(Miscellaneous debris)

[The Sleeping Giant]

Terrible business. Employing all those people in regional Australia.

[Roxy the Rat Girl]

That would be true if they were from regional Australia but the majority are FIFO and spend their earnings elsewhere, mostly in the capital cities where they reside.

[bennymacca]

That would be true if they were from regional Australia but the majority are FIFO and spend their earnings elsewhere, mostly in the capital cities where they reside.

And the ones that do live in the regional areas have pushed rent and housing prices to the point where it's almost impossible to work anywhere else but the mines.

[The Sleeping Giant]

You two do realize there are mines in other places besides north west Australia don't you?

[bennymacca]

You two do realize there are mines in other places besides north west Australia don't you?

not sure what your point is? plenty of FIFO workers all over the country.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Plenty that aren't also.

[Roxy the Rat Girl]

You two do realize there are mines in other places besides north west Australia don't you?

The Lateline story I was referring to focused on the Hunter Valley and a Rural Community's fight to stop an already large mine expanding further. The proposed expansion had already been declined by the Environment Court of NSW after significant opposition from the local community. The mine has since fought this decision unsuccessfully in the courts. The NSW Government has recently overturned the decision, altered legislation, or created an exemption (not sure of exactly which) to enable the mine expansion to proceed. My initial point that mining is riding rough shot over the rural community is, IMO, validated by the actions of the mining company and the NSW Govt. as outline above.

[Gozu]

This April fools joke from Crikey's Bernard Keane had me going for a bit:

Tony Abbott has made two political appointments to the SBS, with ex-minister Sophie Mirabella to chair the board that will now include News Corporation columnist Piers Akerman.


http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/04/01/pol ... man-joins/

[Gozu]

Looks like the Greens Scott Ludlam has made it back in in the WA senate election yesterday.

[Psyber]

It is interesting

Liberal 333,081 33.71 -5.49
Australian Labor Party 214,969 21.76 -4.83
The Greens (WA) 156,914 15.88 +6.39
Palmer United Party 123,370 12.49 +7.48

[shoe boy]

Tony is on the nose and so he should be!!!!

[bennymacca]

It is interesting

Liberal 333,081 33.71 -5.49
Australian Labor Party 214,969 21.76 -4.83
The Greens (WA) 156,914 15.88 +6.39
Palmer United Party 123,370 12.49 +7.48

the greens guy in WA has been kicking some goals lately. especially with that speech he made to tony abbott. and yeah, PUP would have taken a lot of liberal protest votes.

[Jimmy_041]

Tony is on the nose and so he should be!!!!

But they both are shoe boy
Labor can take nothing out of the election either, and Shorten is more likely to get necked first

[Grahaml]

Tony is on the nose and so he should be!!!!

Interested to hear why you think he should be. From what I've seen I don't see that he's done much wrong.

[bennymacca]

Tony is on the nose and so he should be!!!!

Interested to hear why you think he should be. From what I've seen I don't see that he's done much wrong.

covering up asylum seeker policy for one - deliberately conflating "no boat arrivals" and "no boat departures" to think that the problem is solved rather than being shifted elsewhere.

doing not much of anything in his first 6 months in office, besides blaming labor for every problem, and trying to repeal everything, rather than just getting on with the job of governance. had to come up with his stupid "repeal day" just so that they are seen to be doing something.

what the hell has happened with the NBN in the last 6 months? it was supposed to be finished by the end of 2015 was it not? havent heard a single thing since besides they were conducting a review. blatant lies on the part of their policy before the election.

[Gozu]

I'm really liking that The Saturday Paper (made by the group behind The Monthly magazine) is now available in Adelaide each week.

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/find

Still wading through last week's issue but this was a good article on the Liberal Party's slush funds in NSW:

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news ... 24GLY2KDIU

[probie]

Geoff Shaw suspended from the Vic parliament for being naughty re car allowances, while the Labor cry foul that he should have been sacked.
Believe it's 44-all in the parliament there now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bennymacca]

Maybe another election brewing there?

[Gozu]

Wasn't sure where to put this but a short clip about the euthanasia loophole used by Dr Philip Nitschke's Mad Dog Brewing:

http://www.vice.com/vice-special/death- ... a-loophole

[Jimmy_041]

I originally thought the Greens would be the "conscience" of the Parliament

Hanson-Young has changed everything to be the extremist of Australian politics