Auspol August: Half-baked enraged drivel

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol August: Half-baked enraged drivel

Gough Suppressant: Nov 14, 2008

Freudian Slip posted:

This is something that annoys me more than I guess it should. People who think that saying a positive thing about a race can't be racist. The whole Asian are good at maths or that black people are good at athletics schtick. By implication, they are saying other races are not as good at maths or athletics.

They see racism = bad

instead of racism = broad generalisations based on race

Also it implies that members of that race who do not share those characteristics are somehow defective.

# ? Aug 28, 2014 12:56

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# ? May 12, 2024 04:42

euler: Oct 14, 2008

xutech posted:

That happened to my dad when my parents arrived in Brisbane, just before I was born.

Also, women weren't allowed in the bar, they had to sit and drink in the lounge.

This wasn't so long ago.

A bunch of roads that are named Boundary road/street in Brisbane were named that because, in the 19th century, they were the lines aboriginals were not allowed to cross at night, to keep them out of the town when they weren't being paid in booze and opium for their labour.

And here's a murdoch opinion piece about how this part of Brisbane's history should go down the memoryhole.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/street-names-a-reminder-of-our-racist-past-and-they-should-go/story-e6freon6-1225935479726

euler fucked around with this message at 13:38 on Aug 28, 2014

# ? Aug 28, 2014 13:36

Urcher: Jun 16, 2006

euler posted:

A bunch of roads that are named Boundary road/street in Brisbane were named that because, in the 19th century, they were the lines aboriginals were not allowed to cross at night, to keep them out of the town when they weren't being paid in booze and opium for their labour.

And here's a murdoch opinion piece about how this part of Brisbane's history should go down the memoryhole.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/street-names-a-reminder-of-our-racist-past-and-they-should-go/story-e6freon6-1225935479726

I'd heard before that Boundary St in West End was named after the old 'no Aborigines' line, but couldn't work out how it was a useful boundary because it was on the other side of the river to the city. Turns out the boundary straddled the river.

Based on the description in the article this was the boundary:

West End's Boundary St is the bit to the left that is South of the river.

_{I wasn't expecting to learn anything from the Courier Mail today, but there you have it.}

# ? Aug 28, 2014 14:29

The Before Times: Mar 8, 2014; Once upon a time, I would have thrown you halfway to the moon for a crack like that.

Urcher posted:

I'd heard before that Boundary St in West End was named after the old 'no Aborigines' line, but couldn't work out how it was a useful boundary because it was on the other side of the river to the city. Turns out the boundary straddled the river.

Based on the description in the article this was the boundary:

West End's Boundary St is the bit to the left that is South of the river.

_{I wasn't expecting to learn anything from the Courier Mail today, but there you have it.}

I'm in two minds about the idea of changing the street names. On one hand it's a horrible relic of our racist past (and present tbh). On the other hand, the only reason I know about it is because I was like "hmm I wonder what it's the boundary of" and googled it. I was horrified as to the reason, but if it was called something else I wouldn't know about it.

some loving troglodyte posted:

Actually, calling Aussies racist seems oxymoronic to me, considering there are next to NO inhabitants in this country that are of pure race...including the so-called "indigenous" !! Most "indigenous" people have other blood running through their veins, but because of the Matthew Condons of the world, they only concentrate on their "Indigenousness" because it generates sympathy for the anti-white man brigade...(I won't even mention the economics...)!! A question for the "indigenous" and their sympathisers...WHAT is a racist...?

Hint: IT'S YOU.

The Before Times fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Aug 28, 2014

# ? Aug 28, 2014 15:08

NTRabbit: Aug 15, 2012; i wear this armour to protect myself from the histrionics of hysterical women

bitches

To me at least, I'd say that as long as the names aren't actual racist terms, it's worth keeping them as a reminder of how terrible we ~~used to be~~ still are

# ? Aug 28, 2014 15:13

Foundry Dancer: Apr 21, 2005

NTRabbit posted:

To me at least, I'd say that as long as the names aren't actual racist terms, it's worth keeping them as a reminder of how terrible we ~~used to be~~ still are

I tend to feel this way too. I think there's a risk of whitewashing away the sins of the past if the streets were renamed. I do like the idea of renaming them after Indigenous activists, though. But then, I'm not an Indigenous Australian so I don't know what it's like to have a constant reminder of how my people were hated so much that they weren't even allowed in the city.

# ? Aug 28, 2014 15:41

xutech: Mar 4, 2011; EIIST

The other great Brisbane relic is the triangular centerpiece at the town hall in the city. The center is the spirit of progress blessing english colonists as they spread out and work the land, while aboriginals are driven into the acute angles (the thin edges).

quote:

Daphne Mayo's tympanum above the King George Square entrance to the Brisbane City Hall

The sculptured pediment above the portico and entrance, known as the tympanum, was carved by noted Brisbane sculptor Daphne Mayo in the early 1930s.[1] There is some controversy surrounding the theme of the tympanum, which depicts the settlement of Queensland.[13] The gown-clad female figure in the centre depicts "progress" or "enlightenment", while settlers with their cattle and explorers with their horses, move out from under her protecting arms to claim the land from the indigenous people and native animals, who are represented by two aboriginal males crouching in the left hand corner, and a fleeing kangaroo. To the right corner one can see a young European male and female, adjoined by a sheep and a row of books and an artist's palette representing the new European nation, agriculture and civilisation. The tympanum measures 16.5 m long with a height of 3 m at its centre.[13] The sculpture was unveiled eight months after the building was officially opened.[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_City_Hall#Pediment

# ? Aug 28, 2014 16:46

drunkill: Sep 25, 2007; me @ ur posting; Fallen Rib

A good first speech to the senate by a new, non-shitheel senator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqUJXANsiGc

# ? Aug 28, 2014 18:23

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

quote:

Cheaper foreign workers under govt plan
AAP
AUGUST 29, 2014 2:45AM

A new federal government plan to ease labour shortages will enable employers to hire foreign workers on salaries up to 10 per cent below standard rates for skilled migrants, it has been reported.

The government will allow employers to seek lower pay rates and easier language tests for foreign workers who can meet an urgent demand for skills in regions that are losing staff, The Australian reported on Friday.

The new rules, which are likely to anger unions, were reportedly signed off this week and are set to be applied in Darwin then offered to other areas experiencing an exodus of skilled workers leaving to join mining and gas companies.

Dozens of job categories will be covered including childcare workers, disability carers, mechanics, bricklayers, office managers, carpenters, chefs and nurses.

Employers of all sizes will be able to sponsor overseas staff on wages up to 10 per cent below the usual rates set for 457 skilled worker visas, using a new kind of migration agreement for areas under stress, The Australian reports.

How to deal with rising unemployment among youth because of a lack of jobs? Why make it cheaper to literally sponsor foreigners for those few jobs at no loss to the employer. Yes these directly contradict each other AND are exploitative, what a great policy.

# ? Aug 28, 2014 20:18

Precambrian Video Games: Aug 19, 2002

HookShot posted:

Me neither, I had an Ontario learner's and a BC learner's, and I handed in the BC one to get my Queensland learner's. Then I went to do my test for my Ps and the dude failed me for not stopping at a stop sign. When we left my husband and I did the same route we did, there were no stop signs along the route at all.

So I got pissed off and went to the RTA in NSW where I lived then and gave them my Ontario learner's, and they gave me an open one. I think it's because the only thing the Ontario learner's says is that tiny little G1 on the back that no one who doesn't live in Ontario would know what that means.

The lesson to take from this is gently caress Queensland.

Any idea what they'll give you in exchange for a G1 in WA? gently caress if I can be bothered to pass the G2 driving test just to have to re-learn everything on the left.

# ? Aug 28, 2014 20:42

Gough Suppressant: Nov 14, 2008

The Australian chamber of commerce and industry has had to suspend its chief economist for posting rants against the disabled, refugees, Muslims, and the treasurer on Facebook :allears:

# ? Aug 28, 2014 22:57

Endman: May 18, 2010; That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even anime may die

Mithranderp posted:

I'm in two minds about the idea of changing the street names. On one hand it's a horrible relic of our racist past (and present tbh). On the other hand, the only reason I know about it is because I was like "hmm I wonder what it's the boundary of" and googled it. I was horrified as to the reason, but if it was called something else I wouldn't know about it.

Hint: IT'S YOU.

Only pure-bred ubermenschen are allowed to be racist.

# ? Aug 28, 2014 23:59

Drugs: Jul 16, 2010; I don't like people who take drugs. Customs agents, for example - Albert Einstein

Gough Suppressant posted:

The Australian chamber of commerce and industry has had to suspend its chief economist for posting rants against the disabled, refugees, Muslims, and the treasurer on Facebook

I've seen some of this clown's Facebook conduct first-hand via a mutual friend, and let me tell you this is a very, very good way to start the day.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:05

Rudager: Apr 29, 2008

HookShot posted:

Me neither, I had an Ontario learner's and a BC learner's, and I handed in the BC one to get my Queensland learner's. Then I went to do my test for my Ps and the dude failed me for not stopping at a stop sign. When we left my husband and I did the same route we did, there were no stop signs along the route at all.

The local RTA I did it at has a stop sign at the exit of their carpark that got 95% of people on their first try.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:12

Small Keating: Dec 24, 2012; That you, Jim? Paul Keating here. Just because you swallowed a fucking dictionary when you were about 15 doesn't give you the right to pour a bucket of shit over the rest of us.

Haters Objector posted:

I've seen some of this clown's Facebook conduct first-hand via a mutual friend, and let me tell you this is a very, very good way to start the day.

The Arsetralian posted:

BUSINESS lobby group Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is investigating a complaint laid against its chief economist alleging he posted crude and offensive slurs, as well as attacks on a rival lobby group and federal Treasurer Joe Hockey, on his Facebook account.

A collection of Facebook posts attributed to ACCI chief economist Burchell Wilson included derisive or sneering comments about refugees, the disabled and Muslims and a post describing federal Treasurer Joe Hockey as a �fat bastard� whose biography was tedious.

Mr Wilson frequently appears as a public spokesman for ACCI, which represents small to medium-sized business across Australia, and is a strident critic of the Renewable Energy Target.

A complaint was lodged with ACCI yesterday morning via an email containing screen grabs that the complainant alleged were from Mr Wilson�s Facebook account.

ACCI CEO Kate Carnell said this morning she was trying to contact Mr Wilson, who was on a flight, and would act decisively if the complaint was borne out.

�I take it incredibly seriously and we will investigate it fully. I will take action if it�s proven to be right,�� she told The Australian

�If it�s what it looks like, it�s completely unacceptable.�

The Australian cannot confirm that the Facebook posts are genuine. Mr Wilson spoke briefly to The Australian while changing flights today and did not confirm or deny that the posts were his.

He said, however, that his privacy had been violated and �Australia is either a free country or it�s not�.

He also spoke of a �dirty tricks campaign� before ringing off saying he would call back in an hour after he landed and had spoken to Ms Carnell.

The screen grabs in the email suggest he shared a post claiming moderate Islamic leaders were providing a smokescreen for Muslims who were �putting bombs on your buses and raping your children�.

His alleged remarks about Mr Hockey came in a post including a photo of the Treasurer as a child that he described as �Joe Hockey as a fat little bastard � his biography is so tedious�.

In June, the screen grabs suggest that he posted that �the c^nt sitting next to me at the bench is bitching to his deformed girlfriend about �once you are recognised as a refugee��. Shut the f^ck up or I will make you one.�

The screen grabs also show attacks attributed to Mr Wilson on rival business group BCA, which represents large companies, and its chief executive Jennifer Westacott.

Another posts includes a comment attributing a discrepancy in the price for Tom Hanks� autograph on pictures from Forrest Gump and the AIDS drama Philadelphia to �the gay discount�.

The scandal involving Mr Wilson follows hard on the heels of a similar furore that saw Alan Moran leave the free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs after posts on Twitter linking Islam and evil.

Earlier this month another former IPA identity, Aaron Lane, was forced to quit as a Liberal candidate in Victoria after making a series of homophobic comments on the microblog.

Evidently, the odious little poo poo has played the "my Facebook account was hacked and I'm afraid for my safety" card post-haste.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:19

Ragingsheep: Nov 7, 2009

SMH posted:

Medibank boss wanted its members to get priority treatment in emergency departments

Medibank chief executive George Savvides floated the idea of privately insured patients receiving priority treatment in public hospital emergency departments at a function with doctors in March.

Speaking at a dinner in Parliament House on Wednesday night, Australian Medical Association president Brian Owler said "the CEO of a large private health insurer" who was invited to speak at an AMA function "tried to tell us that they wanted patients with private insurance in a public hospital emergency department to receive priority."

"His question was if your son breaks his arm and goes to the emergency department, and you have private health insurance, why shouldn't little Johnny get priority?"

Associate Professor Owler said the AMA members in attendance strongly rejected the idea.

"Our ED doctors are not going to make a more deserving patient wait because little Johnny's parents have private insurance," he said.

Associate Professor Owler would not name the insurer or the executive. But Fairfax Media understands he was referring to a dinner attended by AMA leadership in Canberra in March at which Mr Savvides was the guest speaker.

A spokeswoman for Medibank confirmed Mr Savvides attended a dinner with the AMA Council in March at which a range of health care issues were discussed.

"Mr Savvides has long been an advocate for more emergency care in private hospitals and for private health insurers to be able to provide more cover for their members in this space. But he is not in favour of private health insurance patients having priority over others in emergency departments and nor is this Medibank's position."

"We expect people in most need of emergency treatment, regardless of their personal circumstances, should be given priority," the spokeswoman said.

Health Minister Peter Dutton said the triage of patients in emergency departments was based on clinical need as determined by health professionals.

"Under no circumstances should triage of patients in emergency departments be according to health insurance status. Any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous," he said.

Consumers Health Forum chief executive Adam Stankevicius said privately insured patients already received preferential treatment in some public hospitals.

"We know for example that in some public hospitals, people who declare their private health insurance status are getting the equivalent of those kind of gift packs you get in business and first class on planes... we're concerned that that's the first step towards a two-class public hospital system," he said.

The Abbott government has started preparations for the sale of Medibank, which is the nation's largest health fund, with about 30 per cent of the market. But the government has not made a final decision to proceed with a float, which analysts speculate could occur as soon as October, and raise $4 billion.

Medibank has drawn controversy for a Queensland trial in which its members receive guaranteed same day appointments and free after-hours home visits at 26 general practices run by the Independent Practitioner Network. Medibank plans to roll the scheme out nationally by November.

The insurer pays the GP clinics an administration fee but the AMA says this breaches the spirit of regulations which prohibit insurers paying for GP services. Consumer advocates have also been critical of the trial, arguing it will exacerbate health inequality by allowing privately insured patients to receive better care than those who can't afford private cover.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...828-109lcj.html

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:30

Drugs: Jul 16, 2010; I don't like people who take drugs. Customs agents, for example - Albert Einstein

quote:

"His question was if your son breaks his arm and goes to the emergency department, and you have private health insurance, why shouldn't little Johnny get priority?"

oh boy am I mad after reading that sentence

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:35

Endman: May 18, 2010; That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even anime may die

Little Johnny's parents can take him to the loving Private Hospital if they don't want their little precious snowflake waiting with the plebs for treatment.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:43

Mr Chips: Jun 27, 2007; Whose arse do I have to blow smoke up to get rid of this baby?

Endman posted:

Little Johnny's parents can take him to the loving Private Hospital if they don't want their little precious snowflake waiting with the plebs for treatment.

Wait times in public paeds EDs are loving nonexistent anyway, and the public hospitals are going to be open longer hours. It's a total non-issue and a piss-poor justification for white anting the system we have.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:49

open24hours: Jan 7, 2001

Ban private hospitals, health insurance.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:50

Endman: May 18, 2010; That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even anime may die

open24hours posted:

Ban private hospitals, health insurance.

Also this.

Providing any kind of preferential medical assistance to people based on capital instead of need is loving dumb and needs to die.

Eat the rich.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:52

CrazyTolradi: Oct 2, 2011; It feels so good to be so bad.....at posting.

Endman posted:

Little Johnny's parents can take him to the loving Private Hospital if they don't want their little precious snowflake waiting with the plebs for treatment.

That was my thought, if you've got private insurance, why are you going to a public hospital unless it's an emergency? (would a broken arm even constitute an emergency?)

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:56

i got banned: Sep 24, 2010; lol abbottwon

I am paying for health insurance and I used it once for dental but the cover was too expensive per month so I bumped it down to basic and I never use it

Am I an idiot?

# ? Aug 29, 2014 00:58

Endman: May 18, 2010; That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even anime may die

CrazyTolradi posted:

That was my thought, if you've got private insurance, why are you going to a public hospital unless it's an emergency? (would a broken arm even constitute an emergency?)

Broken bones are ER worthy, tbh. But they're not "jump to the head of the queue because you have more money than everyone else" worthy.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:02

CrazyTolradi: Oct 2, 2011; It feels so good to be so bad.....at posting.

In an interesting turn of events: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/08/the-accc-is-suing-valve/

ACCC takes on Valve, who will win?

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:24

Brown Paper Bag: Nov 3, 2012

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/24842599/labor-back-in-business-in-wa/
Labor back in business in WA
EXCLUSIVE Andrew Probyn Federal Political Editor The West Australian August 29, 2014, 3:35 am

quote:

Secret ALP polling has found the Abbott Government has gone into freefall in WA since the May Budget, with Labor beginning to seriously entertain an unlikely return to government within two years.

The West Australian understands Opposition MPs were this week briefed on a "Target 21" strategy that focuses on coalition-held seats that would be needed for Labor to regain power.

Three of Labor's 21 target seats are in WA - Hasluck, Swan and Cowan.

Labor's pollster UMR surveyed about 600 people in Hasluck on August 16-17 and found a 9 per cent swing against the Government.

On primary vote, Labor was sitting on 40 per cent, with the coalition on 37 per cent. This translated to a two-party split of 54-46 in favour of the ALP, a near reversal of last year's election result when Liberal Ken Wyatt held the seat.

An aggregation of all public polling in WA for the three months to July, that takes in the post-Budget period, found there had been a 12-point rise in primary support for the ALP in the State.

This translated to a 7.7 per cent swing to the ALP on two-party preferred status.

The turnaround in Labor's fortunes in WA is all the more remarkable considering its dreadful performance in April's repeat Senate election.

Labor recorded just 21.5 per cent in the April 5 vote, snaring just one of the six Senate spots up for grabs, compared with 34 per cent for the Liberals, 15.6 per cent for the Greens and 12.3 per cent for Palmer United Party.

Labor MPs, many of whom expected to spend at least two terms in Opposition, said the party's officials appeared intent on avoiding a repeat of the 1998 election when Labor fell just six seats short of throwing John Howard's government out of office after just one term.

Under Kim Beazley, Labor won almost 51 per cent of the two-party preferred vote in the 1998 poll but fell six seats short of forming government.

Labor�s Target 21 strategy, devised by the ALP assistant national secretaries Sebastian Zwalf and Paul Erickson, would see the party establish campaign structures and volunteer networks in up to 30 coalition-held seats.

Voter information in these seats will be collated and analysed ahead of the 2016 election to guide identification of swinging or undecided voters who will be subject of a telephone campaign.

During last year�s federal election campaign, ALP volunteers made one million calls to voters, up from 70,000 in 2010.

One Labor MP said that the May Budget and the Government�s botched sales job had dramatically changed the electoral landscape.

�But I�m not getting too excited because face it, we are still 18 months to two years away from the next election,� he said.

I'm sure a group of people as competent as WA Labor can sustain this.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:26

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

I think we may have reach peak AusFukt today (Ha ha if only the cesspit had a bottom).

By way of a little light relief:

Now for some contextual arguement:

http://eberesamuel.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/truly-sickening-and-utterly-evil-tony.html

quote:

'Truly sickening and utterly evil': Tony Abbott warns of Aussie beheadings as it's revealed Indonesian terrorists Jemaah Islamiyah has sided with ISIS killers who beheaded James Foley.

Strange source you say? Well it is only one of the extremist publications that came up when I searched for a source for NTATA's comment. I usually look a little harder to find an ABC source but this bias in the reporting aids my thesis. If it was appropriate for Alan Moran to leave the IPA for linking Islam and evil why are we still having to suffer NTATA? The obvious nature of this dog whistle is entirely reflected in who has chosen to relay it. While I can clearly only fantasise about this being the utterance that caused us to say ta ta to NTATA there must come a point where the accumulation of such ethical debris chokes the utterer (No there isn't - Just world fallacy).

Lid posted:

How to deal with rising unemployment among youth because of a lack of jobs? Why make it cheaper to literally sponsor foreigners for those few jobs at no loss to the employer. Yes these directly contradict each other AND are exploitative, what a great policy.

Health Care bullshit (etc.)

I'm about at the point where getting a ute, an inverter and stacking up some of my PA equipment in the back then circling Parliament house with a mic yelling "gently caress OFF!" seems like the only rational choice.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:28

Gough Suppressant: Nov 14, 2008

CrazyTolradi posted:

In an interesting turn of events: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/08/the-accc-is-suing-valve/

ACCC takes on Valve, who will win?

Australian consumer law would actually be a reasonable explanation for (marginally) higher regional pricing in a digital environment and I'm surprised no one has really trotted it out.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:31

Pidgin Englishman: Apr 30, 2007; If you shoot
you better hit your mark

open24hours posted:

Ban private hospitals, health insurance.

Please. Please, dear god please. Stop marching into the pits of private-only healthcare hell.

*breaks down sobbing*

Given how public healthcare is outperforming private in so many areas world wide, I'm not sure I'm more disappointed in our leaders for marching the wrong way or in the public for shrugging their shoulders and buying up private healthcare as soon as they can.

e: Let me know when you saddle up Cartoon, I'll take over when your voice gets hoarse.

Pidgin Englishman fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Aug 29, 2014

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:38

The Before Times: Mar 8, 2014; Once upon a time, I would have thrown you halfway to the moon for a crack like that.

Gough Suppressant posted:

Australian consumer law would actually be a reasonable explanation for (marginally) higher regional pricing in a digital environment and I'm surprised no one has really trotted it out.

Eh, it'd be a fairly weak explanation. Just because they might have to refund the item doesn't mean that they have to charge extra for it. Note that when the new ACL came into effect, prices for other stuff didn't go up because of it. American companies don't really care about Australian consumer law. And it's really the publishers who insist on regionalised pricing (GOG gets around this by refunding the difference as store credit). The publishers themselves probably have agreements with EB and other retailers so that EB can't be outpriced by Steam.

The Before Times fucked around with this message at 01:51 on Aug 29, 2014

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:47

CrazyTolradi: Oct 2, 2011; It feels so good to be so bad.....at posting.

Gough Suppressant posted:

Australian consumer law would actually be a reasonable explanation for (marginally) higher regional pricing in a digital environment and I'm surprised no one has really trotted it out.

The reason the "Australian" pricing is applied is due to the publisher not wanting screw over their brick and mortar partners (i.e EB games, etc). Same reason why Adobe said they charge what they do here, because if online pricing were lower it'd undermine their regional partners. Also, the publishers want to milk as much as they can to increase profits (since a publisher is usually the one footing the dev bill).

Valve cannot really argue they're just an "American company selling online" since when buying in Australia, you're charged in AUD and the pricing is very different to other regions. If you're going to charge a price for different regions, then you can follow the consumer laws for those regions and offer TOS that are enforcable in each.

In the end, Valve won't care really anyway, they don't have the overhead that Australian retail fronts do and they probably see the same amount of profit on each game title (without having to factor retail shop costs, wages, etc, into it). It only really affects the publishers since it hits their bottom line more if refunds are offered.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:51

MysticalMachineGun: Apr 5, 2005

I wonder how many refund requests they get, anyway? What grounds would you have for claiming a refund? "I don't like this game, money back please."

Even if a game doesn't work on your particular setup you're probably better off waiting for a patch than asking for your money back, anyway.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:54

Maluco Marinero: Jan 18, 2001; Damn that's a
fine elephant.

Haters Objector posted:

oh boy am I mad after reading that sentence

gently caress'n oath. I've even taken my son (4yrs old at the time) to the ER for a broken arm, the wait is nothing unreasonable especially for something like that which is entirely stable once you sling it. Just world private insurance arguments can go and get hosed. Please no Australia, step away from the dark side.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 01:55

Mr Chips: Jun 27, 2007; Whose arse do I have to blow smoke up to get rid of this baby?

CrazyTolradi posted:

In an interesting turn of events: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/08/the-accc-is-suing-valve/

ACCC takes on Valve, who will win?

Isn't it the case that valve don't set the prices, the publishers (eg EA Games) do?

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:01

Quantum Mechanic: Apr 25, 2010; Just another fuckwit who thrives on fake moral outrage.
Waaaah the Christians are out to get me

lol abbottsgonnawin

Mr Chips posted:

Isn't it the case that valve don't set the prices, the publishers (eg EA Games) do?

It's not about prices, though, it's about their refund policy.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:15

Les Affaires: Nov 15, 2004

I just hope I can use the fact that I haven't played half the games on my steam list as proof that I need a refund for them all.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:18

Pickled Tink: Apr 28, 2012; Have you heard about First Dog? It's a very good comic I just love.

Also, wear your bike helmets kids. I copped several blows to the head but my helmet left me totally unscathed.

Finally you should check out First Dog as it's a good comic I like it very much.; Fun Shoe

CrazyTolradi posted:

Valve cannot really argue they're just an "American company selling online" since when buying in Australia, you're charged in AUD and the pricing is very different to other regions. If you're going to charge a price for different regions, then you can follow the consumer laws for those regions and offer TOS that are enforcable in each.

Australian Steam prices are actually in USD. We just get charged more. It is clearly labelled on every price.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:22

Pidgin Englishman: Apr 30, 2007; If you shoot
you better hit your mark

Quantum Mechanic posted:

It's not about prices, though, it's about their refund policy.

Any chance of something new actually coming out of this?

Refunds are necessary when there's a risk of buying a dud from a production batch, but they seem a bit pointless when there's 0 risk of the item being defective.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:27

CATTASTIC: Mar 31, 2010; ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sanguine posted:

Any chance of something new actually coming out of this?

Refunds are necessary when there's a risk of buying a dud from a production batch, but they seem a bit pointless when there's 0 risk of the item being defective.

I've got a few older games re-released onto steam that straight wont work with modern setups.
The dev is usually long gone, so there's no chance of a patch.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:32

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# ? May 12, 2024 04:42

Zenithe: Feb 25, 2013; _{Ask not to whom the Anidavatar belongs; it belongs to thee.}

Sanguine posted:

Any chance of something new actually coming out of this?

Refunds are necessary when there's a risk of buying a dud from a production batch, but they seem a bit pointless when there's 0 risk of the item being defective.

I'm pretty sure the required returns policy also covers products not being as described, not just being faulty. So in this instance, if a product on steam was said to have features it didn't include you should be able to return it.

# ? Aug 29, 2014 02:33

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