burnt out shop

Cymek said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

kii said:

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

Not really sure what the solution is to immigration.
The reality is far too many humans exist.
Most are fleeing from persecution, war, collapsing eco-systems, etc.
Should we just let them suffer especially as directly and indirectly most first world nations have a hand in their situation.
Ain’t even started yet, wait until entire nations are unliveable and when have climate refugees in the hundreds of millions.

Yes too many people, we need to stop people having sex.

Cymek said:

roughbarked said:

Speaking of One Notion, more unresearched garble.

Run by organised crime so if as a small shop owner you refuse and come back to a burnt out shop

The black market stuff is one eighth of the retail price of legal tobacco. So reducing the price by half, isn’t going to stop the black market.

roughbarked said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

kii said:

Lol…fecking Seppos and their flip flops.

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

The headliine came from the SMH, not One Notion.

What does that have to do with flipping and flopping?

Tau.Neutrino said:

Cymek said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

Not really sure what the solution is to immigration.
The reality is far too many humans exist.
Most are fleeing from persecution, war, collapsing eco-systems, etc.
Should we just let them suffer especially as directly and indirectly most first world nations have a hand in their situation.
Ain’t even started yet, wait until entire nations are unliveable and when have climate refugees in the hundreds of millions.

Yes too many people, we need to stop people having sex.

or take more contraceptives?
Get a vasectomy?

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

kii said:

roughbarked said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Interesting seeing as one nation are all immigrants.

The headliine came from the SMH, not One Notion.

What does that have to do with flipping and flopping?

Journalist talk.

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

It is too big already.

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

roughbarked said:

kii said:

roughbarked said:

The headliine came from the SMH, not One Notion.

What does that have to do with flipping and flopping?

Journalist talk.

And?

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Police have better things to do.

While Australia avoids the ‘C’ word, NZ is unafraid to speak up

Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
August 18, 2026 — 5:00am

New Zealand’s spy agency has dared utter in its formal annual threat report the word that Australia’s does not. The C-word: China.

In its annual statement of security threats published on Thursday, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) said plainly: “There are several states that conduct espionage against New Zealand, but the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only country we have detected doing it at scale.”

And it gave details. In one instructive case study, the agency explained how a Chinese company called Purple Mountain Observatory attempted to install a satellite ground station on New Zealand soil. Without telling anyone.

“They worked with a local company that was likely unaware of the equipment’s capability to collect intelligence of military value and would have no idea who was receiving the data.”

Yes, you might ask, but what does a Chinese company have to do with government espionage? The NZSIS reminds readers that China’s system does not allow for its companies to stand apart. The NZ report names China 11 times.

Australia’s equivalent, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, delivers an annual threat assessment. Scour it as you will. You will not find China mentioned this year. Same as last year. And the year before.

Burgess has named China as a threat on other occasions in recent years. But Australian intelligence prefers the safety of speaking as part of a group, signing on to collective statements by the Five Eyes group of intelligence partners. Or staying mum.

So what? “We believe the public conversation matters,” says a NZ expert on Chinese interference and espionage, Anne-Marie Brady of Canterbury University. “An informed public is a resilient public.” By telling the people what’s going on, she says, “New Zealand is trying to disrupt Chinese espionage and interference.”

The NZ report arms citizens by giving them very detailed information on how the People’s Republic of China uses LinkedIn and other recruitment services to hook unwitting jobseekers into handing over secrets, for instance.

Australian expert Alex Joske, head of intelligence practice at John Garnaut’s China consultancy and the author of Spies and Lies, says that “the NZ government is doing a public service with its forthright statements about PRC espionage.

“Clear and direct security advice is immensely helpful for raising public awareness and helping universities, companies and local governments make better decisions in the face of growing PRC covert influence and intelligence activity.”

How is this relevant to Australia? “Whatever China is doing in NZ, you can be sure they are doing in Australia,” says an Australian intelligence expert who prefers anonymity.

“Australia and NZ are both handled by the same division in the Ministry of State Security, so in some cases it will be the same people operating against the two of us.”

Besides, NZ’s spy agency explains that the country’s geography in the Pacific, and as a gateway to the Antarctic, make NZ “not only geopolitically relevant, but also attractive to threat actors”. These factors apply equally to Australia.

Few in Australia grasp this reality. Beijing is not only interested in displacing the US, taking control of Taiwan and asserting hegemony over Asia.

Its ambition is global domination, including control of the Pacific and Antarctica and, incidentally, all of Australia’s environs. China has built science stations with military uses on Australian-claimed territory in the Antarctic, for example, without a peep from Canberra.

NZ is not the exception in naming China as its most potent and hostile opponent. In fact, Australia is the outlier. Among the Five Eyes countries, Australia is the only one that fails to mention China in its annual update as a threat to its national interests.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s latest report puts China at the top of the list of “perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada”. It discusses Beijing’s activities, including attempts to recruit former Canadian air force pilots to train the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Britain’s annual threat update by MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum cites Beijing’s attempts to “lure UK academic experts”, its efforts at covert interference in British politics and its intimidation of opponents, “as we saw when the Hong Kong Police issued bounties against more than a dozen pro-democracy activists here in the UK”.

The US Intelligence Community annual threat assessment makes dozens of references to China. These include Beijing’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, its Arctic ambitions and its race to overtake the US in AI and quantum computing, and it names China as “the most active and persistent cyber threat to US government, private sector and critical infrastructure networks”.

You can be certain that Australia’s reticence, unique among the Five Eyes, is counted as a win in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, are supersensitive to criticism. Lacking legitimacy, it cannot abide the least slight. Not at home and not abroad.

Remember the 14 demands that China’s embassy in Canberra handed to a reporter in November 2020 at the same time as it was imposing $20 billion in punitive trade sanctions on Australia? Of the 14, five were demands that Australia muzzle criticism of the party or China. These included an insistence that Australian members of parliament and media cease “unfriendly” comments about the party. The 14 have never been withdrawn.

The Australian government is cautious in making any reproach of Beijing. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles can be forthright occasionally. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly chided Beijing a few times, but only in pretty extreme circumstances, such as China’s recent test firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. Even the tiniest Pacific islands spoke up on that occasion.

And there are always voices in Australia making Beijing’s case. Former prime minister Paul Keating is the Chinese Communist Party’s chief apologist in Australia. On Monday, we learnt that he’s been coaching Albanese in how to deal with Xi Jinping.

According to James Curran’s new book, Grand Ambition, Keating tells Albanese that Australia is at a “fork in the road”. He wants Albanese to choose the road to Beijing, naturally. We’d all be free to use the C-word then. But only to lavish praise.

The last word goes to New Zealand’s Anne-Marie Brady: “We are not afraid.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/while-australia-avoids-the-c-word-nz-is-unafraid-to-speak-up-20260817-p60p4b.html

roughbarked said:

Cymek said:

roughbarked said:

Speaking of One Notion, more unresearched garble.

Run by organised crime so if as a small shop owner you refuse and come back to a burnt out shop

The black market stuff is one eighth of the retail price of legal tobacco. So reducing the price by half, isn’t going to stop the black market.

$20 in cash a friend was getting them for

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Or a scare campaign suggesting that police are undercover in all tobacco shops.

Time to have a traveling mobile when heading overseas?

Link

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Up there for thinking.

Witty Rejoinder said:

While Australia avoids the ‘C’ word, NZ is unafraid to speak up

Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
August 18, 2026 — 5:00am

New Zealand’s spy agency has dared utter in its formal annual threat report the word that Australia’s does not. The C-word: China.

In its annual statement of security threats published on Thursday, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) said plainly: “There are several states that conduct espionage against New Zealand, but the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only country we have detected doing it at scale.”

And it gave details. In one instructive case study, the agency explained how a Chinese company called Purple Mountain Observatory attempted to install a satellite ground station on New Zealand soil. Without telling anyone.

“They worked with a local company that was likely unaware of the equipment’s capability to collect intelligence of military value and would have no idea who was receiving the data.”

Yes, you might ask, but what does a Chinese company have to do with government espionage? The NZSIS reminds readers that China’s system does not allow for its companies to stand apart. The NZ report names China 11 times.

Australia’s equivalent, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, delivers an annual threat assessment. Scour it as you will. You will not find China mentioned this year. Same as last year. And the year before.

Burgess has named China as a threat on other occasions in recent years. But Australian intelligence prefers the safety of speaking as part of a group, signing on to collective statements by the Five Eyes group of intelligence partners. Or staying mum.

So what? “We believe the public conversation matters,” says a NZ expert on Chinese interference and espionage, Anne-Marie Brady of Canterbury University. “An informed public is a resilient public.” By telling the people what’s going on, she says, “New Zealand is trying to disrupt Chinese espionage and interference.”

The NZ report arms citizens by giving them very detailed information on how the People’s Republic of China uses LinkedIn and other recruitment services to hook unwitting jobseekers into handing over secrets, for instance.

Australian expert Alex Joske, head of intelligence practice at John Garnaut’s China consultancy and the author of Spies and Lies, says that “the NZ government is doing a public service with its forthright statements about PRC espionage.

“Clear and direct security advice is immensely helpful for raising public awareness and helping universities, companies and local governments make better decisions in the face of growing PRC covert influence and intelligence activity.”

How is this relevant to Australia? “Whatever China is doing in NZ, you can be sure they are doing in Australia,” says an Australian intelligence expert who prefers anonymity.

“Australia and NZ are both handled by the same division in the Ministry of State Security, so in some cases it will be the same people operating against the two of us.”

Besides, NZ’s spy agency explains that the country’s geography in the Pacific, and as a gateway to the Antarctic, make NZ “not only geopolitically relevant, but also attractive to threat actors”. These factors apply equally to Australia.

Few in Australia grasp this reality. Beijing is not only interested in displacing the US, taking control of Taiwan and asserting hegemony over Asia.

Its ambition is global domination, including control of the Pacific and Antarctica and, incidentally, all of Australia’s environs. China has built science stations with military uses on Australian-claimed territory in the Antarctic, for example, without a peep from Canberra.

NZ is not the exception in naming China as its most potent and hostile opponent. In fact, Australia is the outlier. Among the Five Eyes countries, Australia is the only one that fails to mention China in its annual update as a threat to its national interests.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s latest report puts China at the top of the list of “perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada”. It discusses Beijing’s activities, including attempts to recruit former Canadian air force pilots to train the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Britain’s annual threat update by MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum cites Beijing’s attempts to “lure UK academic experts”, its efforts at covert interference in British politics and its intimidation of opponents, “as we saw when the Hong Kong Police issued bounties against more than a dozen pro-democracy activists here in the UK”.

The US Intelligence Community annual threat assessment makes dozens of references to China. These include Beijing’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, its Arctic ambitions and its race to overtake the US in AI and quantum computing, and it names China as “the most active and persistent cyber threat to US government, private sector and critical infrastructure networks”.

You can be certain that Australia’s reticence, unique among the Five Eyes, is counted as a win in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, are supersensitive to criticism. Lacking legitimacy, it cannot abide the least slight. Not at home and not abroad.

Remember the 14 demands that China’s embassy in Canberra handed to a reporter in November 2020 at the same time as it was imposing $20 billion in punitive trade sanctions on Australia? Of the 14, five were demands that Australia muzzle criticism of the party or China. These included an insistence that Australian members of parliament and media cease “unfriendly” comments about the party. The 14 have never been withdrawn.

The Australian government is cautious in making any reproach of Beijing. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles can be forthright occasionally. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly chided Beijing a few times, but only in pretty extreme circumstances, such as China’s recent test firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. Even the tiniest Pacific islands spoke up on that occasion.

And there are always voices in Australia making Beijing’s case. Former prime minister Paul Keating is the Chinese Communist Party’s chief apologist in Australia. On Monday, we learnt that he’s been coaching Albanese in how to deal with Xi Jinping.

According to James Curran’s new book, Grand Ambition, Keating tells Albanese that Australia is at a “fork in the road”. He wants Albanese to choose the road to Beijing, naturally. We’d all be free to use the C-word then. But only to lavish praise.

The last word goes to New Zealand’s Anne-Marie Brady: “We are not afraid.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/while-australia-avoids-the-c-word-nz-is-unafraid-to-speak-up-20260817-p60p4b.html

Surely its time to activate the Jane Brady protocol, “China!, China!, China!”
China is in fact acting just like any emerging global superpower, interfering and intimidating.
Its time will be short anyway as society will collapse in the next 20 years as environmental disasters and everyone’s bullshit will come to a head.

Michael V said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Up there for thinking.

Or a scare campaign suggesting police are undercover in all tobacco shops.

Witty Rejoinder said:

While Australia avoids the ‘C’ word, NZ is unafraid to speak up

Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
August 18, 2026 — 5:00am

New Zealand’s spy agency has dared utter in its formal annual threat report the word that Australia’s does not. The C-word: China.

———————-snip—————————-

According to James Curran’s new book, Grand Ambition, Keating tells Albanese that Australia is at a “fork in the road”. He wants Albanese to choose the road to Beijing, naturally. We’d all be free to use the C-word then. But only to lavish praise.

The last word goes to New Zealand’s Anne-Marie Brady: “We are not afraid.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/while-australia-avoids-the-c-word-nz-is-unafraid-to-speak-up-20260817-p60p4b.html

Ta.

Cymek said:

roughbarked said:

Cymek said:

Run by organised crime so if as a small shop owner you refuse and come back to a burnt out shop

The black market stuff is one eighth of the retail price of legal tobacco. So reducing the price by half, isn’t going to stop the black market.

$20 in cash a friend was getting them for

He’s getting ripped off.

Cymek said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

While Australia avoids the ‘C’ word, NZ is unafraid to speak up

Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
August 18, 2026 — 5:00am

New Zealand’s spy agency has dared utter in its formal annual threat report the word that Australia’s does not. The C-word: China.

In its annual statement of security threats published on Thursday, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) said plainly: “There are several states that conduct espionage against New Zealand, but the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only country we have detected doing it at scale.”

And it gave details. In one instructive case study, the agency explained how a Chinese company called Purple Mountain Observatory attempted to install a satellite ground station on New Zealand soil. Without telling anyone.

“They worked with a local company that was likely unaware of the equipment’s capability to collect intelligence of military value and would have no idea who was receiving the data.”

Yes, you might ask, but what does a Chinese company have to do with government espionage? The NZSIS reminds readers that China’s system does not allow for its companies to stand apart. The NZ report names China 11 times.

Australia’s equivalent, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, delivers an annual threat assessment. Scour it as you will. You will not find China mentioned this year. Same as last year. And the year before.

Burgess has named China as a threat on other occasions in recent years. But Australian intelligence prefers the safety of speaking as part of a group, signing on to collective statements by the Five Eyes group of intelligence partners. Or staying mum.

So what? “We believe the public conversation matters,” says a NZ expert on Chinese interference and espionage, Anne-Marie Brady of Canterbury University. “An informed public is a resilient public.” By telling the people what’s going on, she says, “New Zealand is trying to disrupt Chinese espionage and interference.”

The NZ report arms citizens by giving them very detailed information on how the People’s Republic of China uses LinkedIn and other recruitment services to hook unwitting jobseekers into handing over secrets, for instance.

Australian expert Alex Joske, head of intelligence practice at John Garnaut’s China consultancy and the author of Spies and Lies, says that “the NZ government is doing a public service with its forthright statements about PRC espionage.

“Clear and direct security advice is immensely helpful for raising public awareness and helping universities, companies and local governments make better decisions in the face of growing PRC covert influence and intelligence activity.”

How is this relevant to Australia? “Whatever China is doing in NZ, you can be sure they are doing in Australia,” says an Australian intelligence expert who prefers anonymity.

“Australia and NZ are both handled by the same division in the Ministry of State Security, so in some cases it will be the same people operating against the two of us.”

Besides, NZ’s spy agency explains that the country’s geography in the Pacific, and as a gateway to the Antarctic, make NZ “not only geopolitically relevant, but also attractive to threat actors”. These factors apply equally to Australia.

Few in Australia grasp this reality. Beijing is not only interested in displacing the US, taking control of Taiwan and asserting hegemony over Asia.

Its ambition is global domination, including control of the Pacific and Antarctica and, incidentally, all of Australia’s environs. China has built science stations with military uses on Australian-claimed territory in the Antarctic, for example, without a peep from Canberra.

NZ is not the exception in naming China as its most potent and hostile opponent. In fact, Australia is the outlier. Among the Five Eyes countries, Australia is the only one that fails to mention China in its annual update as a threat to its national interests.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s latest report puts China at the top of the list of “perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada”. It discusses Beijing’s activities, including attempts to recruit former Canadian air force pilots to train the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Britain’s annual threat update by MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum cites Beijing’s attempts to “lure UK academic experts”, its efforts at covert interference in British politics and its intimidation of opponents, “as we saw when the Hong Kong Police issued bounties against more than a dozen pro-democracy activists here in the UK”.

The US Intelligence Community annual threat assessment makes dozens of references to China. These include Beijing’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, its Arctic ambitions and its race to overtake the US in AI and quantum computing, and it names China as “the most active and persistent cyber threat to US government, private sector and critical infrastructure networks”.

You can be certain that Australia’s reticence, unique among the Five Eyes, is counted as a win in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, are supersensitive to criticism. Lacking legitimacy, it cannot abide the least slight. Not at home and not abroad.

Remember the 14 demands that China’s embassy in Canberra handed to a reporter in November 2020 at the same time as it was imposing $20 billion in punitive trade sanctions on Australia? Of the 14, five were demands that Australia muzzle criticism of the party or China. These included an insistence that Australian members of parliament and media cease “unfriendly” comments about the party. The 14 have never been withdrawn.

The Australian government is cautious in making any reproach of Beijing. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles can be forthright occasionally. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly chided Beijing a few times, but only in pretty extreme circumstances, such as China’s recent test firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. Even the tiniest Pacific islands spoke up on that occasion.

And there are always voices in Australia making Beijing’s case. Former prime minister Paul Keating is the Chinese Communist Party’s chief apologist in Australia. On Monday, we learnt that he’s been coaching Albanese in how to deal with Xi Jinping.

According to James Curran’s new book, Grand Ambition, Keating tells Albanese that Australia is at a “fork in the road”. He wants Albanese to choose the road to Beijing, naturally. We’d all be free to use the C-word then. But only to lavish praise.

The last word goes to New Zealand’s Anne-Marie Brady: “We are not afraid.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/while-australia-avoids-the-c-word-nz-is-unafraid-to-speak-up-20260817-p60p4b.html

Surely its time to activate the Jane Brady protocol, “China!, China!, China!”
China is in fact acting just like any emerging global superpower, interfering and intimidating.
Its time will be short anyway as society will collapse in the next 20 years as environmental disasters and everyone’s bullshit will come to a head.

It is always good to have an optimistic attitude.

ms spock said:

Cymek said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

While Australia avoids the ‘C’ word, NZ is unafraid to speak up

Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
August 18, 2026 — 5:00am

New Zealand’s spy agency has dared utter in its formal annual threat report the word that Australia’s does not. The C-word: China.

In its annual statement of security threats published on Thursday, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) said plainly: “There are several states that conduct espionage against New Zealand, but the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only country we have detected doing it at scale.”

And it gave details. In one instructive case study, the agency explained how a Chinese company called Purple Mountain Observatory attempted to install a satellite ground station on New Zealand soil. Without telling anyone.

“They worked with a local company that was likely unaware of the equipment’s capability to collect intelligence of military value and would have no idea who was receiving the data.”

Yes, you might ask, but what does a Chinese company have to do with government espionage? The NZSIS reminds readers that China’s system does not allow for its companies to stand apart. The NZ report names China 11 times.

Australia’s equivalent, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, delivers an annual threat assessment. Scour it as you will. You will not find China mentioned this year. Same as last year. And the year before.

Burgess has named China as a threat on other occasions in recent years. But Australian intelligence prefers the safety of speaking as part of a group, signing on to collective statements by the Five Eyes group of intelligence partners. Or staying mum.

So what? “We believe the public conversation matters,” says a NZ expert on Chinese interference and espionage, Anne-Marie Brady of Canterbury University. “An informed public is a resilient public.” By telling the people what’s going on, she says, “New Zealand is trying to disrupt Chinese espionage and interference.”

The NZ report arms citizens by giving them very detailed information on how the People’s Republic of China uses LinkedIn and other recruitment services to hook unwitting jobseekers into handing over secrets, for instance.

Australian expert Alex Joske, head of intelligence practice at John Garnaut’s China consultancy and the author of Spies and Lies, says that “the NZ government is doing a public service with its forthright statements about PRC espionage.

“Clear and direct security advice is immensely helpful for raising public awareness and helping universities, companies and local governments make better decisions in the face of growing PRC covert influence and intelligence activity.”

How is this relevant to Australia? “Whatever China is doing in NZ, you can be sure they are doing in Australia,” says an Australian intelligence expert who prefers anonymity.

“Australia and NZ are both handled by the same division in the Ministry of State Security, so in some cases it will be the same people operating against the two of us.”

Besides, NZ’s spy agency explains that the country’s geography in the Pacific, and as a gateway to the Antarctic, make NZ “not only geopolitically relevant, but also attractive to threat actors”. These factors apply equally to Australia.

Few in Australia grasp this reality. Beijing is not only interested in displacing the US, taking control of Taiwan and asserting hegemony over Asia.

Its ambition is global domination, including control of the Pacific and Antarctica and, incidentally, all of Australia’s environs. China has built science stations with military uses on Australian-claimed territory in the Antarctic, for example, without a peep from Canberra.

NZ is not the exception in naming China as its most potent and hostile opponent. In fact, Australia is the outlier. Among the Five Eyes countries, Australia is the only one that fails to mention China in its annual update as a threat to its national interests.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s latest report puts China at the top of the list of “perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada”. It discusses Beijing’s activities, including attempts to recruit former Canadian air force pilots to train the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Britain’s annual threat update by MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum cites Beijing’s attempts to “lure UK academic experts”, its efforts at covert interference in British politics and its intimidation of opponents, “as we saw when the Hong Kong Police issued bounties against more than a dozen pro-democracy activists here in the UK”.

The US Intelligence Community annual threat assessment makes dozens of references to China. These include Beijing’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, its Arctic ambitions and its race to overtake the US in AI and quantum computing, and it names China as “the most active and persistent cyber threat to US government, private sector and critical infrastructure networks”.

You can be certain that Australia’s reticence, unique among the Five Eyes, is counted as a win in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, are supersensitive to criticism. Lacking legitimacy, it cannot abide the least slight. Not at home and not abroad.

Remember the 14 demands that China’s embassy in Canberra handed to a reporter in November 2020 at the same time as it was imposing $20 billion in punitive trade sanctions on Australia? Of the 14, five were demands that Australia muzzle criticism of the party or China. These included an insistence that Australian members of parliament and media cease “unfriendly” comments about the party. The 14 have never been withdrawn.

The Australian government is cautious in making any reproach of Beijing. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles can be forthright occasionally. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly chided Beijing a few times, but only in pretty extreme circumstances, such as China’s recent test firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. Even the tiniest Pacific islands spoke up on that occasion.

And there are always voices in Australia making Beijing’s case. Former prime minister Paul Keating is the Chinese Communist Party’s chief apologist in Australia. On Monday, we learnt that he’s been coaching Albanese in how to deal with Xi Jinping.

According to James Curran’s new book, Grand Ambition, Keating tells Albanese that Australia is at a “fork in the road”. He wants Albanese to choose the road to Beijing, naturally. We’d all be free to use the C-word then. But only to lavish praise.

The last word goes to New Zealand’s Anne-Marie Brady: “We are not afraid.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/while-australia-avoids-the-c-word-nz-is-unafraid-to-speak-up-20260817-p60p4b.html

Surely its time to activate the Jane Brady protocol, “China!, China!, China!”
China is in fact acting just like any emerging global superpower, interfering and intimidating.
Its time will be short anyway as society will collapse in the next 20 years as environmental disasters and everyone’s bullshit will come to a head.

It is always good to have an optimistic attitude.

It’s all such nonsense, selfish old men wanting to dominate the world for what.
Start WW3 and kill us all

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

Cymek said:

Surely its time to activate the Jane Brady protocol, “China!, China!, China!”
China is in fact acting just like any emerging global superpower, interfering and intimidating.
Its time will be short anyway as society will collapse in the next 20 years as environmental disasters and everyone’s bullshit will come to a head.

It is always good to have an optimistic attitude.

It’s all such nonsense, selfish old men wanting to dominate the world for what.
Start WW3 and kill us all

Fucking total nonsense Cymek.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Flagship International Sports Television.

Arts said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Flagship International Sports Television.

Should be fun.

Arts said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

The state and federal governments are not doing enough to combat the illegal tobacco market.

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Flagship International Sports Television.

Can be a verb¿

SCIENCE said:

Arts said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Police should start up tobacco shops and wait for the crimos to come to them.

Flagship International Sports Television.

Can be a verb¿

I wonder how they are smuggling what must be at least tens of thousands of packets in a week

Cymek said:

SCIENCE said:

Arts said:

Flagship International Sports Television.

Can be a verb¿

I wonder how they are smuggling what must be at least tens of thousands of packets in a week

Shippimg containers full.

Cymek said:

SCIENCE said:

Arts said:

Flagship International Sports Television.

Can be a verb¿

I wonder how they are smuggling what must be at least tens of thousands of packets in a week

It’s currently a ~$6 billion dollar industry, pretty easy to get things in/grease a wheel here and there…