Jerry_Atrick

Here is a story on it: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-16/fire-levy-vote-passes-parliament-angers-farmers-emergency-tax/105295008 I agree with Nev, but there are different ways to manage it. As I recall, Australia generally had an unspken policy that those in rural and remote areas deserved a similar level of utilities (as far as practical) as more urban areas and that the bills for such utilities included the cost of supplying those areas - i..e there was a sort of defacto subsidisation. I recall some controversy over Telecom's bills in the day, but it was a generally accepted part of life in Aus. I don't see why rural Victoria, especially farmers would be required to disproptionately pay, especially when they are doing it fairly tough at the moment. The way I see it, the Allan government has made a pretence of everyong pitching in, but the reality, the ones disproprtionately pitching in are the ones that are unlikely to vote for her in 18 months' time. There are other ways to manage it. For example, there are still massive infrastructure investments, mainly in roads and the Tulla railway that could be paused or slowed to allow the economy to rebalance and breathing room to maintain the essentials. But that would mean probablyk releasing a heck of a lot of tradies works companies to compete in the normal market, which would probably drive prices lower, and since these people will be largely dran from ALP supporters, that will hit her already low relection chances. She could do what Jeff Kennett did when he took over from Joan Kirner and add a flat increase for a defined period of time to council rates, but that would impact far ore people from her voter base and she doesn't have the luxury of blaming the current woes on the other team.. She is also, as Joan Kirner was when she took over, captive to her party and backroom vested interests. Yes, the Libs leader would also be captive to their party ideology and vested factional interests, but having the luxury of blaming the other team is a very potent one in politics. What else can she do? The room to manoeuvre for any state premier isn't great. She can look at marginal increases to all of the revenue channells she has available to her. Here is a list: https://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/state-taxation-revenue. At the moment, the state revenues are $35bn or thereabouts. A 1% increase across the board will increase the coffers by $350m. I am not sure if that is what is required.. I can't find an amount the government say they need for the the fire service. But it should go a good way to what is needed.

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Himself ragged 10 miles

Was on my tablet when I wrote the above. post. The reason why this is no good is because Moodys was the last major ratings agency to take the US of its AAA rating, which is the first time, eiother ever or in a bloody long time that has been the case. The consensus of the all three major agencies signals some serious headinds that would allow you to land an A380 on a 20c piece. Maybe not quite that bad. Interestingly, the treaury and treasury futures have been stable, which tells us the marktets think it is not a bad thing or it is already priced in, but since yields haven't shot up massively over the last week or so, I am not sure that is the case. Though, in the G7 countries, the US is and has been for a while, the highest yielding over 10 year treasuries. It can't all be blamed on Chump, however. The US has been living outside its means for a very long time. However, Chumps 2017 and current policies are steepening the curve andd this outlook is what prompted Moody's to finally knock the US rating down a notch. It is still a safe bet, so I may be overplaying it a bit. However, it has lost its risk free status, and that will weigh in on the markets.

Oh boy, is not good: https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/moodys-downgrades-us-aa1-rating-2025-05-16/

Adam Selwood, ex-afl start and twin brother of Troy Selwood who died months earlier has also passed away: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-17/former-west-coast-adam-selwood-dies-months-after-twin-troy/105304924

If the effing dumb western pollies weren't blocking innovation in the sector thanks to their desire to maintain fossil fuels, the west would have probably been ahead in the energy infrastructure manufacturing and could introduce their own alleged kill switches

That's not what my wife says...

Still never heard of him

1, 2, 3

Do you know what makes me larf.. Many here are pilots.. and yeah.. OK many are RAAus pilots.. But how much do we spend on a vehicle that most spend less than 50 hours a year using, and how inefficient is it (really at the GA level anyway), yet we worry about a battery in an EV.. Fair diddly dinkum.

Dude.. you need a reality check.

Money (or more accurately, monetary valuation) is the medium humanity has accepted as the measure of economic resources that are controlled and the more one has of it, the more economic resource one can control. In normal times, this provides security of being able to meet the needs of life without being dependent on anyone else. The more control of economic resources one has compared to the rest of the population, the more power one has. And of course, it satisfies human's insatiable desires of wealth and all the trappings that comes with it. Most people would want economic independence; others want control of economic resources for other reasons.. nominally security and/or power. And to preserve the tribe.. as well as, and let's face it, attracting, or in many cases, more accurately, acquiring the services of the fairer sex. Just look at Chump, Bernie Ecclestone, and many others.. I think even Dr. Eddlestone managed to "attract" those of the fairer sex/gender.. Ecclestone, Eddlestone, let's call the whole thing off. The other thing, is when you have money (or more accurately, when people think you have money), they suck up to you, and they seek advice from you regardless. Would anyone here go to Chump for business advice? Maybe some would, but to earn a small fortune, you would have to start with a big one taking his advice. Although, for con-artistry, he is the consummate. Yet, when he acquired power through the presidency, a sort of default control of economic resources, look at those who previously despised him fawned over him. That adulation, too, is a great motivator. But generally, these people want the control of economic resources and the resultant power because you can drive the agenda - and also provide for your future generations. I think I have mentioned this before. .In my extended family, there are some fabulously wealthy people.. in the BRW top 200 on the odd occasion.. No sadly, that Midas touch didn't rub off on my family.. All their relationships are driven by whats in it for them.. When the patriarch of the branch of the family died, the surviving limb/branch of that family tree imploded.. all driven by money. I haven't spoken to any of them for, well, 20 years.. But when I last bumped into two of them - I think second cousins - in a park in Melbourne, I asked if they had been in contact with their cousin.. when we were kids,. they were extremely close. These two looked right through me as if I wasn't there.. point taken.

Stress testing the buttons

That was definitely imformative - thanks OT!

If I recall correctly, in her early years, she was a Big M Girl. As a journo, she was one of the better ones. Although I wouldn't have recognised her, she looks very good for.. and a bit younger than 69.

Has been a while since we have heard from Bruce. Does anyone know how he is going?

Sadly, who knew about this ceremony? I doubt there would be too many people in the street you meet that would know, let alone give a rat's posterior. While I would wager they got in touch with as many vets as possible, sometimes the healing starts from wider recognition. Why was this not really picked up by the MSM?

In the UK it is estimated there are more pemanently empty dwellings than homeless people. Of course, if you are an owner of one of the empty dwellings, you pay double the council tax (rates). And, you may be liable for CGT as well, when you sell, although a quirk of the law here, which exempts you from CGT if yoo lived 5 years or more in the house as a priomary residence means sometimes families flip between their houses. And of course, you may not want anyone living in you hose, especially on a social housing basis due to the fact they are stereotyped to have a higher probability of not taking reasonable care of it. In Australia, it is not quite as easy to work out. The best I could come up with is this: https://www.ahuri.edu.au/analysis/brief/are-there-1-million-empty-homes-and-13-million-unused-bedrooms I get that there is a macro-lens on thiks; a lot of the more permanently empty dwellings should be forced onto the rental market/take in social housing tenants. But, when we bought this house, which has a 2br self-contained cottage on site, the state it was in after the council tenants were removed was parlous, and I will be buggered if I put it up for social housing after the effort I put in to put it back to a reasonable standard. And, no offence, but a couple of spare bedrooms is there for a reason and not to have some nutter I don't know move in.

C