pɐǝɹɥʇ lɐᴉɔᴉɟɟoun ǝɥʇ - ɐᴉlɐɹʇsn∀

[SnakeOfBacon]

This thread is for discussion on any topic relating to Australia and its foreign policies. Use this to criticize or support Australian leadership, Australian policy and Australian actions and events.

Edit: reworded in 2024.
Obviously, don't violate the AUP, don't incite violence and please refrain from making sweeping generalisations about groups of people based on ethnicity, sexuality, religion, political beliefs or any other perceived difference; there's no space for "them versus us" on Earth or the Internet, we're all people.

 

[mustafur]

Well I guess i should start the Conversation with the Sydney Storm, my area(Hawkesbury)is currently pretty damn flooded at the moment and many roads cut off, luckily Warragamba dam isn't overflowing yet but if it gets to that stage i think many lives will be in Danger.

It's insane something like this was last month: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/w...1-billion-cost-efficiency-20140311-34kfd.html

I think given the fact in the last 5 years it has been required to let water out 3 times this is crucially required for the Safety of Western Sydney and added Drought protection, for the future.

But of course the Greens are putting everyone at Hostage due to their "environmental concerns".

Fact is the dam can't go above 90% due to major repairs required, the dam needs to be repaired at the very minimum and then expanded to insure it's not going to be a future problem.

The massive issue is the dam is linked to the Nepean River and Hawkesbury River which runs through some very populated areas, such as Penrith, Richmond and Windsor.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

My mum (@Wenders) and sister are both right in the middle of the storm up in Newcastle. My sister has only just got power back after going over 24 hours without, not sure about mum.

Hoping it clears up soon for everyone over there.

 

[Grayfox]

I am in the Illawarra, all we have gotten that I can see is flooded roads and non stop rain.

 

[TenEightyOne]

If things get out of hand in this thread, it will be sorted out on a case-by-case basis.

This is exactly how arguments are sorted out in bars by Oz tourists. The only cure is to play "Land Down Under" over-and-over until the crying/beer-sloshing starts.

Why isn't this thread Official? I is disappoint.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Why isn't this thread Official? I is disappoint.

Tony Abbott cut funding.

 

[Northstar]

This is exactly how arguments are sorted out in bars by Oz tourists. The only cure is to play "Land Down Under" over-and-over until the crying/beer-sloshing starts.

I thought you used a boot.

 

[Grayfox]

Oh yeah, 7 days jail for burning an endangered species is really going to teach them a lesson do it for 5 years and maybe they will learn.
http://www.9news.com.au/National/20...ourists-who-burnt-quokka-released-from-prison

The justice system in this country is stupid at times

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Am I the only one who is disappointed by the amount of Anzac-isation this year?

I know that the centenary of Gallipoli is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but I feel like we have been bombarded to the point of exhaustion and it's trivialising the actual day. I like what Channel 10 are doing, with actors reading the letters of the original Anzacs, but Channel 7 and 9 ran heavily-promoted dramatisations of the war that just came across as exploitative (and despite the high production values, they were terrible), and it made me uncomfortable to think that this was an appropriate way of paying tribute to the Anzac legend.

 

[Grayfox]

I wonder if the kiwis are getting spammed with the same thing.

 

[jimipitbull]

Am I the only one who is disappointed by the amount of Anzac-isation this year?

I know that the centenary of Gallipoli is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but I feel like we have been bombarded to the point of exhaustion and it's trivialising the actual day. I like what Channel 10 are doing, with actors reading the letters of the original Anzacs, but Channel 7 and 9 ran heavily-promoted dramatisations of the war that just came across as exploitative (and despite the high production values, they were terrible), and it made me uncomfortable to think that this was an appropriate way of paying tribute to the Anzac legend.

Sounds like a mild case of PTSD, probably from watching too many commercial tv stations.

I'm disappointed it's not a long weekend when Anzac day falls on a weekend. Tony Abbott is disrespecting the diggers by not giving us Monday off.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Tony Abbott is disrespecting the diggers by not giving us Monday off.

I'm more concerned that he's going to make a mockery of the Dawn Service at Anzac Cove. If anybody is going to screw up the Centenary, it's Tony Abbott.

We really should have made an election issue of this last election - who do we want to be representing us at Gallipoli for the Centenary? Pretty sure Abbott would have been crushed in a landslide loss.

 

[NW48]

I'm more concerned that he's going to make a mockery of the Dawn Service at Anzac Cove. If anybody is going to screw up the Centenary, it's Tony Abbott.

We really should have made an election issue of this last election - who do we want to be representing us at Gallipoli for the Centenary? Pretty sure Abbott would have been crushed in a landslide loss.

Oh god, hopefully he doesn't threat to shirt-front someone again...

 

[Grayfox]

City Councils should be abolished.
They are run by idiots that do useful for the community but make up stupid rules.
You are being fined because your flag flaps too loudly, yet their neighbor can hoist up the flag of the nazis.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ine-Aussie-flag-neighbour-s-Nazi-flag-ok.html

 

[TenEightyOne]

City Councils should be abolished.
They are run by idiots that do useful for the community but make up stupid rules.
You are being fined because your flag flaps too loudly, yet their neighbor can hoist up the flag of the nazis.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ine-Aussie-flag-neighbour-s-Nazi-flag-ok.html

As distasteful as the flag is they can choose to ignore it. Harder to ignore a constant noise nuisance that a neighbour's pushing into your house whether you like it or not. Somehow the noisy neighbours are being pushed as the "good guys" despite causing the greater nuisance.

 

[Grayfox]

As distasteful as the flag is they can choose to ignore it. Harder to ignore a constant noise nuisance that a neighbour's pushing into your house whether you like it or not. Somehow the noisy neighbours are being pushed as the "good guys" despite causing the greater nuisance.

So do we have the councils kill birds that make noise all day?
No.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Just saw a press conference on the ABC, where Abbott is proudly announcing that the government is meeting one of its commitments. FINALLY. And it's not even his policy - it was Labor's idea. Naturally, he's trumpeting that they never funded it, conveniently ignoring the way it was one of Labor's pre-election promises, and that they couldn't fund it because they lost government. But according to Abbott, they're the BEST GOVERNMENT EVER because they are funding a single policy that wasn't theirs to begin with and was something that they made every effort to avoid doing until the Paid Parental Leave Scheme was dead in the water.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Just saw a press conference on the ABC, where Abbott is proudly announcing that the government is meeting one of its commitments. FINALLY. And it's not even his policy - it was Labor's idea. Naturally, he's trumpeting that they never funded it, conveniently ignoring the way it was one of Labor's pre-election promises, and that they couldn't fund it because they lost government. But according to Abbott, they're the BEST GOVERNMENT EVER because they are funding a single policy that wasn't theirs to begin with and was something that they made every effort to avoid doing until the Paid Parental Leave Scheme was dead in the water.

Reminds me of an interview with Cameron the other day where he pointed out that during the Con/Lib term (5 years) more GPs had joined the NHS than ever before. "But don't they take 7 years to train?" asked the interviewer...

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Reminds me of an interview with Cameron the other day where he pointed out that during the Con/Lib term (5 years) more GPs had joined the NHS than ever before. "But don't they take 7 years to train?" asked the interviewer...

Now imagine that same interview if Cameron has spent those five years trying to cut back on pensions, social welfare and the minimum wage whilst dismantling parts of the NHS and trying to charge more for university education - and all while giving tax benefits to the rich.

Welcome to Australia.

 

[mustafur]

Im unsure what tax advantages your talking about here?

If you mean cutting their Super and Benifets (the weatlhy) then having Labour reject it because somehow this makes sense according to Labours party line then Fair enough.

The country is in defict and obviously things need to be cut, whilst some things are definitely questionable, others make sense given our economy.

Keep in Mind Australias Economy is basically Stalled at Present as the Mining Industry is fading away whilst the rest of the economy isn't growing fast enough to cater for it, all whilst holding a huge defict.

If our Economy had more growth the defict wouldn't be such an issue.

And this is still Ignoring the Huge issue of the Housing Bubble Most notebly in Sydney potentially taking our country 20 years backwards if it implodes.

 

[Lizard]

The country is in defict and obviously things need to be cut,

Keynes said otherwise.

 

[mustafur]

Keynes said otherwise.

Keynes is a complete idiot and people(Hopefully) will slowly understand why when their belongings are getting repossessed.

Nothing Hurts the Poor more then Hyper inflation.

 

[Lizard]

Keynes is a complete idiot and people(Hopefully) will slowly understand why when their belongings are getting repossesd.

Nothing Hurts the Poor more then Hyper inflation.

Hyper inflation isn't the result of spending loads of money. That is the result of shoving more money into the economy.

 

[mustafur]

Hyper inflation isn't the result of spending loads of money. That is the result of shoving more money into the economy.

It's also the result of Financial Repression.

Interest rates are far too low to cool the housing market, but that is thinking long term the key Enemy of Keynesian economics.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Im unsure what tax advantages your talking about here?

Corporate tax avoidance.

 

[mustafur]

Corporate tax avoidance.

I thought you where talking about Personal incomes, not incomes of those that can effect the poor.

Either way, the biggest possible thing that hurts the poor isn't lack of discipline in taxing Corporations, it isn't even cutting Benefits to Unemployed.

It's this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_gearing_(Australia)

Introduced by the Labours own god of gods, Bob Hawke.

When House prices get inflated by people who buy them purely to Lose money to get the Tax advantage it reduces Supply in the market to those that want to live in them, making rental prices higher and the cost of owning houses Even higher still, forcing those with lower incomes slowly towards public housing and or the street.

This was his idea to try pump up the economy when it had to have 20% plus interest rates to stop the economy going into hyper inflation, now it seems that it has also hit the time when the very thing he used to try stop it, will eventually push the country back towards it.

 

[mustafur]

Interest rate cut expected to go down today, this could be the potential start of a Bubble burst of Sydney and potentially Melbourne housing market, as prices will rise badly off any interest cut.

The issue is the Mining Sector is fading from a slowing Chinese economy that was funding it, and the rest of the economy isn't showing signs of growth right now so the country has stalled in economic growth as a whole.

Cutting interest rates will help artificaly boost the Economy, but will make lending cheaper so demand for housing will increase on the already uncontrollable levels they are at now.

We are still lucky that Inflation is low though so to say we are getting into Financial Repression isn't true we are still heading towards it, if Inflation increases we as an economy are in serious danger.

At the end of the day though, Booms and Busts are enviable with Democracy and Keynesian Economics as everyone has to think short term as that's the only way a Political Party will get Elected.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

To no-one's surprise, Scott Morrison has continued his bully-boy tactics as social services minister, holding funding for at-risk youth hostage to try and force bad policy through the Senate. Abbott might be incompetent, but Morrison is dangerous.

Meanwhile, Peter Dutton continues to look like a damp squid.

 

[Dennisch]

Why aren't we all protesting for or against Johnny Depp's dogs?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Why aren't we all protesting for or against Johnny Depp's dogs?

Great quote from the Minister for Great Quotes;

If we start letting movie stars even though they've been the 'sexiest man alive' twice to come into our nation, then why don't we just break the laws for everybody?

It's time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.