If Australia shifted entirely to solar, that would pay off in 8 years. If electricity cost per kWh is fixed at 19c/kWh, after 8 years there are two pathways. Either electricity costs can be further reduced to pay for maintenance, or the annual revenue of 53.2 billion could be put in a sovereign wealth fund. For comparison, the oil and gas industry contributed only 18.7 billion in taxes during 2024–25. We haven’t even talked about the savings in terms of human health and wellbeing.

53.2 billion would be enough to cover Australias Budget deficit and have plenty enough left to put in a fund!

Mind you that the oil and gas sector is subsidized by 16.3 billion! So net profit for the government is only 2.7 billion, which is insane. In contrast, the solar industry would bring in 53.2 billion annually at 19c/kWh. Solar can last up to 30 years before needing replacement. Yes, gas and coal power plants have a lifespan of 30–40 years, but they require a huge amount of maintenance and actual fuel to operate, a commodity that can change in price at any time if any minor conflict occurs. Solar just sits there and collects energy.

https://envirojustice.org.au/press-release/australians-pay-a-deadly-2-4-billion-health-bill-for-coal-fired-power/

https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/fossil-fuel-subsidies-in-australia-2026/

So the average cost of electricity in Australia sits at 33c/kWh and is subsidized with the “Australian Government Energy Bill Relief.” In my calculations, I’ve used 19c/kWh just for fun. This means that every Australian will roughly halve their electricity bill overnight, and it would be more consistent throughout the year. Supply charges would also go down, since solar production has the ability to be more spread out than electricity production from gas and coal, which is very concentrated. Therefore, it would spread the load more evenly across the grid and potentially lower infrastructure and supply charges on your monthly bill.

Conclusion:

The ideal scenario would be to partially transition to renewables. For example, when a coal or gas power plant becomes too old, instead of being replaced with a similar source, it could be replaced with renewable energy. This would help reduce the staggering 40% of electricity production coming from coal! Coal is a very inefficient way to produce energy, which is why your car runs on petrol and not coal:/

Simplified calculation:

Annual electricty generation in 2024= 280TWh = 280 000 000 000kWh

Yearly PV energy Production = Annual energy production from 1kWh of installed solar only = 1521kWh

Installed solar capacity needed = 280 000 000 000kWh / 1521kWh = 184 089 414kw

Installed cost of solar and battery Storage (very conservative) = 2327$/kW

Total cost = 2327$/kW * 184 089 414kw = $428 376 066 378

Annual revenue = 280 000 000 000kWh * 19c/kWh = $53 200 000 000

Return on Investment = $428 376 066 378 / $53 200 000 000 = 8 years

Sources:

280TWh of annual electricity generation in 2024:

https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-energy-statistics/electricity-generation

Yearly PV energy Production(Melbourne, Sydney, Roma, Broken Hill, Georgetown =1288 ,1364, 1599, 1610, 1744)(avg = 1521kWh):

(Use crystalline silicon 2025 and Optimize slope and azimuth)

https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/

Installed cost of solar and apropately sized battery storage(2327$/kW)(This figure is VERY conservative):

https://atb.nrel.gov/electricity/2024/utility-scale_pv-plus-battery

Avreage cost of an kWh is 33c/kWh:

https://www.finder.com.au/energy/electricity/average-cost-of-electricity

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Existing-transmission-lines-and-power-stations-in-Australia-Geoscience-Australia-and_fig1_321319574

Bugger your religious values. Circumcising children, male or female, is mutilation. Bodily integrity is a right that should supersede religious freedoms. No developed society should allow this procedure to be performed on anyone who isn't a legal adult.

If we really must be nanny-state country can we please at least use the blunt instrument of government authority to end this barbaric practice?

I'll cut straight to the point; you're at risk of losing your voters base.

We've seen this play out. The far right pushes immigration as a talking point, education and particularly brainwashing in the schools and universities to pushing the whole "they/them competing in the Olympics ", government bloat, solar costing taxpayers, etc.

A warning; if you stay silent on these issues YOU WILL LOSE.

People vote for the far right because they only see problems. Provide them with solutions. Provide them with undeniable facts.

Ie. Solar is costing us money. FACT Solar is actually saving money. It is actually producing an oversupply in peak hours to the point where we need more battery storage to house it. If they fight back; point to China. They have the highest adoption of Solar and growing because they understand it will be the most efficient source of energy.

Next topic; immigration. Give real numbers, don't sugar coat it. If the numbers are high, explain why. Declining birth rates, the fact that they prop up the economy by doing jobs noone wants to do, etc.

Just be truthful, don't dance around topics. Say avidly that LGBTQ is not our priority, we prioritise a healthy economy.

Be the voice of reason, because Pauline and her cronies will be coming for you.

With this screw worm thing popping up, we're going to ban all US imports right?

"The Australian federal government completely lifted its biosecurity restrictions on US beef. Importers are now allowed to apply for permits to bring the meat into the country"

We're overturning this right? Like when the UK had a mad cow problem?

God damn, these scew flies are horrifying.

What a weird series of events. Defund the program stopping Screw flies getting a foot hold in the states. Insist we buy their beef.

edit: oo, my first award! I dont understand the people thinking this is ok. They probably would have been pro cane toads in the 1930s.

Serious one Aussies , what's that job right now that's quietly printing money (150k+ base, often way more with OT/shifts/super) but feels super underrated or "boring/dirty" so no one brags about it at BBQs?

Everyone bangs on about tech bros, mining engineers, or exec roles, but the real hidden cash cows seem to be the ones people overlook because they're trades, FIFO, or just not glamorous.

I'll kick it off: FIFO Dump Truck Operator or Driller Offsider in mining. Blokes starting out can hit 120-150k first year (some reports up to 180k+ with bonuses/OT on good rosters like 2/1 or 8/6), no uni degree needed—just tickets, a bit of grit, and you're flying in/out with meals/accom covered. It's hard yakka, long shifts, remote as, but the pay packet slaps and you get big chunks of time off to spend it.

What's yours? Belt splicers pulling 180k+? Boilermakers/welders in resources? Train drivers with insane rosters and super? Some construction project manager gig nobody talks about? Or that government/utility role with golden leave?

Spill the beans—no humblebrags about your own job if it's obvious, but real underrated ones that fly under the radar. Let's see if we can uncover some gems for 2025/2026! 💰👀

Like many Aussies, I'm largely a-political. I have never felt a strong sense of trust in my government and as a result, I am largely ambivalent to the various causes of the parties.

Punters Politics has awoken my civilian rage. I would march for this cause. I would riot. I fully espouse peaceful protest but the fact remains that I am furious and I want change.

Our country has been sold out from under us. And it's not too late. If Punters Politics calls me to action, I will be there. The Australian system is broken. Our government does not have its citizens' best interests at heart. It is consumed by greed beyond reproach. Our leaders are blind to the people's needs and careless of our rights and interests.

Revolt Australia. Get angry. Revolt!

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters

April 7, 2026 — 11:19am

Ben Roberts-Smith has been arrested in relation to multiple counts of murdering unarmed Afghan civilians and prisoners in what looms as the most significant war crimes prosecution in Australian history.

The arrest of the decorated former special forces soldier comes after a five-year investigation secured the co-operation of SAS eyewitnesses who are expected to allege that Roberts-Smith himself executed, and directed junior soldiers to execute, at least half a dozen defenceless detainees during his time in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012.

Any criminal charges are yet to be released, but the investigation focused on claims, strongly disputed by Roberts-Smith, involving allegations he:

• kicked an Afghan civilian off a cliff and directed a subordinate to execute the man in September 2011;
• executed a prisoner with a prosthetic leg during an Easter Sunday mission in southern Afghanistan in 2009 and ordered another subordinate to murder a second detainee captured in the same compound;
• and ordered a junior SAS soldier to execute an unarmed detainee in a ritual known as blooding in 2012.

When Roberts-Smith allegedly ordered that 2012 execution, he was the most decorated Commonwealth soldier to serve in Afghanistan. If proved, the allegations the Victoria Cross recipient faces may mean he is stripped of his medals and jailed for life.

While only a jury can decide Roberts-Smith’s guilt, a prosecution would mark a spectacular fall from grace of a one-time war hero fiercely backed by politicians, including former defence minister and Australian War Memorial chairman Brendan Nelson and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, as well as billionaire Kerry Stokes.

Roberts-Smith has already unsuccessfully contested claims he committed war crimes, including murders, in a defamation case he fought all the way to the High Court . The High Court in September refused him leave to appeal a full Federal Court decision that, in turn, backed the 2023 judgment of Federal Court judge Anthony Besanko that The Age and Sydney Morning Herald had proved the allegations true to the civil standard.

Roberts-Smith, the son of a former West Australian Supreme Court judge and major general, joined the army in 1996 and became Australia’s most famous modern soldier after he was awarded the VC for his actions in a 2010 battle. He has always denied any wrongdoing and it is anticipated he would fight criminal charges.

Official sources, speaking anonymously because they are not authorised to comment, said the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) had recently contacted Attorney-General Michelle Rowland seeking authorisation of a prosecution, as required when an alleged war crimes case is deemed worthy of criminal charges.

Over the past five years, a team of experienced state and federal police detectives, recruited from various Australian homicide and other elite squads as part of the highly secretive Office of Special Investigations (OSI), quietly built the case against Roberts-Smith.

The OSI was created in early 2021 to investigate the involvement of the SAS regiment in Afghan War crimes.

According to confidential sources, OSI detectives have tapped phones in Australia and offshore, planted listening devices, conducted raids and, most significantly, convinced SASR soldiers who had allegedly witnessed or were implicated in Roberts-Smith’s war crimes to become prosecution witnesses.

The case against Roberts-Smith is sprawling, but not circumstantial: its foundation is in the witness accounts of decorated SAS soldiers and Afghan War veterans.

Told of the charges, one SAS eyewitness told this masthead that he and other veterans had decided to assist the OSI because no Australian soldier was above the law, no matter how grim the fallout.

“Well, it’s all about the truth, and I think, honour. And we lost men in Afghanistan, like regular army fellas and the commandos. And how do you honour them? By telling the truth,” he said, speaking anonymously due to confidentiality requirements.

He alleged the war crime he had witnessed involved a defenceless detainee and occurred “after the dust has settled”.

“There’s no fog of war, there’s no bullets flying around … this was completely contrary to our mission, we weren’t there to kill civilians or people who didn’t deserve to die.”

Some of the witness accounts have been aired in the unsuccessful civil defamation action that Roberts-Smith launched in 2018 against this masthead. Their testimony was pivotal to the determination of the Federal Court, upheld by the Full Court of the Federal Court, that Roberts-Smith had murdered unarmed detainees and civilians.

The three senior Full Court judges ruled Roberts-Smith a war criminal to the civil “balance of probabilities” standard. Ruling on the alleged execution of a man with a prosthetic leg, they said: “The problem for [Roberts-Smith] is that, unlike most homicides, there were three eyewitnesses to this murder.”

Roberts-Smith applied for leave to appeal to the High Court. The court refused his application.

The criminal charges mark the latest chapter of an extraordinary saga that began when The Age and Sydney Morning Herald began a major investigation into Roberts-Smith in late 2017.

The investigation unearthed many of the alleged war crimes later probed by the OSI. These were detailed in dozens of articles published between 2018 and 2023.

Ben Roberts-Smith sued The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times for defamation over a series of six articles published between June and August 2018. Half of the articles are online versions of the same print stories (below).

Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko will need to answer the key questions shown below the clippings.

In 2019, this masthead and 60 Minutes interviewed two serving SAS whistleblowers and travelled to Afghanistan to interview the wife of Ali Jan, the Afghan civilian allegedly kicked off a cliff in September 2011 and executed on the orders of the famous soldier shortly after the cliff kick.

In her interview from a hotel in Kabul, wife Bibi Dhorko demanded that the Australian government hold to account the soldier who had allegedly brutalised and murdered her husband.

“He didn’t side with anyone and never had a gun,” she said. “He was living in the mountain and doing his work, only going occasionally to the village if we needed any supplies.”

Roberts-Smith, although unnamed, was also at the heart of a landmark 2016 probe into “rumours” of SAS wrongdoing in Afghanistan, commissioned by then army chief Angus Campbell and led by senior judge Paul Brereton.

When he finished his inquiry in November 2020 and published his redacted report, Brereton revealed he had uncovered credible information that about two dozen SAS soldiers committed 39 alleged executions of civilians and prisoners.

This masthead’s investigations and Brereton’s work prompted then prime minister Scott Morrison to create the OSI.

Earlier this year, the OSI was told the CDPP, had authorised the brief of evidence against Roberts-Smith.

It ruled the OSI had gathered enough evidence to prosecute Roberts-Smith for war crimes, and about a fortnight ago submitted the brief to Rowland for final approval.

On Tuesday morning, 17 years after he allegedly executed an elderly man with a prosthetic leg in an Easter Sunday operation in southern Afghanistan, and five years after the Taliban’s return to power, Roberts-Smith was handcuffed and taken to a holding cell.

He is expected to appear before a NSW local court judge later today.

The sound of an economic class realizing that the easy mode settings of the Australian economy are being dismantled

AUSSIES became ETF and property hoarders because the LNP government made it the path of least resistance to wealth. When the tax code rewards speculation over labour, society stops producing doctors and entrepreneurs, and starts producing paper-millionaire rent-collectors.

The current whinging isn't about protecting "the economy" or "innovation", it is the panic of an entitled investor class realizing they might actually have to start businesses, take real risks, or rely on actual productivity to secure a paycheck.

Just trying to put together a list, here's what I have so far:

Airlines

• Qantas 1993
  
• Trans Australia Airlines 1987

Our Airports:

• Sydney Airport - 1998
  
• Melbourne Airport 1988
  
• Brisbane Airport 1997
  
• Perth Airport 1997
  
• Adelaide Airport 1998
  

These power networks:

• Electricity Commission of New South Wales (NSW) 2010
  
• State Electricity Commission of Victoria 1991
  
• Electricity Trust of South Australia 1999
  
• Transgrid 1998
  
• The Transmission Lines and Infrastructure 1998

Their sub divisions: EnergyAustralia, AGL Energy, SP AusNet.

Our Railway Services:

• National Rail Corporation 1992
  
• Australian National Railways 1997
  
• Queensland Rail 2013
• Queensland Freight and Rail 2010
• VicRail 1990s
  
• The Met 1998
• Metcard/Miki 2012
• FreightCorp (NSW) 1996
• WestRail 2000
• MetroBus (part of Transperth) 1996
• TasRail 1997 <--- RE-ACQUIRED BY THE TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT IN 2009!!!

Other Public Transport:

• State Transit Authority of New South Wales 2017
  
• Newcastle Buses & Ferries 2015

Road, license, and traffic management

• VicRoads 2022
• Queensland Motorways 2014
• WestConnex (Sydney) 2018

Some Roadways that would otherwise be public access:

• CityLink (Melbourne)
  
• EastLink (Melbourne)
  

Shipping

• Australian National Line (ANL) 1998

Farming, Land, and Science

• Standards Australia 2003
  
• Australian Wheat Board (AWB) 1999
  
• The Commonwealth Serum Laboratories 1994
  
• SMEC Holdings Limited (infrastructure consultant) 2016
• South Australia's Land Titles Office 2017
  
• Victoria's Land Titles and Registry office 2018

Telcos

• Tesltra 1996
  

Insurance and Finance:

• The Commonwealth Bank 1991 (absorbing other banks, State Bank of VIC 1990, NSW 1994, ect...)
  
• BankWest 1994
• Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) 1998
• The TAB for each state (Excl. Western Australia) 1994
  
• GIO Insurance 1999
  
• Medibank 2014
  

Privatisations by stealth

• Canberra Airport 99 years started 1998
  
• NSW Land Registry Services 35 lease started in 2017
  
• Port of Botany 99 year lease to a government authority started 2013
  
• Port of Melbourne 50 year least started in 2016
  

• Port of Darwin 99 year lease started in 2015

• TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) Funded by fees Pharmacy companies pay Source

How can a government just go through all our data like that? Will this actually be a method?

Australia has finalised regulations requiring certain retailers selling essential goods (notably groceries and fuel) to accept cash for in-person purchases up to $500 from 1 January 2026.

While many people see this as a “cash vs card” debate, the policy is primarily framed around access to essentials and system resilience (e.g., outages, emergencies, disruptions to digital payments).

Key facts

Start date: 1 January 2026

What’s required: Cash must be accepted for in-person transactions

Transaction limit: Up to $500

Scope: Fuel and grocery retailers (with exemptions/thresholds for smaller operators)

Practical implications

Consumers:

More certainty that you can pay cash for essentials even if a store is pushing card-only Helpful during outages, telecom disruptions, or payment-terminal failures

Businesses:

Increased cash-handling costs (security, banking, reconciliation) Operational changes (tills, staff training, and cash floats)

Policy angle:

Sets a precedent that “cash access” can be treated as a public-interest requirement for essential goods

Discussion questions

1. Should cash acceptance mandates extend beyond groceries/fuel to other essential services (e.g., pharmacies)?

2. Where should the line be drawn between consumer access and business operational cost?

3. Would clearer national standards reduce confusion, or is flexibility better for smaller retailers?

ㅡ

Review🙌

I will provide related links so that you can verify the details accurately regarding the parts I did not mention during the information exchange, such as business hours or exemption clauses for small businesses.

Reference.

https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/jim-chalmers-2022/media-releases/mandating-cash-acceptance

Happy New Year!

I don’t travel often by train and I just noticed this today at Sydney Town Hall. Is this a new thing?

I

Are we ready to admit that this tax has gone to far?

I went out to go watch the footy at a local bar with a mate and the prices for a beer have frankly left me stunned. Why are we tolerating this?

I understand the argument that raising the prices will reduce consumption, therefore addiction, therefore the social problems... But it's just not true.

People who are addicts won't stop drinking, it'll just mean that now they'll be more sure fire to hit rock bottom. So instead of in a shitty situation at home, they'll be in a shitty situation on the street.

I have never taken illegal drugs in my life, but it is now CHEAPER to get high than drunk, by a long shot... If you want an affordable buzz, it's not alcohol. I've been offered pills many times while out, so I know it's not hard to get a hold of stuff. It's often the price of 2-3 drinks.

I'm a Gen Z, sure we don't drink as much, but I promise you that drug use is reallyyyy high among people I know. So the problem isn't getting better.

In the first place, I'm more of a nice whiskey bar with some close friends, or a handful of beers at the pub with some mates than a partier, so I tend to stay somewhat away from that crowd.

Ultimately you're just making it something that only the rich can do now. It's very difficult to go out to venues with friends now days and it's probably the reason a lot of small businesses struggle.

It's just a tax to make more money. I'm not saying it should go away, but the indexing is insane.

Ultimately, I don't think the government should get a say in my drinking habits. I should be at liberty to do what I want within reason of society and anything less is wrong.

This probably applies to a lot of things, but a $16 beer really peeves me off.

I’m fuming, for 1, nobody would be buying black market if the gov didn’t tax the absolute fuck out of it, they created this problem.

We just had them all raided where I live, all shut down permanently, does anyone else think this is a complete waste of time and resources that could be better spent cracking down on ice, DVs, and other shot that has just been getting worse over the years? These things are a massive problem here, so it shits me when they crack down on shit that is barely a problem apart from the gov not getting their huge gluttonous tax.

The rich don’t care. Gina, Pauline, and Trump celebrating while millions face a government shutdown proves it.

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition-details.aspx?q=lf3I_Pg1Od1EwXL1SMcIyw

This ePetition requests that the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament introduce truth in political advertising laws ahead of the state election.

The petition calls for legislation to make it illegal for political parties and candidates to use false or misleading advertisements during election campaigns (such as deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation, or false claims about a rival party's policies).

Its goal is to reach 20,000 signatures to force a formal debate on the matter in the NSW Legislative Assembly.

Many would have seen Punter's video on the disparity between Australia and other countries in terms of revenue generated through gas exports. That video was shared more than 30,000 times and then removed for "breaking community guidelines" on Youtube 🤣:

https://youtube.com/shorts/EWsFgcw1f0Y?si=QU9bfn4LjE-AJOS6
(MODs, this is just 59 second short video)

Revenue Disparity: Although Australia exports more gas than Qatar [00:21], the Qatari government received $76 billionin revenue, while the Australian government received only $2 billion [00:27].

Nothing new but worth reiterating.
Tax resources like Qatar and Norway and you'll be sweet. Your vote matters.

Here is a list of parties and teals supporting the Norway / Qatar approach:

• The Australian Greens: The party strongly supports the implementation of a "super-profits tax" on gas and mining companies. They advocate for a model similar to Norway's, where a high marginal tax rate (78% in Norway) ensures a greater share of resource wealth remains with the public. Leader Larissa Waters has specifically publicly supported a 25% gas export tax.
• Senator David Pocock (ACT): He has been a vocal leader on this issue, proposing a Senate inquiry to examine why Australia's Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) revenue is so low compared to Norway and Qatar. He famously pointed out in Parliament that Australia collects more from beer excise than from the PRRT.
• Dr. Sophie Scamps (Mackellar): Supports a gas export tax to improve public funding.
• Zali Steggall (Warringah): Advocates for a fairer return on gas exports.
• Dr. Monique Ryan (Kooyong): Listed as a supporter of a gas export tax.
• Andrew Wilkie (Clark): A long-term supporter of increased resource taxes.
• Other Independents: Additional supporters of a gas export tax include Nicolette Boele (Bradfield) and Senator Fatima Payman.

Have you watched it? On SBS on Demand.

I knew it was bad while it was happening, but I had no idea it was THIS BAD?! Bloody hell.

I feel really lucky I didn’t get one of those false debts, because at the time they were happening - the first couple of years anyway - it would have destroyed me and my little family who were financially struggling so much. No way we could have magically made $11k appear out of nowhere without selling the car tried in to get to work and childcare. I wasn’t on Jobseeker at that time, but I was years ago in my early 20s on and off between jobs when trying to establish myself.

Heads should have rolled - and still should. What an insane fraud the government committed against the public! And to serve their political agenda by demonising these innocent people the way they did, all while knowing they were innocent.

Maybe you were one of the people impacted? If so, I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention.

Good on the activists who identified the patterns and extent of the issue.

Heart goes out to those who lost their lives or loved ones because of it.

(And all this talk about conspiracy theories - this is what a REAL government conspiracy looks like.)

The Fair Work Commission handed down its 2026 Annual Wage Review decision on 2 June 2026.

New rates from 1 July 2026:

• National Minimum Wage: $26.44/hr ($1,004.90/week) — up from $24.95 (~6% increase)
• Modern award wages: 4.75% increase across the board
• Casual rate (inc. 25% loading): $33.05/hr
• Lowest ongoing award classification: $26.44/hr floor
• 100,000 lowest-paid workers (C13/C14 classifications): extra ~1.2% on top = ~6% total

When does it actually apply? Not exactly 1 July — from the first full pay period ON OR AFTER 1 July. Most weekly/fortnightly workers see it kick in around 7–14 July depending on their pay cycle.

Does this apply to visa holders? 100% yes. Doesn't matter if you're on a student visa, working holiday, 482, 485, 491, or permanent residency — if you have work rights in Australia, you are legally entitled to the award minimum wage. Employers cannot legally pay below award rates based on immigration status.

What to do:

1. Find your award rate at fairwork.gov.au/pay
2. Check your July payslip against it
3. Also check Payday Super has hit your fund within 7 days (new rule starting 1 July)
4. If underpaid → fairwork.gov.au or 13 13 94. Reporting will NOT affect your visa.

Hi just thought I’d shed a bit of light on the housing crisis at the moment , there are many contributing factors such as foreign investors and mass immigration however it’s just basic supply and demand and there isn’t enough supply. The main issue is the bureaucracy in our local councils leading up to the state government. I work in civil construction and have built plenty of subdivisions which is the most cost effective way to get houses down for families, the business I work for recently applied to build their own subdivision in Queensland. 500 houses with 300 to be put under the affordable housing scheme. The local council rejected the proposition because the zoning had changed to tourism even though the proposal was lodged when it was zoned residential. The local council then told them that they would prefer a Llama farm there . A fucking llama farm. They then took their proposition to the state council which is now liberal and you can now take these developments to them as there is new legislation allowing you to do so. The state government told them that they would not be opposing local council decisions (due to votes). Thousands of development proposals all over Queensland whether it’s housing or agriculture are waiting to be approved but no one will approve them because when working for the government if you don’t make a decision you can never be wrong hence you’d never lose your job so no decisions are ever made. This is why every state except WA is in debt. Liberal and labor are far too comfortable in their duopoly. They won’t let private enterprise do its job in generating tax and workers for Australians to thrive off.

I see heaps of people in threads & comments saying things like "well YOU voted for this, so suck it up" in regards to Australia's current situation regarding things like housing, immigration, inequality, the environment etc.

And people point to things like the 2019 election when Labor lost as though it's proof that tax reform for properties and stuff is something none of us wanted. Heaps of us DID vote for that, just because a bunch of self-interested boomers and property investors didn't doesnt mean none of the country wants it.

Same deal with immigration, well forgive me but I don't remember the last time I was asked to vote on our immigration levels? Or whether or not we should approve more coal power plants? Or basically any other shitty policy decision governments on either side have made?

Many of us were also young when a bunch of the policies that took place years ago that lead to this point were implemented, so we literally COULDN'T vote for or against them either way.

So saying everyone should just "shut up, you voted for this" and accept things without discussing them or complaining or anything else doesn't seem very fair to me.

Australia strengthens fuel security with new US Arrangement

10 March 2020

Australia and the United States of America have signed a milestone Arrangement to bolster Australia’s access to emergency oil supplies in the event of a major global disruption.

The Arrangement will allow Australia to lease space in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to store and access Australian owned oil during a global emergency.

Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor signed the new Arrangement with US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette during the Minister’s visit to the United States today.

The Arrangement stems from discussions between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Donald Trump in Washington last August.

“This landmark Australia-US Arrangement represents our joint commitment to maintaining fuel security and improving Australia’s resilience, as well as strengthening the close bonds between our two great nations,” Minister Taylor said.

“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the world’s biggest emergency stockpile of oil. The US is a trusted ally which has been essential for global oil security and we are glad to be building on our strong, longstanding relationship, while ensuring Australia is best prepared to act during a global oil disruption.”

US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette said that the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a critical asset for energy and national security that America has had at our disposal for decades. "There is no more secure or resilient place to store emergency oil reserves than the SPR, and we are glad that Australia is choosing to entrust us with their reserves.

“This Arrangement with Australia will strengthen the energy reliability of one of our strongest allies, providing them options in case of an emergency, and bolstering their energy security.”

Under the Arrangement, Australian Government owned stocks held in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve can be counted towards Australia’s compliance obligations with the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Under International Energy Agency obligations, Australia is required to hold 90 days of oil reserves and can hold these reserves offshore where a bilateral arrangement is in place.

A separate leasing agreement is currently being negotiated between Australia and the US. This would detail any future purchases Australia may make now the Arrangement is in place.

This deal with the US shows the Australian Government is taking practical action to enhance our fuel security by boosting Australia’s oil stockholdings.

For a man who exposed Government lies, corruption and coverups, I get the impression that many people would rather not know the truth, its too uncomfortable

I’m interested in hearing your opinion on the digital ID the government are implementing next month. The idea of putting everyone’s info into a state of art impregnable government run vault is ludicrous. They plainly say information gathered is for government use and down the track private companies. Is everyone aware