Auspol June: Tony Drops the Nope

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol June: Tony Drops the Nope

Redwolf: Aug 9, 2011; I do not approve of your posting good sir! Not at all!

Christ. Just...christ. Ok. Ok ok.
So last month was a complete shitshow both in our great country and our less great thread, which ended up turning into such a rancid bucket of piss that I think soag was fighting Graic for the chance to drink it. So goddamn it, you can do better than this auspol. Before you post, ask yourself a few quick questions:

- Is this post dumb bullshit that adds nothing to the discussion at hand?
- Would others reasonably assume this is the work of an insufferable shitheel looking for attention?
- Does my response to Graic Grabtar contain something other than speculation on the quality and/or volume of urine that he consumes?
- Am I Negligent?

If you answered yes to any of those questions it might be time to go back to the drawing board and give it another try before you hit that button. Together friends, we can make this thread a better place for all of us. Or at least me. Whatever the case, let us join hands and venture into the terrible wasteland of the Onion Lord

Abbott The Despoiler lovingly crafted by our own MaliciousOnion

For those of you who are just joining us here is a brief overview of Australia's major political parties largely stolen from Quantum Mechanic.

The Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party are a pro-capitalist, right-wing, socially-conservative party currently in power. Led by Tony Abbott they believe in screwing the poor, torturing refugees in tropical prison camps and hanging on to power at all costs.

The Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor party are a pro-capitalist, right-wing, socially-conservative party currently in opposition. Led by international man of mystery Bill Shorten they believe in screwing the poor, torturing refugees in tropical prison camps and regaining power at all costs.

The National Party of Australia

The Nationals are a pro-capitalist, right-wing, socially-conservative parasitic twin latched onto the Liberals and are thus technically in power. Led by the reanimated corpse of Warren Truss they believe in whatever the Liberal party has told them they believe today.

The Australian Greens

The Australian Greens are a motley band of belligerent anarchist rabble whose supporters are heavily represented in the thread. Led by ~~Christine Milne~~ Richard Di Natale they believe in Scott Ludlum's dreamy, luxiourus hair, free lattes for all, and probably the same things you do unless you're an absolute shitstain of a human being.

The Australian Democrats

_{The Australian Democrats are were a pro-capitalist, right-wing, socially-conservative party consisting of forums poster and whisper enthusiast ScreamingLlama. Led Formerly led by forums poster ScreamingLlama they believe believed in fabricating a list of 550 members to prevent their imminent deregistration as an official political party. Sadly like everything else the Democrats believed in, they were unable to follow through on the rhetoric and earlier in the year were disbanded as an official political party. But let us not mourn their passing, instead let us bow our heads and give thanks for the legacy they have left us.}

Continuing my trend of stealing content from other posters, this is a selection of links that used to be attached to the monthly thread that comes courtesy of hambeet. Of course since it came from hambeet that means a lot of it was crap, terrible and painfully out of date. If people have any suggestions for links or anything that could go here please let me know.

Great sources of news, information and opinion
The media in Australia sucks rear end, so try these instead.
Crikey ! Was not on the list because I'm sure everyone know's of it but duck monster pointed out that it was stupid not to included it so now it's here are you happy look now you've upset your brother!
An Onymous Lefty: Left leaning, Victoria-centric blog by Jeremy Sear, Victorian barrister and Crikey contributor (the guy behind Pure Poison)
Caen's Corner: "Some not-so-brief thoughts by a Melbourne lawyer with an interest in criminal law and associated fields". Much more law than politics, but often plainly written and relevant.
Club Troppo: "Fearlessly dispensing political, legal and economic analysis (and some whimsy) since 2002". Left-leaning Aus politics blog. Usually exceptionally well written, and has multiple contributors.
The Conscience Vote: Left-leaning political commentary that I almost always agree with and fervently wish would get published in the place of Michelle Grattan's bile.
The Conversation: "The Conversation is an independent source of information, analysis and commentary from the university and research sector � written by acknowledged experts and delivered directly to the public. Our team of professional editors work with more than 2,800 academic authors to make this wealth of knowledge and expertise accessible to all." i.e. Actual information, before it gets hosed sideways by hack journalists.
The Failed Estate: "Rejuvenating Journalism in a Jaded Age" Australian media is loving terrible, so here is some commentary on it. Those comments are Mr Denmore, who "was a journalist for 26 years. He has worked in radio, television, newspapers and online media. He now works in the corporate sector."
Grog's Gamut: Aus politics commentary (with an economic bent) by Greg Jericho. Well written, well referenced. This guy was blogging during the 2010 federal election, pointing out how poo poo the media is, while being a public servant.
He was outed by The Australian for calling them on their poo poo.
Heathen Scripture: Exceptionally good satirical political commentary, which is unfortunately updated very rarely.
John Quiggin: "Commentary on Australian & world events from a social-democratic perspective" by a Professor of Economics.
Law Geek Down Under: Fairly straight-laced Australian legal news.
New Matilda: Very professional and well written news/politics/current affairs site. One of the better independent sources of Australian news.
News With Nipples: Somewhat casual/hobbyist Australian media/political blogging from a feminist perspective.
The Political Sword: In-depth and substantive politics and policy analysis.
Politically Homeless: Well written political commentary from Andrew Elder, former member of the Liberal Party, "starting off as a libertarian-punk, then as a moderate seeking to preserve rights and freedoms in a changing world; now he scorns the know-nothing Liberals, doesn't trust the left and disdains the other interest groups that flit around Australian politics".
Something Wonky: Dave and Jeremy's new Australian political+media+culture blog/podcast. Replaces Pure Poison formerly of Crikey
Pure Poison: Crikey's "look at the stupid poo poo the Australian media is doing" blog. Been replaced by Something Wonky above, but all of the blog is still viewable
Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodies: A fairly legalistic Australian law blog, with some interesting analysis from time to time.
We Are All Dead: Matt Cowgill, who does economic analysis for the ACTU, posts political and economic stuff. Specialises in debunking trending Liberal talking points.
Wixxyleaks: Wixxy, claims no interest nor relation to Julian Assange. Mostly politics and other good insights. Good investigative piece regarding the Slipper and Thomson affair.
Left Flank: Commentary/analysis from a Marxist perspective.
Overland literary journal: An literary journal. Jeff Sparrow is the editor.
The Piping Shrike: Political blog. It's usually a good read.
Independent Australia: IA is a progressive journal focusing on politics, democracy, the environment, Australian history and Australian identity. IA supports quality investigative journalism as well as citizen journalism and a diversity of voices. It believes Australians are short-changed by the mass media and and so it dedicates itself to seeking out the truth and informing the public.
Reasonable Grounds: News in criminal justice, politics and human rights.

Parliament events calendar: (Thanks eh4).

Refugee stuff
It comes up a lot in this thread because both sides use it to try and win votes because Australia is a racist country. So if you want to learn more about why both major political parties are horrible to Asylum seekers check this out :

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Amnesty International
Refugee Action Coalition
Refugee Council of Australia

Former(?) thread poster Emmjay also had this to say

Emmjay posted:

If anyone wants to read an actual book pick-up a copy of Human Rights Overboard. It is an excellent but distressing read. It was published back in 2008 so is a little out of date now but it helped me answer the question 'how the hell did we get in this mess'. �The verdict, frankly, is nothing short of horrific. This book reveals something systematically rotten. Not isolated incidents, but a repressive structure �The information gathered is so compelling, so relentless, and derived from so many diverse accounts in different parts of Australia, that accusations of bias must be crushed under its weight.� Waleed Aly, Australian Literary Review

_{Courtesy of Belgaer}

We have an irc channel, #auspol on synirc where we discuss news, politics and loving wrestling because its not worth fighting you goddamn lunatics on it.

Some things to consider before you join #auspol :siren:

On occasion the channel will become voiced either to cut down on bullshit or more likely because I got bored and wanted to annoy people. We STRONGLY SUGGEST that you register your nick with Nickserv so we can add you to the voiced list. To do so, just /msg nickserv help register and follow the instructions.
Since the irc is full of Australians and therefore poo poo and terrible people who don't think or learn without being repeatedly beaten about the head, we have a word filter that will kick you for saying certain words. These are mostly unfunny jokes chosen by and changing at the capricious whims of the mods, but it also watches out for certain gendered slurs and words which are considered unacceptable, and for which the mods will ban you for one day if you use. We don't apologise for this and don't really care how you feel about it. Please also avoid offensive fake user@hosts, you will be banned until you change them if you want to participate.

Continuing the baffling trend of successful auspol goonmeets, kommando has organised a meetup for the ~~suckers still trapped in~~ residents of Brisbane. Talk to him for details because I washed my hands of that blasted hellhole the moment I crossed the border.

Ok everyone its a new month and a brand new start, lets get out there and make June the best thread we possibly can.

Redwolf fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Jun 2, 2015

# ? May 31, 2015 14:18

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 13:59

Murodese: Mar 6, 2007; Think you've got what it takes?
We're looking for fine Men & Women to help Protect the Australian Way of Life.

Become part of the Legend. Defence Jobs.

Need to update the Greens leader in the description :toot:

# ? May 31, 2015 14:22

Birb Katter: Sep 18, 2010; BOATS STOPPED
CARBON TAX AXED
TURNBULL AS PM
LIBERALS WILL BE RE-ELECTED IN A LANDSLIDE

What if I ended up answering yes to all of those questions above? Is it like maths where two negatives make a positive and posting should continue?

And remember, all cats are beautiful

# ? May 31, 2015 14:29

Jonah Galtberg: Feb 11, 2009

I really wish I didn't recognise the original Warhammer image

# ? May 31, 2015 14:50

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

That was a terrible, low effort copypasta shitpost OP.

# ? May 31, 2015 15:06

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

hello.jpg

# ? May 31, 2015 15:20

Zetsubou-san: Jan 28, 2015; Cruel Bifaunidas demanded that you [stand]🧍 I require only that you [kneel]🧎

once again a good OP, marred (as always) only by the fact it begins a new Auspol thread.

# ? May 31, 2015 15:49

Zetsubou-san: Jan 28, 2015; Cruel Bifaunidas demanded that you [stand]🧍 I require only that you [kneel]🧎

Drugs posted:

hello.jpg

code:

rename hello.jpg australian_politics.jpg

# ? May 31, 2015 15:50

white mans burping: Feb 24, 2015

Negligent posted:

That was a terrible, low effort copypasta shitpost OP.

# ? May 31, 2015 15:54

Senor Tron: May 26, 2006

Not the OP Auspol needed, but the OP it deserved.

# ? May 31, 2015 16:00

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

I thought tithin wanted to do the June thread D:

# ? May 31, 2015 16:17

hooman: Oct 11, 2007; This guy seems legit.; Fun Shoe

Here's to a new monthly thread.

May it be better than the old monthly thread.

# ? May 31, 2015 16:39

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

If I were to write the OP I would put something like

Liberal Party of Australia

Led by a man who is often depicted in what are colloquially termed 'budgie smugglers', The Hon. Anthony John Abbott MP. Yet the Liberals are so collectively inept at being socially conservative that gay marriage just might pass under their Government, so idiotic economically that last year they called a budget 'emergency' which this year was embarrassingly marked by a U-turn on the PM's signature paid parental leave policy, and so bereft of humanity that Cambodia, a country where not stepping on a landmine constitutes a good day, is a better choice than further incarceration. Did I mention politically? Yeah, their Cabinet meetings get leaked to the press, and their Cabinet decisions also get leaked to the press, despite not actually having been approved by the aforementioned Cabinet. These people are so comically bad at everything that they defy satire, such as popular ABC television series the Hollowmen, which accurately predicted their focus on the dangers of terrorism to distract from the fact that they couldn't organise a gently caress in a brothel.

The Australian Labor Party

Led by a man mainly noted by voters for being a 'faceless man', The Hon. William Richard Shorten MP is notable for the fact that he is entirely unnoticeable. He came off a production line of student politician, law degree, party hack, MBA, and is basically indistinguishable from the middle managers who on a daily basis gently caress the workers he purportedly protects. Shorten appears to have taken to heart the political maxim, 'Oppositions don't win elections, Governments lose them' by disappearing completely, only to reappear at carefully focus-group tested moments to mutter words of no consequence. When low information voters say 'there's no difference, they're all the same' keep in mind it's Bill Shorten's fault.

The National Party

Nominally led by Warren Truss, the real face of the Nats is the mildly deranged visage of The Hon. Barnaby Thomas Gerald Joyce. Whether he is threatening to kill puppies or, in a leaked 'stopped clock is right twice a day' moment, calling out his Coalition partners on a terrible citizenship revocation policy, Barnaby is definitely doing justice to the expectations of a man named Barnaby. Oh yeah and the Nats are increasingly struggling for relevance even in their supposed heartland of rural Australia, similarly to how Labor are so alien to the rights of workers they may as well be from another galaxy.

The Australian Greens

The Greens are, by most measures, the only real progressive, left wing party in Australia. Like the Lib Dems in Britain, they had to hitch their wagon to a turd as a matter of political pragmatism, but since then, their stocks have only increased. Their leader is Senator the Hon. Richard di Natale, who looks so much like Adam Bandt the two are practically indistinguishable at a distance, and may be the same person. They have a bunch of policy positions such as 'brown people are people too' that are unpalatable to middle Australia and so will never be a party of Government. Except that one time they sort of were.

# ? May 31, 2015 16:40

Seagull: Oct 9, 2012; give me a chip

hooman posted:

Here's to a new monthly thread.

May it be better than the old monthly thread.

we've already seen numerous rule breakages so it won't be

# ? May 31, 2015 17:01

white mans burping: Feb 24, 2015

Negligent posted:

If I were to write the OP I would put something like

Liberal Party of Australia

Led by a man who is often depicted in what are colloquially termed 'budgie smugglers', The Hon. Anthony John Abbott MP. Yet the Liberals are so collectively inept at being socially conservative that gay marriage just might pass under their Government, so idiotic economically that last year they called a budget 'emergency' which this year was embarrassingly marked by a U-turn on the PM's signature paid parental leave policy, and so bereft of humanity that Cambodia, a country where not stepping on a landmine constitutes a good day, is a better choice than further incarceration. Did I mention politically? Yeah, their Cabinet meetings get leaked to the press, and their Cabinet decisions also get leaked to the press, despite not actually having been approved by the aforementioned Cabinet. These people are so comically bad at everything that they defy satire, such as popular ABC television series the Hollowmen, which accurately predicted their focus on the dangers of terrorism to distract from the fact that they couldn't organise a gently caress in a brothel.

The Australian Labor Party

Led by a man mainly noted by voters for being a 'faceless man', The Hon. William Richard Shorten MP is notable for the fact that he is entirely unnoticeable. He came off a production line of student politician, law degree, party hack, MBA, and is basically indistinguishable from the middle managers who on a daily basis gently caress the workers he purportedly protects. Shorten appears to have taken to heart the political maxim, 'Oppositions don't win elections, Governments lose them' by disappearing completely, only to reappear at carefully focus-group tested moments to mutter words of no consequence. When low information voters say 'there's no difference, they're all the same' keep in mind it's Bill Shorten's fault.

The National Party

Nominally led by Warren Truss, the real face of the Nats is the mildly deranged visage of The Hon. Barnaby Thomas Gerald Joyce. Whether he is threatening to kill puppies or, in a leaked 'stopped clock is right twice a day' moment, calling out his Coalition partners on a terrible citizenship revocation policy, Barnaby is definitely doing justice to the expectations of a man named Barnaby. Oh yeah and the Nats are increasingly struggling for relevance even in their supposed heartland of rural Australia, similarly to how Labor are so alien to the rights of workers they may as well be from another galaxy.

The Australian Greens

The Greens are, by most measures, the only real progressive, left wing party in Australia. Like the Lib Dems in Britain, they had to hitch their wagon to a turd as a matter of political pragmatism, but since then, their stocks have only increased. Their leader is Senator the Hon. Richard di Natale, who looks so much like Adam Bandt the two are practically indistinguishable at a distance, and may be the same person. They have a bunch of policy positions such as 'brown people are people too' that are unpalatable to middle Australia and so will never be a party of Government. Except that one time they sort of were.

woulve dote 1 this OP

please can we let negligent make the next OP it will like the time mills made an OP except it wilwl be bette rthan mills because :shrug:

# ? May 31, 2015 17:10

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

For students of history, if we're making book recommendations, I'd look up 2nd hand copies of Not Happy John and its sequel Still Not Happy John by renowned ratbag Margo Kingston. They're very readable roundups of what Howard was getting up to and although they are fairly opinionated, the sheer amount of damage he did is undeniable.

# ? May 31, 2015 18:18

Lilli: Feb 21, 2011; Goodbye, my child.

So how's the whole drowning refugees thing going?

# ? May 31, 2015 18:38

dr_rat: Jun 4, 2001

Seagull posted:

we've already seen numerous rule breakages so it won't be

Oh I'm sure that was just some new thread merriment. By the secound page I'm sure everyone will be hard at work making this into the best drat thread anyone has ever seen.

Just you wait and see!

# ? May 31, 2015 19:07

dr_rat: Jun 4, 2001

Lilli posted:

So how's the whole drowning refugees thing going?

Nobody knows as immigration/boarder patrol/Aus Navy aren't saying, but you can probably assumed pretty hosed.

I believe there was two whistleblowers from the navy who confirmed last year, but yeah...

# ? May 31, 2015 19:12

birdstrike: Oct 30, 2008; i;m gay

According to the tradespeople working on a neighbouring house this weekend, the real reason for Sydney's ridiculous house prices is "Chinese investors being able to borrow from their government at 1% interest."

China's central bank interest rate is more than double ours :psyduck:

# ? May 31, 2015 21:13

Graic Gabtar: Dec 19, 2014; squat my posts

On China and from the didn't see that coming files...

The Age posted:

Former Labor MP Craig Thomson talks up Aussie miners in China

Australian mining has always had its fair share of rough diamonds but the emergence of Craig Thomson as an ambassador for the industry is a most unexpected development.

Fairfax Media can reveal the disgraced former Labor MP addressed a metals conference in China last week where he talked up investment in junior bauxite miners in Australia.

And, according to Mr Thomson, his presentation went down so well he has been invited to talk at two more mining seminars in Asia.

The former member for Dobell, who famously blew more than $5000 of union money on prostitutes, was engaged by a small mining consultancy to write and deliver a speech at the sixth annual aluminum raw materials summit in Qingdao, eastern China.

He addressed the conference on behalf of Xbauxi, a company registered in July 2014 that operates out of a recruitment agency in the Sydney suburb of Baulkham Hills.

Xbauxi's website claims the company "deliver[s] mining projects from initial concept through to construction management and operations support using multi-skilled project delivery people backed up by in-house and third party technical support".

Mr Thomson said the thrust of his speech was encouraging investment in smaller Australian bauxite players who compete against the market behemoth Rio Tinto.

Mr Thomson was listed in the program by hosts Asian Metal as a "partner" of Xbauxi but he told Fairfax Media he has no direct financial hand in the company and was not even paid by Xbauxi.

"They needed a speech written. I didn't get paid but they covered my travel expenses. It was an opportunity and basically I'm desperately looking for work. I have two young daughters to feed," he said.

Mr Thomson, who narrowly avoided prison after being convicted of 13 charges of theft relating to withdrawals from ATMs with a Health Services Union credit card and fined $25,000, said Xbauxi had not given him a company credit card for his trip to China.

His re-emergence comes less than two months after he told a judge in Melbourne that mental health problems and suicidal thoughts would prevent him fighting a civil case brought by the Fair Work Commission for the alleged misspending of $243,000 in HSU funds.

Thomson provided evidence from his psychologist that he was suffering a major depressive disorder and other conditions but failed to convince Federal Court Justice Christopher Jessup to dismiss the case against him.

Xbauxi declined to comment.

http://www.theage.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/former-labor-mp-craig-thomson-talks-up-aussie-miners-in-china-20150531-ghcme1

At the risk of being accused some kind of unkind person this doesn't sound like the actions of a person arguing they are unable to face a court of law. Unless of course he is on the mend.

All in all though, a bit of a lovely bone to be thrown to him by someone.

# ? May 31, 2015 21:43

Birb Katter: Sep 18, 2010; BOATS STOPPED
CARBON TAX AXED
TURNBULL AS PM
LIBERALS WILL BE RE-ELECTED IN A LANDSLIDE

In the spirit of giving the Ice Queen one serious Auspol post may I present to you, dear thread, a picture shameless stolen from the internet.

Love by Miranda 'Shakespeare' Divine

# ? May 31, 2015 21:44

NoNotTheMindProbe: Aug 9, 2010; pony porn was here

Lilli posted:

So how's the whole drowning refugees thing going?

The whole process of border control and refugee processing is currenty shrouded by an East German style blanket of secrecy and intimidation. The immigration dept could be systematically murdering refugees and we wouldn't know.

# ? May 31, 2015 21:45

Birb Katter: Sep 18, 2010; BOATS STOPPED
CARBON TAX AXED
TURNBULL AS PM
LIBERALS WILL BE RE-ELECTED IN A LANDSLIDE

Graic Gabtar posted:

On China and from the didn't see that coming files...

At the risk of being accused some kind of unkind person this doesn't sound like the actions of a person arguing they are unable to face a court of law. Unless of course he is on the mend.

All in all though, a bit of a lovely bone to be thrown to him by someone.

That isn't exactly a long bow to draw at all. It could be possible that the prospect of needing to get work to feed the family was enough of a wake up call to snap him out of what ever funk he's in too.

Obligatory drink piss Craig Thomson

# ? May 31, 2015 21:48

Graic Gabtar: Dec 19, 2014; squat my posts

Birb Katter posted:

That isn't exactly a long bow to draw at all. It could be possible that the prospect of needing to get work to feed the family was enough of a wake up call to snap him out of what ever funk he's in too.

Maybe. However, I have a couple of long bows of my own to draw.

i just get a feeling that this could easily be the start of another train wreck only just set in motion.

The former member for Dobell might want to be very careful of any new friends he makes in such a bastion of transparency and governance.

If I was a shrewd local business person knowing that things can sometimes get a little dodgy and I was looking for a meat shield I couldn't think of a better example.

Someone threw Thomson this gig. If he is as strapped for cash as he states why wasn't he just lined up with a back office job that paid something? You wouldn't send him over there for nix unless he planned to be plugged into the scene ongoing. If so, I wonder what people are thinking?

# ? May 31, 2015 23:06

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

A new poo poo month, a new poo poo thread

# ? May 31, 2015 23:19

tithin: Nov 14, 2003; [Grandmaster Tactician]

Mithranderp posted:

I thought tithin wanted to do the June thread D:

Yeah I was gonna, but Red had already written most of it when I was starting a week ago, so I let her have this month. I'll take July.

Honestly, it's probably just gonna be a giant loving hello.jpg at the rate this shithouse country's going.

# ? May 31, 2015 23:36

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

Redwolf OP, voted 1

# ? May 31, 2015 23:42

Kegslayer: Jul 23, 2007

Graic Gabtar posted:

Maybe. However, I have a couple of long bows of my own to draw.

i just get a feeling that this could easily be the start of another train wreck only just set in motion.

The former member for Dobell might want to be very careful of any new friends he makes in such a bastion of transparency and governance.

If I was a shrewd local business person knowing that things can sometimes get a little dodgy and I was looking for a meat shield I couldn't think of a better example.

Someone threw Thomson this gig. If he is as strapped for cash as he states why wasn't he just lined up with a back office job that paid something? You wouldn't send him over there for nix unless he planned to be plugged into the scene ongoing. If so, I wonder what people are thinking?

Its not really much of a story.

A small consultancy firm hired him to give a speech to a bunch of people that have no idea who he is aside from being a former Australian minister so the firm can look more impressive and connected than it really is.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 00:26

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

Graic Gabtar posted:

On China and from the didn't see that coming files...

At the risk of being accused some kind of unkind person this doesn't sound like the actions of a person arguing they are unable to face a court of law. Unless of course he is on the mend.

All in all though, a bit of a lovely bone to be thrown to him by someone.

Xbauxi has the wrong sort of man.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 00:31

open24hours: Jan 7, 2001

tithin posted:

Yeah I was gonna, but Red had already written most of it when I was starting a week ago

Someone spent more than five minutes on that?

# ? Jun 1, 2015 00:42

cowboy beepboop: Feb 24, 2001

Labor's focus groups are getting weird
http://www.lukefoley.com.au/cbd

quote:

CBD to become a zone of chaos and confusion
Posted by Nsw Labor on May 28, 2015

The Liberal Government has today revealed that in just a few months, George Street as we know it will be gone forever � plunged into chaos as major construction starts on the Sydney CBD-South East light rail.

Labor leader Luke Foley said construction of light rail down George Street will cause massive disruptions for commuters.

�The problem with light rail down George Street is not that there will be congestion in the city for three years, it�s that it will be a permanent congestion nightmare,� Mr Foley said.

�There�s a reason why, for fifty years, Royal Commissioners and transport experts have called to get trams out of the Sydney CBD � it�s because they cause congestion.

�The Liberals will deliver a Berlin Wall down the central spine of Sydney, dividing the CBD into east and west. Every east-west road in the city will be heavily impacted and heavily congested by the George St light rail.

�People in Sydney can expect that, from October 2015, every trip in and out of the city will take significantly longer.

�Parents will have to drop their kids off earlier to school. People will be late for work. Does this plan come with a late note?

�Make no mistake, Sydney needs light rail � but not down George Street. The Liberals should listen to the experts and terminate light rail at Central Station.�

Shadow Minister for Transport Ryan Park said: �Congestion, chaos and confusion will reign in the Sydney CBD over the next few years.

�The Liberals have tried to slip this dodgy plan into the State of Origin wash up � but they haven�t been able to hide the disaster set to begin in just a few months.

�This government will significantly change the bus timetable for thousands of people coming into the city. We still don�t know details of the new bus timetable, but we do know that rerouting buses off George St will be a disaster.

�You can�t just move buses from the biggest bus corridor in Australia onto nearby streets. Nearby streets like Elizabeth and Castlereagh are already gridlocked, there�s simply no room.

�The Government has also failed to explain what kind of compensation will be needed for businesses.

�Every retailer along George St can blame Mike Baird, Andrew Constance and Duncan Gay for a fall in profits and a reduction in sales.

�Construction will begin just in time for Christmas and Boxing Day sales � a time when retailers paying huge amounts of rent rely on increased patronage to get them through the rest of the year.

�The Government should listen to Nick Greiner � who made it clear that light rail in the Sydney CBD will increase congestion and grind this city to halt

# ? Jun 1, 2015 00:47

Graic Gabtar: Dec 19, 2014; squat my posts

my stepdads beer posted:

Labor's focus groups are getting weird
http://www.lukefoley.com.au/cbd

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-17/napthine-government-considering-other-options-on-metro-rail-pro/5264320

Berlin Wall comparisons are FoTM.

quote:

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine says the proposed route for a new rail tunnel through central Melbourne would divide the city "like the Berlin Wall."

The Government is considering changes to the $9 billion Metro rail project which would run through the CBD from Kensington to South Yarra.

The project would significantly boost the city's passenger and freight rail capacity.

Under the proposed route, the construction of the tunnel would see large parts of Swanston Street, including Flinders Street Station, out of action for up to two years.

Dr Napthine says the disruption would be too great.

"Having a massive hole dividing Melbourne would be worse than the Berlin wall," he said.

Dr Napthine will not confirm what changes could be made to the original plan, but he says a number of options are being considered.

"It would be irresponsible if the Government didn't look at all the options, all of the information available to get the best outcome for Melbourne and Victoria and that's what we're on about," he said.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 00:55

Graic Gabtar: Dec 19, 2014; squat my posts

open24hours posted:

Someone spent more than five minutes on that?

It was arguably better the first time around.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 00:57

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

Lilli posted:

So how's the whole drowning refugees thing going?

We are number 1! :australia:

# ? Jun 1, 2015 01:29

CATTASTIC: Mar 31, 2010; ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Graic Gabtar posted:

"Having a massive hole dividing Melbourne would be worse than the Berlin wall," he said.

What an appropriate and well-reasoned comparison.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 01:40

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/coalition-backbenchers-urge-abbott-to-expand/6510752

quote:

Coalition backbenchers urge Abbott to expand new citizenship legislation to include sole Australian nationals Monday 1 June 2015 7:36AM

The issue of citizenship rights for Australians involved in terrorism has caused a deep split within the Abbott Government. Legislation will soon be introduced to revoke citizenship from dual nationals. And now close to 40 Coalition backbenchers have co-signed a letter which will be delivered to the Prime Minister today, urging him to expand the proposed regime to cover sole Australian nationals also. The radical proposal would net migrants who renounce their birth country in favour of Australia, and Australian offspring of foreign born parents. The letter is a direct rebuke of half a dozen senior ministers who spoke up against the proposal last week in Cabinet.

So Andrew Nikolic is an actual fascist. Have a listen to him fall over himself regarding judicial oversight.

Please, please don't accuse me of playing the 'you can only do one thing at a time' card or what ever here but having the legitimisation of gay marriage overshadow this step off the cliff towards an authoritarian nightmare is maddening. Doubly so because once Shorten introduces his tainted and partisan bill all the government stooges have to do is co-sponsor it, vote for it and hey presto done loving deal. Anything else is just pointless smoke and obfuscation while indefinite detention by ministerial whim gets on the fast track to your front door.

I'm waiting for the list of people who are fascist monsters to be made public. They all need to be named and shamed.

At the risk of repeating myself these extraordinary powers are being given to counter a threat that even the shrillest shills can't get to number in four figures.

The government need all this storm and noise desperately at the moment too. The economy is teetering on recession with no good news on the horizon. They have done nothing to fix the structural deficit. The policies of European austerity didn't work in Europe and are likely to crash what's left of business and consumer confidence here. :bravo:

-/-

As an example of just how bad this government is at doing things:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/government-accused-of-targeting-exploited-workers/6510664

quote:

Government accused of targeting exploited workers instead of dodgy labour hire companies Monday 1 June 2015 6:36AM

The Federal Government has been accused of targeting the victims of worker exploitation in Australia's food industry, rather than the labour hire companies at the heart of the problem. Last month a Four Corners investigation revealed that our major supermarkets and fast food chains are selling fresh produce picked and processed in this country by thousands of exploited workers. Dodgy labour hire firms and even some growers are ruthlessly exploiting highly vulnerable young foreigners, many with very limited English. They're being underpaid, overworked, poorly treated, and in some cases, even sexually harassed and abused.

The Federal Government responded by establishing a taskforce - and it's cracking down on illegal workers.

Last Thursday, 32 workers were detained after raids in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. But the National Union of Workers is calling on the Government to crack down on the dodgy labour hire companies which are at the heart of the problem.

Kick the victim! How dare they speak up!

-/-

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/pell/6510928

quote:

Adviser to Pope Francis calls on Cardinal George Pell to step aside from the Vatican Monday 1 June 2015 8:42AM

Cardinal George Pell is seeking legal advice after scathing criticism from a Papal adviser on child sexual abuse - aired on the Nine Network's 60 Minutes program last night. Peter Saunders is an adviser to a Papal commissioner appointed by the Pope to protect children in the Catholic Church. Last night on Channel Nine, Mr Saunders - himself an abuse survivor - called on Cardinal Pell to step aside from his senior position at the Vatican. Cardinal Pell has previously indicated he's willing to appear before the Royal Commission if asked to do so.

Francis Sullivan, the head of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council for the Catholic Church, joins Fran Kelly on RN Breakfast.

I doubt anything worthwhile will come of this but Pell really isn't looking very good here.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 02:21

Amoeba102: Jan 22, 2010

my stepdads beer posted:

Labor's focus groups are getting weird
http://www.lukefoley.com.au/cbd

Trams are one of the reasons Melbourne is better than Sydney. gently caress NSW ALP is hopeless.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 02:28

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

quote:

That an entire generation of young Australians has been shut out of the Melbourne and Sydney property markets is bad enough. When you consider though that a solution to the problem of housing affordability is staring policy-makers straight in the face, it is a blatant failure of government.

No, it's not negative gearing we are talking about here � although getting rid of negative gearing would help to rein in the budget deficit.

We are talking about anti-money laundering (AML) legislation. All the government has to do is to bring in the AML legislation it said it would bring in almost 10 years ago and the heat, or at least some of the heat, would come out of the market.

At present, Chinese investors are only permitted to take $US50,000 ($65,413) out of the country. Yet they are regularly paying cash for $1.5 million-plus homes in Sydney and Melbourne.

It is a fair assumption then that most of the money pouring into Australian residential property from China is therefore black money.

The first tranche of the AML legislation was introduced for the financial services and gaming sectors in 2007. It was intended that the second tranche be rolled out the next year � covering real estate and other sectors.

Once this second tranche of the AML regime is introduced, it will require the likes of real estate agents and luxury car dealers to identify for the regulator AUSTRAC a whole slew of details about their customers and where the money is coming from.

This will mean anything more than $US50,000 coming out of China may be deemed to be unlawful as it will have breached Chinese foreign investment regulations.

How big is this market, and how much black money are we talking about here?

Credit Suisse estimates some $28 billion of Chinese money has been invested in the Australian housing market over the past six years. Assuming � and there is no way to put an accurate number on this � that half of that $28 billion is black money, then that's $14 billion of Chinese money inflating Australian house prices.

Bear in mind that the principle aim of Chinese investors is to diversify their wealth beyond China, in a stable economic and political environment. It is not to buy yield. Therefore, the basic principles of the market are being distorted. Prices have run too high because these buyers are looking for a place to park their cash rather than achieve an investment return.

Assuming the Credit Suisse estimates are correct and some $60 billion in new Chinese investment floods into Australian housing over the next six years, and assuming that half of that is black money, that's $30 billion in black money which will keep prices inflated over the coming six years.

Chinese buyers were "important drivers of house prices", having claimed 23 per cent of new housing stock in Sydney and 20 per cent in Melbourne in 2013-14, according to Credit Suisse.

"If Chinese buyers are on the verge of snapping up the equivalent of a quarter of new supply, we can see why house prices in both cities have outpaced income growth."

Stemming the tide of Chinese capital is no silver bullet for the vexing issue of housing affordability, but it is surely a stride in the right direction � and one which is not anti-Chinese, anti-foreign investment, or anti-anything apart from anti-money laundering.

It is politically very doable � notwithstanding that politicians and others who already own properties are benefiting personally from the Chinese cash invasion. Moreover, it is economically sensible. There is much hand-wringing about the Reserve Bank further inflating the property bubble if it cuts interest rates to spur economic activity.

Indeed, record low rates, record high property prices, record household debt to income levels (150 per cent plus) and banks lending at 95 per cent loan-to-valuation ratios is potentially catastrophic � especially in the event that unemployment rises. So why is the government dithering on AML?

The draft provisions for the second tranche of AML legislation were released in 2007 for an expected roll-out in 2008. It has been quietly delayed ever since � even despite international pressure and a measure of condemnation from the Financial Action Task Force, the global body which sets the regulatory and operational standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

When Canada tightened up its visa laws early last year, it helped take the heat out of the Vancouver property market (the number one destination for Chinese capital). That only ramped up the billions of dollars plunged into Australia.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/bus...531-ghdjw7.html

Here In Australia horse racing is subject to Anti-money laundering laws but real estate and luxury cars are not.

# ? Jun 1, 2015 02:32

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 13:59

MysticalMachineGun: Apr 5, 2005

Jumpingmanjim posted:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/bus...531-ghdjw7.html

Here In Australia horse racing is subject to Anti-money laundering laws but real estate and luxury cars are not.

Isn't real estate one of the best ways to launder money?

# ? Jun 1, 2015 03:01

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol June: Tony Drops the Nope

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