SadisTech posted:

I'm really, really tempted to troll by Facebook posting that flag from a couple pages back with the text "So given all the Republican talk we're going to need to discuss a new flag design, here is an option that sums up Australian values"

Freudian Slip posted:

I am sure I am not alone here in wanting to able to celebrate, just not on the 26th of Jan.

At the moment though there aren't many options that we could change it to that most people would get behind. Our federation was created on Jan 1, which is already a holiday where people are getting over hangovers.

One of the best advantages of if we become a republic soon is that we will be able to move our national holiday to whatever day we officially become a republic. I think February the 1st would be pretty good as it's still summer and easy as gently caress to remember.

Jumpingmanjim posted:

Brunswick Liberation Front

Recoome posted:

https://www.facebook.com/NeilEriksonMedia/videos/992173744188201/

ScreamingLlama posted:

That's assuming we actually DO become a republic. Our first referendum failed for a reason, and that reason was the blatant attempt at putting power solely into the hands of politicians by making THEM the electors of the President and not the voting public. To quote a political cartoon from that year: "You can choose a Queen you didn't choose... or a President you didn't choose!"

quote:

If you want to live in the Democratic People's Republic of Australia, it'd better have direct democracy built in. Ballot initiatives, such as those seen in California, are a good way to get people involved and feeling like they can make a difference - because they actually CAN make a difference (despite the truly awful initiatives coming from Christian extremists).

Bifauxnen posted:

Re: flagchat, I actually like the golden wattle design:

BlitzkriegOfColour posted:

knows only a little about politics science

Graic Gabtar posted:

A positive move, but do you mean the intent now or what it will be?

Graic Gabtar posted:

Anyway, call me when The Greens have decided not to ignore that Australia probably has a responsibility in the reprocessing and storage of nuclear waste.

Quantum Mechanic posted:

Intent now.

Quantum Mechanic posted:

Uh, we are. I actually went to a meeting of the Sutherland Greens where we discussed very seriously the fact that these shipments are our returned waste from Lucas Heights and that we have a responsibility to accept it and deal with it.

Quantum Mechanic posted:

Now, do you mean opening ourselves up for storing other countries' waste? Nope. Not unless we stick it in Hunter's Hill or under Federal Parliament, anyway.

quote:

A host of work-related tax deductions claimed by individuals every year that amount to tens of billions of dollars could be scrapped and replaced with low personal tax rates, submissions from Treasury and business groups to the Turnbull government's inquiry into tax deductibility show.

In a bid to address bracket creep – where wage inflation pushes people into higher tax brackets – Treasurer Scott Morrison has said the government would consider introducing personal tax cuts as part of its upcoming tax review.

But such cuts will have to be funded by either increasing the GST or clamping down on tax breaks that benefit the rich, such as superannuation concessions, negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.

Australian Taxation Office statistics show that in 2012-13, total deductions of $31.3 billion were claimed by personal taxpayers against $704 billion in taxable income.

Work-related expenses comprised nearly two-thirds of total deductions claimed. Of 12.8 million individual tax returns lodged that year, $19.7 billion was claimed in work-related expenses.

The most common type of work-related expenses was for car expenses, totalling $8 billion, followed by "other" (comprising home office costs and tools, equipment and other assets) of about $7 billion, work-related travel expenses of about $2 billion, uniform costs totalling $1.6 billion and work-related self-education costs amounting to $1.1 billion.

Milky Moor posted:

they pulled a hoax on a current affair and today tonight

quote:

Mitch Hooke, the man who spearheaded the campaign to derail Kevin Rudd's mining tax - and helped kill the Labor leader's prime ministership - has been honoured on this Australia Day for his services to the mining industry.

In 2013, Hooke stepped down as head of the Minerals Council of Australia, the lobby group which launched the ferocious 2010 ad campaign against Rudd's mining tax.

According to the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat, Hooke has been honoured as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for his "significant service to business, particularly to the mining and minerals sector, and to policy development".

quote:

Since he took over from Tony Abbott last September, Mr Turnbull has repeatedly used his "exciting time" line, including during overseas trips. He even jokingly referred to it on Monday morning, noting there had "never been a more exciting time to be a finalist in the 2016 Australian of the year awards".

But the 2016 winner was clearly not convinced.

Despite Mr Turnbull announcing the former army chief as Australian of the Year only moments before, General Morrison said he only partially backed the Prime Minister's statement.

"It is an extraordinary time to be an Australian, but I need to give it qualified agreement."

The former army chief, who is now chair of Diversity Council Australia explained: "For reasons beyond education and professional qualifications or willingness to contribute or a desire to be a part of our society ... too many of our fellow Australians are denied the opportunity to reach their potential.

"It happens because of their gender, because of the god they believe in, because of their racial heritage, because they're not able-bodied, because of their sexual orientation."

gay picnic defence posted:

gay picnic defence posted:

Also Google's doodle or whatever they call it is good

quote:

In a stunning departure from convention, today’s ‘Google Doodle’ – the picture that adorns the Google logo, and changes based on the significance of the day – has delivered what surely must be the most overtly political statement in world Google history.

Over to Google for the explanation: “Doodle 4 Google 2015 was won by Ineka Voigt from Canberra High School in ACT, for her entry ‘Stolen Dreamtime’,” explains the corporate giant.

“In response to the theme of ‘If I could travel back in time I would…’ Ineka wrote “… I would reunite mother and child. A weeping mother sits in an ochre desert, dreaming of her children and a life that never was… all that remains is red sand, tears and the whispers of her stolen dreamtime”.

Ineka Voigt, with her winning artwork, entitled ‘Stolen Dreamtime’.

Bifauxnen posted:

Re: flagchat, I actually like the golden wattle design:

quote:

Dr Aldridge conducted the survey in Dunedin, Hastings and Havelock North during the Christmas-New Year holiday period, approaching pedestrians and showing them images of the proposed alternative New Zealand flag as Flag A, and the Australian flag as Flag B.

He then asked: "Which of these would you choose for the New Zealand flag?''

"Only 10% of those approached recognised the Australian flag for what it was.

"The 90% that didn't notice is not a number you can trust, speaking as a scientist. It should raise significant doubt.

"But I published the results because it's relevant to the current debate that a lot of people have difficulty distinguishing the New Zealand flag from the Australian flag.

"If I had put the Union Jack or the [Canadian] maple leaf or a few other distinctive flags, then there wouldn't have been any doubt about it in people's minds.

"They would have said: You're showing the Union Jack, why are you doing this?''

Dr Aldridge said the confusion between the New Zealand and Australian flags was a long-standing problem, and the results of his survey showed it was continuing.

The informal survey also found Dunedin respondents were the most observant, 16% of them recognising the Australian flag.

"In Havelock North, 11% correctly identified it, while in Hastings, only 4% did. The latter seemed to have a higher proportion of non-New Zealanders, though.''

Overall, 43% of respondents chose the proposed flag and 46% chose the Australian flag.

He said Dunedin was the most conservative. Only 27% of respondents selected the proposed flag.

In Hastings, nearly half of the respondents chose the new flag, and in Havelock North, 62% chose the new flag.

open24hours posted:

I think something like this better represents what we stand for as a nation. Easy for kids to draw too.

Doctor Spaceman posted:

Nice and white.

gay picnic defence posted:

Looks like the LNPhave decided on the most appealing reason to cut tax for the rich

http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/scrap-workrelated-deductions-offer-personal-tax-cuts-turnbull-told-20160125-gmdktv.html

I'm guessing if you can afford a slick accountant you'll still be able to claim a bunch of poo poo, all while benefiting from a new lower tax rate.

Jumpingmanjim posted:

How did Depreston only get to 82? What a poo poo country.