octave
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Posts posted by octave
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10 minutes ago, Siso said:
Pity industry will have trouble disconnevtibg to the grid. The more people that disconnect the harder it will be to compete. China are laughing there heads off i reckon
A lot of industries are already exploring renewables and some are already off grid such as parts of the mining industry. As solar and batteries get cheaper, it will be irrational for households to connect to the grid merely to support the grid for the benefit of industry.
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40 minutes ago, old man emu said:
Fact check results, please.
I think this is a humorous reference to the shape of the roof.
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15 minutes ago, Jerry_Atrick said:I don't support the one nor the twenty. The evidence should be gathered, heard and tested in the appropriate court, with any appeals to the higher court, after which I would accept judgement.
I am generally against the court of public opinion in these types of matters
I agree, but the thing is that to some people not automatically believing he is innocent equates to "not supporting the troops" My point is that BRS is not the only soldier in this story. Those who beleive BRS is innocent surely must believe that the 20 soldiers who brought this to light must be lying.
It will be tested in court.
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59 minutes ago, Jerry_Atrick said:
you don't pay inheritance tax on receiving the property, but when yu sell it.
I beleive you can avoid any tax,if you sell it within 2 years and under some circumstances this period may be able to be extended.
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Just to be clear this is not a new rule. The method of valuation has changed. I am not necessarily disagreeing with your points, though.
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The only CGT I have first-hand experience of was on the sale of my house on 44 acres. As has been discussed on this forum in the past, there is a rule that you are liable for CGT on everything over 5 acres (2 Hectares). Unlike CGT on collectables, you are legally allowed to do the valuation yourself (but you may need to show your workings out).
The exempt 5 acres need not be one parcel of land, so you choose all the most valuable bits to exempt. In my case, the house and infrastructure (water tanks, septic tanks, etc. and a strip of river frontage. I then was able to deduct the cost of ownership (rates etc maitanance of fences and other things).
I was able to aggressively (but legally - I think) whittle the CGT bill down to $1500. I did half expect a please explain letter; however, it never came, and 9 years later, it is too late for them, unless they detect out-and-out fraud.
I did plenty of research, and I actually found in an obscure place a tax department internal document that listed the conditions that trigger an audit with regard to land sales, so I felt on safe ground. The thing is, compared to some people selling land, my case was pretty trivial. It does not really make sense for ATO to spend vast sums of money detecting the sale 1 watch or piece of jewellery in a private sale. This is not tax advice!
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In practice, for the ordinary person, I suspect it will be difficult to enforce. A CGT already exists; it is just the method of calculation and valuation that has changed (as far as I can see). If Onetrack sells me some of his lovely junk, how would the ATO even know?
Since I have been downsizing, I have sold many possessions, mostly they have lost value, but some musical instruments have gained in value and are probably subject to CGT. Pretty hard to detect, though.
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OK I think I have my answer.
https://share.google/aimode/gHgADhB5bpfnRHy3G
I think if you don't have a valuation, you can use what is called an "apportionment formula", but in some circumstances, this may be less advantageous.
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PM, are you saying that the change is regarding the need for a valuation? CGT on items like jewellery has existed for a long time, but are there specific changes regarding the method of determining its value?
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9 minutes ago, Siso said:
Do we know how many eligable voters vote?
Approximately 209 million people were registered to vote in the 2020 presidential election and 158,427,986 ballots were submitted for president (75.8% of registered voters).
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9 minutes ago, willedoo said:
octave, I'm not sure what average means when applied to voting. I'm not good at mathematics, so hopefully someone can explain it to me. Most elections, even what they term landslide elections, have very little in vote percentage between the winners and losers. If the Democrats have a 52% vs 48% win, does that mean that 52% are average voters and 48% are not average voters.
To clarify, the word average was quoted in the thread title "Sympathy for the AVERAGE American." This is why I included the word average, not as a mathematical statement.
Some have suggested that Americans (average or otherwise) are not worried about Trump, so my point is that come the midterms, we will know what they do think or at least what those who vote think.
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I guess we might get a feel for how the average American (voter) feels in November.
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7 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:he's not afraid to use the military when needed to keep a lid on the proliferation of nuclear weapons
And how is that looking so far? As I understand it, the memorandum of understanding which lasts for 60 days, does not include handing over nuclear materials. It does seemingly involve unfreezing billions dollars of assets for the Iranians.
I also understand that the Iranians have not ruled out charging tolls for ships using the Strait of Hormuz.
Then there is regime change. This has not occurred, but several leaders have been killed, and it is believed their replacements are even harder line.
The US has squandered its arsenal of weapons such as the Tomahawk Missile, which will take years to replenish.
"The United States has indefinitely suspended the delivery of Japan’s first 400 RGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, due to serious shortages of the missiles in the U.S. Navy that have resulted from the 39 day U.S. assault on Iran. "
It would be a great time for China to take Taiwan.
But I guess if Americans are feeling down because of increasing healthcare costs, high petrol prices, etc. I am sure they are massively cheered up by the bulldozing of the East Wing to build that big, Beautiful Ballroom to be used by the ultra-rich. MMmmmm you've got to love all that gold leaf. I bet they they cant wait for the Arch De Trump or to get their first $250 bill with the dear leader's face on.
I am sure they are so proud of the immense intelligence of the leader. So smart that he aces tests that are used to detect dementia. But of course, the doctor administering the test has never seen such a perfect score.
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2 minutes ago, Brendan said:
labour supporters refuse to believe anything presented to them. i guess that makes them as dishonest as the government or gullible. not sure which.
One Nation, led by Senator Pauline Hanson, has faced numerous financial and lobbying controversies over the years, including undisclosed campaign funds, police raids, and National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) referrals. [1, 2, 3]Key Corruption and Financial Controversies:- NACC Staffer Referral: In May 2025, a former One Nation senator referred a senior party staffer to the National Anti-Corruption Commission amid allegations the staffer sought commissions from clients met during a 2017 Senate inquiry. [1]
- National Treasury Audits: In mid-2026, financial accounting reviews revealed the Queensland branch of One Nation accumulated missing assets and repeatedly failed to lodge required audited financial statements with the regulator since 2022. [1, 2]
- Defrauding the Electoral Commission: In late 2021, the party’s national treasurer, Alexander Jones, was charged with fraud following a referral from the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) over fraudulent documentation relating to election funding. Jones later pleaded guilty to attempted fraud in 2022. [1, 2, 3]
- Internal "Money Grab" Allegations: In August 2023, two of One Nation's New South Wales MPs quit the party after alleging under parliamentary privilege that officials improperly misappropriated and funneled state funds into federal coffers. [1]
- Undisclosed Plane Donations: The party was referred to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) following allegations that party officials hid the true ownership and donations of a light aircraft, and misused state taxpayer money. [1, 2]
- NRA Lobbying Scandal: An undercover investigation in 2019 captured senior party advisers seeking millions of dollars in campaign donations from the US National Rifle Association (NRA) in exchange for lobbying to weaken Australia's gun laws. [1, 2, 3]
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Until the last few days, this forum has been pretty respectful between people with different political views. Suddenly, it has deteriorated. I am happy to listen to any reasoned, respectful argument.
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One problem is that during an election, the electorate doesn't really want to hear the truth. Take house affordability. Most people acknowledge that homes, especially for first-time buyers, are way too expensive. A politician who promises to lower housing prices will surely do well until people who actually own a home realise that devaluing housing prices devalues their property as well. Not a great election pitch to existing home owners. Note, I personally am fine with that; you can't have everything.
I find that voters at election time are rather like kiddies sitting on Santa's lap. They just want to be told what is in it for them.
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I can relate to this. I mostly have 1 bottle a week, but these days Mrs Octave doesn't drink much at all so I end up drinking most of it. Whilst I am pretty moderate (mostly) if there is an open bottle, I will finish it. We are just experimenting with going out to a wine bar and having just one nice glass rather than a whole moderately priced bottle.
Four times a year Mrs Octave is away for a week, so I tend to overdo it.
When visiting my son in NZ I do fall into a bit of a trap. His household is pretty nerdy. They brew beer which is stored under the house and is piped into the kitchen. There are 3 taps with 3 different delicious home brews. A new addition is gin, which they distil themselves. There are bottles in a rack with a dispenser. This is a little problematic when I am cooking. Chop some onions, fill glass, saute onions fill glass, etc.
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28 minutes ago, Brendan said:
i am signing out again. this is just a forum where you bully anyone with a different opinion to you.
Brendon, you maybe should reflect on your own postings. As a new poster, you did rather come in quite aggressively. Many of us have been posting here for many years. I started posting in 2007. Although we have different views, here we can politely disagree and move on, instead of referring to "left wing turkeys" etc.
31 minutes ago, Brendan said:nev . you are full of shit yourself.
I have often had disagreements with Nev, but I would never say this, and he would not say this about me because I don't make aggressive posts. You generally get what you give. T
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9 minutes ago, old man emu said:
The driver should have all relevant information within the forward field
In most EVs I know of it is in front of you. My heater and demister switches on my old Ford Focus are not directly in front of me.
Here is a picture of the primary display for a BYD
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36 minutes ago, Brendan said:his crime wave was started by labour
By labour, I guess you mean Labor.
Here is a breakdown of the levels of crime per state.
Here is how the states and territories generally break down by safety and crime rates:
Here is how the states and territories generally break down by safety and crime rates:- Northern Territory: Highest per-capita crime rate nationally. Cities like Alice Springs and Darwin often top national per-capita crime lists. [1, 2, 3]
- Queensland: Has the highest crime rate among the major eastern states, with surging rates of assault, break-ins, and youth-related property crime. [1, 2, 3]
- Victoria: Frequently ranks highly on a per-capita basis, with recent statistics indicating record highs in criminal incidents—particularly in the Melbourne CBD and specific regional centres. [1, 2]
- New South Wales: Despite the high total volume of reported crimes (driven by its large population), its per-capita crime rates are relatively low compared to the rest of the country. [1, 2]
- Australian Capital Territory: Consistently considered one of the safest jurisdictions in Australia with significantly lower crime rates. [1, 2, 3]
If you are making a connection between Labor governments and crime, you have to account for the fact that NSW has a low per capita crime rate. Is this an achievement of the NSW Labor government? The ACT has been governed by Labor since 2001 and has significantly lower crime. I am not spruiking for Labor here, I am not a party political person.
In one of your posts you link to an ABC News site, which is lists all the crime stories. These are Australia-wide, not just Victorian. If you keep doomscrolling, of course, you will become anxious. I live in Victoria, and of course, I would like crime to be as low as possible; however, you have to keep things in perspective.
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8 minutes ago, Siso said:
My major concern about what people have or had in their pants when it comes to sport. Even tjings like darts and snooker. Men are generally taller than women so have an advantage with reach.
Whilst I don't doubt that there are problems to be worked out, it is not insurmountable. Consider a sport such as wrestling or boxing. Within one gender, there is a range of sizes and weights. They don't pair up a 110kg competitor with a 60kg competitor. They have weight classes. The fact is that sport only works when it is competitive. We don't team up professionals with amateurs; it would not be interesting to watch. The point is that these problems have solutions.
In any case, the sports argument is often that is presented is "what about sport" as if this is an argument against trans is and an argument about sports. Now personally, I have little interest sport however, I suspect these issues of competitiveness regarding gender are as solvable as problems of different weight and size, as well as experience.
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4 hours ago, onetrack said:
I don't use sat nav because I can't hear the womans instruction.
Can't you just select one of the many other available voices?
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1 hour ago, old man emu said:
wouldn't one simply set a desired temperature before starting a journey as one would to set the temperature in a house?
I guess at some stage a passenger will complain that it is too hot or too cold. Also, personally, I find that on a hot day, when I get in a boiling car, I crank the AC up to max. Then I guess that there are issues such as demisting the window. To me, reaching out without looking for an enormous screen and shifting a little up or down is certainly easier than in my present car.
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1 minute ago, nomadpete said:
In your example, Octave, the driver still has to focus on the screen popup temp. Certainly not something that a non BYD driver could accomplish easily.
If you want to literally see the actual temp in degrees, then I suppose yes, however, I think most of us would think, "it is too cold" and then give it a swipe upwards, perhaps a small swipe or perhaps a big swipe. Compare this with the Ford Focus switches. Three identical switches are relatively low down near the gear stick.
Then there is the voice command "Hey BYD, increase heating" nbo need to take eyes off the road even for a second, and both hands can stay on the wheel.
Electricity prices
in General Discussion
Posted
Australia has quite a few mines that either run partly on renewable energy or are among the world's leaders in renewable-powered mining. Very few large mines operate on 100% renewables all the time, but several are regularly achieving 50–90% renewable penetration and occasionally reaching 100% for extended periods.
Major Australian mines using renewable energy
The leaders
Agnew Gold Mine
Often regarded as the pioneer. It was the first Australian mine to use large-scale wind generation as part of a mine microgrid. The site combines:
18 MW wind farm
4 MW solar farm
Battery storage
Gas backup
It typically obtains 50–60% of its energy from renewables and can reach much higher levels under favourable conditions. (Australian Renewable Energy Agency)
Bellevue Gold Mine
Currently one of the most ambitious renewable mining projects in Australia. The mine recently reported operating for 155 consecutive hours (over six days) entirely on renewable energy with diesel and gas generators switched off. (Reddit)
Kathleen Valley Lithium Mine
A good example of a new-generation mine being designed around renewables from the outset rather than adding them later. It uses a large solar-wind-battery system and has reportedly achieved renewable shares above 80% in some periods. (The Australian)
An interesting pattern
Most of Australia's renewable-powered mines are in remote Western Australia. That's because:
Diesel fuel is expensive to transport.
Many mines are off-grid.
WA has excellent solar resources.
Wind and solar can often generate electricity more cheaply than diesel generation.
As a result, renewable energy is often adopted primarily for cost savings and reliability rather than environmental reasons alone. The economics can be very attractive for remote mining operations. (Australian Renewable Energy Agency)
If you're interested, I can also list the major iron ore mines (BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue) and explain how far they have progressed toward running on renewable energy, because the Pilbara iron ore sector is currently undergoing a huge transition.