Jerry_Atrick

Are you suggesting they would hunt less animals with traditional weapons? Is there evidence to that? Spacey - I suggest tyou read the constitution and spell out anything in powers and obligations of government that is more clear or transparent. And if we vote Yes, can you please enlighten us on the consequences that we will face? Because, seriously, I don't see anything practical other than the govermnet must maintain an advisory body and I really want to know what I am missing.

Finally, you're willing to accept the truth... I knew you had it in you

@spenaroo, I'll deal with the Eastlink contract situation when I get home, but Turboplanner probably has insight to the planning mechanics. Re the other stuff, this seems run of the mill for pollies - How many pollies have rowed back definite pledges let alone a statement saying something could still be done... BTW, I did take a look at treasury bonds; most are fixed.coupon bullets, meaning their rates can't rise and therefore payments don't rise as is claimed in the media. The interest rates are consistent with NSW,though Vic has about double the active bonds in the market

You could insert the NSW premier in there minus the games, but add pork barrelling and endangering koalas, allowing illegal logging, etc etc

We need to take shorter flights

Jeez even over here they begrudgingly accepted they had to lock down.. And too late made the UK one of the worst per capita deaths in the world. A balance had to be struck. Remember Gladys and the cruise ship? I can't say I agreed with everything Dan did, but looking back on my professional life, I can't say I agree with every decision I made. The Eastlink contracts were signed by the Libs in the caretaker period (or just before) to stick it to the Vics for voting ALP; and to help their mates.. Contracts signed October, DA elected premier December.. I would hardly think in 2 months everyone was thinking just get on and build it.. Remember, 9, merde-ok, 7 had it in for him and even the ABC weren't kind. With all that mud thrown at him, when lesser politicians have lost the fight, the people of Victoria still elected him.. Like all pollies, and it could be the press, he seems to have been crapping in his bed; with cover ups, stuff ups and the like.. and he has been around the time that a leader starts getting on the nose.. Has he left Vic in debt? Yes, but most was needed investment after previous governments (of both persuasions) neglected necessary investment but somehow still managed.to spend the money. Vic's credit rating is AA with a stable outlook. It is the lowest of the states but most of the debt was written when they were AAA, although new debt is written at higher rates and if the Treasury didn't write fixed rate bonds (will check when I am in the office), well that is on the treasury.. I have to admit, I am thinking when I finally move back, heading to a NSW border town around 3 hours from Melb to minimise taxes. Son is not warming to that idea though

It is a bit sudden - doesn't leave a lot of time for the Vic Libs to get their house in order... unless it has been planned for some time in backroom deals.

Here's a few for you: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/742921/weirdest-cars-concept-modification-design-special-edition-ever-made

Middlesex, Essex, Carlilse, and most of tthe counties, although Avon apparently is no longer a county (Stratford Upon Avon is on the Avon river)

Medusa?

+1 Using that logic, what is the point of the constitution, at all, because virtually every power, obligation, and restriction contains much less detail and lesser accountability than the wording of the Voice, and there is no complusion to meet any standards at all?

Wales 40, Australia 6, and it wasn't sheep shag... er... husbandry... What on earth happened?

(I am giving up typing!)

I clicked informative as I am too embarressed to admit I was confsed 😉

Grip of the week: https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/aussie-avocado-giant-reclaimed-by-us-private-equity-20230922-p5e6r3.html The FIRB is asleep at the wheel.. again... China owns a percentage of land land oif Australia (and therefore a bigger percentage of the fertile land). The yanks, the poms, the Japanese, the malays, even the Brazilians own most of the non-mining large corps... It makes my blood boil!

One of the things that realluy annoys me are insects and spiders in the house. I know it is impossible to teek the critters out and I am not sure liberal use of Baygon is particuarly good for one's health. So I was thinking of, when building a house and the frame is up, installing a wrap-around super fine mesh/insect screen around the whole house, and then puttting the bricks up on the outside, and the pasterboaprd on the inside (walls ans ceiling). If course, the windows would have flyscreens fine enough to keep the spiders out, and then when opening and closign doors, there would be a window iof opportunity for the critters to get in, but it *should* keep most out... a) Am aI being too paranoid? And b) Would it even come close to keeping all but the most determined critters out?

I should have said the word Felon is not used in common parlance.. Even when I did my law degree here, the term felon never came up to descriobe criminals convicted of indictable offences. Nor did I rtecall the term when doing evidence and sentencing. Whenever the discussions around Aussies comes up, convicts is the preferred barb of choice. It may well be used in certain sections of society, but it is not (or at least no longer) a [common] British term. It is, of course an English word.

It is one of the reasons we went for AirBnB.. Not only are not all tenants not angels, but the law sides with them even when they clearly haven't been angels. Yes, out penulimate guests before the season ended did break a window; but we got a quote and AirBnB sent us the money within a week to repair it. Try getting non-wear-and-tear items fixed from the bond..

. Not sure what heppened there

I used to do a lot of country driving out of Melburne on the Princes, Hume, Calder, Western, and Newell (Hum --> Golbourn Valley --> Newell) highways. I recall coming close hitting a roo once, when returning home form a weekend at Marysville. I don't ever recall coming close to hitting livestock, though I know of someone who was brain damaged as a result of a collision with a bull. I was also an avid 4x4'er, often going away with groups. Most of us had bars fitted out of fear of head on collisions with other cars than animals. I can't think of seeing anything but nudge bars over here and I guessed they must be illegal. As far as I can tell, they are virtually illegal because they must not pose additional risk to passengers, pedestians, and other road users, according to this article: https://mocktheorytest.com/resources/are-bull-bars-legal-in-the-uk/ In my almost weekly round-trip commute to London over the last 8 years, I have had to swerve hard for a stunned deer once, and slow down for another once. Alas, when I was younger and purchased a 4x4, I wouldn't be without one, out of ignorance and to be honest, being a bit macho, although my last two 4x4s in Aus - a HJ60 Cruisert and Feroza did not have one. These days, I doubt I would even buy a 4x4 (yes, I have has an XC90 for 9 years now, and it is very handy for carrying loads, like the carpet I ripped out of the study yesterday to the tip; but a cheap van would do better). Here are two vids about Bullbars - mind you he doesn't always get things right, but he has the courage to make full videos correcting what he has previously got wrong: And then there is the potential for problems when things go wrong.

God just stepped down from the Chairman's role - he is still around..

To be honest, I don't really know as I am not aware of the regs in Australia. However, I did notice when I moved to the UK, that Australia was far more heavily regulated on safety matters than the UK (we.. for state regulation, Victoria was). Sometimes you do need it for the Darwinian's protection, though. And while it is fair to say if people want to screw up their own lives, that is their business, the cost to the public heath system is astronomical. Getting back to hazardous substances, I think the reality is that there are many more people who know nothing about it, and also put their trust in the manufacturers not to sell stuff that is knowingly hazardous to health, partly bvecause of the famous case in 1932, Donahue v Stevenson, that cemented the law of negligence and manufacturers' liability. Also, as consumers, who are not expected to have advanced knoweldge of hazardous materials, it is right that this is the case. What we take for rational regulation - such as helmets on bicycles, are staunchly resisted here as a breach of freedom. And, yeah, I do get it. Thankfully, though I continued to wear them here; I was riding my bicycle on a chilly but synny day through Richmond Park on 24th December when I hit black ice just as I was pedalling harder in preparation for a hill. The bike flew out from beneath me and I was falling backwards flaty onto my back not being able to do a thing about it. When my shoulders hit the pavement, my head flung back with force and it is amazing how slow things happen, as I recalled this was it.. if I wasn't dead, I would never be the same again. The helmet bore the brunt of the force and I could feel it dissipating the forces around the helmet - it was truly a surreal feeling. I laid there for a few seconds thinking it was going to hurt getting up. But, I didn't even have a headache. When I got back on the bike, I went to tighten the strap but couldn't as the helmet had split at one of the anchor points of the strap. So, yeah, while I do get the argument for freedom to make one’s own decisions re risk, sometimes there has to be a balance. The inconvenience of wearing a bicycle helmet, to me, is very minor in comparison to the potential damage, and resultant costs to the public purse, which clearly (again, to me) is a lot more – and also reasonably probable, too. With respect to hazardous chemicals available to the average consumer, I would support pretty tight regulations; licences can be obtained for handling more dangerous chemicals (after suitable training, of course).

I liked it.. But that is not what standards should be judged by

I can't recall a Brit using the term Felon..