Longmactoppedup

joined 1 year ago
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Who was our worst Prime Minister and why? Any notable state leaders we need to add? in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 3 points 2 days ago

I agree he absolutely did do the right thing on gun control.

Who was our worst Prime Minister and why? Any notable state leaders we need to add? in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I guess that's why I really dislike him. I don't want Australia to be so unequal. A good leader would have attempted to bring people together. Instead he drove as many wedges through society as he could, both economically and socially.

No question people who already owned real estate did very well under Howard.

IMO Howard changed our society from being one of mate-ship and egalitarian values to the current "fuck you, got mine" society we have. Ironically whilst giving speeches to the media about "Australian values" including mate ship. Agree it's hard to say if he caused it, or just reflected society at large.

Australians who think inequality is high have less faith in democratic institutions, study finds in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 4 points 2 days ago

I wonder why they focused on income distribution rather than wealth distribution?

I would have thought that inequality in accumulated wealth is the bigger issue. How many times the median income would one need to earn to "catch up" to some one on median income who inherited their parents property?

IMO our society is stratifying in to those who own vs those who will never own their own home.

Who was our worst Prime Minister and why? Any notable state leaders we need to add? in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I think Norway's has legislation around the percent that can be used now vs what has to be reserved for future generations. Although I agree with the sentiment that the calibre of politicians we elect couldn't be trusted to think beyond one election cycle.

Who was our worst Prime Minister and why? Any notable state leaders we need to add? in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 25 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (12 children)

For me it was Howard. He was really effective at furthering many neo liberal economic policies to fuck over anyone not born in to wealth. Sure some of the more recent PMS have been more embarrassing and stupid (scummo, abbot) but Howard was an absolute arsehole.

He brought in the capital gains tax discount for real estate which when combined with the existing negative gearing policy was/is a major contributor driving investors to real estate thus making property become unaffordable. Not to mention it's just so unfair inequitable. Why the fuck should a person who buys existing houses pay less tax on money gained from that than someone who actually produces something of value does on their income?

He was the political equivalent of the FIFO miner spending all his cash on a Malloo, jet ski and glass BBQ party. Howard pissed the early - mid 2000s mining boom proceeds up the wall on middle class welfare. Instead we could have had a future fund like Norway. To be fair every politician we have had since has either been too corrupt or scared to attempt anything like that.

Howard also realised he could fuck over unions by bringing in masses of extra workers via record immigration in order to lower wages. (Added Bonus this increased demand on real estate too) He won't be remembered for that on immigration, instead he will be remembered for his "boat people" rhetoric. It was like a magicians distraction, look at these bad immigrants, meanwhile opening the floodgate for "good" immigrants.

He sold telecom setting our internet tech back at least a decade.

He dragged us in to the middle east wars like a good little lapdog for George dubbya.

He started the erosion of Medicare to please his private health fund donors.

As a millennial, not born in to 1% wealth, Howard and the liberal parties message to me has always been "go fuck yourself". I will never put liberal anywhere but the bottom of the ballot. Potato head might be fantasising about winning the votes of the working class by paying lip service to some issues we face and then campaigning against social issues we don't care about. I don't think that many of us are so foolish to think that the liberals will ever be anything but the party for the elite. Even then they are only the party for the honest elite, that wear their arseholery as a badge of honour. The other elites have the teals.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2024/mar/26/blaming-john-howard-is-easy-but-his-government-helped-shape-the-world-we-live-in-now-and-for-future-generations

Customers suddenly find their new phones can't make calls or send texts in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 45 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Anyone know why this bullshit is being allowed by govt?

How did voice over LTE end up needing carrier software approval on top of having the right hardware?

Is this telcos writing legislation for yet another ignorant communications minister?

All I see is limited consumer choice, generation of completely unnecessary e-waste and a giant "fuck off" sign to international tourists.

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Customers suddenly find their new phones can't make calls or send texts (www.abc.net.au)
Shire of Mundaring acts to stop North Stoneville’s destruction - Echo Newspaper in c/perth@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I really hope that Satterly never wins this one. Or if it does get developed then the minimum block size is at least 2 hectares.

People overestimate the percentage of immigrants in their country in c/dataisbeautiful@lemmy.ml
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
Skilled   Family   Humanitarian All permanent migrants(b)
1 India  356,100 China (c)  133,000 Iraq  62,400 India  439,700
2 England  197,300 India  81,900 Afghanistan  30,700 China (c)   334,900
3 China (c)  196,500 England  79,700 Myanmar  21,100 England   277,500
4 Philippines  103,200 Philippines  64,000 Syria  20,900 Philippines   167,400
5 South Africa  101,300 Vietnam  61,500 Iran  17,300 South Africa   118,200
6 Australia (d)  65,300 Thailand  34,400 Sudan  12,300 Vietnam   82,400
7 Malaysia  52,000 United States of America  27,300 South Sudan  7,000 Australia (d)   75,900
8 Sri Lanka  48,300 Indonesia  21,000 Pakistan  6,600 Iraq   72,700
9 Korea, Republic of (South)  40,700 Afghanistan  18,900 Thailand  5,800 Malaysia   69,200
10 Pakistan  39,000 Korea, Republic of (South)  18,700 Ethiopia  5,700 Sri Lanka   67,700

The above is from https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/permanent-migrants-australia/2021

BYD’s hybrid EV ute that could rival Australia’s bestselling vehicles goes on sale in c/australia@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 34 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Australians expect to be able to punish their vehicles over harsh terrain and have it come back in one piece.

Oh please. The most off road the majority of dual cabs get is mounting kerbs in a drive through.

As block sizes shrink, are we allowing enough room for trees? in c/perth@aussie.zone
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As block sizes shrink, are we allowing enough room for trees? (www.abc.net.au)
How many users have you blocked? in c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago

No users.

A bunch of those lemmit online communities.

A few other communities that tend to mostly just be identity politics arguments.

Stamp duty 'a bad tax' that distorts the market, housing minister says, welcoming shift to land tax in c/australianpolitics@aussie.zone
[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

This might be the first time I've ever agreed with something the business council has lobbied for.

IIRC a land tax instead instead of stamp duty per transaction was a recommendation from they Henry tax review.

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Stamp duty 'a bad tax' that distorts the market, housing minister says, welcoming shift to land tax (www.abc.net.au)
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It's wrong to say Australia hasn't had an immigration strategy for decades — we're living with its consequences (www.abc.net.au)
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WA ‘must quit prescribed burns’ with new tech now ready for roll-out (archive.is)
 

A rally will be held in Margaret River at the weekend to call on the state government to fund rapid bushfire suppression equipment and scale back “failing” prescribed burns in the South West.

Globally there has been a shift towards adopting new early detection and rapid suppression equipment to quickly identify and extinguish bushfires.

The technology, including smoke detection cameras, satellite monitoring, AI software and drones to give a bird’s-eye view to spot developing fires, is already operational in Canada and California.

It is being rolled out in European countries and along the east coast of Australia.

WA Forest Alliance senior campaigner Jason Fowler said the WA government and Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions were lagging and reliant on “outdated and dangerous” policy.

“The prescribed burning program is no longer effective at protecting South West communities in a drying and warming climate,” he said.

“Only half of prescribed burns close to communities have been completed last year because they are too risky.

“Forests are also suffering with an increasing number of high-intensity burns causing severe damage.”

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New $1 billion Perth riverfront masterplan unveiled (archive.is)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone to c/perth@aussie.zone
3 comments fedilink
 

Likely a pipe dream at this stage. But having just visited south bank in Brisbane it would be awesome to create something similar here.

What I liked about south bank: -big shady trees to sit under Lots of nice places to hang out that don't require you to be a customer open access pool, water playground. Lots of places to eat

If Perth tried to do it, we would need to bring in the team who did south bank, and keep away the clowns who made the shadeless concrete wind tunnels like yagan square and Elizabeth quay.

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Carbon emissions limits for cars weakened amid opposition's 'ute tax' campaign (www.abc.net.au)
 

Laborel party letting foreign companies dictate policy.

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If we taxed land properly, we'd have billions of extra dollars to fund big tax cuts elsewhere. So why don't we do it? (www.abc.net.au)
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‘Disaster’: Dick Smith blasts record January migrant intake (www.news.com.au)
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Extreme conditions for renters described as 'needle in a haystack type stuff' as housing crisis deepens (www.abc.net.au)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone to c/australia@aussie.zone
13 comments fedilink
 

I'm sure if we keep voting for the Libor and Laberal parties they will eventually fix it right?

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We're experiencing the biggest dive in living standards in half a century — and a recession is looming (www.abc.net.au)
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In the golden age of railway the WA government ran affordable holidays to show off the state's attractions (www.abc.net.au)
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